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19 June 2018
Former Postal Employee Indicted for Theft from U.S. MailRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A McHenry woman was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury for theft from the U.S. mail.
JENNIFER L. DUNCAN, 51, a former U.S. Postal worker, was charged in a one-count indictment. As alleged in the indictment, on Feb. 20, 2018, Duncan removed approximately $3,500 from mail addressed to an individual in Tennessee.
Mail theft carries a maximum potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a period of supervised release of up to three years following imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and full restitution. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. Duncan will be arraigned on a date yet to be determined in U.S. District Court in Rockford.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Scott Caspall, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Chicago Great Lakes Area Field Office of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
The public is reminded that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love.
Former Mason County Deputy Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A former Mason County Deputy Sheriff pled guilty today to a federal gun charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Terry Lee Powell, 42, of Point Pleasant entered his guilty plea to possession of a stolen firearm before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the West Virginia State Police and the Mason County Sheriff’s Department.
“I often tell folks that one of my greatest honors as United States Attorney is being able to work every day with West Virginia law enforcement officers who are the best of the best,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “The overwhelming majority of our law enforcement officers conduct themselves with honor and integrity, and this United States Attorney will have their backs every single day. However, when a law enforcement official breaks the law, my office will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. For a law enforcement officer such as Powell to steal a gun and sell it to a drug dealer is unconscionable, a violation of public trust, a rebuke of the very law he swore to uphold, and a disgrace to his fellow officers.”
Powell admitted that on July 4, 2015 he seized a World War II era Luger 9mm pistol during an investigation he was conducting at a residence on Ultra Lane in Ashton, West Virginia. Instead of logging the weapon into evidence, Powell sold it for $2,500 to Eugene Asbury of Gallipolis Ferry. Mason County Sheriff Gregory Powers had been conducting an internal investigation of Powell when he learned that West Virginia State Troopers found evidence of Powell’s theft and sale of the pistol while executing a federal search warrant at Asbury’s residence in April 2016. Sheriff Powers referred the matter to the State Police for criminal investigation. Asbury later pled guilty to federal drug trafficking and money laundering charges as a result of that investigation and will be sentenced on July 30, 2018. Powell faces up to ten years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 18, 2018.
Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks is responsible for the prosecution.
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.
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart
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Former Grand Juror Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
A former federal grand juror pled guilty today to obstruction of justice.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Leslie Lynn Heburn, 37, Miami, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marcia G. Cooke to obstruction of justice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1503. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Cooke on August 22, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. The defendant is facing a maximum statutory penalty of ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
On January 19, 2017, Heburn was sworn in as a federal grand juror and advised of the rules concerning grand jury secrecy, including that a grand juror is not to disclose matters occurring before the grand jury. Heburn was also advised of the possible criminal consequences of making any unauthorized disclosure of grand jury information.
On May 4, 2017, Heburn was present during the United States Attorney’s Office presentation to the federal grand jury of a proposed indictment for Rocky Dejesus Molina. Copies of the proposed indictment for Molina were distributed to the members of the grand jury, but they were not supposed to leave the grand jury chamber. Later that day, the grand jury returned an indictment against Molina (Case Number 17-20304-CR-ALTONAGA).
On May 10, 2017, prior to Molina’s arrest, Heburn used an alias Facebook account to contact Molina’s girlfriend via Facebook Messenger. During the course of their communication, Heburn advised Molina’s girlfriend that she was serving as a grand juror and had seen Molina’s name on an indictment. Heburn then warned Molina’s girlfriend that Molina had been set up by a “snitch” since March 2016.
After Molina’s arrest on May 24, 2017, Molina’s girlfriend contacted Heburn at the alias Facebook account to ask more questions. Heburn sent the girlfriend photos of the proposed indictment for Molina that was part of the secret grand jury proceedings. Heburn continued to tell Molina’s girlfriend that Molina had been set up on a number of occasions by a confidential informant. Heburn acknowledged during their communications that she knew she could get into trouble for disclosing information regarding the grand jury proceedings.
On October 20, 2017, Molina pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 180 months in prison on January 3, 2018.
Mr. Greenberg commends the investigative efforts of the FBI in this matter. He also thanks the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force, Miami-Dade Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dobbins.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Director of Information Systems for BSI Indicted on Wire Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Leaman George Crews, III, 44, of St. James, Missouri, surrendered this morning in federal court to an Indictment charging him with five counts of wire fraud in connection with his scheme to defraud the company he worked for – Brewer Science Incorporated (BSI), Rolla, Missouri.
The indictment alleges that between May 2, 2008 and August 11, 2017, Crews was employed as the Director of Information Systems for BSI. He was given a BSI credit card to order software equipment on behalf of the company. Instead of purchasing software and computer equipment for the company, Crews used the credit card to fund over one thousand wire transfers to various PayPal and bank accounts. Crews ultimately used the BSI funds for personal expenditures unrelated to the legitimate BSI business, including cash withdrawals and personal credit card purchases. The total amount of loss is approximately $1,851,520.
If convicted, Crews faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000 or both on each count. Restitution to the victim is also mandatory. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges. To help vindicate the interests of the victim, the government has also sought forfeiture of real estate Crews purchased with the proceeds of his crime and a money judgment for all of money stolen in favor of the United States.
This case was investigated by the Rolla division of the FBI. Lindsay McClure-Hartman is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes the assistance of BSI in preparing the case.
As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Cabinet Secretary Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Fire Department FundsRead the Press Release
He stole over $178,790 between 2013 and 2016 from Teays Valley Fire Department
In Separate Embezzlement Scheme Wife Embezzles over $75,000 from the Same Fire Department
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Hurricane man and former West Virginia Cabinet Secretary pled guilty today to embezzling $178,790 from the Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department, as well as to a related tax crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Clifford Keith Gwinn, 64, formerly the Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance, faces up to 15 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release and a $200 special assessment when he is sentenced on September 17, 2018. He has agreed to pay restitution to the Fire Department in the amount of $178,790 and to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $68,281. U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations.
“Egregious criminal conduct,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “To steal from our first responders, those that save our lives and protect our homes, for personal greed is beyond comprehension. It’s disappointing to say the least that a former public official serving at the highest levels of West Virginia state government would steal from first responders, the very folks who would run into danger to save him. It’s tragic. My team stands ready to aggressively prosecute elected officials who violate the basic public trust of honest service.”
Gwinn admitted that as Vice President and fiscal officer of the Fire Department, he was in charge of the financial affairs of the Fire Department and exercised significant control over the Fire Department’s finances. He admitted that his duties included reporting income and expenditures to the Fire Department, preparing and submitting taxes for the Fire Department, and assisting with applications and reimbursements for federal grants, among other duties. He further admitted that he, without authorization from the Fire Department, opened a Fire Department bank account where only he had signature authority, transferred funds into that account without the knowledge or authorization from the Fire Department, ensured certain health care insurance company reimbursements were deposited into that account, and wrote himself checks and checks to cash out of that account, which he then typically cashed. He admitted that he further instructed the Fire Department’s Treasurer to write him checks from other Fire Department bank accounts and further misrepresented the amount of bank account balances to the Fire Department officers and board members. He also admitted that he structured withdrawals out of the Fire Department’s accounts in series of transactions below $10,000, to prevent the banks from filing Currency Transaction Reports. While he admitted that he systematically deposited cash into Fire Department bank accounts, his overall withdrawals and payments received significantly overwhelmed the amount of any deposits. He also admitted that he had no authorization to write himself checks or receive and cash checks from the Fire Department, and was not entitled to any compensation.
During the period from 2013 through 2016 that Gwinn embezzled $178,790 in Fire Department funds, the Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department received grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. These grants allowed the Fire Department to pay firefighters and to purchase and maintain equipment.
Furthermore, Gwinn admitted that that while he was Vice President and fiscal officer for the Fire Department, the Fire Department withheld taxes from its employee’s paychecks, including federal income taxes, Medicare, and social security taxes, together known as payroll taxes. He admitted that he knew that he had the corporate responsibility to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over the Fire Department’s payroll taxes. Gwinn admitted that from October 31, 2015 through April 30, 2017, while Gwinn was a responsible person for payroll taxes, Fire Department failed to account for and pay over approximately $61,421.31 in payroll taxes.
Gwinn further admitted that when he filed his personal income tax returns with the IRS, those returns were false because they failed to account for the funds he had embezzled from the Fire Department.
In a related prosecution, but separate embezzlement scheme, Gwinn’s wife, Kathy Sue Gwinn, 52, was sentenced yesterday for embezzling over $75,000 from the Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department. Kathy Gwinn was ordered to jail for a weekend a month for five months, ten months home confinement, and 3 years supervised release, plus probation.
Gwinn formerly served as the Treasurer of the Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department. As Treasurer, she generated payroll checks for firefighters and signed the payroll checks on a Fire Department bank account. Gwinn volunteered for the Fire Department, and had no authority to write herself checks, nor was she entitled to wages, salary, or compensation for her role as Treasurer. Beginning in October 2014, and continuing through March 2017, she printed and wrote herself unauthorized checks from the Fire Department’s payroll account, noting on the memo line of the checks that the checks were for payroll, overtime, or tax preparation. Gwinn moved money from one fire department bank account into the bank account primarily used for payroll, and when she transferred those funds, she inflated the amount of the transfer to include enough to cover the unauthorized checks she planned to write to herself. Over the course of her scheme, she embezzled $75,356.70. Gwinn was ordered to pay this amount in restitution.
During the period Gwinn embezzled funds, the Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department received grants from FEMA, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. These grants allowed the fire department to pay firefighters and to purchase and maintain equipment.
Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas was in charge of the prosecutions. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings.
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Florence Man Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri Lydon stated today that Edward Lawrence Johnson, II, age 42, of Florence, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Florence by United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks to 51 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,246,122 in restitution, for violations of wire fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
Evidence presented at the change of plea and sentencing hearings established that Johnson defrauded at least 41 victims from 2007 to 2016 primarily on the internet by selling goods, such as cell phones, or services, such as promoting musicians, which he never provided. Johnson used at least 11 aliases and 14 business names while defrauding individuals and businesses causing losses of $1,246,122.00.
The case was investigated by the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II, of the Columbia office handled the case.
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Federal Criminal Complaint Filed Against Driver and Four Others Involved in Dimmit County Crash that Resulted in Deaths of Five Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
In Del Rio today, federal authorities charged five (5) individuals, including 20–year-old Jorge Luis Monsivais, Jr., of Eagle Pass, TX, for their roles in a smuggling scheme that resulted in the deaths of five (5) illegal aliens, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Felix Chavez and Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd.
A federal complaint charges the defendants with transporting illegal aliens and conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and death. Upon conviction, the offense is punishable by life imprisonment or death, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.
On June 17, 2018, U.S. Border Patrol agents initiated immigration inspections on three vehicles—a 2013 Tahoe, a 2007 Suburban, and a 2008 Tahoe—traveling in a convoy on FM 2644 between El Indio, TX and Carrizo Springs, TX.
According to the criminal complaint, the 2013 Tahoe yielded while the other two led Border Patrol agents and Dimmit County Sheriff’s deputies on high speed chases. While traveling east bound on Highway 85, Monsivais, the driver of the 2007 Suburban, crashed as he entered the town of Big Wells, TX. According to the complaint, Monsivais was traveling with 13 suspected illegal aliens—including one juvenile—at the time of the crash. Four of them died at the scene. Nine were transported to a hospital for medical care. One died on the way to the hospital. One was released to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol after receiving medical attention. Seven remain hospitalized, including the juvenile.
The criminal complaint alleges that the driver of the 2008 Tahoe evaded law enforcement before purposefully coming to a stop. Several people absconded from the vehicle. U.S. Border Patrol agents detained the driver, a 17-year-old juvenile, and captured ten (10) suspected illegal aliens in the area.
In addition to Monsivais, the criminal complaint charges the driver of the 2013 Tahoe, 55-year-old Mexican citizen Marcial Gomez Santana; and occupants, 45-year-old Mexican citizen Mariela Reyna; Marcial’s son, 21-year-old Rudy Gomez of Hockley, TX; and, Marcial’s daughter, 19-year-old Johana Gomez of Houston, TX, as conspirators in the smuggling venture. All five charged in the federal criminal complaint remain in custody.
Of the 23 illegal aliens involved in this scheme, 21 are Mexican nationals and two (2) are Honduran nationals. At this time, six (6) of the 23 illegal aliens are being held on federal complaints as material witnesses. This investigation continues. No other federal charges have been filed. The juvenile driver is in the custody of Dimmit County authorities.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is leading this investigation together with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol—Del Rio Sector and the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Paul Harle is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
A criminal complaint is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Court Bars Arkansas Tax Return Preparer from Preparing Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Yesterday, a federal court in Jonesboro, Arkansas permanently barred Rachelle Eldridge-Bray from preparing federal income tax returns for others. The civil injunction order, to which Eldridge-Bray agreed, was signed by Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The complaint alleges that Eldridge-Bray prepares tax returns that understate her customers’ income tax liabilities and overstate her customers’ refunds. Eldridge-Bray unlawfully prepares federal tax returns with fabricated business income and expenses and bogus itemized deductions, according to the allegations in the complaint.
Return preparer fraud was one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2018 and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has some tips on its website for choosing a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Federal Charges Filed in Two Unrelated Bank Robbery CasesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced federal charges in two separate bank robbery cases. JAYVON DOMINIQUE GANT, 27, was charged by complaint with one count of bank robbery and DAMIEN JAMES MCDONALD, 40, was charged by complaint with one count of bank robbery. MCDONALD made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Jon T. Huseby, in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, MN on June 18, 2018. GANT made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, MN on June 8, 2018.
According to the complaint and a law enforcement affidavit filed with the Court, GANT is suspected of robbing five banks throughout the Twin Cities during May 2018. He is charged with robbing a sixth bank on June 7, 2018, in Bloomington, MN. Similar to the previous robberies, on June 7, 2018, GANT entered the Bloomington bank and handed the teller a note demanding money. After the teller handed GANT the money, GANT fled the bank on foot. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Bloomington, Blaine, Fridley, Edina, Cottage Grove and Oakdale Police Departments.
According to a complaint and a law enforcement affidavit filed with the Court, on June 6, 2018, an Eagan branch of a credit union was robbed by an individual carrying a handgun. Surveillance videos capture the alleged bank robber stopping in front of the credit union in a Mazda CX-7 SUV then leaving in the same Mazda at the conclusion of the robbery. Upon execution of a search warrant at MCDONALD’s residence later that day, law enforcement recovered clothing that matched the clothing worn by the robber and thousands of dollars in cash hidden in the residence. Additionally, cash that matched marked bills from the credit union were found on MCDONALD. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and Eagan Police Department.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.
Defendant Information:
JAYVON DOMINIQUE GANT, 27
Bloomington, Minn.
Charges:
- Bank robbery, 1 count
DAMIEN JAMES MCDONALD, 40
St. Paul, Minn.
Charges:
- Bank robbery (armed), 1 count
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
The charges contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
FBI and Local Law Enforcement Seek Information on D.C.-Area Serial Hotel RapistRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The FBI Washington Field Office along with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, Arlington County Police Department, and Greenbelt Police Department seek information from the public to identify an unknown male named the “D.C.-Area Hotel Rapist.”
Between August 22, 1998 and February 6, 2006, a serial rapist violently assaulted six to nine women in the D.C. area. Six of these attacks have been definitively linked by DNA to a single assailant, and suspicious activity that may be related was reported in five additional area hotels.
In the vast majority of these cases, hotel housekeepers were victimized. The assailant would enter hotel rooms by stealth and rape housekeepers as they cleaned rooms. In several of the incidents, the suspect used a box cutter, a necktie, or a cord to threaten and harm his victims. These assaults took place at hotels in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
The D.C.-Area Hotel Rapist is described as an African-American male, between 5’7”-5’10” tall, with a medium to stocky build, brown eyes, black hair, and a medium to dark complexion. At the time of the assaults, he was believed to be in his 20s to 30s. Since time has progressed, he is believed to be in his late 30s to late 40s.
On May 1, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia secured an indictment of the DNA profile of the unknown suspect on charges stemming from the two attacks that took place in Washington, D.C. This is the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has ever indicted a John Doe DNA profile.
“Working with the public and our law enforcement partners, we are hopeful that we finally will be able to hold this serial rapist accountable for his brazen crimes,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “DNA evidence has enabled us to push this case forward and we are hopeful that this DNA profile, and the community, can help us finally achieve justice. Despite the passage of time, we have never forgotten these victims.”
“This individual preyed on members of the D.C. region for nearly a decade,” says Metropolitan Police Department Chief of Police Peter Newsham. “We have not deviated from our goal of holding this person accountable for his heinous actions and feel confident that our recent progress will lead to his identification.”
“With the turn of the century, we can now reach back in time, up to two decades ago, and hold criminals accountable, and thus is the case going forward,” said Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
“Today law enforcement in the Metropolitan Washington area sent a clear message that we will not waiver in our commitment to investigate and identify the individual responsible for these horrible attacks on our community. No matter how much time passes, we will relentlessly pursue these investigations and use all available resources to identify this sexual predator and seek justice for the victims,” said Daniel Murray, Arlington County Police Department Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations.
The first of these DNA-linked cases occurred in May 2002 on the street in the offender’s vehicle in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The age-progressed composite sketch, which was created by Parabon NanoLabs, was not created by eyewitness accounts but from DNA that was left behind by the offender. This type of DNA testing uses DNA to produce a detailed report and composite sketch of the potential suspect that includes eye color, skin color, hair color, face morphology, and detailed biogeographic ancestry with age progression.
“The Montgomery County Police Department has used Parabon NanoLabs as an investigative tool in several cases. When our Cold Case Unit begin working on this serial rapist case with the other neighboring agencies we felt strongly that this could be a great tool to generate new investigative leads and help solve these horrific crimes,” said Thomas Manger, Chief of the Montgomery County Police Department.
The FBI and local law enforcement are asking for the public’s help to solve this cold case.
“Our combined law enforcement efforts include the work that was done at each scene, the work of the prosecutors to bring forth this indictment and now a public outreach effort seeking information on this violent assailant,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division. “If you recognize this person, if this box cutter or ring are familiar, if you have seen these items before, we need you to call law enforcement and provide the information. The public's assistance is vital in solving this case.”
The DNA evidence from the linked assaults can either positively identify or exclude a suspect. This allows investigators to quickly exclude innocent parties, and the public should not hesitate to come forward with information—even if it is the name or address of an individual who resided in the areas of the crimes. Many parties will be quickly excluded by a simple, non-invasive test.
A combined reward of up to $45,000 is being offered by the FBI, Metropolitan Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s Police Department, Greenbelt Police Department, and Arlington County Police Department for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the unknown suspect.
A detailed map and related story that includes addresses of the incidents, an original 2003 composite sketch of the assailant, an age-progressed DNA composite of the assailant, and images of the box cutter and ring that were recovered from the crime scenes are available on the FBI’s website.
Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information to contact the Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 727-9099, text the MPD Text Tip Line at 50411, or submit a tip with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. All tips can remain anonymous.
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The dates and locations of these assaults are:
LINKED BY DNA
- Sunday, May 26, 2002, at approximately 6:50 a.m. An 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the offender’s vehicle on the 4000 block of Penwood Street in Hyattsville, Maryland, after having been picked up from the 3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast Washington, D.C. The vehicle was described as a small black four-door car, unknown make and model.
- Sunday, December 1, 2002, at approximately 2:30 p.m. A 31-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted in a hotel room at the Hilton Hotel on Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. During the assault, the offender brandished a red-handled box cutter, which was recovered on the scene. The box cutter had the name Debbie handwritten on it.
- Sunday, May 11, 2003, at approximately 3:15 p.m. A 27-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted in a hotel room at the Renaissance Hotel on 9th Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. The offender’s ring came off during the assault and was recovered on the scene.
- Friday, May 23, 2003, at approximately 10:30 a.m. A 68-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted in a hotel room at the Jefferson Hotel on 16th Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. The offender bound the victim’s hands with a necktie during the assault.
- Friday, June 6, 2003, at approximately 10:00 a.m. A 29-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted in a hotel room at the Holiday Inn Hotel on Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington, Virginia. The offender brandished a cord during the assault.
- Monday, June 9, 2003, at approximately 12:28 p.m. A 22-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted in a hotel room at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel on Golden Triangle Drive in Greenbelt, Maryland.
OTHER SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND INCIDENTS THAT MAY BE RELATED
- Saturday, August 22, 1998, at approximately 12:05 p.m. A 30-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted in a hotel room at the Quality Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
- Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at approximately 10:30 a.m. A suspicious person was observed at a Hyatt Hotel on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia.
- Wednesday, May 28, 2003, at approximately 10:45 a.m. A suspicious person was observed in the Marriott Courtyard Hotel on Clarendon Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia approximately 15 minutes after the Hyatt Hotel incident (0.2 miles away).
- Monday, June 9, 2003, at approximately 12:13 p.m. A suspicious person was observed at a Residence Inn Hotel in Greenbelt, Maryland. The suspect was questioned by an employee and exited the hotel 10 minutes later. This activity occurred 15 minutes prior to the DNA-linked attack at the Marriott Courtyard (0.1 mile away).
- Friday, June 13, 2003, at approximately 11:00 a.m. A suspicious person was observed trying to open doors on various floors at the Marriott Hotel on Russell Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland, then hastily fleeing The individual was observed leaving the scene in a black Nissan Sentra.
- Friday, June 13, 2003, at approximately 12:10 p.m. Two housekeepers reported that they observed a suspicious person at the Sheraton Baltimore Washington Airport Hotel in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. The housekeepers stated that the individual resembled the suspect who was portrayed in a flyer circulated by the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C.
- Sunday, February 13, 2005, at approximately 11:27 a.m. A 34-year-old woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in a hotel room at the Quality Inn Hotel on New Hampshire Avenue in Takoma Park, Maryland.
- Monday, February 6, 2006, at approximately 3:40 p.m. A 28-year-old female housekeeper was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in a hotel room at the Red Roof Inn on Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia.
- Sunday, May 26, 2002, at approximately 6:50 a.m. An 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the offender’s vehicle on the 4000 block of Penwood Street in Hyattsville, Maryland, after having been picked up from the 3400 block of Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast Washington, D.C. The vehicle was described as a small black four-door car, unknown make and model.
Elkhart Woman Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud and Aggravated ID TheftRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Kimberly McGuire, age 49, of Elkhart, Indiana, was sentenced by the Honorable Robert L. Miller, Jr., Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division, for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
McGuire was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release and ordered to pay $584,506.22 in restitution.
According to documents filed in this case, starting in November of 2012 and continuing through April 2017, McGuire accessed the payroll system of her former employer and logged in unworked work hours under the names of more than 140 former employees. McGuire admitted to causing the wages for these unworked hours of former employees to be direct deposited into bank accounts controlled by her or her associates. She also admitted to obtaining payroll checks for the unworked hours, forging the signatures of the former employees on these checks, and depositing the checks into bank accounts controlled by her or her associates.
This case was investigated by the FBI and was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke N. Reilander.
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Dominican National Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a widespread heroin and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy operating in Lawrence.
Josuel Moises Patrone-Gonzalez, 23, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Patrone-Gonzalez will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In March 2018, Patrone-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
On May 30, 2017, a large scale law enforcement operation dismantled two Lawrence-based drug trafficking organizations, one allegedly run by the defendant’s brother, Juan Anibal Patrone, and another led by Ramon Gonzalez Nival, who was a source of supply for Patrone. Patrone-Gonzalez was arrested and charged along with Patrone, Gonzalez Nival, and approximately 30 co-conspirators.
Patrone-Gonzalez played a significant role in his brother’s organization by operating stash houses. When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Patrone-Gonzalez’s apartment/stash house, they seized approximately 350 grams of fentanyl and 220 grams of cocaine.
Gonzalez Nival pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 5, 2018. Patrone pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Lawrence Police Chief Roy P. Vasque made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Winkler of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.v
Document Fraud Leads to Federal Prison for Illegal AlienRead the Press Release
A Guatemalan man who unlawfully used fraudulent identification documents was sentenced June 18, 2018, to more than three months in federal prison.
Francisco Rivera-Cobo, age 20, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 25, 2018 guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of identification documents.
In a plea agreement, Rivera-Cobo, an illegal alien, admitted that on September 11, 2016, he used a fraudulent social security card and a fraudulent Green Card when completing employment forms to get a job. The social security account number and the Green Card number belonged to other people. Rivera-Cobo also used the same fraudulent Green Card when applying for work in Cedar Rapids in May 2016. Rivera-Cobo was arrested on February 27, 2018, by immigration agents after they learned he had registered a car using another person’s social security number.
Rivera-Cobo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Rivera-Cobo was sentenced to 98 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Rivera-Cobo is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-12-LRR. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein Recognizes Four Eastern District of Pennsylvania Employees at Awards CeremonyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC—United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that three Assistant United States Attorneys and a forensic analyst from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania were recognized for their distinguished public service at the 34th Annual Director’s Awards Ceremony. U.S. Attorney McSwain, along with honorees Assistant United States Attorneys David Ignall, Mary Beth Leahy, David Troyer, and forensic analyst Cyndi Fusco, were invited to Washington D.C. for the event held on June 15 in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Director James Crowell, IV, of the Executive Office of the U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA), presented the awards.
“Every day, Dave, Mary Beth, Dave, and Cyndi serve the people of our District by bringing to bear their superior abilities and steadfast dedication in pursuing justice. I was gratified that EOUSA spotlighted my colleagues’ work in this meaningful way, and I know I speak for everyone when I say this office is very proud of their achievements.”
These AUSAs were recognized for their significant contributions on two specific cases, and Ms. Fusco was honored for her outstanding work as a forensic analyst in the Criminal Division, as follows:
United States v. Brian Hartline and Barry Bekkedam – AUSA David Ignall
AUSA Ignall successfully prosecuted this fraud conspiracy case culminating in a nationally significant four-week trial of Brian Hartline and Barry Bekkedam, co-founders of NOVA Bank. Hartline and Bekkedam were convicted for attempting to defraud the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) established to bring the country out of the 2008-09 fiscal crisis.
During the relevant time period, Hartline served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of NOVA Bank, and Barry Bekkedam served as NOVA Bank Board Chairman. Bekkedam also owned and operated a financial advisory company, Ballamour Capital Management, and advised Ballamour clients to invest in NOVA Bank. This complex case involved an attempt to defraud the TARP out of more than $13 million through a scheme to make NOVA bank appear more financially sound than it was so that NOVA would be eligible to receive the TARP funds. Both defendants were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States, major fraud against the United States, and making false statements to government regulators and were sentenced to prison.
United States v. William O’Brien et al. – AUSA Mary Beth Leahy and AUSA David Troyer
AUSA Leahy and AUSA Troyer successfully prosecuted William O’Brien, III, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who operated a “pill mill” through multiple medical practices in the Philadelphia area. O’Brien used members of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Gang to run his offices, recruit fake customers, enforce collections, and distribute large quantities of oxycodone, methadone, and other drugs to drug dealers and drug addicts. The scheme was one of the largest in the Philadelphia area, generating millions of dollars in illegal drug revenues laundered via various means and resulting in the death of at least one 30-year-old patient who overdosed from a lethal combination of oxycodone and methadone.
Financial Analyst – Cyndi Fusco
In her fourteen years with the office, Ms. Fusco has spearheaded financial investigations of our most complex cases. She has investigated fraud, public corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and tax evasion. Ms. Fusco has created detailed analyses of financial facts, prepared summary charts, prepared witnesses for testimony, testified as the financial investigator, and directed interviews involving financial accountants and experts. She also developed a protocol to monitor social media of targets to locate hidden assets. Her cases have resulted in lengthy sentences, large forfeitures, and restitution.
Deputy Attorney General Recognizes Western Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s Office Employee at the National Director’s Awards CeremonyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tamara L. Collier, Community Outreach Specialist and Reentry Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Pennsylvania, was one of 162 members of the Department of Justice recognized by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director James Crowell, IV at the 34th Director’s Awards Ceremony Friday in Washington D.C.
The Western District of Pennsylvania was one of 35 districts represented at the ceremony, which was held in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.
In addressing the award recipients and guests, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said, "These honorees earned the esteem of their colleagues. But most importantly, they earned the gratitude of our fellow citizens — the people whose communities you made safer, whose lives you improved, and whose trust you rewarded. Today, we pause to honor and recognize a small portion of your work."
Tamara L. Collier, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, was recognized for her superior performance in the area of prevention and reentry. Ms. Collier is the district’s reentry coordinator, and she has worked tirelessly to implement strategies to reintegrate former offenders successfully into our communities. She acts as a key participant in the district’s two reentry courts, in Pittsburgh and Johnstown, during which she consistently develops the trust and respect of the re-entrants. Ms. Collier also took the initiative to develop strong and positive relationships with staff at a federal prison located within the Western District of Pennsylvania, Federal Correctional Institute McKean, and she was instrumental in supporting a life-coaching program, under which inmates assist one another in developing strategies for success upon release. Ms. Collier’s unflagging efforts help to ensure that individuals who are reentering society have the best possible chance for success.
"I echo the sentiments of Attorney General Jeff Sessions who has said that while the job of a prosecutor is to enforce the law, we also recognize that prevention efforts and re-entry programs for offenders play a key part in an effective strategy to reduce violent crime," said U.S. Attorney Brady.
EOUSA provides oversight, general executive assistance, and direction to the 94 United States Attorneys’ offices around the country. For more information on EOUSA and its mission, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao.
Consultant to Real Estate Developers Pleads Guilty in White Plains Federal Court to Conspiracy to Corrupt the Electoral Process in BloomingburgRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VOLVY SMILOWITZ, a/k/a “Zev Smilowitz,” pled guilty yesterday to conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process, in connection with an election in Bloomingburg, New York. SMILOWITZ pled guilty before United States District Judge Vincent Briccetti in White Plains federal court.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated: “In the biggest federal voter fraud case in the modern era, Volvy Smilowitz admitted to taking part in a cynical scheme to rig an election in Bloomingburg. There is no place in our democracy for the criminal conduct admitted to by the defendant, which included falsely registering dozens of voters. Those who conspire to corrupt the electoral process must and will be held accountable.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, as well as statements made in related court filings and proceedings:
Starting in 2006, VOLVY SMILOWITZ, a consultant, and Shalom Lamm and Kenneth Nakdimen, real estate developers, sought to build and sell real estate in Bloomingburg, New York. From these real estate development projects, SMILOWITZ, Lamm, Nakdimen, and others hoped for and anticipated making hundreds of millions of dollars. But by late 2013, the first of their real estate developments had met local opposition, and still remained under construction and uninhabitable. When met with resistance, rather than seek to advance their real estate development project through legitimate means, SMILOWITZ, Lamm, and Nakdimen instead decided to corrupt the democratic electoral process in Bloomingburg by falsely registering voters and paying bribes for voters who would help elect public officials favorable to their project.
Specifically, in advance of an election in March 2014 for Mayor of Bloomingburg and other local officials, SMILOWITZ, Lamm, Nakdimen, and others developed and worked on a plan to falsely register numerous people who were not entitled to register and vote in Bloomingburg because they actually lived elsewhere. Those people included some who never intended to live in Bloomingburg, some who had never kept a home in Bloomingburg, and indeed, some who had never set foot in Bloomingburg in their lives. SMILOWITZ, Lamm, and Nakdimen took steps to cover up their scheme to register voters who did not actually live in Bloomingburg by, among other things, creating and back-dating false leases and placing items like toothbrushes and toothpaste in unoccupied apartments to make it seem as if the falsely registered voters lived there.
SMILOWITZ and Lamm also bribed potential voters by offering payments, subsidies, and other items of value to get non-residents of Bloomingburg to register unlawfully and vote there.
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SMILOWITZ, 29, of Monroe, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
SMILOWITZ’s sentencing is scheduled for October 24, 2018, at 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI-Hudson Valley White Collar Crime Task Force, the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, the Sullivan County Sherriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Mr. Berman also thanked the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, Election Crimes Branch, for its assistance in the case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Kathryn Martin, Benjamin Allee, and Perry Carbone are in charge of the prosecution.
Colombian Drug Kingpin Sentenced to 31 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Colombian drug kingpin Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño was sentenced yesterday to 31 years in prison for importing multi-ton quantities of cocaine into the United States.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.
A Miami jury had found Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño, a/k/a “Mi Sangre,” 47, a citizen of Colombia, guilty of conspiring to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine with the knowledge that it would be unlawfully imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 959 and 963. United States Senior District Judge Donald L. Graham sentenced the defendant to 372 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The evidence presented at the six week trial, which included the testimony of special agents from DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, Argentinean National Police, and multiple co-conspirators, showed that the defendant in Colombia was a leader of the Urabeños, one of the largest and most dangerous drug cartels in the world. As a leader, the defendant was part of a drug distribution chain spanning from Colombia to Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The evidence at trial showed that as part of this conspiracy, the defendant was responsible for trafficking over 60,000 kilograms of cocaine. The evidence at trial also revealed that at one point, Lopez Londoño attempted to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement. However, when it was discovered that the defendant was lying and committing acts of violence, he became a target of investigation. That trial evidence further showed that Lopez Londoño had engaged in unauthorized drug trafficking activities while attempting to cooperate.
The prosecution was part of Operation Golden Eagle, which is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.
Mr. Greenberg commend the DEA Miami Field Division, DEA Bogota Country Office, DEA Buenos Aires Country Office, the Governments of Colombia and Argentina, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the Office of the Judicial Attaché in Colombia, and the U.S. State Department for their assistance in this matter. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Emery and Michael B. Nadler.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Coeur d’Alene Man Sentenced for Lie and Buy Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE – Alex James Spooner, 23, of Coeur d’Alene, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for unlawfully acquiring a firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Spooner was sentenced by United States District Court Judge David C. Nye. Spooner was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 17, 2018.
According to court records, Spooner committed what is commonly known as a “lie and buy” gun crime. A “lie and buy” gun crime occurs when someone buys a gun on behalf of another person while falsely claiming that it is for themselves. Spooner bought seven firearms for another person living in North Dakota. In doing so, Spooner lied to the gun seller by claiming the guns were for him. Four of the guns that Spooner bought ended up in Chicago. Within eight days of Spooner’s purchase of one of the firearms, it was used in a shooting in Chicago. Another gun bought by Spooner was found 13 days later during a search warrant execution in Chicago.
U.S. District Court Judge David C. Nye also sentenced Spooner to 3 years supervised release after he is finished with his prison term. While on supervised release, Spooner must follow certain terms and conditions set by Judge Nye, including searches of his person and property as well as drug testing and treatment requirements. Nye noted that while Spooner’s criminal conduct was serious, he also had a lack of any violent criminal history.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force and the Chicago Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
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Clermont County Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Richard Lee Devito, 34, of Batavia, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to creating child pornography.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott.
Devito admitted to inducing an eight-year-old female to engage in sexually explicit conduct in August 2016 for the purpose of making child pornography. Devito used the messaging app “ooVoo,” pretended to be a 13-year-old and persuaded the child to send him videos of her naked. The videos included the minor dancing or rubbing her genitalia.
“As he admitted in court today, Devito knowingly induced more than 25 minors to send him sexual or nude videos and photographs over the Internet,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman. “The minors were typically between the ages of eight and 12. He would often encourage the children to rub their genital and place objects up their vagina or anus.”
Devito also possessed thousands of images and video files that depicted child pornography. Several included prepubescent children under the age of 12 engaged in sexual acts with adults.
Devito pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography, which is punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison and five years up to a lifetime of supervised release.
“As a parent, this kind of predatory behavior over the internet is frightening,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman. “I commend the FBI for its investigation of the case, which led to today’s guilty plea.” U.S. Attorney Glassman further commended Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey, who is representing the United States in this case.
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Citizen of Mexico Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Heroin Trafficking and Immigration OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ONEL ARANA-GERVACIO, also known as “Arana Ricardo Leon Cepeda,” 44, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Houston, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment for heroin trafficking and immigration offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 21, 2016, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama conducted a motor vehicle stop of a car hauler that was carrying a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. A search of the Malibu, which was registered to ARANA, revealed that it contained a hidden compartment (“trap”), which is commonly used to conceal and transport illegal contraband, including narcotics, firearms and currency. Law enforcement officials obtained court authorization to install tracking devices on the vehicle and, between October 2016 and January 2017, HSI agents observed it at various locations in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
On January 17, 2017, agents located the Malibu at 1091 Maple Avenue in Hartford. On January 20, 2017, surveillance officers observed activity on another vehicle located at the Maple Avenue residence consistent with manipulating a mechanical hidden compartment. Officers then observed ARANA place two duffel bags into that second vehicle and then drive off. At approximately 8:30 p.m., a Hartford Police cruiser pulled the car over. The vehicle also contained a hidden trap, but a search revealed no contraband.
A subsequent search of 1091 Maple Avenue revealed more than six kilograms of heroin, approximately 500 grams of cocaine and a “finger press,” which is used to process bulk quantities of heroin into 10-gram-bags known as “fingers.” Agents also seized drug distribution materials, including sifters, grinders, scales, vacuum sealers and kilo wrappers, which were coated in heroin residue and field-tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
Agents then searched the Malibu, which was located in the garage of 1091 Maple Avenue, and recovered approximately $260,000 in cash from inside the trap.
Laboratory testing of the seized heroin revealed that some of it contained fentanyl.
The investigation revealed that in October 2013, a U.S. Border Patrol agent encountered ARANA near Hidalgo, Texas, and determined that ARANA had unlawfully entered the U.S. from Mexico. He was removed to Mexico on November 2, 2013.
ARANA has been detained since his arrest on January 20, 2017. On February 2, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, one kilogram or more of heroin, and one count of illegal reentry.
ARANA will be deported when he is released from prison.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Hartford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police, with the assistance of the Baldwin County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Gustafson and David T. Huang.
Citizen of Ecuador Admits to Illegally Reentering U.S., Failing to Register as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ENRIQUE FAJARDO MARIN, 40, a citizen of Ecuador recently residing in Danbury, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to one count of illegally reentering the U.S.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in December 2011, FAJARDO was convicted in Danbury Superior Court of illegal sexual contact with a minor and risk of injury. He was sentenced to 18 years of incarceration, execution suspended after 10 years, with 20 years of probation. FAJARDO also was required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.
On February 5, 2016, after he was released from state custody, FAJARDO was deported from the U.S. to Ecuador.
On June 28, 2017, FAJARDO was arrested in Worcester, Massachusetts. The investigation revealed that FAJARDO illegally reentered the U.S. and had been residing in Danbury since approximately December 2016. FAJARDO also had failed to register as a sex offender in Connecticut.
FAJARDO has been detained since his arrest.
Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for September 12, 2018, at which time FAJARDO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of Connecticut State Parole. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Cherry Hill Gang Member Convicted on Conspiracy Charges After Bench TrialRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland –Lamont Jones, a/k/a “Butt Juice,” age 25, of Baltimore, was convicted today of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise in connection with his gang activities as a member of the Up Da Hill (UDH) organization, which operates in the Cherry Hill section of Baltimore. Jones was also convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
According to the evidence presented to U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, during Jones’ one week bench trial, Jones participated in the activities of the UDH organization, which operates in the area of Cherry Hill known as “Up the Hill” or “Up da Hill.” UDH members and associates have been in disputes with members of other organizations known as “Coppin Court,” “Little Spelman,” and “Hillside,’ which are all involved in criminal activity in Cherry Hill. UDH members and associates used violence and intimidation to protect themselves, the UDH organization, and their control of the drug trade in part of Cherry Hill.
Jones and other UDH members sold crack cocaine, heroin and other narcotics. During his involvement in the conspiracy, Jones knew that UDH was responsible for the distribution of at least one kilogram of heroin, five kilograms of cocaine, 280 grams of crack cocaine, and marijuana. In addition to his participation in the gang’s narcotics trafficking activities, Jones knew that members and associates of UDH committed home invasions, and street and bank robberies to fund their narcotics activities, and committed other acts of violence, including shootings, stabbings, and murders, to kill, injure, and intimidate those who would interfere with their enterprise. According to the evidence presented at trial, Jones participated in an assault and stabbing on October 10, 2006, the shooting of two gang rivals on November 25, 2007, the murder of a rival gang member on January 22, 2011, and the shooting of a narcotics-trafficking rival on March 25, 2012.
Jones faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Judge Russell has scheduled sentencing for October 5, 2018.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Seema Mittal and Patricia C. McLane, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
Chelsea Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Trans-National Methamphetamine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering ring operating between Massachusetts and California.
Steven Beadles, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for Sept. 24, 2018.
Beadles was one of eleven men from Massachusetts and California who were indicted in 2016 after a two-year investigation into methamphetamine trafficking. The indictment alleges that beginning in at least 2013, the defendants participated in a conspiracy to transport sizeable quantities of methamphetamine from San Diego, Calif., to Massachusetts, where it was distributed in the greater Boston area. Proceeds from the sale of that methamphetamine were then transported and/or transferred back to California and laundered in various ways.
In his plea agreement, Beadles admitted that agents seized approximately 434 grams of methamphetamine that had been shipped from California to the house where Beadles was living in January 2016, that he knew that the package contained methamphetamine, and that he intended to distribute some of the drugs.
Each charge provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; William Ferrara, Director of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement. The Massachusetts Department of Correction; Norfolk County Sherriff’s Office; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; and the Reading, Watertown, Quincy, Chelsea, Braintree, Peabody, Waltham, and Woburn Police Departments; and Connecticut State Police assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Arnold of Lelling’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Charleston Family Members Plead Guilty to Distribution of OpioidsRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Samuel Bobby Wright, age 67, and Horace Edmond Wright, age 52, of Charleston, South Carolina, pled guilty to multiple counts of Distribution of Heroin, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841. Additionally, Samuel Bobby Wright pled guilty to multiple counts of Distribution of Fentanyl, also in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841. Senior United States District Judge Patrick Michael Duffy, of Charleston, accepted the guilty pleas and will impose the sentences after he has reviewed the presentence reports, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearings established that on June 28, July 3, and July 27, 2017, Samuel Bobby Wright sold heroin from a residence slightly north of Septima Clark Parkway on the peninsula. He also sold fentanyl from the same address on multiple occasions in September of 2017. Horace Edmond Wright sold heroin from outside of the same residence on July 13 and 18, 2017.
Ms. Lydon stated that the maximum penalty the Wrights could receive is 30 years imprisonment and a fine of $2,000,000 dollars. The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Charleston City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie Lea Schoen of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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Cambria County Man Lied on Federal Firearms Purchase Form Claiming He was Buying it for HimselfRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Cambria County resident pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Jesse Edward Lester, 36, of Sidman, Pa., pleaded guilty to the indictment before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, on Sept. 10, 2016, in connection with the purchase of a firearm, Lester knowingly made a false statement in an effort to deceive Sporting Goods Discounters, a federally licensed firearms dealer. Lester represented to Sporting Goods Discounters that he was the actual buyer of the firearm, when, in fact, he was purchasing the firearm on behalf of someone else.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 23, 2018, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie L. Haines is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lester.
California Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Conspiring to Distribute OpioidsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Charles Rainer Sinek, age 53, of Oakland, California, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute opioid pills.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Sinek was convicted in September 2016, after a 3-day trial. At trial, the evidence demonstrated that from 2011 to September 2012, Sinek used his father-in-law’s prescription pad to write prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone. He filled these prescriptions at different pharmacies using variations of his own name and at least one other pseudonym. He then shipped the drugs cross-country to his co-conspirator in Saranac, New York, where the drugs were sold.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also ordered Sinek to forfeit $164,025 as proceeds of the crime.
This case was investigated by the DEA and the Plattsburgh Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe.
Brazilian National Sentenced for ATM SkimmingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with ATM skimming in the Boston area and North Shore.
Helisson Benazi de Souza, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to three years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $105,880 in restitution. Benazi de Souza will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In March 2018, Benazi de Souza pleaded guilty to one count of using counterfeit access devices (debit cards); one count of possessing 15 or more counterfeit access devices (debit cards); three counts of possessing device-making equipment (ATM skimming devices); one count of illegal transactions with an access device (other persons’ debit cards); and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Benazi de Souza was part of an ATM skimming operation in which he stole the debit card information and personal identification numbers (PINs) of legitimate bank account holders when they used their debit cards at ATMs. Skimming devices made to look like legitimate card access slots were used to record the account information on the magnetic stripes of the debit cards, while secret pinhole cameras recorded the cardholders entering their PINs on the keypads. The stolen account information was then saved on blank plastic cards, including gift cards and hotel key cards, making “clones” of the legitimate debit cards. Benazi de Souza used such cloned cards, and the corresponding PINs, to withdraw thousands of dollars from ATMs in the Metro Boston area in May 2017.
Benazi de Souza was arrested in May 2017, after law enforcement was alerted by a bank’s fraud investigator. The investigator discovered that someone made a number of withdrawals that day at three ATMs in Lynn from bank accounts that the investigator knew had been compromised.
Surveillance video from banks in Malden and Saugus showed an unknown man installing and removing skimming devices and pinhole cameras at the banks’ ATMs. It was later determined that the man in the video was Benazi de Souza. When police searched Benazi de Souza’s car, they discovered thousands of dollars in cash, all in $20 bills. They also found over 200 gift cards and hotel key cards containing small stickers. Benazi de Souza admitted that the numbers written on the stickers were cardholders’ PINs.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Stephen A. Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; and Lynn Police Chief Michael A. Mageary made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Berkeley County man sentenced to five years for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Travis Jerome Robinson, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to five years incarceration for possessing a firearm during a drug crime, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Robinson, age 34, pled guilty to one count of “Possessing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime” in March 2018. Robinson admitted to having a .40-caliber handgun while possessing and intending to distribute heroin in May 2017 in Jefferson County, West Virginia.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Ballston Spa Man Sentenced to 71 Months for Money Laundering, Marijuana TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ryan Mershon, age 40, of Ballston Spa, New York, was sentenced today to 71 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit money laundering and distribute marijuana.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Warren County Sheriff Nathan H. “Bud” York; Acting Inspector in Charge Delany De Leon-Colon, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Boston Division; and Special Agent in Charge Kevin M. Kelly of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office.
Between October 2013 and February 2016, Mershon obtained marijuana from co-conspirators in California and shipped that marijuana to Northern New York in bucket containers. The marijuana was sold throughout Northern New York. Mershon arranged for his co-conspirators to deposit the proceeds from the sale of the marijuana in bank accounts in his name as well as the names of his immediate family and girlfriend. The amount of proceeds deposited totaled more than $117,000.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Mershon to forfeit $117,000 as proceeds of the crime.
After pleading guilty on September 5, 2017, Mershon absconded from Court supervision and left New York, becoming a fugitive. The U.S. Marshals Service tracked down Mershon and arrested him in California.
This case was investigated by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and HSI, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth R. Rabe.
Arizona Man Sentenced to Prison for Distributed Denial of Service Attacks against Emergency Communications System and Other Municipal WebsitesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – An Arizona man was sentenced yesterday in Phoenix, Ariz., for directing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks at the computer networks of the City of Madison, Wis., announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange for the District of Arizona.
Randall Charles Tucker, aka “Bitcoin Baron,” 23, of Apache Junction, Ariz., was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes of the District of Arizona. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of over $ 69,300 to the victims of his computer attacks. Tucker had previously pleaded guilty to one count of intentional damage to a protected computer.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea, between March 9 and March 14, 2015, Tucker executed a series of DDoS attacks against various city websites, including Madison, Wis. A DDoS attack is a malicious attack where illegitimate network traffic is used to slow down or altogether crash a computer server, thereby denying service to legitimate users of the server. In addition to disabling the City of Madison’s website, the attack crippled the city’s Internet-connected emergency communication system, causing delays and outages in the ability of emergency responders to connect to the 911 center and degrading the system used to automatically dispatch the closest unit to a medical, fire, or other emergency. Tucker, referring to himself as the “Bitcoin Baron,” boasted about his attacks via social media.
This case was investigated by FBI’s Milwaukee and Phoenix Field Offices, and Arizona’s Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Knapp of the District of Arizona and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin also provided substantial assistance in this manner.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-01065-PHX-DLR (BSB)
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-081_Tucker
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Arizona Man Sentenced to Prison for Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Against Emergency Communications System and Other Municipal WebsitesRead the Press Release
An Arizona man was sentenced yesterday in Phoenix, Arizona, for directing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks at the computer networks of the City of Madison, Wisconsin, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange for the District of Arizona.
Randall Charles Tucker, aka “Bitcoin Baron,” 23, of Apache Junction, Arizona, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes of the District of Arizona. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $69,331.56 to the victims of his computer attacks. Tucker pleaded guilty on April 17, 2017 to one count of intentional damage to a protected computer.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea, between March 9 and March 14, 2015, Tucker executed a series of DDoS attacks against various city websites, including Madison, Wisconsin. A DDoS attack is a malicious attack where illegitimate network traffic is used to slow down or altogether crash a computer server, thereby denying service to legitimate users of the server. In addition to disabling the City of Madison’s website, the attack crippled the city’s Internet-connected emergency communication system, causing delays and outages in the ability of emergency responders to connect to the 911 center and degrading the system used to automatically dispatch the closest unit to a medical, fire, or other emergency. Tucker, referring to himself as the “Bitcoin Baron,” boasted about his attacks via social media.
This case was investigated by FBI’s Milwaukee and Phoenix Field Offices and Arizona’s Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Knapp of the District of Arizona and Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin also provided substantial assistance in this manner.
Ansonia Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing CrackRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JASON WALKER, 30, of Ansonia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine. Judge Meyer ordered WALKER to serve the first three months of his supervised release in home confinement.
According to court documents and statements made in court, WALKER, Jacob Freeman and Marquice Rumley were members of a drug trafficking organization that trafficked large quantities of crack cocaine throughout the Naugatuck Valley. The investigation revealed that members of the organization shared the same cellphone to service drug customers in shifts over a 24-hour period. Members of the drug trafficking organization also shared vehicles and serviced customers together. Between May and September 2017, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of crack from WALKER and other members of the drug trafficking organization.
WALKER was arrested on November 15, 2017. On March 12, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine base (“crack cocaine”).
Freeman and Rumley pleaded guilty to the same charge and await sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and the Ansonia and Derby Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Alleged Latin Kings Members and Associates Charged with Trafficking Narcotics in Hartford's South EndRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Hartford Police Chief David Rosado today announced that an investigation into the gang-related trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine and associated violence in Hartford’s South End has resulted in federal charges against 13 alleged members and associates of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation (“Latin Kings”).
The following 11 individuals are charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and/or cocaine base (“crack cocaine”):
JIMMY FLORES, a.k.a. “Cuz-o,” 34, of East Hartford
NELSON FERRY, a.k.a. “300,” 28, of East Hartford
JULIAN BRAVO, a.k.a. “Pretty,” 23, of Hartford
JEFFREY FERRY, a.k.a. “30,” 31, of Manchester
YASIL SANTOS, a.k.a. “Lilo,” 23, of Hartford
RICHARD COLON, a.k.a. “Droopy,” 39, of Hartford
BRIAN MATOS, a.k.a. “Buddha,” 28, of Hartford
DANNIE DARLING, a.k.a. “Danny” and “David,” 30, of Hartford
CHARLENE MORALES, 35, of East Hartford
MARISOL FERRY, f.k.a. “Marisol Hernandez,” 25, of East Hartford
NOEL CORTES, 54, of HartfordJeffrey Ferry also is charged with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
These defendants, with the exception of Santos and Cortes who are in state custody, were arrested today. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and are detained. Two individuals are being sought by law enforcement.
As alleged in the criminal complaint, this matter stems from a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division targeting gang violence and narcotics trafficking in Hartford. The investigation, which has included court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that that Jimmy Flores, also known as “Cuz-o,” and Nelson Ferry, also known as “300,” operated separate drug trafficking organizations comprising members of the Latin Kings in Hartford’s South End. Both drug trafficking organizations distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine, and use multiple locations to process, package, store and distribute narcotics. Both organizations also possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities.
The complaint further alleges that the Nelson Ferry drug trafficking organization operated a “trap house” at 149 Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford as a distribution point for drug customers. On May 22, 2018, Julian Bravo was shot and seriously wounded in an apparent robbery of that location.
The complaint alleges that, on June 3, 2018, Jeffrey Ferry, also known as “30,” and Yasil Santos, also known as “Lilo,” were arrested on state charges after intercepted communications revealed that Jeffrey Ferry had a gun and planned to meet someone to settle a dispute. Hartford Police officers stopped a car Ferry was driving and located a loaded 9mm pistol in the car’s glove box. Santos was in the car’s passenger seat.
In association with today’s arrests, investigators executed federal search warrants at two locations in Hartford and three locations in East Hartford and seized approximately 150 grams of fentanyl, approximately 20 grams of crack cocaine, other narcotics, and two firearms.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and Shooting Task Force have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
4-Time Offender Sent Back to Prison for Illegally Re-entering the USRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 47-year old Mexican citizen has been ordered to prison for more than seven years following his conviction of illegal re-entry, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Jose Inez Martinez-Ramirez pleaded guilty March 14, 2018.
Today, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ordered Martinez-Ramirez to serve 78 months for the conviction and further ordered his supervised release for a previous illegal re-entry conviction be revoked, resulting in a total 90-month-federal prison sentence. He again will be expected to face deportation proceedings following his release.
On Jan. 1, 2017, Martinez-Ramirez was in the Brownsville city jail on charges of sexual assault and assault on a family member impeding breath/circulation. At that time, he was found to be an alien and citizen of Mexico who had entered the United States illegally.
Further evidence revealed that he had been previously removed from the United States in 2005, 2008 and 2011.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U. S. Attorney Oscar Ponce is prosecuting the case.
18 June 2018
Yemeni Man Pleads Guilty to ExtortionRead 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 Yousef Goba, 44, of Yemen, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to making extortionate threats to harm and kidnap a minor. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that between February 2015 and April 2015, Goba contacted the victim through telephone and text messages and threatened to kidnap and injure the victim’s minor child.
The minor child went to Yemen with her mother in September 2013. While in Yemen, the minor child, her mother, and siblings lived with Goba for a period of time. When the mother wanted to move from Goba’s residence, the defendant refused to let the minor child leave and threatened that he would have the minor child marry a Yemeni man, if money was not paid to him. On April 8, 2015, during a call recorded by the FBI, Goba demanded that the victim pay him $11,000 as well as money for other expenses for the release of the minor child.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 29, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vilardo.Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Conspiracy and ID TheftRead the Press Release
*UPDATE on June 21, 2018: The following statement provides additional clarity to this press release (originally issued on June 18, 2018) and includes a revised headline. Please attribute the statement to Joshua Stueve, Director of Communications for EDVA. "As stated in the Statement of Facts for defendants Cross and McKnight, numerous victims of the LFCU identity theft fraud also identified themselves to DOJ as victims of the OPM Data Breach. The Government continues to investigate the ultimate source of the PII used by the defendants and how this PII was obtained.”
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Maryland woman pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to use the stolen identification information of victims of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach to obtain fraudulent personal and vehicle loans through Langley Federal Credit Union (LFCU).
According to court documents, Kariva Cross, 39, of Bowie, participated in and recruited others to engage in a fraudulent identity-theft scheme targeting LFCU. In 2015 and 2016, LFCU received numerous online membership and consumer loan applications in the names of stolen identities that were victims of the OPM data breach. LFCU approved and issued the requested memberships and loans prior to determining that they had been sought using the stolen personal identifying information of others. LFCU disbursed loan proceeds via checks and transfers into the checking and savings accounts opened through these fraudulent applications. Vehicle loan proceeds were disbursed by checks made payable to individuals posing as vehicle sellers, while personal loan proceeds were disbursed to LFCU accounts opened in connection with the fraudulent loan applications and transferred to accounts of others. Cross and others then accessed and withdrew the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds.
Cross pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and a consecutive mandatory minimum of two years in prison when sentenced on October 26. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-defendant Marlon McKnight pleaded guilty to the same charges on June 11.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Eric Shen, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels is prosecuting 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-118.
Winnemucca Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud Conspiracy and Theft of Elder Client's MoneyRead the Press Release
RENO, Nev. – Thomas Michael Bidegary, 67, a tax return preparer who co-owned Winnemucca Tax and Bookkeeping Service, a tax preparation and bookkeeping services business, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit tax fraud and theft of government money, related to two separate criminal indictments, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Tara Sullivan for the IRS Criminal Investigation. United States District Judge Robert C. Jones received his guilty pleas and scheduled a sentencing hearing on January 29, 2019.
According to court documents, Bidegary conspired with a co-defendant to prepare and file fraudulent individual income tax returns on behalf of clients. Beginning in at least 2009 and continuing through December 2014, he advised clients that by making small “investments” into various businesses he owned, the clients could decrease their annual taxable income and increase their tax refunds. As part of the scheme, after receiving checks from clients, Thomas would prepare false tax forms for the corresponding tax year that included large fictitious business losses in order to reduce the client’s taxable income and obtain a larger refund than what the client was entitled to receive. As a result of the false tax returns, he caused a tax loss of approximately $259,880.
The statutory maximum penalty is five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, a term of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
In relation to a separate criminal case filed against Bidegary, he also admitted to preparing and filing an unauthorized tax return on behalf of an elderly woman in Battle Mountain, Nevada. After receiving the $12,500 tax refund, he deposited the check into a bank account which was then converted for his own personal use. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison for theft of government property. He also faces a term of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Higginbotham.
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Westminster Woman Indicted for Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Westminster woman was arrested today in connection with stealing Social Security benefits.
Theresa Kenda Benedict, 55, was indicted on one count of theft of public funds and four counts of making false statements. She is scheduled to appear in federal court in Worcester before U.S. District Court Chief Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy at 2:00 PM.
According to the indictment that was unsealed today, Benedict served as the representative payee for an individual who was receiving Social Security benefits. In 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, Benedict informed the Social Security Administration that she used all of the money she received as a representative payee for the beneficiary, when, in fact, Benedict used some of the money for her own expenses. Between December 2007 and March 2016, Benedict stole approximately $46,310 in Social Security benefits.
The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charges of making false statements each provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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 Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Lelling’s Major Crimes 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.
Westbrook Men Sentenced for SNAP and WIC Trafficking Conspiracy, Money Laundering and Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Ali Ratib Daham, 41, of Westbrook, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for SNAP and WIC trafficking conspiracy, money laundering and theft of federal MaineCare funds. He was also ordered to pay $1,446,338 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on November 28, 2017. Abdulkareem Daham, 22, of Westbrook was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to defraud and to commit offenses against the United States. He was also ordered to pay $954,979 in restitution. He was found guilty on January 11, 2018 following a three-day jury trial. The charges arose out of the defendants’ operation of Ahram Halal Market on Forest Avenue in Portland. Ali Ratib Daham was the owner and operator of the market; Abdulkareem was an employee.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) is a federal government program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, designed to raise the level of nutrition among low-income households. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (“WIC”) is a federal program that provides supplemental food, health care referrals and nutrition for certain low-income women, and to infants and children up to age five who were found to be nutritionally at risk. Ahram became a SNAP retailer in 2011 and a WIC retailer in 2012.
According to court documents and trial evidence, the defendants conspired with each other to defraud the United States and traffic in SNAP and WIC benefits by allowing customers to exchange SNAP benefits and WIC checks for cash at a discounted rate and allowing SNAP benefits to be used to purchase ineligible goods or services or illegally pay off credit accounts at the market. Ali Ratib Daham also laundered proceeds of SNAP trafficking through the purchase and improvement of residential and commercial real estate, and stole about $39,000 in SNAP and MaineCare benefits by failing to report or update changes to his income and assets with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (“MDHHS”).
Judge Hornby stated that the sentences in these cases needed to promote respect for the law and have a deterrence effect on others. He told Ali Daham that his criminal conduct caused distrust of government welfare programs and may lead to prejudice against welfare recipients and immigrants.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and the MDHHS, Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit.
Vitamin Shop Owner Guilty of Selling Misbranded Drugs and Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 35-year-old Corpus Christi woman has pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and one count of receiving a misbranded drug in interstate commerce, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Vanesa Gonzales was one of the owners of X2Zero, a store selling dietary supplements online and through stores located in Corpus Christi.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a prescription drug containing sibutramine under the trade name “Meridia” for the management of obesity. In October 2010, the FDA requested Meridia’s marketer to withdraw the drug from the United States market due to the health risks associated with sibutramine, including an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death. On Dec. 21, 2010, at the manufacturer’s request, FDA withdrew its approval of Meridia. Since its removal, no drug containing sibutramine has been approved for human use in the United States.
The FDA found a number of the products X2Zero sold as “herbal weight loss supplements” to contain misbranded or unapproved foreign drugs.
At today’s hearing before Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey, Gonzales admitted she knowingly possessed and sold diet drugs containing sibutramine. She acknowledged she imported the drugs from China and sold them through both the X2Zero store in Corpus Christi and on the internet in violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
Sentencing has been set for Sep. 17, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. At that time, Gonzales faces up to six years in federal prison and fines of up to $350,000. She has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The FDA-Office of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr.is prosecuting the case.
Utica Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jeffrey Rivera, age 34, of Utica, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute more than five (5) kilograms of cocaine. The announcement was made by the United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt of the New York Division; and New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach, II. The jury trial on the charge to which Rivera pled guilty was scheduled to begin today before Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.
As part of his guilty plea, Rivera admitted that he agreed with others, including the co-defendants charged in his case, to participate in a drug trafficking organization that distributed cocaine. The defendant also admitted that he obtained quantities of cocaine from co-conspirators within the organization and distributed, or arranged to distribute, cocaine to others.
Chief Judge Suddaby will sentence Rivera on October 25, 2018, at which time the defendant faces up to life in prison, a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of up to $10 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least five (5) years and up to life. Rivera’s sentence will be imposed by Chief Judge Suddaby based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the New York State Police-Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department, the City of Rome Police Department, the City of Utica Police Department, and the Village of Yorkville Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Levine and Katherine King.
Upper Darby Man Charged with Illegal Re-entryRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Romeo Lucas-Lopez, a/k/a “Romeo Lopez,” of Upper Darby, PA, was charged by indictment with illegal reentry after deportation.
The indictment alleges that on or about May 17, 2018, Lucas-Lopez, an alien, and native and citizen of Mexico, was found in the United States after having been deported from the United States on or about November 7, 2010 and November 15, 2010. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of two years.
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”), and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurie Magid.
An indictment, information or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Men Sentenced to Prison for Theft of Vehicle on Navajo NationRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – Today, Bronston Begay, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a vehicle theft on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. Begay also received a consecutive eight-month sentence for violating his supervised release. Earlier this month, Judge Tuchi sentenced 19-year-old co-defendant Zachary Wyatt Bahe to 24 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for his role in the vehicle theft.
On July 27, 2017, the defendants and two others were hitchhiking on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. After being picked up by the victim, Bahe placed a fake gun to the victim’s head as they ordered the victim out of the vehicle. Begay then drove the vehicle away from the scene, leading law enforcement on high-speed chases in both Arizona and New Mexico before being apprehended. Both defendants are enrolled member of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Navajo Nation Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Christine Ducat Keller, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-8190-PCT-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-087_Begay_Bahe
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Two Men Charged in Plot to Distribute over Nine Kilograms of Heroin, 50 Pounds of Crystal Methamphetamine in Mercer CountyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – Two California men who were arrested in Mercer County, New Jersey, with over 50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and nine kilograms of heroin appeared today in Trenton federal court, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Gabriel Acosta Villa, 29, of Lake Forest, California, and Oscar Perez Jr., 23, of Santa Ana, California, are both charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. They appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman and were detained.
According to the complaint:
On June 17, 2018, law enforcement officers received information that a commercial truck driver and his accomplice planned to sell approximately 50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine to a buyer in the Trenton area. Law enforcement officers set up surveillance near the parking lot of a Robbinsville, New Jersey, restaurant and observed Acosta walking through the parking lot with two large bags. After Acosta entered a nearby vehicle, law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle and discovered 51.31 pounds of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
After detaining Acosta, law enforcement officers searched the area and discovered Perez walking alone near the loading docks of a nearby hardware store. A large white tractor trailer was parked nearby with the engine still running. A subsequent search of the tractor’s cab uncovered 9.5 kilograms of a substance that tested positive for heroin.
Both defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.U.S. Attorney Carpentio credited special agents of Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cherry Hill, under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Richard Reinhold, and overseen by Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael of HSI Newark, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie A. Nickerson in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan, for their assistance.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Lorber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Topeka Man Sentenced for Robbing Health ClubRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka man was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for robbing a health club, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
George Bernard Phelps, III, 31, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Nov. 24, 2017, he and another man robbed the Genesis Health Club at 2909 Southwest 37th Street in Topeka.
A Genesis employee came upon the two defendants in the lobby of the business while they were attempting to pry open a box used for money deposits by members of the club. Phelps told the employee the robbers did not want trouble and instructed him to wait in an adjacent room. Phelps stood in the doorway of the room with his hand in the waistband of his pants as if he had a gun. The defendants removed cash and checks from the box and then fled.
When police arrived, an employee told officers that one of the robbers resembled a former employee of the business. Investigators identified co-defendant Lesley Jamar Terrell, Jr., 34, Topeka, Kan., a prior employee of the club who worked as an overnight maintenance worker. Terrell pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 28 months in prison.
McAllister commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Project Safe Neighborhoods: Town Hall Meeting: Contant Knolls Community #171 Estate Contant, St. Thomas, VI June 21st at 6:00 p.m.Read the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI - United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that she and other federal law enforcement, plus members of the District’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, will participate in a community meeting at the Contant Knolls Community Center on Thursday, June 21st at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to provide community members with an opportunity to share their ideas and concerns about public safety. The United States Attorney will also discuss the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative to investigate and prosecute violent crime while supporting efforts to ensure public safety.
According to U.S. Attorney Shappert, "We have been very encouraged by the strong public response to our Project Safe Neighborhoods outreach efforts. We believe that obtaining information and support from our community partners is vital to our crime reduction strategy. Following the success of last week’s Kirwan Terrace Community Town Hall Meeting, we look forward to hearing from residents of the Contant Knolls Community."
Additional information about Project Safe Neighborhoods can be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website, https://www.justice.gov/usao-vi.
Tallahassee Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Dayton Michael Cramer, 71, of Tallahassee, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday after being convicted on March 21 of attempted enticement of a minor. The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
During the three-day trial, the government presented evidence that, in February 2017, undercover investigators conducted “Operation Cupid’s Arrow” to identify individuals seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors they meet online. Cramer responded to two Craigslist advertisements in which an undercover officer posed as a 14-year-old girl and also as the stepmother of a 13-year-old girl who was being offered for sex. Over the course of several days, Cramer discussed sexual activity with various undercover officers and traveled to meet who he thought was the stepmother of the 13-year-old girl to discuss the opportunity to have sex with the girl at a later date. Cramer was arrested after arriving at the designated meeting location.
United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova stated, “The North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force once again demonstrates why undercover online operations targeting those individuals who want to engage in sexual activity with minors are so crucial to the protection of our children and local community from online predators.”
“This criminal thought he was going to prey on a child; instead, he found himself in handcuffs,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Our HSI special agents and the multi-agency North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force work diligently to protect our children, and this case is an example of that commitment.”
“It does not matter who you are, if you prey on our children, you will be arrested,” said FDLE Tallahassee Special Agent in Charge Mark Perez. “These cases continue to be a priority for FDLE.”
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher J. Thielemann.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Supai Village Woman Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Assaulting OfficerRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – Last week, Kiana Walker, 29, of Supai Village, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen M. McNamee to 18 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Walker had previously pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer.
On Nov. 19, 2016, a Bureau of Indian Affairs Officer arrested Walker, who was pregnant at the time, for public intoxication in violation of the Havasupai Tribal Code. After being arrested, Walker screamed racial profanities at the officer and assaulted him, including dropping to the ground and kicking the officer. Later, when the officer took Walker to the nearby clinic for a precautionary medical evaluation, Walker pushed the officer against a wall and kicked him again. The incident occurred on the Havasupai Reservation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-8300-PCT-SMM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-083_Walker
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Springfield Man Admits Role in ATM "Jackpotting" SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ARGENYS RODRIGUEZ, 22, of Springfield, Massachusetts, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud stemming from an ATM “jackpotting” scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement agencies and ATM manufacturers have been investigating malware attacks on ATM machines in Connecticut and elsewhere. In a scheme commonly referred to as “jackpotting,” individuals use malware that is designed to cause an ATM to eject all of the U.S. currency contained in the machine. As part of the scheme, individuals dressed as legitimate repair technicians install malware on an ATM. Other individuals then proceed to extract all of the cash from the ATM.
On January 27, 2018, Citizens Bank investigators contacted police after they observed what appeared to be a jackpotting attack on an ATM in Cromwell. On that date, Cromwell Police encountered RODRIGUEZ and Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz near an ATM that had been compromised with malware and was in the process of dispensing $20 bills. A search of RODRIGUEZ and Fajin-Diaz’s vehicle revealed tools and electronic devices consistent with items needed to compromise an ATM machine to dispense its cash contents. RODRIGUEZ and Fajin-Diaz were found in possession of approximately $5,600 in cash, but the investigation revealed that a total of $63,200 was taken from the ATM on that date.
The investigation further revealed that, on January 22, 2018, RODRIGUEZ, Fajin-Diaz and others illegally obtained $63,820 from a Citizens Bank ATM in Rhode Island.
RODRIGUEZ is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on September 26, 2018, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years. RODRIGUEZ is released on a $250,000 bond pending sentencing.
Fajin-Diaz, 32, a citizen of Spain, pleaded guilty to the same charge on June 12, 2018, and awaits sentencing. He has been detained since his arrest on January 27.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, U.S. Secret Service, Connecticut State Police, Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, Middlesex State’s Attorney’s Office, Cromwell Police Department, Middletown Police Department and Greenwich Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
Sixth Mississippi Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Rig Bids at Public Foreclosure AuctionsRead the Press Release
Mississippi real estate investor Ivan Spinner became the sixth real estate investor to plead guilty in connection with the ongoing investigation into bid rigging at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Mississippi, the Department of Justice announced.
Felony charges against Spinner were filed on June 8, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. According to those charges, from at least as early as April 20, 2010, through at least as late as August 21, 2015, Ivan Spinner conspired with others not to bid against one another for selected public real estate foreclosure auctions in the Southern District of Mississippi. Co-conspirators made and received payoffs in exchange for their agreement not to bid.
“With today’s guilty plea, the Antitrust Division continues to hold those individuals accountable who corrupt the competitive process for their own financial gain,” said Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “The Division and its law enforcement partners remain committed to prosecuting bid rigging and restoring competition at these auctions in Mississippi and across the United States.”
“Individuals who defraud our home foreclosure process harm us all,” said United States Attorney Mike Hurst for the Southern District of Mississippi. “Our prosecutors and investigators should be commended for continuing to pursue those who violate our antitrust laws simply to enrich themselves.”
“Today’s guilty plea is another example that those who participate in bid rigging in Mississippi will be brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze of the FBI in Mississippi. “Bid rigging is a serious offense which undermines the integrity of the public systems designed to protect our citizens. The FBI continues to participate with the Antitrust Division investigating allegations of fraudulent bidding during public auctions in our state."
The Department stated that the primary purpose of the conspiracy was to suppress and restrain competition in order to obtain selected real estate offered at public foreclosure auctions at non-competitive prices. When real estate properties are sold at these auctions, the proceeds are used to pay off the mortgage and other debt attached to the property, with any remaining proceeds paid to the homeowner. According to court documents, these conspirators paid and received money in connection with their agreement to suppress competition, which artificially lowered the price paid at auction for such homes.
A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals. The maximum fine for a Sherman Act charge may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
The investigation is being conducted by Antitrust Division attorneys in the Washington Criminal II Section and the FBI’s Gulfport Resident Agency, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. Anyone with information concerning bid rigging or fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions should contact Antitrust Division prosecutors in the Washington Criminal II Section at 202-598-4000, or visit https://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.