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7 June 2018
New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty in Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DAWN CONRAVEY, age 37, of New Orleans, pled guilty yesterday to participating in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy throughout the New Orleans area. Specifically, CONRAVEY pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. CONRAVEY faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000 and at least 4 years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle set sentencing for CONRAVEY on September 12, 2018.
According to court documents, during the timeframe of this conspiracy, codefendant Steven LYONS was a major methamphetamine distributor in the New Orleans area. LYONS obtained methamphetamine by U.S. Mail and other means from several sources, including codefendants Carlos Mario CANTU-COX and Christopher CANTU-COX in Texas (who also supplied Anna THOMPSON); Eric WILLIS in Texas; Trung PHAM in California; and Garrett TEMPLETON in Louisiana. Codefendants Tommy WELLS, Clark McALPIN, Dwayne CLAUSE, and CONRAVEY acted as sellers or brokers of methamphetamine for LYONS in the New Orleans area.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Louisiana State Police, Amtrak Police, and St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Long is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Indicted for Walmart RobberyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS –U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Louisiana has indicted TERRY MADISON, III, age 22, for the robbery of Walmart Money Center in Hammond, Louisiana, on April 14, 2018. If convicted, MADISON faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.
MADISON is accused of robbing the Walmart Money Center of $3,448.10, and then fleeing the location.
U.S. Attorney Evans stated that an indictment is only an allegation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans also praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Orleans Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Myles Ranier is handling the prosecution.
Mississippi Physician Sentenced to over Three Years in Prison for Role in $3 Million Compounding Pharmacy Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Biloxi, Mississippi physician was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for his involvement in a $3 million compounding pharmacy fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney D. Michael Hurst Jr. of the Southern District of Mississippi; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi Field Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman III of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) New Orleans Field Office and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
Albert Diaz, M.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett of the Southern District of Mississippi. Restitution to TRICARE and other insurance companies will be determined at a later date. On March 2 after a five-day jury trial, Diaz was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to distribute and dispense a controlled substance, four counts of distributing and dispensing a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to falsify records in a federal investigation and five counts of falsification of records in a federal investigation.
According to evidence presented at trial, between 2014 and 2015, Diaz participated in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other insurance companies by prescribing medically unnecessary compounded medications, some of which included ketamine, a controlled substance, to individuals he had not examined. The evidence further demonstrated that, based on the prescriptions signed by Diaz, Advantage Pharmacy in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, dispensed these medically unnecessary compounded medications and sought and received reimbursement from TRICARE and other insurance companies totaling more than $3 million. The trial evidence further demonstrated that in response to a TRICARE audit, Diaz falsified patient records to make it appear as though he had examined patients before prescribing the medications.
The FBI, IRS-CI, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and other government agencies investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Kate Payerle and Jared Hasten of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall of the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.
Mexican National with Nine Prior Deportations Released from Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Mexican national with nine prior deportations was released from federal custody today after a bail review hearing in federal court in Boston.
Bulmaro Enriquez, 32, was indicted on April 26, 2018, on one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. He was released from federal custody today after agreeing to post the equity in his girlfriend’s home for the secured bond at a bail review hearing.
According to court documents, Enriquez has been deported from the United States nine times. Most recently, Enriquez was convicted in January 2016 in federal court in Boston of illegal reentry of a deported alien, sentenced to time-served, and deported to Mexico.
Leading up to his most recent deportation, Enriquez was convicted of possession of a controlled substance after a federal search warrant executed at his home in Framingham revealed one and a half pounds of marijuana, electric scales, and other drug distribution paraphernalia.
According to court records, in addition to his 2015 and 2016 convictions for drug possession and illegal reentry, Enriquez was convicted in 2003 of escape; 2004 of OUI; 2006 of OUI; 2006 of possession of a controlled substance; and in 2007 of OUI.
Enriquez currently faces a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation proceedings. 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 Todd M. Lyons, Deputy Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting this case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSE ARTEAGA-CENTENO, age 44, a native of Mexico, pled guilty yesterday to a one-count Indictment charging him with illegal entry of a removed alien.
According to court documents, ARTEAGA-CENTENO was previously removed from the United States on March 24, 2013. He was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on March 8, 2018, and had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter.
ARTEAGA-CENTENO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman set sentencing for September 19, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
Mexican Man Convicted of Document FraudRead the Press Release
A Mexican man who used a false identification document to obtain a job was convicted by a jury today after a one-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Jose Lopez-Garcia, age 35, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of unlawful use of an identification document. He was found not guilty of one count of misuse of a social security number. The verdict was returned this afternoon following about two hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that Lopez-Garcia used a fraudulent permanent resident card, also known as a “green card,” bearing a number assigned to a female born in Cuba in 1934, when he completed an employment form on November 18, 2016, at a business in Cedar Rapids.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Lopez-Garcia remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Lopez-Garcia faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being 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-24-LRR.
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Mexican Man Arrested at the Cyril E. King Airport Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Filiberto Moreno, 50, of Mexico, pleaded guilty today in District Court before District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez, to illegal reentry into the United States, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Sentencing is set for August 23, 2018.
According to court documents, Moreno was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Cyril E. King airport after he presented himself at primary inspection. During the inspection process, Customs agents discovered that Moreno had been previously deported from the United States and that he did not have permission to legally be in the territory.
Moreno faces a maximum sentence of two years and a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated byHomeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection(CBP) and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
Mcalester Inmate Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney R. Trent Shores announced that Slint Kenneth Tate, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, at a hearing before District Judge Claire V. Eagan, on June 7, 2018. The parties entered into a plea agreement recommending a sentence of 20 years imprisonment. Tate’s sentencing is September 11, 2018.
Tate orchestrated a drug distribution ring using cell phones within the Oklahoma State Prison while serving a sentence of life without parole. The drug distribution ring involved the distribution of several kilograms of methamphetamine in Miami and throughout northeastern Oklahoma.
United States Attorney Shores stated, “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to combating criminal enterprises operating within the Oklahoma prison system. The use of contraband cellular telephones enable drug organizations to conduct significant conspiratorial activity while conspirators are inside the prison system. This is unacceptable. The message sent by this prosecution is clear: If you use a contraband telephone while in prison to conduct drug operations, we will investigate and prosecute you. We will recommend significant federal time in prison for you. And we will prosecute your coconspirators outside of prison who help facilitate the commission of these crimes.”
This matter was the result of a joint investigation by Homeland Security, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the District 13 Task Force, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Miami Police Department, and Grove Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon Cozzoni and Catherine Depew prosecuted the case.
McKeesport Man Pleads Guilty in Narcotics Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA. - A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to distribute narcotics, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Cecil Shields, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with Elliot Page, Skyler Carter, and 18 other individuals, between March and June of 2017, to distribute narcotics. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Shields purchased approximately 60 grams of fentanyl, commonly known as "bricks", per month from his codefendant, Elliot Page, for further distribution in the McKeesport area. Shields was arrested by officers of the McKeesport Police Department on unrelated charges on June 24, 2017, at which time he was found in possession of more than $5,000 cash. The officers also discovered a bag on the ground approximately five feet from Shields containing more than 270 "stamp bags" of fentanyl. Shields acknowledged responsibility for the distribution of at least 160 grams of fentanyl. He is the sixteenth of 21 defendants charged in the case to plead guilty.
Judge Arthur J. Schwab scheduled sentencing for October 4, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. Shields has at least one prior felony drug conviction, and as such, is subject to enhanced penalties. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of not more than $2,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will depend upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Shields remains incarcerated pending the sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
McKees Rocks Man Charged with Robbing Two Family Dollar Stores, One BankRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - One resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on charges of armed bank robbery and Hobbs Act Robbery, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The three-count indictment, returned on June 5, named Hugo Lopez, age 55, formerly of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about February 6, 2018, Lopez robbed Family Dollar, located at 2020 Spring Garden Avenue, in Pittsburgh, PA. The indictment also alleges that on or about March 8, 2018, Lopez robbed Dollar General, located at 508 Pine Hollow Road, in McKees Rocks, PA. The indictment further alleges that on or about March 22, 2018, Lopez robbed at gunpoint the PNC Bank located at 500 Pine Hollow Road, in McKees Rocks, PA. PNC Bank is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 25 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 offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Allegheny County Police, the City of Pittsburgh Police, and the Kennedy Township Police Departments, conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Long Island Bloods Gang Leader Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Trafficking Heroin and Crack, Shooting Rival Drug DealerRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Andre Chandler, a Bloods street gang leader, also known as “Mac Dre,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to 366 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute crack and heroin, discharging a firearm in connection with that conspiracy, illegal possession of three firearms, and possession with intent to distribute crack, heroin, oxycodone, and hydrocodone, and a related violation of the conditions of his supervised release. Chandler was convicted by a federal jury in October 2016 following a two-week trial.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New York Field Division, and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the sentence.
“Any gang member who thinks they can sell drugs and commit acts of violence on Long Island without consequence should think about where Andre Chandler will spend the next 30 years,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office and our partners are completely committed to relentlessly pursuing and prosecuting gang members to protect our community.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force, NCPD Gang Investigations Squad and Nassau County District Attorney’s Office Special Operations Bureau for their assistance in the investigation. The FBI Long Island Gang Task Force also includes the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Center Police Department, Suffolk County Probation Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Hempstead Police Department, New York State Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations.
“The belief these drug dealers and gang members have that they control territory, and have to defend their turf by shooting, and killing rivals defies comprehension,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “While they’re playing at who is the nastier, meaner gangster, people are developing debilitating and deadly additions to their wares. The FBI Long Island Gang Task Force has proven with several of these gang investigations that we will do all we can to safeguard the community from more violence by going after the leadership, and keeping them from returning to their so-called turf.”
“Chandler as alleged showed no regard for life or the rule of law. Today’s sentence sends a strong message to those like him who choose that reckless and dangerous path,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Benedict. “I would like to thank our federal, state and local law enforcement partners that stand with ATF as one united front to protect our citizens from individuals who look to do harm to their fellow citizens. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in prosecuting the case.”
According to evidence presented at trial and court filings, Chandler began selling heroin and crack shortly after his release from prison in July 2014, declaring parts of Hempstead, New York, to be “my blocks, my streets.” On December 13, 2014, Chandler carried out a plan to hunt down a rival drug dealer, luring the dealer to his car and then shooting him repeatedly with a 9mm. semiautomatic handgun. Several weeks later, in January 2015, officers from the United States Probation Department searched Chandler’s residence and car, discovering heroin, cocaine base, oxycodone, hydrocodone, equipment for packaging narcotics for sale, and multiple firearms, including the same 9mm. semiautomatic pistol that Chandler had used to shoot the rival dealer. Law enforcement officers found that handgun hidden under the mattress in a young child’s bedroom.
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. Attorneys’ Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Lara Treinis Gatz and David K. Kessler are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ANDRE CHANDLER
Age: 34
Hempstead, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-131 (S-1)
Local Inmate Pleads Guilty to Threatened Use of Weapon of Mass DestructionRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Craig T. Pope, 29, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola to mailing threatening communications and threatened use of a weapon of mass destruction. The guilty plea was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
In April and May 2017, Pope, while serving a state prison sentence for crimes out of Hillsborough County, sent two threatening letters from the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution to a Hillsborough County judge who presided over his plea and/or post conviction matters.
The first letter stated: “You have exactly 48 hours to get me back in court or someone in your courtroom will die and not only that, there will be an outbreak of anthrax in your courthouse who knows where I will send it first . . . time is ticking.”
The second letter stated: “here is a gift of Anthrax and when you receive this letter you will have exactly 4 hours before the courthouse explodes. The bomb is already in place, your security is no match to my brotherhood. Today you will understand that America will never be as powerful as my ISIS Family.” The letter contained a white powder, which triggered the Tampa Fire Rescue Hazardous Materials Response Team to respond to the courthouse and secure the evidence and potential weapon of mass destruction. Testing eventually provided a negative response for a biothreat, but all security protocols were initiated for those who could have been contaminated.
Pope faces a maximum of five years in prison for mailing threatening communications and a maximum of life in prison for threatened use of a weapon of mass destruction. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 20, 2018, at 3:00 p.m.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.
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 available 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.
Leader of Lawrence-Based Fentanyl and Heroin Trafficking Organization Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former leader of a Lawrence-based opioid trafficking organization pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine conspiracy.
Santo Ramon Gonzalez Nival, 40, a Dominican national formerly residing in Lawrence, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl and one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Sept. 5, 2018. Nival has been detained since his arrest in May 2017.
After a year-long investigation aimed at attacking the fentanyl and heroin crisis in Lawrence and surrounding areas, federal, state and local law enforcement conducted a drug sweep to dismantle two Lawrence-based drug trafficking organizations, one allegedly run by Juan Anibal Patrone, and the other led by Gonzalez Nival, who was a source of supply for Patrone.
During the course of the investigation, over 500 grams of fentanyl were seized in connection with the Gonzalez Nival organization. During a wiretap, law enforcement intercepted Gonzalez Nival talking to one of his suppliers, Santo Ramon Nivar, about a “blue one” - believed to be fentanyl - that “was killing people.” Gonzalez Nival discussed wanting more of that fentanyl because his customers liked the strength, and it could be cut multiple times, which meant more profit for him.
At the time of his arrest, Gonzalez Nival was illegally in the United States, having reentered after being deported most recently on May 19, 2009. During the investigation, Gonzalez Nival fled after being stopped by police when they took his false identification card to run it. In a subsequent intercepted call, Gonzalez Nival admitted to having been deported from the United States four times previously, and explained that he ran to avoid detectives who might fingerprint him.
In total, Gonzalez and nine members of his organization were arrested in May 2017, seven of whom have pleaded guilty: two sources of supply, Robert Frett Sierra and Santo Ramon Nivar; two couriers, Geronimo Confessor Gonzalez Nivar and Ruddy Rafael Soto Lara; and three individuals who purchased significant quantities of drugs for redistribution, Carlos Hernandez, Rory Connolly, and Diosmary Burgos. The remaining two members of Gonzalez Nival’s organization are scheduled to begin trial on June 11, 2018, Julio Baez Gonzalez, his alleged drug preparer, and Bernaldo Rosario Santiago, one of his alleged redistributors.
Patrone has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in October 2018. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and no greater than life in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of unlawful reentry provides for a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The Massachusetts State Police and the Andover, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, and Wilmington Police Departments assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Winkler of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the cases.
Leader of Large Scale Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Life in PrisonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin announced today that U.S. District Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced DEMITORIS “Big Tachi” ALEXANDER, age 52, of Gonzales, to life in prison. The defendant was convicted on all charges related to his role as the leader of a large-scale and violent drug trafficking organization following a six-day jury trial in March. ALEXANDER was also ordered to forfeit $6,600,000 in proceeds from illegal drug trafficking.
The evidence at trial demonstrated that ALEXANDER led a large-scale cocaine distribution organization in Ascension Parish that obtained cocaine from Houston, Texas, for distribution in Ascension Parish, Baton Rouge, and elsewhere. ALEXANDER placed all of the orders with the source of supply in Houston. ALEXANDER also recruited female couriers to travel to Houston in vehicles with aftermarket secret compartments to transport money to Houston and cocaine from Houston. ALEXANDER then oversaw the pricing and distribution of all the cocaine in Louisiana and controlled a network of drug traffickers to enact his orders. The evidence at trial also reflected that, during the spring and summer of 2013, ALEXANDER obtained and distributed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine to others.
ALEXANDER was one of the final two of 38 defendants convicted in Operation Third World, an extensive investigation that dismantled a violent drug trafficking network primarily operating out of Baton Rouge and Ascension Parish. ALEXANDER’S co-defendant at trial, COLIN Y. KNOX, who was also convicted on all charges, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14, 2018. KNOX faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years.
United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin stated, “Today’s life sentence comes as great news for the safety and security of our communities and reflects the harsh consequences that await violent drug traffickers in the Middle District of Louisiana. As the leader of a large-scale and violent drug trafficking organization, this defendant spent years wreaking havoc in the lives of many throughout our district, fairly earning him the punishment he received today. I commend the outstanding efforts of the many agents and prosecutors who worked diligently on this important matter.”
DEA Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Brad L. Byerley stated, “Our neighborhoods deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent drug trafficking organizations. This sentencing should serve as a warning and send a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue violent criminals as well as the drug traffickers plaguing our communities and bring them to justice.”
The investigation is another effort by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program which was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program operates nationwide and combines the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
Operation Third World was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Baton Rouge City Police Department, the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Gonzales Police Department, and the Baker Police Department. This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kleinpeter and Adam Ptashkin.
Ladson Man Sentenced to Twenty Years for Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Robert Bryan Mansfield, age 61, of Ladson, South Carolina, was sentenced today in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. United States District Judge David C. Norton, of Charleston, sentenced Mansfield to 240 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on February 2, 2017, Special Agents with ICE-Homeland Security Investigations seized over a kilogram of fentanyl that had been shipped from Hong Kong and was destined for Mansfield at his residence in Ladson, S.C. Special Agents with ICE-Homeland Security Investigations in Charleston obtained and executed a search warrant at Mansfield’s residence and recovered over 100 grams of fentanyl, numerous other controlled substances and items associated with the distribution and trafficking narcotics. That same day, Postal Inspectors with the United States Postal Inspection Service also recovered 10 packages of fentanyl that Mansfield attempted to mail to various locations across the United States.
During the investigation into Mansfield, Special Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration were able to identify Mansfield as the source of fentanyl that led to an overdose death in December 2016. Further investigation showed that Mansfield used the “dark web” to purchase fentanyl and other controlled substances from sources in Hong Kong and other foreign locations. He then sold fentanyl and other controlled substances through the “dark web” and used the United States Postal Service to ship packages to customers throughout the country.
Following the sentencing hearing, Assistant United States Attorney Nick Bianchi stated, “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with federal, state and local law enforcement to combat the opioid epidemic on every level, particularly when the actions of drug dealers directly result in the deaths of others. Through the diligent efforts of law enforcement, we were able to bring to justice an individual who was pushing large amounts of a lethal drug out throughout the country and were also able to begin to bring closure to one family who lost a loved one to this crisis.”
“More than 20,000 Americans were killed last year by fentanyl and similar drugs and that number continues to rise,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Nick S. Annan. “Homeland Security Investigations is committed to continuing to work with our law enforcement partners to do all we can to stop the illegal flow of fentanyl into the country, dismantle international opioid smuggling rings and prevent this serious crisis from spreading any further.” Annan oversees a three-state area of responsibility that includes Georgia and the Carolinas.
DEA Resident Agent in Charge Jason Sandoval added, “Unprecedented, tragic loss of life defines the drug crisis consuming communities across South Carolina. The case of Robert Bryan Mansfield sends a resounding message to those sowing poison and fueling our shared tragedy. Whether you are a dark web vendor or a traditional street dealer, DEA and its law enforcement partners will apply every resource to ensure you face the full measure of justice.” "The war on drugs has been an on-going and hard fought battle for law enforcement" stated David M. McGinnis, Inspector in Charge, Charlotte Division. "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service aggressively investigates cases involving the misuse of the U.S. mail system by criminals who traffic illegal contraband such as narcotics. I fully commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all of the law enforcement agencies involved, which resulted brining this individual to justice."
The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, ICE-Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and the Summerville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Nick Bianchi of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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Kingston Man Convicted of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
WILKES BARRE - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Gethro Mondelice, age 38, formerly of Kingston, Pennsylvania, was convicted on June 6, 2018, for distribution of cocaine on three different occasions. After a two-day jury trial held before United States District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo, the jury returned the guilty verdict after three-and-a-half hours of deliberation.
The jury also found Mondelice not guilty of a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Mondelice sold cocaine to a confidential informant on July 29, 31 and August 4, 2015, in Kingston. On August 5, the Kingston Police Department executed a search warrant and recovered cocaine, drug scales and more than $1,500, which included marked money from the July 31 and August 4 drug sales, from the defendant’s bedroom.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kingston Police Department, and the Luzerne County Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Evan Gotlob and Sean A. Camoni prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of lifetime supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Kingsmen Member Sentenced on Rico ChargeRead 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 Stanley Olejniczak, 53, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of RICO conspiracy, was sentenced to 96 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi and Brendan T. Cullinane, who handled the case, stated that between 2009 and 2016, the defendant was a member of the South Buffalo Chapter of the Kingsmen Motorcycle Club (KMC). Olejniczak admits that during the RICO conspiracy, KMC members and associates used and/or distributed marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances in and around the South Buffalo Chapter Clubhouse. The defendant also admits that he possessed firearms, and that KMC members maintained access to and sold firearms.On June 7, 2013, the defendant and other KMC members, including Olejniczak, forcibly shut down the Springville Chapter and stripped members of their colors because the Springville Chapter members remained loyal to the former KMC National President. Brandishing firearms, KMC members struck a victim in the head with a blunt object and stole items from the Springville clubhouse. Olejniczak and other KMC members used bleach to clean areas where the victim bled and cut and removed portions of the rug which contained blood.
Olejniczak is one of 20 KMC members and associates charged in this case. To date, 14 have been convicted, including National President David Pirk, who was recently convicted following a four month jury trial. Charges remain pending against six other defendants. The fact that the defendants have been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Today’s sentencing is the culmination of an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert. Assisting in the investigation: the FBI Knoxville, TN, and Jacksonville, FL Field Offices; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office; the Buffalo Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the New York State Police; the Olean Police Department; the Lancaster Police Department; the Amherst Police Department; the City of North Tonawanda Police Department; the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police; the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department; and the Hamburg Police Department.
Kenton County Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Embezzling Wife’s Employee Benefit PlanRead the Press Release
Covington, Ky. — Ronald Barnett Hill, 49, of Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison by United States District Judge David Bunning for embezzling $248,000 from his wife’s employee benefit plan.
Hill previously admitted that, in January, July and November 2013 he withdrew a total of $248,000 from a 401(k) account belonging to his wife. The 401(k) account was part of a defined contribution pension plan subject to Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Hill owned and operated TPS Solutions, a corporation located in Kenton County, and as such was a fiduciary of the 401(k) funds held in accounts of its employees, including his wife. Hill stole nearly all of the money in his wife’s account by fraudulently completing a hardship withdrawal form, forging his wife’s signature, and signing the form as the Trustee authorized to complete the withdrawal. Hill pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2018.
Under federal law, Hill must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence, and, upon release, will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, made the announcement today after the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. The United States was represented by former Assistant United States Attorney Robert K. McBride and Assistant United States Attorney Wade T. Napier.
Jamaican Indicted for Operating Telephone Scams Targeting Senior Citizens in the U.S.Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A Jamaican national has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal wire and mail fraud laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The seven-count indictment, returned on June 5, charged Kristoff Cain, age 22, of Jamaica, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and five counts of wire fraud.
“Kristoff Cain is charged with conducting a series of ‘Jamaican Lottery’ telephone scams targeting senior citizens in the United States. Cain and others called victims and, through misrepresentations such as telling the victim he or she needed to pay taxes on a lottery jackpot or by claiming to be a police officer, caused these victims to part with their hard-earned savings,” stated U.S. Attorney Brady. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting all Pennsylvanians, especially seniors, from becoming victims of financial exploitation. As this indictment demonstrates, we will even go beyond borders to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of fraud schemes. Thanks to the outstanding collaboration between federal and state law enforcement, including the Pennsylvania Attorney General, our seniors are safer today from these scams.”
“Kristoff Cain is in custody thanks to strong law enforcement collaboration with our federal and state partners,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “Because of our cooperation, the international ringleader in a lottery scam that has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from seniors across our Commonwealth and the country has been federally indicted by U.S. Attorney Scott Brady’s office. We’re proud of the partnership and I applaud U.S. Attorney Brady for his outstanding leadership.”
According to the indictment, from in and around September 2013 to in and around April 2018, Cain and other individuals conspired to defraud victims in the United States by making false representations over the telephone. In some instances, members of the conspiracy falsely told victims that they had won large cash prizes in a lottery and needed to send money in order to pay taxes or other assessments on those prizes. In other instances, members of the conspiracy pretended to be law enforcement officers and instructed victims to send cash to specified addresses in connection with purported investigations involving their bank accounts. The indictment states that an unindicted co-conspirator, a Western Pennsylvania resident, received packages containing cash sent by some victims of the scheme, and wired more than $210,000 via MoneyGram and Western Union wire transactions to recipients in Jamaica and other foreign countries between September 2013 and December 2016.
As further described in the indictment, in December 2015, Cain contacted an 82-year-old victim in South Carolina, claiming to be an FBI agent named “Trooper Phillips” investigating purported discrepancies with the victim’s bank account. Cain’s false representations induced the victim to send a package containing $25,000 in cash to the Pittsburgh co-conspirator via UPS in connection with the purported investigation. After receiving the package, the Pittsburgh co-conspirator sent $8,000 in MoneyGram wire transactions to a member of the conspiracy in Jamaica.
“Elder fraud is a serious and growing threat,” said Special Agent in Charge Bob Johnson. "We understand how devastating these schemes can be, not just financially, but emotionally, mentally and even physically. The FBI urges people to check with law enforcement before sending money to anyone they don't know.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to actively investigate fraudulent lottery schemes based in Jamaica directed at ripping off victims in the United States,” said Inspector in Charge Tommy D. Coke of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Pittsburgh Division. “Lottery scams tied to Jamaica are targeting victims in the United States, and we will not allow fraudsters to use the U.S. Mail to commit their crime.”
“Homeland Security Investigations and our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners are committed to investigate and bring to justice individuals perpetrating these lottery schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Marlon V. Miller. “Fraud schemes, targeting vulnerable individuals within our communities, are simply appalling and will not be tolerated.”
Cain was arrested on a Pennsylvania state complaint in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 21, 2018, after law enforcement learned he was visiting the United States. Cain was subsequently charged by criminal complaint in federal court on May 9, 2018. Cain is expected to make his initial appearance in Federal Court this week.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 140 years in prison, a fine of either $1,750,000 or an alternative amount depending on the victims’ losses, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam N. Hallowell is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Unlawfully Re-Entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. - Cristobal Marin-Lopez, 22, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally re-entering the United States after having previously been deported, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and David D. Rivera, Director of the Bureau of Customs Enforcement (ICE) New Orleans Field Office.
On December 22, 2017, ICE agents arrested Cristobal Marin-Lopez after he lost control of a van on Highway 43 and Tom Coke Road, in Simpson County, Mississippi. ICE was contacted after witnesses to the accident reported seeing numerous individuals running into the woods fleeing the scene. Marin-Lopez admitted to law enforcement that he was traveling from Huston, Texas, with fourteen (14) illegal aliens that he was transporting to Alabama, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, §1326. It was further determined that Marin-Lopez was being paid $125.00 per alien to transport them from Houston, Texas, to Alabama.
This case was investigated by Deportation Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenda R. Haynes.
Illegal Alien Previously Convicted of Drug Conspiracy Sentenced for Unlawfully Re-Entering United StatesRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Eugenio Delgado-Rivera, 48, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, to 21 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully re-entering the United States as an alien previously convicted of an aggravated felony, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Joseph A. Banco Jr., Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.
Delgado-Rivera was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden, following his guilty plea and conviction on February 22, 2018. Delgado-Rivera pled guilty to unlawfully returning to the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony. In 2007, he was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. After imprisonment for his drug trafficking crime, he was removed from the United States in 2009.
After completion of his prison sentence, Delgado-Rivera will be subject to Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings. Thereafter, if he were to again unlawfully re-enter the U.S. during the 3-year period following his prison sentence, he would be subject to a separate, further penalty in addition to any other prosecution.
On December 28, 2017, a rented Nissan Altima that Delgado-Rivera was driving, was stopped by a member of the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team on Interstate-10 in Jackson County, Mississippi, for speeding in a construction zone. Delgado-Rivera did not have a driver’s license and provided a Mexican identification document with a different name. The U.S. Border Patrol was notified, and a Border Patrol Agent responded to the scene.
Delgado-Rivera admitted that he was illegally present in the United States. Official record checks revealed that he originally was ordered removed by a U.S. Immigration Judge, and had been physically removed from the United States on October 5, 2000. Thereafter, Delgado-Rivera unlawfully returned to the United States, and, was formally removed again in 2009, after serving time in federal prison for his 2007 drug trafficking conviction. Record checks also revealed that Delgado-Rivera had used, or been known by, over 10 different names during his time illegally present in the United States.
New Orleans Sector Border Patrol Chief Joseph Banco stated: "Our goal is to enhance border security in the Gulf Coast Region through our continue efforts with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners."
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Gautier Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris was the prosecutor for the case.
Houston Man Sentenced after Pleading Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that U. S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced FRANK GARDNER, age 54, of Houston, Texas, to 48 months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after GARDNER pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride.
According to court documents, on February 11 2015, Louisiana State Troopers conducted traffic stops on two vehicles in Hammond, Louisiana headed eastbound on Interstate 10. In one vehicle were two individuals, identified as Derrick Wesley and James Williams. Driving the second vehicle was an individual identified as Quardarell Robinson. All three individuals were from Florida. After issuing Wesley and Robinson, the drivers of the respective vehicles, traffic citations, the Troopers obtained probable cause to search both vehicles. Inside the vehicle driven by Wesley, Troopers found seven kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and $47,990.00 in cash. Also in both vehicles were vehicle rental documents. The documents revealed that Robinson rented the vehicle driven by Wesley and that Wesley rented the vehicle driven by Robinson. After seizing the drugs and money, the Troopers arrested all three individuals.
Further investigation by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration revealed that Williams, Wesley and Robinson were returning from Houston, Texas where they met with GARDNER, who arranged the drug transaction. Agents also learned that GARDNER had arranged three prior cocaine transactions with Williams, Wesley, and Robinson.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Louisiana State Police in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys André Jones and Nicholas D. Moses were in charge of the prosecution.
Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry of a Removed AlienRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSE MARTINEZ-OSWALDO, age 33, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty today to a one-count Bill of Information for illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to the court documents, MARTINEZ-OSWALDO was found in the United States on or about February 21, 2018, after having been previously removed on October 15, 2012.
At sentencing, MARTINEZ-OSWALDO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment. Sentencing is set for July 12, 2018 before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson is in charge of the prosecution.
Hilliard Man who Pretended to be Bounty Hunter & Federal Agent Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping, Other CrimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Shane Ryan Hammond, 26, of Hilliard, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to impersonating a federal agent, kidnapping, wire fraud and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Michael B. Stuart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.
According to court documents, from at least March 2016 until May 2017, Hammond owned and operated “Midwest Fugitive Task Force” located in Columbus. In this capacity, he was often referred to as Commander or Lieutenant Hammond and sought out employment opportunities as a bail recovery agent for himself and other employees.
Hammond was not actually licensed as a bounty hunter, nevertheless, on at least nine occasions, Hammond knowingly and unlawfully kidnapped a person for reward. All of these individuals were considered “bail skips” and Hammond had been hired by a bail bondsman in West Virginia to apprehend the individuals and return them to a designated jail facility for a monetary reward.
“Hammond would often dress in an all-black tactical uniform with a black ballistic vest,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “He typically carried multiple handguns, throwing knives, a Taser and usually one or two law-enforcement-style badges with ‘SWAT’ shoulder patches and a large back patch reading ‘AGENT.’ But he was absolutely not a federal agent – or a law enforcement officer of any kind.”
For example, in May 2017, Hammond kidnapped an individual outside of the individual’s grandmother’s home in Columbus. He pushed himself into the grandmother’s residence, heavily armed, and ran to the male individual with his AK47 up and pulled out his Taser (Hammond does not have any formal training with either of these weapons). He ordered the individual to the ground, kicked the individual’s drink and threatened the individual not to do “anything stupid” or he would get hurt.
As another example, when searching for a female in Canton, Ohio in September 2016, Hammond handcuffed the individual’s mother after forcibly entering the home and pointing a rifle at her. He indicated he was a Federal Bounty Hunter and told her she had the right to remain silent.
He then handcuffed the female’s father and said he was taking the father with him to help look for his daughter. Hammond reiterated that if the father did not go with him, he would take his wife to jail.
Hammond placed the handcuffed father into his vehicle and did not return him until the following morning – still in handcuffs. In fact, on the drive back, Hammond was pulled over for speeding and Hammond told the Trooper he was working for a federal agency.
Hammond routinely represented himself to others as a member of law enforcement, pretending to be a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, working with Homeland Security, a SWAT officer and a federal agent, generally.
For example, in March 2017 in the Cincinnati area, Hammond told a female “you realize lying to a federal agent is a crime” and then, “don’t lie to a federal agent, that’s four years in jail.” He then added, “Don’t get an attitude. I’m just letting you know if I come back and I find out you’re involved I’m going to arrest you, you got me.” Making false statements to an official of the United States is actually a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
In the same month, Hammond also visited an apartment complex in Jackson, Ohio and called one of the managers to explain that he had a warrant and was seeking a fugitive involved in the shooting of a Huntington, W.Va. police officer, although all of this statement was untrue. He told management he had called the Jackson Police and that the police would stay out of his way because he was a federal investigator and he knew what to do.
His false representations at the apartment complex led to the apartment management sharing H.U.D. files with Hammond and Hammond’s search of the apartment of an elderly female, to whom he identified himself as “Commander Hammond with the U.S. Government Fugitive Task Force.”
Hammond was charged by a Bill of Information in October 2017 and, in January 2018, failed to appear for his arraignment.
Through their efforts to locate Hammond, FBI agents uncovered additional criminal activity – namely, wire fraud and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
Hammond devised a scheme to defraud investors of more than $48,000, telling investors he had secured a government contract for $79 million to provide physical security to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. Hammond represented that he needed start-up money for the business and legal costs until he would receive the $79 million a few months later.
One investor also allowed Hammond to borrow his Chevrolet truck. Hammond then re-registered the truck into his own name, stole it and drove it to West Virginia, where he was later arrested.
He pleaded guilty to a Superseding Bill of Information, which included one count each of kidnapping, impersonating an agent of the United States and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, and two counts of wire fraud. Hammond also pleaded guilty to one additional count of kidnapping, as charged by the Southern District of West Virginia in a Bill of Information.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight, who is representing the United States in this case.
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Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – John Foster, 42, of Hattiesburg, pled guilty yesterday before United States District Judge Keith Starrett to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst and Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Derryle Smith with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
On September 19, 2016, Foster sold 27.8 grams of cocaine to a confidential source. As a result, he was indicted for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Foster will be sentenced on September 18, 2018 by Judge Starrett, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole.
Hattiesburg Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Roderick Simpson, 43, of Hattiesburg, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst and Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Derryle Smith with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
On October 10, 2016, Simpson sold 55.4 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential source. As a result, he was indicted for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Simpson will be sentenced on September 18, 2018 by Judge Starrett and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole.
Harrisburg Financial Services Consultant Sentenced to Prison for Causing $374,000 in Illegal Transfers to His Bank AccountsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Pennsylvania resident has been sentenced in federal court to 41 months imprisonment followed by three years supervised release on his conviction of wire fraud and damaging a computer, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Sullivan, Jr. was also ordered to pay $374,198.73 in restitution.
United States District Judge Cathy Bisson imposed the sentence yesterday on William Simon Sullivan, Jr., 45, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Sullivan worked as a consultant for Triangle Payroll Services, Inc. (TPS), a Pennsylvania corporation that provides clients with various financial services including payroll and tax escrow processing services. Using the software program CyberPay, TPS created daily batch files that were uploaded to a national financial services company. The batch files contained specific instructions regarding the transfers of funds for TPS clients. From January 12, 2013, and continuing to January 24, 2014, Sullivan executed a scheme to defraud TPS and its clients. Using his position as a consultant to TPS, his knowledge of the CyberPay software, and his remote access to TPS’s computer network, Sullivan fraudulently altered TPS’s daily batch files and caused more than $374,000 to be transferred via wire transfers from bank accounts of TPS and its clients to Sullivan’s personal bank accounts, without the knowledge, approval or authorization of TPS or its clients.
Assistant United States Attorney Charles A. Eberle prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sullivan, Jr.
Hannibal Couple Steals Identity of Nursing Home Patient, Goes ShoppingRead the Press Release
St. Louis - Brandon Williams, 33, and Laree Dunning, 30, both formerly of Hannibal, Missouri were indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in St. Louis today of mail fraud in association with a scheme to steal from a resident of the elder care facility at which they worked. Williams was the administrator of the Blessing Center of Edina, Missouri in 2016 when it is alleged he and his girlfriend Dunning stole the personally identifiable information of a resident there and applied for a credit card in the resident’s name. Soon after the card arrived at the elder care facility, the Indictment alleges the pair took and card and began making unauthorized purchases with the card.
If convicted, Williams and Dunning face up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 or both on the mail fraud count. Restitution to the victim is also mandatory. Additionally, Williams faces a minimum of two years’ imprisonment, consecutive to any term on the mail fraud count, for the aggravated identity count returned against him.
The case was investigated by the FBI – Kirksville, Missouri Resident Agency and the Edina (Missouri) Police Department. Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
"It is particularly egregious when people abuse their position of trust to take advantage of our most vulnerable," said Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI St. Louis Division. "If there are other victims of this alleged crime, please contact the FBI."
The Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting financial crimes targeting older adults. The Eastern District of Missouri Identity Theft Task Force is a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to combat identity theft and its related crimes across the St. Louis Community.
Glendale Man Sentenced to Prison for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – Yesterday, Senior U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg sentenced David Dwight Reynolds, 30, of Glendale, Ariz., to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The Court also ordered him to pay nearly $2.2 million in restitution. Reynolds had previously pleaded guilty to embezzlement.
Evidence showed that between 2013 and 2016, Reynolds in his capacity as an Information Technology (IT) network engineer for Swift Transportation Company used his position to embezzle millions of dollars. Reynolds did so by using a corporate credit card to make fraudulent purchases. Reynolds altered invoices to conceal his fraudulent purchases. Reynolds purchased IT equipment for personal use and had it shipped to his office at Swift. Eventually, Reynolds began purchasing personal items like cellphones, office furniture, televisions, cameras, computers, welding and manufacturing equipment, and gun accessories. Reynolds then had items shipped to his home. Reynolds also set up a shell company to fraudulently have payments made to the company. He had a debit card attached to the account and used the fraudulently diverted money to pay his personal credit card bills, his wife’s tuition, among other personal and family expenses. In total, Reynolds embezzled nearly $2.2 million. In addition, he failed to report the embezzled money on his taxes. Based upon unreported taxable income, he owed an income tax in the amount of $355,720.
“The defendant breached his position of trust to illicitly enrich himself and his family,” stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange. “Embezzlement may be a more refined way of stealing, but it is still stealing and a serious crime that our office will vigorously prosecute. We applaud the efforts of the IRS-Criminal Investigation and FBI in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Reynolds orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to embezzle over $2 million from his employer then took steps to conceal his theft,” stated IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Ismael Nevarez Jr. “We hope this investigation is a wake-up call to all businesses, whether large or small, to be sure they have precautions in place to prevent this from happening to them."
Corporate embezzlement causes serious harm to businesses, investors, and the overall economy. The FBI will continue to investigate and work with the United States Attorney's Office to prosecute those who steal or divert funds from their intended use," said Michael DeLeon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Phoenix Field Office.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Kevin M. Rapp Assistant United States Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-00764- JAT-PHX
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-078_ Reynolds
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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.
Ghanaian National Sentenced for False Statements and Unlawful Attempt to Procure CitizenshipRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Ghanaian national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for making false statements in order to obtain citizenship and for attempting to procure citizenship.
Samer El-Sayed, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to two years of supervised release with the first six months to be served on home confinement with electronic monitoring and a 7:00pm curfew. El-Sayed will be subject to deportation proceedings. In January 2018, El-Sayed was convicted by a federal jury of one count of willfully and knowingly making false statements; one count of making false statements under oath relative to naturalization, citizenship or alien registry; and one count of unlawful attempted procurement of citizenship or naturalization.
In June 2008, El-Sayed entered the United States on a non-immigrant visa. In February 2009, El-Sayed entered into a sham marriage with an 18-year-old United States citizen to whom he paid several thousand dollars. Thereafter, El-Sayed began filing various petitions and applications with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in order to obtain immigration benefits, and in March 2010, El-Sayed was granted conditional permanent resident status. In 2012, El-Sayed submitted false statements on a petition filed with USCIS and subsequently provided false statements under oath to USCIS during an interview that occurred in January 2014. Then, in May 2014, El-Sayed submitted an application for United States citizenship to USCIS and provided false information and statements in that application.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, District 1, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Jacobus Sullivan of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case
Gang Member Sentenced for Methamphetamine and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Chuck Mordecai Cumberland, age 31, of Waveland, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 39 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years supervised release, for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Cumberland also was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
Cumberland pled guilty on February 23, 2018. Yesterday’s sentence will run consecutive to Cumberland’s current sentence for which he is now in prison on an unrelated state conviction.
On July 27, 2016, Waveland police officers arrested Cumberland as a felon-in-possession of three handguns and related ammunition. Police also seized less than one ounce of marijuana, a paraphernalia pipe, and three pills of prescription pain killers for which Cumberland did not have a prescription. A member of the Simon City Royals Gang, Cumberland had been convicted of Felony Driving Under the Influence (DUI) by the Hancock County Circuit Court in February 2016. Cumberland had been on state supervision after serving a prison sentence for Felony DUI. After his arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm, his state supervision was revoked and he was returned to state prison.
Thereafter, on January 26, 2017, after Cumberland’s release from the Mississippi Department of Corrections, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Cumberland in the Saucier Community during an attempted narcotics transaction. Cumberland attempted to flee and, when caught by deputies, he was found with a loaded .38 caliber revolver, three plastic baggies of methamphetamine and a digital scale on his person. A fourth baggie of methamphetamine had fallen to the ground next to the vehicle Cumberland had been using. The Mississippi State Crime Lab determined that the four baggies contained a total weight of approximately 2.9 grams of methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Waveland Police Department and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris.Fort Dodge Man Pleads Guilty to Meth and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while possessing a firearm pled guilty June 6, 2018, in federal court in Sioux City.
Carl Douglas Lambert, Jr. 47, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
At the plea hearing, Lambert, Jr. admitted that from January 2017 through December 2017 he and others distributed over three pounds of pure methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge, Iowa area. On November 4, 2017, Lambert, Jr. possessed a .22 caliber pistol in his waistband and over 46 grams of methamphetamine. Lambert, Jr. admitted he intended to distribute the methamphetamine to other person(s) and that he carried the pistol for protection.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Lambert, Jr. remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Lambert, Jr. faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, in addition to a consecutive 5 years’ mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment on the firearm conviction, and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $15,250,000 fine, and five years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Iowa Department of Criminalistics Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-3056. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former U.S. Senate Employee Indicted on False Statements ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former staff employee of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) has been indicted and arrested on charges of making false statements to special agents of the FBI during the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified information, announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
James A. Wolfe, 57, of Ellicott City, Md., was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001. At the time he made the alleged false statements to the FBI, Wolfe was Director of Security for the SSCI, a position he held for approximately 29 years. As SSCI Director of Security, Wolfe was entrusted with access to classified SECRET and TOP SECRET information provided by the Executive Branch, including the U.S. Intelligence Community, to the SSCI. In this position, Wolfe was responsible for safeguarding all classified information in the possession of the SSCI.
Wolfe is alleged to have lied to FBI agents in December 2017 about his repeated contacts with three reporters, including through his use of encrypted messaging applications. Wolfe is further alleged to have made false statements to the FBI about providing two reporters with non-public information related to the matters occurring before the SSCI.
“The Attorney General has stated that investigations and prosecutions of unauthorized disclosure of controlled information are a priority of the Department of Justice. The allegations in this indictment are doubly troubling as the false statements concern the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Those entrusted with sensitive information must discharge their duties with honesty and integrity, and that includes telling the truth to law enforcement.”
“Mr. Wolfe’s alleged conduct is a betrayal of the extraordinary public trust that had been placed in him,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “It is hoped that these charges will be a warning to those who might lie to law enforcement to the detriment of the United States.”
“All individuals in positions of trust must be held to the highest of standards, as the American public deserves no less,” said Special Agent in Charge Dunham. “As alleged in this indictment, Mr. Wolfe failed to meet those standards in his repeated lies to federal agents concerning the unauthorized disclosure of information. His arrest demonstrates that this conduct will not be tolerated, and those that engage in it will be held accountable.”
Wolfe was arrested on June 7, 2018, and is expected to make his first appearance Friday, June 8, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The case is entitled United States v. James A. Wolfe, and the matter has been assigned to the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for each count of making a false statement to federal law enforcement agents is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing of the defendant, if he is later convicted, will be determined by the court after considering the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Columbia, with assistance from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Former Richland County Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson sentenced James Anthony Brown Jr., a former employee of the Richland County Recreation Commission, to 135 months of incarceration as a result of his conviction for Possessing with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
Evidence presented in court established that on the May 27, 2016, Richland County Sherriff’s deputies stopped Brown after deputies observed him retrieving a package, suspected of containing narcotics, from the front porch of an address in Columbia, S.C. After encountering Brown, deputies searched the package and found 11.9 pounds of marijuana. A subsequent search was done of Brown’s home and deputies found a second package with approximately 775 grams of methamphetamine (street value of approximately $20,000). This package was addressed to Brown and had the same return address as the previous package which contained the 11.9 pounds of marijuana. Additionally, deputies found more marijuana, drug paraphernalia, ecstasy and an assault rifle throughout Brown’s home.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Richland County Sherriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Will Lewis and Alyssa Richardson of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
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Former High-Ranking Louisiana Army National Guardsman Pleads Guilty to False StatementsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that RANDY M. KILEY, SR. (“KILEY”), age 64, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, former Sergeant Major in the Louisiana Army National Guard, pled guilty today to one count of making a false statement to the Louisiana Army National Guard.
According to court documents, KILEY misrepresented his marital status to the Louisiana Army National Guard to receive increased Basic Allowance for Housing and Family Separation Allowance pay. Specifically, KILEY knowingly submitted false documents to receive pay to which he was not entitled.
In or about July 2005, KILEY and his former spouse divorced and KILEY failed to immediately notify officials at the Louisiana Army National Guard of the change in his marital status as required. In or about November 2012, KILEY submitted forms requesting Basic Allowance for Housing and Family Separation Allowance pay and falsely claimed that he was either married or not divorced. Based on these misrepresentations, which KILEY knew to be false at the time, he received more Basic Allowance for Housing and Family Separation Allowance pay than he was entitled.
KILEY faces a possible sentence of up to five (5) years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and/or three years of supervised release. KILEY will be sentenced on September 6, 2018 by United States District Court Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia K. Evans is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Harris County Deputy Sentenced on Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 31-year-old former law enforcement official has been ordered to federal prison for more than 27 years following his convictions of production and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Andrew Craig Sustaita, of Spring, pleaded guilty as charged March 15, 2018. He was previously a Harris County deputy sheriff at the time of the offense, but is no longer employed there.
Today, U.S. District Judge Sim Lake sentenced Sustaita to 240 and 87 months for the production and possession convictions, respectively. The sentences will run consecutively for a total 327-month term of imprisonment. Additional information was also presented today, including a victim impact statement presented by victim’s mother in the production count. She detailed how Sustaita’s acts have victimized her daughter/family/friends and that what has happened to them encompasses the true meaning of the term evil. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that this was one of the most disturbing cases over which he had presided. Sustaita will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
There were 70 known series of child pornography identified on Sustaita’s devices. The court granted the government 90 days to determine if any of those victims are seeking restitution.
At the time of his plea, Sustaita admitted he posted child erotica images to a known child pornography website and had commented on other similar images on that same site. The investigation led to Sustaita whose online presence included a pay-to-play bestiality website. Further information presented to the court included discussions of the amount and types of images authorities have discovered on two devices attributable to Sustaita. Other images contain Sustaita’s genitalia placed on or near the identified young female victim’s head while she appears to be sleeping and others that include Sustaita attempting to expose that child’s genitalia.
Further investigation led to the discovery of the identified victim’s images on a computer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was learned that Sustaita had distributed the images via the internet.
A U.S. magistrate judge had previously ordered Sustaita into custody after finding him to be a danger to the community and a risk of flight. He has remained in custody since that time and will continue to do so pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Former GTTF Baltimore City Sergeant Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Racketeering, Robberies, Overtime Fraud and Planting EvidenceRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4811
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins, age 37, of Middle River, Maryland today to 25 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of racketeering, two counts of robbery, one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in a federal investigation, and four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
Jenkins joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) on February 20, 2003 and was promoted to Sergeant on November 20, 2013. On June 13, 2016, Jenkins became the Officer in Charge of the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF,) a specialized unit within the Operational Investigation Division of the BPD. According to the plea agreement, Jenkins schemed to steal money, property, and narcotics by detaining victims, entering residences, conducting traffic stops, and swearing out false search warrant affidavits. In addition, Jenkins prepared and submitted false official incident and arrest reports, reports of property seized from arrestees, and charging documents. The false reports concealed the fact that Jenkins and his co-conspirators had stolen money, property, and narcotics from individuals.
According to his plea agreement, Jenkins admitted that he participated in seven separate robberies between May 2011 and August 2016. Jenkins also stole dirt bikes from individuals who were riding them illegally on city streets and then sold them through an associate.
In addition to the robberies, Jenkins also admitted to stealing 4-5 boxes, containing approximately 12 pounds, of high-grade marijuana that had been intercepted by law enforcement from the U.S. mail, as well as prescription medicines that he had stolen from someone looting a pharmacy during the April 2015 riots. Jenkins admitted he gave D.S. drugs he stole from detainees and arrestees, including cocaine, marijuana and heroin. D.S. was able to sell the drugs and shared the proceeds with Jenkins. In total, D.S. paid Jenkins $200,000 to $250,000 of drug proceeds.
In an effort to conceal his true identity, Jenkins told detainees and arrestees that he was a federal task force officer, which he was not, and told his co-defendants to identify him as the U.S. Attorney.
Jenkins admitted to obstructing law enforcement by alerting his co-defendants about potential investigations of their criminal conduct. Jenkins learned that Gondo and Rayam were under investigation from other BPD officers, then shared this information with his co-defendants. When Jenkins, Gondo, Hendrix, Hersl, Rayam, Taylor and Ward were detained in the Howard County Detention Center, Jenkins directed the defendants to “keep their mouths shut” and “stick to the story,” or words to that effect, in an effort to obstruct justice.
Jenkins has also pleaded guilty to planting evidence and authoring a false police report which resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of two Baltimore City men in 2010.
According to the plea agreement, Jenkins admitted that he routinely submitted false and fraudulent individual overtime reports, thereby defrauding the Baltimore Police Department and the citizens of the State of Maryland. On these reports, Jenkins falsely certified that he worked his entire regularly assigned shifts, when he did not, and that he worked additional hours for which he received overtime pay, when he had not worked all and in some cases any of those overtime hours. Jenkins also admitted that he submitted false and fraudulent overtime reports on behalf of his co-defendants.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Derek E. Hines, who prosecuted these Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases.
Former Employee of Insurance Company Pleads Guilty to $300,000 Phony Refund Check Scheme and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hunterdon County, New Jersey, woman today admitted stealing outstanding customer refund checks and failing to report that income on her individual tax returns, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Salomé Woolford, 49, of Lebanon, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark federal court to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between May 2014 and April 2015, while working as a customer service representative for the victim company, Woolford and other employees devised a scheme to steal money by identifying outstanding refund checks that had not yet been cashed. Woolford and others then accessed the accounts for those customers in the victim company’s computer system, electronically changed the payee information to that of one of their associates and requested new checks.
As a result, the victim company reissued the refund checks in the name of the new payees. Once the checks had been received and cashed, Woolford and others changed the payee information back to the original customers’ information to conceal the fraud. As a result of the scheme, the victim company suffered losses of at least $300,000.
Woolford failed to report the money she received as part of the scheme on her tax returns for years 2013 through 2015.
The wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The false tax filing charge carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of her plea agreement, Woolford must also pay restitution to the victim company. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 17, 2018.U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Judy Ramos, and special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Keith Hirschorn Esq., Hoboken, New Jersey
Former Defense Contractor Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Engaging in Commercial Sex with a Minor in the PhilippinesRead the Press Release
A U.S. citizen was sentenced to 72 months in prison for paying a 14-year-old girl for sex on multiple occasions in 2007.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., Special Agent in Charge Tracy Corimer of HSI St. Paul, Minnesota and Attaché Ransom J. Avilla of HSI Manila, Philippines made the announcement.
On April 19, James Marvin Reed, 62, pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. According to court documents, from in or about September 2007 until in or about December 2007, Reed, then 52 years old, engaged in commercial sexual intercourse on multiple occasions with the then 14-year-old victim, and impregnated her, while he was working in the Philippines as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2016, he was arrested by Philippine authorities and returned to the United States for prosecution.
Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank for the District of Minnesota sentenced Reed to serve 72 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release, and ordered Reed to pay $6,000 in restitution to the victim in the case.
The case was investigated by HSI. Trial Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and James E. Burke IV of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case. CEOS Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado also served as a vital member of the prosecution team at earlier stages of the litigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota also provided substantial assistance in this prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former City of Hampton Employee Sentenced for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A former City of Hampton employee was sentenced today to 16 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, Robert Dobbins, 36, of Hampton, was discovered after federal law enforcement received information from a foreign law enforcement agency regarding the user “DEATHLYROSE55” on Website A. In September 2017, the user responded to a foreign law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity and indicated that he had committed a hands on offense against a child. He also sent the investigator a mega link, which contained child pornography. Law enforcement linked the email address to a residence in Hampton, and determined that Dobbins was previously convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography in January 2005, while he was employed by the U.S. Navy.
During the execution of a federal search warrant, Dobbins, who at the time was a city of Hampton employee, acknowledged accessing child pornography from his city-issued Samsung smartphone using the internet. Dobbins admitted to agents that he cut and pasted photographs from Facebook of his friends’ daughters and re-posted them on his Website A account, “DEATHLYROSE55.” Dobbins also stated that he “traded” links to child pornography images and videos with other individuals who he met online utilizing Website A.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Cowles prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-129.
Former Chief Executive Officer of Health Care Company Charged with Giving Kickbacks to Pill Mill Doctor, Health Care Fraud, and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – On Thursday, June 7, 2018, a William “Ed” Henry, 47, of Hartselle, Alabama, was arrested on charges stemming from his role in a medical kickback scheme, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr.
According to court documents, from 2015 through 2017, Henry was an owner of a health care company, MyPractice24, Inc. (MyPractice24). During some of that time, Henry also served as the company’s chief executive officer (CEO). MyPractice24 provided non-face-to-face chronic care management services to Medicare beneficiaries who had two or more chronic conditions. The company did so pursuant to contracts into which it entered with primary care physicians. Under those contracts, the doctors would pay Henry’s company to provide these chronic care management services to the doctors’ patients, the company would provide the services, the doctors would bill Medicare for the services, and then the doctors would pay Henry’s company a share of the reimbursements received from Medicare.
The indictment alleges that in 2016, Henry entered into an agreement with Dr. Gilberto Sanchez, a Montgomery physician who has subsequently pleaded guilty to drug distribution, health care fraud, and money laundering charges. Under that agreement, MyPractice24 would provide various kickbacks to Dr. Sanchez and his staff in return for the providers at Dr. Sanchez’s practice referring Medicare beneficiaries to MyPractice24 for chronic care management services. Among the kickbacks provided were direct payments to a member of the staff, free chronic care management services, free medical billing services, and free clinical services unrelated to the provision of chronic care management services. Additionally, Henry assisted Dr. Sanchez in paying kickbacks to patients who enrolled in the chronic care management program. Dr. Sanchez paid these kickbacks by systematically waiving copays—copays which Medicare required Dr. Sanchez to collect.
The indictment charges Henry with one count of conspiring to pay kickbacks and to defraud the United States. It then alleges six counts of paying unlawful kickbacks—each count is based on a different type of kickback Henry paid to Dr. Sanchez and those who worked at Dr. Sanchez’s practice. Next, the indictment charges Henry with one count of conspiring to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud. Those counts are based on Henry’s assisting Dr. Sanchez in unlawfully waiving copay obligations and then failing to report the copay waivers to Medicare. Last, the indictment alleges that Henry conspired to commit money laundering. The money laundering charge results from Henry’s using the proceeds of health care fraud to make payments to Dr. Sanchez’s staff members.
If convicted of the most serious offense, Henry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, significant monetary penalties, asset forfeiture, and restitution.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad, and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, the Montgomery Police Department, and the Opelika Police Department assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross is prosecuting the case.
Former Charity Executive Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
A former executive of a Springfield, Missouri charity, who was also an Arkansas lobbyist, pleaded guilty in federal court today to bribing Arkansas elected officials in a multi-million-dollar scheme, and then along with other charity executives, embezzling millions of dollars from the Springfield health care organization.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison for the Western District of Missouri made the announcement.
Milton Russell Cranford, aka “Rusty,” 57, of Rogers, Arkansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of federal program bribery. Cranford was an executive at Preferred Family Healthcare Inc. (formerly known as Alternative Opportunities Inc.), a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Springfield, and oversaw the charity’s operations and lobbying efforts in the state of Arkansas. Cranford also operated three lobbying firms: The Cranford Coalition, The Capital Hill Coalition and Outcomes of Arkansas.
By pleading guilty today, Cranford admitted that he and other Preferred Family Healthcare executives paid bribes to Arkansas State Senator Jonathan Woods, Arkansas State legislator Henry Wilkins IV, a person identified in court documents as “Arkansas Senator A,” and others, to provide favorable legislative action for Cranford, his clients, and Preferred Family Healthcare. In exchange for the bribes paid by Cranford, the officials identified in the Information steered Arkansas General Improvement Fund (GIF) money to Preferred Family Healthcare and other Cranford clients; held up agency budgets; requested legislative audits; and sponsored, filed and voted for legislative bills that favored the charity and Cranford clients.
The additional income gained by Preferred Family Healthcare from Cranford’s bribes enabled Cranford and other executives of the charity to engage in multiple schemes to embezzle, steal, and unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of the charity, including, but not limited to, diverting charity funds to for-profit companies owned by the executives, causing the charity to make rental payments to properties owned by Cranford and the executives; paying for their personal expenses using corporate credit cards; and causing the charity to lend significant funds to Cranford personally, and to for-profit companies owned by other charity executives. The executives also caused the charity to misapply its funds for unlawful contributions to the campaigns of elected public officials and causing the charity to spend substantial amounts of funds on lobbying and political advocacy.
In addition, Cranford entered into an illegal kickback scheme whereby Cranford paid over $600,000 in illegal kickbacks to a charity executive in exchange for more than $3.5 million in payments made to The Cranford Coalition. Cranford also acknowledged his role in a second illegal kickback scheme involving the charity’s contract with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based political operative Donald Andrew Jones, also known as “D.A.” Jones, and another charity employee, former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper. In exchange for Cranford’s role in facilitating the charity’s contract with Jones for lobbying and political advocacy, under which the charity paid Jones almost $1 million, Cranford received kickbacks totaling $219,000 from Jones, $18,000 of which Cranford provided to Cooper, and Cooper received another $45,000 directly from Jones. In separate but related cases, both Jones and Cooper previously entered guilty pleas acknowledging their roles in that kickback scheme.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This is a combined investigation with the Western District of Arkansas, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorneys Marco A. Palmieri and Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.
Former Charity Executive Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former executive of a Springfield, Missouri charity, who was also an Arkansas lobbyist, pleaded guilty in federal court today to bribing Arkansas elected officials in a multi-million-dollar scheme, and then along with other charity executives, embezzling millions of dollars from the Springfield health care organization.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison for the Western District of Missouri made the announcement.
Milton Russell Cranford, aka “Rusty,” 57, of Rogers, Arkansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of federal program bribery. Cranford was an executive at Preferred Family Healthcare Inc. (formerly known as Alternative Opportunities Inc.), a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Springfield, and oversaw the charity’s operations and lobbying efforts in the state of Arkansas. Cranford also operated three lobbying firms: The Cranford Coalition, The Capital Hill Coalition and Outcomes of Arkansas.
By pleading guilty today, Cranford admitted that he and other Preferred Family Healthcare executives paid bribes to Arkansas State Senator Jonathan Woods, Arkansas State legislator Henry Wilkins IV, a person identified in court documents as “Arkansas Senator A,” and others, to provide favorable legislative action for Cranford, his clients, and Preferred Family Healthcare. In exchange for the bribes paid by Cranford, the officials identified in the Information steered Arkansas General Improvement Fund (GIF) money to Preferred Family Healthcare and other Cranford clients; held up agency budgets; requested legislative audits; and sponsored, filed and voted for legislative bills that favored the charity and Cranford clients.
The additional income gained by Preferred Family Healthcare from Cranford’s bribes enabled Cranford and other executives of the charity to engage in multiple schemes to embezzle, steal, and unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of the charity, including, but not limited to, diverting charity funds to for-profit companies owned by the executives, causing the charity to make rental payments to properties owned by Cranford and the executives; paying for their personal expenses using corporate credit cards; and causing the charity to lend significant funds to Cranford personally, and to for-profit companies owned by other charity executives. The executives also caused the charity to misapply its funds for unlawful contributions to the campaigns of elected public officials and causing the charity to spend substantial amounts of funds on lobbying and political advocacy.
In addition, Cranford entered into an illegal kickback scheme whereby Cranford paid over $600,000 in illegal kickbacks to a charity executive in exchange for more than $3.5 million in payments made to The Cranford Coalition. Cranford also acknowledged his role in a second illegal kickback scheme involving the charity’s contract with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based political operative Donald Andrew Jones, also known as “D.A.” Jones, and another charity employee, former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper. In exchange for Cranford’s role in facilitating the charity’s contract with Jones for lobbying and political advocacy, under which the charity paid Jones almost $1 million, Cranford received kickbacks totaling $219,000 from Jones, $18,000 of which Cranford provided to Cooper, and Cooper received another $45,000 directly from Jones. In separate but related cases, both Jones and Cooper previously entered guilty pleas acknowledging their roles in that kickback scheme.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This is a combined investigation with the Western District of Arkansas, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorneys Marco A. Palmieri and Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.
Former Canadian County Jailer Sentenced to Weekend Incarceration for Violating Civil Rights of Pretrial DetaineeRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – JASON BARBER, 42, of Bethany, Oklahoma, was sentenced today to serve a total of 30 days in prison during a one-year term of probation for his use of excessive force against a pretrial detainee, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
On October 31, 2017, the United States filed an information charging Barber with a criminal civil rights offense stemming from his conduct as a ranking Lieutenant and Correctional Officer at the Canadian County Jail in El Reno, Oklahoma in 2014. On December 23, 2014, according to the information, L.T. was an individual held at the jail after an arrest but before conviction of a crime. The information alleges that Barber willfully deprived L.T. of his constitutional right to due process of law when he struck L.T. during a disciplinary hearing. Because Barber was acting under color of law, his unreasonable use of force violated federal criminal law. In the absence of bodily injury, the offense was a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison. On November 16, 2017, Barber pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in the information.
At today’s hearing, United States Magistrate Judge Shon T. Erwin sentenced Barber to one year of probation, with a total of 30 days during weekends to be spent in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons ("BOP"). Beginning on Friday, August 10, Barber will spend weekends at a BOP facility until he serves a total of 30 days’ incarceration. Judge Erwin ordered Barber not to possess a firearm during the one-year probationary term, and further ordered Barber to submit to anger management counseling as determined by the United States Probation Office.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Investigations Division of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry. Reference is made to court records for further information.
Former Branch Manager Embezzled Funds from Beaver Falls BankRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of embezzlement by a bank employee, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Robin Chiappetta, age 63, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Chiappetta, who was employed as an Assistant Branch Manager at First National Bank, located at 1703 Seventh Avenue in Beaver Falls, embezzled funds belonging to and entrusted to the custody and care of the bank, resulting in a loss of $20,513.80.
Judge Ambrose scheduled sentencing for October 9, 2018 at 11 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Robin Chiappetta.
Former Baltimore City GTTF Police Officer Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for RacketeeringRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Baltimore, Maryland – United States District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced former Detective Marcus Roosevelt Taylor, age 30, of Glen Burnie, Maryland today to 18 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy and racketeering offenses, including robbery and overtime fraud.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
Taylor and co-conspirator Detective Daniel Thomas Hersl, age 47, of Joppa, Maryland were convicted by a federal jury on February 12, 2018 for racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and Hobbs Act Robbery.
According to evidence presented at the three-week trial, former detectives Hersl and Taylor stole money, property, and narcotics from victims, some of whom had not committed crimes; swore out false affidavits; submitted false official incident reports; and engaged in large-scale overtime and attendance fraud.
In some cases, there was no evidence of criminal conduct by the victims and the officers stole money that had been earned lawfully. In other instances, narcotics and firearms were recovered from arrestees. In several instances, the defendants did not file any police reports. The amounts stolen ranged from $200 to $200,000.
It was proven at trial that Hersl and Taylor stole money, property, and narcotics by detaining victims, entering residences, conducting traffic stops, and swearing out false search warrant affidavits. In addition, the defendants prepared and submitted false official incident and arrest reports, reports of property seized from arrestees, and charging documents.
Hersl is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Blake on June 22, 2018.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Derek E. Hines, who prosecuted these Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases.
Former Attorney Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Conspiring to Transport 1,500 Kilograms of Cocaine on Private JetRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Todd Macaluso, a former attorney, was sentenced by United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser to 15 years’ imprisonment, following his November 2017 jury trial conviction for participating in an international cocaine distribution conspiracy. Macaluso was also ordered by the court to pay a $10,000 fine.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Robert F. Lasky, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office (FBI); Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and George P. Beach, Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP), announced the sentence.
“Todd Macaluso orchestrated a scheme with drug cartel members to smuggle 1,500 kilograms of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars from Ecuador to Honduras in his private jet for ultimate distribution here in the United States,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Today’s sentence puts international drug traffickers and their associates on notice that we will bring the full weight of the law to bear on those that play any role in bringing dangerous drugs into our communities.”
“There is no doubt that Macaluso was driven by greed when he decided to transport 1,500 kilograms of cocaine in his private jet,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Lasky. “Instead of profiting from this poison, his illicit career was brought to an abrupt end through close cooperation with our law enforcement partners.”
“Macaluso’s illegal actions are indicative of his ignorance in knowing the law. And, this sentencing shows that there is no difference if you are a drug dealer, pilot or attorney when you have been arrested and convicted on federal drug charges,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Hunt. “This sentencing is a result of hard work by multiple law enforcement agencies at a local, federal and international level.”
“Macaluso’s crime is made even more egregious by the fact that he knew the law better than most as a former attorney, and yet chose to participate in an international conspiracy to distribute cocaine,” stated HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “HSI used its multifaceted investigative authorities with its partners to pursue and dismantle this drug trafficking operation, in the process showing that no individual is above the law.”
“Today’s sentencing proves again that our multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional partnerships have a very long reach,” stated NYPD Police Commissioner O’Neill. “When a crime is committed, particularly one of this size and scope, we are relentless in bringing those responsible to justice.”
“This individual is someone who was sworn to uphold the law and conspired to break it,” stated NYSP Superintendent Beach. “I applaud our law enforcement officials at all levels for their strong police work in this case and for their continued dedication to preventing the trafficking of cocaine and other harmful narcotics within our communities. The culmination of this investigation and the disruption of this international illegal drug trafficking operation sends a clear message that we will find and punish the people who are responsible for putting these illegal substances in the hands of our youth and others.”
The evidence at trial established that in exchange for $200,000 Macaluso agreed with members of an international drug cartel to provide and pilot a private Falcon 10 airplane to transport 1,500 kilograms of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars from Ecuador to Honduras, where the cocaine would be sold to Mexican drug traffickers and then imported into the United States. In furtherance of the scheme, Macaluso met repeatedly with drug traffickers in Tijuana, Mexico. On November 2016, Macaluso flew his jet to Haiti, met with the drug traffickers and agreed to transport the cocaine the following day. However, before Macaluso could transport the drugs, he was arrested and extradited to the United States for prosecution.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan C. Harris, Hiral D. Mehta and Keith D. Edelman are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
TODD MACALUSO
Age: 55
Residence: San Diego, CaliforniaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-609
Fitzgerald Man Convicted of Possession of CocaineRead the Press Release
Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on June 6, 2018, a jury convicted 42-year-old Patrick Leigh Burnham of Fitzgerald, Georgia of Possession of Cocaine and Possession of Cocaine Base occurring on July 20, 2017 at 128 Jacksonville Highway in Fitzgerald. Each offense carries a maximum possible term of incarceration of three (3) years and a fine in the range of $5000 to $250,000.
This case was investigated by the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Leah E. McEwen prosecuted the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Federal Jury Convicts Webster County Woman of Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Webster County woman was convicted yesterday following a two-day trial, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. The jury convicted Jaclyn Burkholder, 30, of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine between January and February 2017, returning its verdict late yesterday evening. The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“Burkholder was the final nail in the coffin,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “This meth ring of dealers that wrought havoc in our communities and among our people has been shut down. I applaud the excellent work of Assistant United States Attorneys Haley Bunn and Eric Bacaj and the rest of my team, as well as the investigators in this case.”
Jaclyn Burkholder is the sixth person to be convicted of distributing methamphetamine in related cases. Burkholder, along with Quinton Funk, Carl Clark, and Jamie Harmon, brought approximately four kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from Atlanta to Charleston. On January 12, 2017, officers with MDENT executed a search warrant at a hotel room and found over 130 grams of methamphetamine, scales, baggies, and a gun. The methamphetamine was part of the approximately four kilograms Burkholder and others brought back from Atlanta, and it was lab-tested and confirmed to be over 90% pure.
Burkholder faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced on August 30, 2018. Assistant United States Attorneys Eric Bacaj and Haley Bunn represented the government during the trial. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the trial.
Five other defendants involved in this methamphetamine conspiracy have been sentenced to federal prison. Quinton Funk, of Webster Springs, was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Carl Clark, of South Charleston, was sentenced to 135 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine. Jamie Harmon, of South Charleston, was sentenced to 8 years for distributing methamphetamine. Christopher Carte, of St. Albans, was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Holly Doub, of South Charleston, was sentenced to five days in federal prison for aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.
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###Federal Grand Jury IndictmentRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Columbia, South Carolina, returned an indictment against the following:
Conway Man Charged in Federal Indictment for Gun and Drug Charges. Eron Jordan, age 26, of Conway, South Carolina, was charged in a three-count Indictment with felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g); possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). The maximum penalty Jordan could receive is life imprisonment. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, assisted by the Conway Police Department and the Horry County Police Department. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel of the Florence office for prosecution.
The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this Indictment are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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