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Tuesday 17 April 2018
Clairton Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA. - A resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to distribute narcotics and unlawful possession of firearms, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Elliot Page, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with 20 other individuals, between March and August of 2017, to distribute narcotics and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Page supplied fentanyl to his codefendants, Skyler Carter and Cecil Shields, and others, for further distribution in the Clairton area, and that approximately one kilogram of fentanyl and three firearms were seized during the execution of a federal search warrant at Page’s residence on July 6, 2017. Page has three prior felony drug offenses and was forbidden from possessing a firearm. He is the 14th of 21 defendants charged in the case to plead guilty.
Judge Arthur J. Schwab scheduled sentencing for September 19, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 20 years to life imprisonment, a fine of $20,000,000, 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. Page remains on incarcerated the sentencing hearing.
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. Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Chicago Investment Advisor Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Misappropriating $5.2 Million in Client FundsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago investment advisor was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison for stealing $5.2 million from several clients, including his elderly in-laws.
DANIEL GLICK, who owned three accounting and financial services firms in Orland Park, Ill., misappropriated the money from 2011 to 2017. Most of the money belonged to elderly clients, including Glick’s mother-in-law and father-in-law and two individuals in nursing homes. He used some of the stolen funds to pay personal and business expenses, including the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz automobile and payment of his mortgage.
U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman imposed a 151-month prison sentence and ordered Glick to pay $5.2 million in restitution. Glick, 65, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of wire fraud.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Bill Hedrick, Acting Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office provided valuable assistance.
“Criminal conduct was a pervasive part of Glick’s business,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Stern argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The victims have been devastated by the loss of their money.”
Glick owned and operated Financial Management Strategies Inc., Glick Accounting Services Inc., and Glick & Associates Ltd. The firms purported to provide accounting, tax, investment, and financial services. During the scheme, Glick furnished forged checks and other phony documents to financial institutions, and he lied to clients about the use and safety of their investments. He also misappropriated client funds to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to two business associates, and to make Ponzi-type payments to clients.
Charlotte Man Convicted of Murder and Robbery Is Sentenced to LIfe in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Damarcus Donte Ivey, 36, of Charlotte, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. to life in prison, announced R. Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A federal jury convicted Ivey in April 2017 of Hobbs Act robbery and committing murder while using and possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of the robbery.
U.S. Attorney Murray is joined in making today’s announcement by John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division; Wayne Dixie, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division; and Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
According to court documents, witness testimony, evidence presented at Ivey’s trial, and today’s sentencing hearing:
On September 10, 2009, Ivey and Kevin Bishop robbed Club Nikki’s, located at 3001 Little Rock Road, in Charlotte. Over the course of the robbery, Ivey and Bishop pointed guns at the club’s patrons and staff, ordered them on the floor, and took personal items from the patrons and cash from the club. Trial evidence showed Ivey take items from the male victim before he fired a shot that killed him. Ivey and Bishop then fled the scene in a Ford F-150. Six minutes after the initial 9-1-1 call, a CMPD officer observed Ivey and Bishop exiting I-85 onto Beatties Ford Road. A chase ensued that ended in a vehicle crash and Ivey and Bishop attempted to flee on foot from CMPD officers. Both men were apprehended within minutes and were found in possession of proceeds from the robbery. Inside the Ford F-150, officers located the wallet of one of the club’s patrons and $355 in cash scattered about the floorboard.
Ivey is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. Kevin Bishop was convicted on state charges in 2014 and was given a 16-20 year sentence for his role in the robbery.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray commended CMPD, the FBI, and ATF for their investigation of the case and thanked the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office for their cooperation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Randall and William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
California Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Cross-Country Cocaine and Heroin Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to traffic five kilograms of cocaine and four kilograms of heroin that were hidden inside large pieces of hydraulic machinery, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Eduardo Barragan Zuninga, 31, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From March 2015 through March 2016, Zuninga, Fermin Nunez, 46, also of Los Angeles, and others plotted to hide cocaine and heroin, and the proceeds from narcotics transactions, inside large pieces of hydraulic machinery and ship them across the country.
Nunez arranged for the drugs to be shipped from California to the east coast for distribution by Zuninga and others in the New York metropolitan area. Nunez, with Zuninga’s assistance, similarly arranged for the shipment of the distribution proceeds back to California.
Execution of two search warrants at the conclusion of an investigation conducted by the FBI, in cooperation with local law enforcement partners in Los Angeles, resulted in the seizure of approximately five kilograms of cocaine and four kilograms of heroin from a warehouse in Pennsylvania, and over $260,000 in suspected narcotics proceeds from a piece of hydraulic machinery in a California storage facility.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Zuninga to five years of supervised release. Nunez previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and awaits sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley W. Cohen in Newark, the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (L.A. IMPACT) and the Los Angeles Police Department, under the direction of Chief Charlie Beck, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly S. Lorber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Defense counsel: Lisa Van Hoeck Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Trenton
Beaver Falls Man Pleads Guilty in Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A Beaver County resident pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Rance Vaughn, age 22, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies joined forces in a multi-agency wiretap investigation of drug trafficking, including fentanyl trafficking, in various areas of Western Pennsylvania. The interception of wire and electronic communications began in March 2017, and Rance Vaughn was intercepted over the wire conspiring with others to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.
Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for August 16, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tonya Sulia Goodman and Caitlin A. Loughran are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is part of a long-term investigation by the FBI Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, which targeted a large scale Drug Trafficking Organization operating in Butler, Beaver and Allegheny Counties. The FBI, Wilkinsburg Police Department, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Allegheny County Police Department, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Vaughn.
Attorney General Sessions Announces Changes in DEA Opioid Limit RulesRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would affect its limits on annual opioid production.
"Better information means better decisions,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “Under the proposed rule, DEA’s opioid production limits would be more responsive to the risk of drug abuse by explicitly taking diversion into account. It’s a common sense idea: the more a drug is diverted, the more its production should be limited. Today’s proposed rule will give DEA more information to help the agency protect law-abiding Americans from the threat of drugs—and that makes all of us safer.”
Under the NPRM, DEA will take into consideration the extent that a drug is diverted for abuse when it sets its annual opioid production limits. If DEA believes that a particular opioid or a particular company’s opioids are being diverted for misuse, then DEA would be able to reduce the amount that can produced in a given year. These smarter limits will encourage vigilance on the part of opioid manufacturers, help DEA respond to the changing drug threat environment, and protect the American people from potentially addictive drugs while ensuring that the country has enough opioids for genuine medical, scientific, research and industrial needs.
Further, the rule would allow DEA to set its annual limits using information not only from its own Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders (ARCOS) system, but also from the Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA, the CDC, Medicare and Medicaid, and the states.Akron man and Barberton woman charged for defrauding insurance companyRead the Press Release
Two people were charged in federal court with mail fraud for defrauding an insurance company.
Kifiyun Daniels, 32, of Akron, and Jessie Banks, 25, of Barberton, were both charged with one count of mail fraud.
Daniels made fraudulent claims to Asurion Insurance for the replacement of approximately 261 cellular phones between August 2015 and December 2017. Asurion sustained a loss of approximately $130,717, according to the information.
Banks made fraudulent claims to Asurion Insurance for the replacement of approximately 179 cellular phones between Novermber 2015 and May 2017. Asurion sustained a loss of approximately $110,174, according to the information.
Jody Foster, of Ravenna, was charged last week with one count of mail fraud for defrauding Asurioan out of $94,000.
Foster defrauded Asurion Insurance between 2012 and 2016 through the submission of fraudulent insurance claims to obtain money and property from Asurion. He paid individuals, known and unknown, to purchase new cellular telephones and enroll in cellular telephones service plans which included insurance coverage with multiple cellular telephone service providers. Then these individuals provided the newly purchased cellular telephones to Foster, according to the criminal information.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry F. DeBaggis.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
A North Carolina Man Convicted of Prison AssaultRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kevin Labracio Frazier, 31, of Greenville, N.C., was found guilty today, by a federal jury sitting in Lexington, of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
After approximately 40 minutes of deliberations following a one-day trial, the jury convicted Frazier of assaulting another inmate in a federal prison facility.
According to testimony at trial, Frazier, an inmate at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, assaulted another inmate, which resulted in the victim suffering facial fractures and a deep laceration under his eye that required sutures. The evidence revealed that Frazier repeatedly punched the victim in the head and face, resulting in the victim briefly losing consciousness and being transported to the University of Kentucky for medical treatment.
Frazier was indicted in February of 2018.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Louisville, jointly announced the verdict.
The investigation was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron L. Walker, Jr.
Frazier will appear for sentencing on July 20, 2018. He faces a maximum of ten years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal statutes before imposing his sentence.
A New York man and two Monongalia County residents indicted on firearms conspiracy chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Three people are facing a charge involving an illegal firearms operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
The two men and one woman were indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Elkins on March 6, 2018. The three are accused of being involved in a conspiracy that included making false statements to purchase firearms, trading firearms for controlled substances, and transporting and selling the firearms in New York. The crime is alleged to have occurred in Morgantown, Monongalia County and elsewhere from May 2017 to June 2017.
Those charged with “Conspiracy to Violate Federal Firearms Laws” are:
• Amanze Antoine, age 37, of Mt. Vernon, New York
• Margaret Parker, age 33, of Dellslow, West Virginia
• Tommy Calhoun, of Morgantown, West VirginiaEach defendant faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A Cautionary Tale on Tax Day: Penn Valley Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Craig Rosen, 61, a wealthy businessman who, for four years, failed to file federal income tax returns or pay taxes, was sentenced Monday to one year and one day in prison by U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller. Rosen pleaded guilty in November to four counts of tax evasion.
The defendant, who has a degree in accounting, owned and operated several successful businesses associated with medical treatment and pain relief. In each of the years 2009 through 2012, he earned income ranging from $175,000 and $432,000, but failed to file tax returns, report income or pay taxes for any of those years. He also took steps to conceal his true income, including paying personal debts from accounts that were not in his name.
“It’s our responsibility as Americans to comply with our tax laws,” said U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. “This was a particularly brazen disregard of that responsibility, especially when you consider the defendant is an accountant. A prison sentence will serve as a deterrent to those who believe they can ignore the law and escape accountability.”
The explanation Rosen gave to investigators for his decision to stop paying taxes was his desire to avoid having to pay a large civil judgment owed to a former business partner. But, as prosecutors wrote in the government’s sentencing memo, “a desire to avoid paying a private creditor neither explains nor excuses a decision not to pay taxes.”
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea Witzleben.
Monday 16 April 2018
Wood County Man Sentenced to Twelve Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today a Wood County man was sentenced in connection with a federal methamphetamine charge. Timothy Waldron, 31, of Mineral Wells, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. to 12 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Stuart praised the work of the Parkersburg Drug Task Force.
“This sentence should send a message to anyone thinking about distributing methamphetamine in the Southern District of West Virginia,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Unless you want to be locked up, it’s just not a good idea.”
Waldron previously pled guilty in January admitting that he possessed methamphetamine seized from a safe in his Mineral Wells residence for distribution. The approximately 1300 grams of methamphetamine had been found during execution of a search warrant at defendant’s residence by agents of the Parkersburg Drug Task Force on November 20, 2016.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal heroin, methamphetamine and pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of heroin, methamphetamine and opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart
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Williamsville Couple SentencedRead 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 Shaheen Hassanali, 45, and her husband, Riyaz Hassanali, 57, both of Williamsville, NY, were each sentenced to one year probation by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. Shaneen Hassanali, who was convicted filing a false tax return, was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $248,606 to the Internal Revenue Service. Riyaz Hassanali was convicted of receiving and delivering misbranded drugs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O’Donnell, who handled the case, stated that for the tax years 2006-2009, Shaheen Hassanali filed false joint income tax returns for herself and her husband. The defendant substantially under-reported the income earned from her husband’s medical practice.
In addition, between 2009 and 2011, Riyaz Hassanali ordered, and administered to patients, a misbranded, and non-FDA approved, foreign market product, similar to the prescription drug Dysport, a prescription drug commonly used in cosmetic procedures.
The sentencings are the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent-in- New York Field Office.
Wheeling woman admits to lying to the US MarshalsRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Melinda Ray McCardle, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to making a false statement, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
McCardle, age 29, pled guilty to one count of “False Statement to a Federal Agent.” McCardle admitted to lying to a Deputy U.S. Marshal about the whereabouts of Deandre Davis, a fugitive wanted for murder. The crime occurred in August 2017 in Brooke County, West Virginia.
McCardle faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Vogrin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The United States Marshals Service, the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, and the Wheeling Police Department investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., presided.
Virginia resident sentenced for identity theftRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Angela Dawn Roberts, of Stephenson, Virginia was ordered to pay more than $22,000 in restitution and sentenced to five years probation for identity theft, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Roberts, age 42, pled guilty to one count of “Identity Theft” in July 2017. Roberts admitted to using another’s identifying information to commit bank fraud. The crime occurred June 27, 2016 in Berkeley County, West Virginia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force’s Surge Tackles Violent Crime in JacksonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – The U.S. Marshals Service’s Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, made up of Deputy U.S. Marshals and other federal, state and local law enforcement officers, increased their numbers, expanded their operations, and led a successful violent crime reduction initiative last week in the Jackson metro area, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and U.S. Marshal George White. This surge of law enforcement, in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Project EJECT, executed outstanding warrants, targeted known gang members and their associates, and searched for sex offenders who had violated the terms of their supervised release. The Task Force also worked to identify targets and collect tangible criminal intelligence to further its work in the future of removing violent criminal offenders from the streets.
"When law enforcement officers work together, we get results," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "The arrest of more than 30 gang members in Jackson is the result of effective collaboration between all levels of law enforcement – federal, state and local – to target the most violent criminals in our communities. It’s also an example of how customizing our strategy at the local level through the Project Safe Neighborhoods program helps us use our resources more effectively. I want to thank our Deputy U.S. Marshals and all of the task force members who played a role in these arrests. They exemplify the proven law enforcement methods that we will continue to prioritize going forward."
"We are dismantling gangs, prosecuting violent criminals and removing sex offenders from the streets of Jackson," said U.S. Attorney Hurst. "I commend the U.S. Marshals and the Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force for substantially increasing their manpower this past week in our Capitol City, becoming a force multiplier on our streets and proactively taking the fight directly to the criminal element. I look forward to our office prosecuting some of these violent criminals under Project EJECT. It is only through such cooperation among law enforcement, and by empowering our citizens and our communities, that we will make Jackson and its people safer and more secure."
During last week’s operation, the Fugitive Task Force increased its manpower to 60 members and was able to arrest 45 individuals, 31 of whom were documented gang members, including Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, Simon City Royals, Latin Kings, and the Aryan Brotherhood, among others. During these arrests, a number of firearms were seized and several arrestees were found to be in possession of various illegal drugs, including marijuana, ecstasy, and crystal methamphetamine. While the details of these arrests cannot yet be made public, as investigations are ongoing, some of these individuals are expected to be prosecuted under Project EJECT.
U.S. Attorney Hurst, who accompanied the Task Force one night during their operations, praised the tenacity, dedication and professionalism of these Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers from the following agencies:
Jackson Police Department
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
Hinds County Sheriff’s Office
Mississippi Bureau of Investigations
Rankin County Sheriff’s Office
Mississippi Department of Corrections
Pearl Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations
Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives
Madison Police Department
United States Attorney’s Office
Ridgeland Police Department
Metro 1 Medical Air Support
Biloxi Police Department
Project EJECT is an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s 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.
U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes National Crime Victims’ Right WeekRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA –The United States Attorney Office will speak to more than 3,000 students spanning several counties across the Northern District of West Virginia in April to recognize National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorney’s Offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. In addition, the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Offices organize events to honor the victims and advocates, as well as bring awareness to services available to victims of crime. This year’s observance took place April 8-14, with the theme Expand the Circle: Reach All Victims.
"In law enforcement, we are sworn to serve and protect," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "We carry out this oath every day by protecting the rights of law abiding people from criminals and by achieving justice for crime victims. This week, we remember the millions of Americans who have been victimized by criminals and we thank those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their service to those victims. As we do so, we recommit ourselves to fulfilling our oath and to reducing crime in America."
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of West Virginia has teamed up with the YWCA Family Violence Prevention Program in Wheeling to present “#SmartonSocial,” a presentation that discusses the positives and negatives of social media. The presentation discusses the importance of social media in college and employment applications. It also warns students about the dangers that lurk online, and shares the legal implications involving cyberbullying and sexting.
“Protecting our communities is our number one priority. Crime victims are often our most vulnerable citizens, and we take care in our work because of them. We will continue this work, including community education, with the hope of reducing the number of crime victims in our district,” said Powell.
According to the Pew Research Center, 88% of 18-29 year olds admit to having at least one social media account. As the prevalence of social media rises, awareness must rise, too. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to offering prevention presentations to students and parents across the district.
Presentations regarding drug prevention and human trafficking will also be offered in the month of April to expand the circle of education. The YWCA is also offering family violence prevention presentations at several local schools.
The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week each year. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.
For more information on presentations, or to schedule a presentation, call the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 304-234-0100.
U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady Names Senior Leadership Team, Reorganizes Office’s Criminal DivisionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - Scott W. Brady, United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, today named the Office’s new executive leadership team and announced a restructuring of the Office’s Criminal Division that will allow the office to best effectuate the Administration’s priorities.
"This is an outstanding leadership team," stated United States Attorney Brady. "These men and women are the finest our District has to offer – incredibly accomplished attorneys, highly respected among their peers and by the bench, and possessing the highest standards of character and integrity. They will serve the people of western Pennsylvania with great honor and distinction."
Mr. Brady named Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman as his First Assistant U.S. Attorney. Mr. Kaufman has served as the Chief of the Criminal Division since 2010. In his 25 years as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Kaufman has handled a wide variety of violent crime, narcotics, child exploitation and white collar cases. Notable cases include the successful eight-week trial of the Pittsburgh La Cosa Nostra organized crime family on RICO charges, the prosecution of the distributors of China White, a deadly synthetic form of heroin which caused the overdose deaths of 17 individuals in 1988, the prosecution of Michael Carlow, owner of Pittsburgh Brewing and Clark Candy, for perpetuating a $31 million dollar check kiting scheme against PNC Bank, and more recently obtaining the conviction of and an 11-year prison sentence for Dr. Oliver Herndon, a physician who was the most prolific illegal distributor of oxycodone in the Pittsburgh area prior to his arrest. Mr. Kaufman is a graduate of Allegheny College and Harvard Law School.
Mr. Brady named former Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina O. Miller as Chief of the Criminal Division. She returns to the office today from Farrell & Reisinger, LLC, where she was a trial lawyer whose practice focused on criminal defense, corporate internal investigations, mediation and representing victims of crime in both criminal and civil cases. Ms. Miller has jury trial experience as both a federal prosecutor and defense counsel in a wide variety of cases, including fraud, arson, public corruption, arms trafficking, carjacking, narcotics trafficking and sex offenses. In her prior stint as a federal prosecutor, Ms. Miller successfully prosecuted Jelani Solomon, a major drug trafficker who also ordered the murder of a family member of someone he suspected of cooperating, and Scott Tyree, a Virginia man who met a 13-year-old Pittsburgh girl on the internet, drove her to his home in Virginia, and held her captive for three days until the FBI rescued her. Ms. Miller is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University School of Law.
Jennifer Andrade, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division since January 2008, has been named Chief of the Civil Division. Prior to joining the office, Ms. Andrade served as a federal law clerk to the Hon. Ila Jeanne Sensenich for two years, and as a litigation associate in private practice for three years. Ms. Andrade’s experience also includes serving in her second three-year term as a Pennsylvania District IV Senior Hearing Committee member, where her responsibilities include conducting hearings and making recommendations to the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board on petitions for attorney discipline brought by the Pennsylvania Office of Disciplinary Counsel. Ms. Andrade has served as an instructor at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, and has also served in several leadership capacities for the Allegheny County Bar Association and Foundation, most recently as the Allegheny County Bar Foundation Vice President. Ms. Andrade is a graduate of Boston University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Ross Haywood will continue to serve as Appellate Division Chief. Ms. Haywood has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Appellate Division since 2005. In this capacity, Ms. Haywood has successfully defended over 100 criminal and civil appeals, including a heath care fraud conviction of the owner and operator of a nursing home specializing in the care of Alzheimer’s patients and the 45-year sentence of a medical student convicted of child pornography offenses. Ms. Haywood will remain responsible for coordinating and reviewing all of the appellate filings emanating from the Western District of Pennsylvania. She has previous service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division dating from 1997. Ms. Haywood is currently Vice-Chair of the Third Circuit Lawyers Advisory Committee, which works with the Court of Appeals to improve the administration of justice. Ms. Haywood is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Michigan Law School.
Barbara Bacvinskas, a Department of Justice employee since 1983, will continue to serve as the Administrative Officer for the District.
In addition to naming his leadership team, Mr. Brady announced a reorganized Criminal Division. The Criminal Division will have four Sections: 1.) Cyber/National Security, 2.) Economic Crimes, 3.) Major Crimes, and 4.) Narcotics. The new Criminal Division sections will be overseen as follows: Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles A. "Tod" Eberle will supervise the Cyber/National Security Section; Nelson P. Cohen, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, will supervise the Economic Crimes Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney will supervise the Major Crimes Section; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti will supervise the Narcotics Section. Additionally, former Acting U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song will serve as the Head of National Security.
"These structural and leadership changes will allow us to maximize efforts to attack the deadly opioid crisis, reduce violent drug and gun crime, root out public corruption, prosecute cyber criminals, and prevent incidents of terrorism, all with a determination to protect the citizens of western Pennsylvania," Mr. Brady stated.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania prosecutes civil and criminal matters on behalf of the United States of America and its agencies and defends claims against the United States in the 25 counties that make up the western part of the Commonwealth. The office currently employs 59 Assistant U.S. Attorneys across the Criminal, Civil and Appellate Divisions, and 57 support staff, in offices in Pittsburgh, Erie and Johnstown.
U.S. Attorney Announces Indictment of Illinois Woman for Selling Heroin Resulting in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rockford, Illinois, woman has been indicted with Distribution of Heroin Resulting in Death in the District of South Dakota as part of a concerted national effort by the U.S. Department of Justice, working closely with state and local law enforcement, to combat opioids by prosecuting drug dealers to hold them accountable for the deaths and serious injuries of overdose victims. Under federal law, anyone who illegally provides a controlled substance to another person who then overdoses from using that substance is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of at least twenty years in federal prison.
Earlier this month, Stephanie Broecker, age 26, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Sioux Falls for selling the heroin that led to the death of a 30-year-old man in Miner County, South Dakota. The man, identified as K.P. in court documents, was found dead from an apparent heroin overdose at a residence in rural Miner County on November 19, 2017. Broecker was located and arrested in Illinois. She appeared before a federal magistrate judge in the Northern District of Illinois on April 10, 2018, and is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals awaiting transfer to South Dakota to face the federal charges. If convicted, Broecker faces a minimum of twenty years and a maximum of life in prison.
“It is a senseless tragedy that we have lost another life because of illegal drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “The opioid epidemic has inflicted an unprecedented toll of addiction, suffering and death on communities throughout our nation, and South Dakota has not been untouched. By holding drug dealers directly accountable for the devastation they cause, we help bring some measure of justice to their victims' loved ones and send a powerful message that these crimes will not be tolerated.”
The United States currently faces the deadliest drug crisis in history. In 2016, approximately 64,000 Americans – the equivalent of almost one-third of the population of Sioux Falls – lost their lives to drug overdoses, the fastest increase and highest drug death toll in American history. For Americans under the age of 50, drug overdose is now the leading cause of death. This plague is being driven primarily by opioids – prescription painkillers, heroin, and synthetic drugs like fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin. Ingesting even a small amount of fentanyl can result in death.
In 2016, 67 South Dakotans died of drug overdoses, more than half of which were classified as opioid poisoning. In 2017, 10 people died from opiate-related overdoses in Minnehaha County alone and it is on track to exceed that number this year. There have been at least three heroin or fentanyl overdose deaths in Sioux Falls in the past month.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has directed all United States Attorneys to use every available tool to combat this deadly epidemic. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to this mission and actively working with state, local, and tribal law enforcement to prevent and combat all drug-related deaths in South Dakota. As part of that effort, our District has designated an Assistant United States Attorney to serve as the Opioid Coordinator to implement our strategy in combatting opioids, with a strong focus on prosecuting cases involving prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl.
Over the past several months, federal prosecutors have been meeting and working with law enforcement agencies across the state to help investigate incidents of overdose, trace the source of the drugs up the chain of distribution, and bring either federal or state charges against those responsible for selling or providing the drugs.
Broecker is the most recent individual to be indicted on federal charges in South Dakota since this initiative began. The United States Attorney’s Office is working closely with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Miner County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnehaha County Coroner’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in prosecuting this case. Many more such investigations are in progress across the state.
“Every overdose should be considered a crime scene,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Dealers or anyone else who illegally diverts or provides drugs to another should know that any time there is an overdose, we are going to come looking for you. You will be arrested, you will be charged, and you will be held accountable.”
On Wednesday of this week, U.S. Attorney Parsons will be appearing at the joint conference of the South Dakota Police Chiefs’ Association and South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association in Deadwood to discuss coordinated strategies to combat this drug epidemic. “Our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners do a tremendous job in investigating these crimes,” he said. “My orders are to do everything we can to support them at the federal level and provide additional tools for ensuring that these criminals who are poisoning our communities are stopped.”
The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations and defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Drug Traffickers Indicted in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jaime LOZANO-CEJA, 30, and Juan Jose SANCHEZ-RIVERA, 26, residents of O’Fallon, Illinois, were indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution of heroin, and possession with intent to distribute heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, beginning in June of 2018 and continuing to on or about February 17, 2018, LOZANO-CEJA and SANCHEZ-RIVERA did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate and agree with other persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. Additionally, LOZANO-CEJA is charged with distribution of a quantity of heroin.
LOZANO-CEJA and SANCHEZ-RIVERA each face a minimum of ten years’ imprisonment, a maximum term of life imprisonment, and a fine of $10,000,000.00.
The case was investigated by the Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones.
Three Men Arrested on Illegal Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Three persons alleged to have been involved in engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license have made their initial appearances in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick along with Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Authorities arrested Alejandro Rodriguez, 26, Alejandro Hernandez, 27, and Lewis Rodriguez, 28, all of Laredo, Thursday, April 12. Today, they made their appearance in Laredo federal court. They are set for a preliminary examination hearing on April 20, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga.
According to the criminal complaint, on four separate occasions, federal agents purchased 11 AR-type rifles from the three men. Last week, agents seized another 12 AR-type rifles as part of an undercover operation. The charges allege two of those weapons were fully automatic firearms. None of the firearms had any identifying markings or serial numbers, according to the complaint.
“ATF targets firearms smuggling organizations, because stopping the flow of weapons illegally exported from the United States is a top priority," said Milanowski. “These offenders and their networks must be dismantled, as they remain a serious threat here in the United States.”
“Stopping the flow of weapons illegally exported into Mexico is an urgent priority for HSI,” said Folden. “HSI along with its federal partners will continue to target firearms smuggling organizations and dismantle the networks responsible for supplying these egregious offenders before they fall into the hands of drug cartels which pose a threat here in the United States and abroad.”
If convicted, each faces up to five years imprisonment and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
ATF and HSI are conducting the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service and the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Giselle S. Guerra is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.###
Ten Indicted and Arrested on Federal Firearms and Narcotics Violations in SweepRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. - Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Schmidt announce that the ten defendants listed below have been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in Macon and have been arrested during a multi-agency operation.
DOVORRIS JORDAN, aged 31, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both, if convicted.
CLINT WALKER, aged 35, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 1), Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Count 2), and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence (Count 3). If convicted, Mr. Walker faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10 million fine, or both, on Count 1; 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both, on Count 2; and life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on Count 3.
RODNEY BURKE, aged 55, of Mauk, GA, is charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 1) and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Count 2). Mr. Burke is charged as an Armed Career Criminal and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in Federal prison with a maximum of life imprisonment, a $5 million fine, or both, if convicted.
REGINALD MILLER, aged 27, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. If convicted, Mr. Miller faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.
EDWARD WALKER, aged 35, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, if convicted.
LORENZO TATUM, aged 32, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, a $1 million fine, or both, if convicted.
DEVANTE PATTERSON, aged 24, of Columbus, is charged with Theft from a Federal Firearms Licensee (Count 1) and Possession of Stolen Firearms (Count 2) and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on each count, if convicted.
ANDRE HENDRICKS was indicted on March 14, 2018 for Possession of Cocaine Base with Intent to Distribute (Count 1), Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 2), Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (Count 3), Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute (Count 4), Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Count 5), and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence (Count 6). He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $1 Million fine, or both, if convicted.
LORENZO CRAWFORD, aged 35, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Count 1), Possession of Marijuana (Count 2) and Possession of Methamphetamine (Count 3) and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in Federal prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, if convicted.
WATKINS BROWN, aged 24, of Columbus, GA, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (Count 1) and Possession of a Stolen Firearm (Count 2). Mr. Brown faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on each count, if convicted.
The operation was conducted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood, which is designed to reduce violent crime through forming partnerships between federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutors. Those participating in this joint effort include the Columbus Police Department; Muscogee County District Attorney’s Office; Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Probation; Georgia Department of Community Supervision and the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael T. Solis, Crawford Seals, and Melvin E. Hyde, Jr. are prosecuting the cases for the United States.
An arrest and an indictment are only allegations of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603
Tahlequah Woman Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Denise Sue Watie, aka Denise Sue Karrant, age 44, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma pled guilty to Failure To Register As Sex Offender, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2250(a)(1), 2250(a)(2)(B) and 2250(a)(3), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Indictment alleged that from in or about June 2017, the exact date being unknown to the Grand Jury, until on or about December 19, 2017, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, the defendant, Denise Sue Watie, a/k/a Denise Sue Karrant, an individual required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, after having received a felony conviction from the State of Oklahoma, in Tulsa County, on or about January 24, 2005, for Sexually Abusing a Minor Child, traveled in interstate commerce and knowingly failed to register and update her registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.The charges arose from an investigation by the United States Marshals Service.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow represented the United States.
Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Drugs in St. Lawrence CountyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Deloyd M. Lesane, age 38, of Syracuse, New York, pled guilty today to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Kevin M. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Gouverneur Chief of Police Laurina Greenhill.
Lesane was selling crack cocaine and fentanyl from an apartment in Gouverneur in April 2017. During a search of that apartment, agents recovered approximately 57.5 grams of crack cocaine, approximately 2.5 grams of fentanyl, approximately 19.7 grams of cocaine, a digital scale with cocaine residue, drug packaging material and $2,708 in U.S. currency.
If accepted by Senior United States District Judge Norman A. Mordue, the plea calls for Lesane to serve 120 months in prison when sentenced on August 27, 2018.
This case was investigated by members of the St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Gouverneur Police Department, and HSI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas G. Collyer.
School Owner Pleads Guilty to $2 Million Bribery Scheme Involving VA Program for Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
The owner of Atius Technology Institute (“Atius”), a privately owned, non-accredited school specializing in information technology courses, pleaded guilty today to bribing a public official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in exchange for the public official’s facilitation of over $2 million in payments that were supposed to be dedicated to providing vocational training for military veterans with service-connected disabilities. Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia made the announcement.
Albert S. Poawui, 41, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty to an Information alleging one count of bribing a public official. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia.
According to Poawui’s admissions made in connection with his plea, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program is a VA program that provides disabled U.S. military veterans with education and employment-related services. VR&E program counselors advise veterans under their supervision which schools to attend and facilitate payments to those schools for veterans’ tuition and necessary supplies.
According to admissions made in connection with Poawui’s plea, in or about August 2015, Poawui and a VR&E program counselor agreed that Poawui would pay the counselor a seven percent cash kickback of all payments made by the VA to Atius. In exchange, the counselor steered VR&E program veterans to Atius and approved Atius’s invoices for payment.
Poawui admitted that the counselor and a second VR&E counselor approved payments to Atius without regard for the accuracy of necessary documentation in order to maximize the scheme’s profits. Between August 2015 and December 2017, Poawui and the scheme’s other participants caused the VA to pay Atius approximately $2,217,259.44. Poawui paid the first VR&E counselor over $155,000 as part of the illicit bribery scheme. These bribery payments were hand-delivered by Poawui or an Atius employee to the VR&E counselor or the counselor’s assistant, a veteran who was enrolled in the VR&E program.
Poawui also admitted that, with the knowing assistance of a second Atius employee, he made numerous false representations to the VA to enhance the scheme’s profits. For example, Poawui and the second employee certified to the VA that veterans attending Atius were enrolled in up to 32 hours of class per week, when in fact both knew that Atius offered a maximum of six weekly class hours. After the VA initiated an administrative audit of Atius, Poawui, the VR&E counselor and the Atius employee took steps to conceal the truth about earlier misrepresentations they had made to the VA.
Poawui’s plea is the result of an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou of the U.S. Attorney’s for the Office of the District of Columbia also investigated the matter. Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonali D. Patel of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
Schenectady Felon Pleads Guilty to Stealing Firearms from Glenville Gun StoreRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jose Fontanez, age 36, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to stealing firearms from Target Sports, Inc., a federally licensed firearms dealer in Glenville, New York. Fontanez, whose criminal history includes a prior felony conviction, also pled guilty to possessing, concealing, and storing stolen firearms and being a felon in possession of firearms.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
As part of his guilty plea, Fontanez admitted that on the night of October 22, 2017, he and a co-conspirator broke into Target Sports while it was closed and stole more than 25 firearms from inside the gun store located on Saratoga Road. The firearms included pistols, shotguns, and rifles. With the assistance of various accomplices, Fontanez and his co-conspirator spent the following two days moving the stolen firearms between various locations in Schenectady and Amsterdam, New York, including private residences, a self-storage unit, and a motel. Finally, as Fontanez further admitted, on October 24, 2017, he and his co-conspirator, with the help of yet more accomplices, transported the stolen firearms to Rochester, New York.
Fontanez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2018 by Senior United States District Judge Norman A. Mordue. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each count of conviction, for a total of 30 years; a maximum $750,000 fine; and up to 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case is being investigated by the ATF, New York State Police, and the Glenville Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne A. Myers and Joseph A. Giovannetti.
San Pedro Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Making Death Threat Against United States Congresswoman Maxine WatersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Pedro man who called the Washington, D.C. office of United States Representative Maxine Waters and threatened to kill the congresswoman pleaded guilty today to a federal felony offense stemming from the threat.
Anthony Scott Lloyd, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a United States official.
Lloyd entered the guilty before United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 16. At the time of sentencing, Lloyd will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
According to a plea agreement filed in this case, Lloyd called Rep. Waters’ office on October 22, 2017 and left a voicemail laced with expletives and epithets. The message used the words “dead” and “kill” a total of four times.
Lloyd admitted in the plea agreement that he “left this recorded message with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, and retaliate against Congresswoman Waters, while she was engaged in and on account of the performance of her official duties.”
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which received assistance from the United States Capitol Police, Threat Assessment Section.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jake Nare of the General Crimes Section.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who received child pornography was sentenced on April 12, 2018 to 15 years in federal prison.
David Myers, age 54, from Greene, Iowa, received the sentence after a February 6, 2018 guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography. At the plea hearing, Myers admitted that, between 2005 and 2014, he used the Internet to receive child pornography. In a plea agreement, Myers admitted that, in 1998, he was convicted of three charges of sexual abuse in the third degree.
Myers was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Myers was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed, and Myers must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release. He must comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 17-2077.
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Ranking Nashville Gang Member Sentenced to More Than 24 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- April 18, 2018 – Deunta Finch, aka LT, 28, of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced on Friday to 290 months in prison on federal firearms and robbery charges, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran, for the Middle District of Tennessee. Finch pleaded guilty in January 2017 to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; attempting to commit a robbery affecting interstate commerce; and to possessing and discharging a firearm in that attempted robbery.
According to court documents, Finch was a ranking member of the Athens Park Bloods street gang and had multiple, previous state felony convictions, including two convictions for being a felon in possession of firearms, a conviction for robbery and a conviction for reckless endangerment with a weapon. As a convicted felon, Finch was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Court documents outline that on June 21, 2015, Finch brandished a firearm and stole another firearm from a juvenile, while in the J.C. Napier public housing development. Two days later, Finch was riding in a car with another juvenile and became involved in a shootout with the occupants of another vehicle. Finch was injured in the shootout, but left the scene and was later located and transported to a local hospital for treatment. After treatment, he was arrested on outstanding state warrants and then bonded out of custody. Finch failed to appear in court as required and was arrested by Metro Nashville SWAT officers in another car on November 12, 2015. A 9mm pistol was recovered from the glove compartment of that car during this arrest. Ballistics evidence revealed that the recovered firearm had been used one week earlier, on November 5, 2015, in a drug related shooting, in which Finch robbed a drug dealer in the Lexington Garden Apartments in Madison, Tennessee. His intended victim resisted, and Finch shot and severely wounded the victim. Finch then left the area with a quantity of cocaine which he took from his victim.
Finch entered into a plea agreement with the government on January 24, 2017 and agreed to a 15-year sentence. Seven weeks after Finch entered into the agreement, he assaulted another federal prisoner at the Grayson County Detention Facility, in Leitchfield, Kentucky and seriously injured him, including breaking his jaw and ribs. The government then filed a motion to withdraw from the plea agreement, citing Finch’s criminal conduct in committing the assault that violated the terms of the agreement.
U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen noted Finch’s extensive criminal history and countless opportunities to rehabilitate and remarked that, “the protection of society was the most important factor,” before sentencing him to more than 24 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Gang Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy.
President of Baltimore Tax Preparation Business Found Guilty of Assisting in the Filing of False Tax Returns and Failure to File Corporate Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Tynisha Martin Kadiri, age 39, of Baltimore, Maryland, on charges of assisting in the filing of false income tax returns and failure to file corporate tax returns.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Lappin of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
Evidence presented at the six-day trial showed that Kadiri, who owned three tax preparation businesses in west Baltimore, filed false and fraudulent tax returns for her client-taxpayers. These false returns included business receipts that the taxpayers did not receive, business losses that the taxpayers did not incur and false or fictitious businesses. These false statements resulted in the clients receiving larger refunds than they were entitled to. In addition, evidence presented at trial proved that Kadiri had not filed federal corporate income tax returns for her businesses for tax years 2014 and 2015.
Kadiri faces a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison per count and a fine of $250,000 for aiding or assisting in the filing of false income tax returns and one year in prison for willful failure to file a return.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the IRS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Selden and Matthew Maddox, who prosecuted the case.
Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced to Probation with Home Confinement for Role in Painkiller Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 42 months of probation and 10 months of home confinement on her conviction of conspiring to possess and distribute opiate painkillers, oxycodone and oxymorphone, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Tevina Harris, 23.
According to information presented to the court, Harris participated in a criminal network of drug dealers that obtained opiate pain killers and then illegally distributed them to users in the Pittsburgh area. Harris took orders for opiate pills on behalf of one of the dealers, and she arranged for delivery of the pills to users. She was originally charged by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. While on bond for that charge, she continued to participate in the conspiracy.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Harris.
Philadelphia Woman Charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
Margaret Ortiz, 35, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty today to an Indictment charging her with Conspiracy to defraud the United States through claims, announced United States Attorney William M. McSwain.
According to the indictment and her admissions to the Court, Margaret Ortiz and others engaged in a scheme to deposit and cash federal income tax refund checks that were obtained by the filing of false federal income tax returns. The returns were filed in the names of stolen identities and, in the majority of cases, falsely claimed refunds of taxes that were never withheld. The total of the fraudulently obtained refund checks deposited into accounts Ortiz controlled exceeded $80,000.
As a result of her guilty plea, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond set sentencing for July 26, 2018.
The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Ignall.
Owner of Fife, Washington Seafood Processing Company Pleads Guilty to Sea Cucumber Lacey Act ViolationRead the Press Release
The owner of Orient Seafood Production of Fife, Washington, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. HOON NAMKOONG admits that between August 2014, and November 2016, he conspired with others to underreport the amount of sea cucumbers purchased for processing by approximately 250,000 pounds. The post-processing market value of the sea cucumbers is nearly $1.5 million. HOON NAMKOONG is scheduled for sentencing in front of Chief U. S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on July 20, 2018.
According to records filed in the case, HOON NAMKOONG purchased sea cucumbers from both tribal and non-tribal fishers in the Puget Sound region. Sea cucumbers are classified as shellfish, and harvests are regulated by both Washington State and Tribal authorities. To protect the resource, the harvests are tracked by fish tickets signed by both the fisher and the purchaser. HOON NAMKOONG admits that he falsified fish tickets, failed to prepare fish tickets or retain confirmation of fish tickets submitted by third parties, and frequently paid fishers in cash for their sea cucumbers so there would be no financial record of the total amount of sea cucumbers taken. Falsifying fish tickets, and processing and selling in interstate or foreign commerce illegally obtained shellfish is a violation of the Lacey Act, the federal law that prohibits illegal trafficking in wildlife, fish, and plants.
HOON NAMKOONG’s company processed the sea cucumbers and sold and transported them to wholesale seafood buyers in both the U.S. and in Asia, for a gain of nearly $1.5 million.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, HOON NAMKOONG will pay up to $1,499,999 in restitution. Prosecutors agreed to recommend no more than 30 months in prison for HOON NAMKOONG. The ultimate sentence will be up to Chief Judge Martinez.
Conspiracy to Violate the Lacey Act is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Diggs and Seth Wilkinson.
Ohio physician admits to fraudulently distributing controlled substancesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Dr. Tod Hagins, of Wintersville, Ohio, has admitted to writing fraudulent prescriptions to be sold on the streets from his Weirton, West Virginia practice, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Hagins, age 52, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Outside the Bounds of Professional Medical Practice,” one count of “Healthcare Fraud,” and one count of “Money Laundering.”
Hagins operated a general medical practice, as well as the Weirton Suboxone Clinic, on Washington Street in Weirton, West Virginia. Hagins admitted to prescribing oxycodone to several individuals without a legitimate medical purpose to be sold on the streets for a share in the profits. Hagins also admitted to writing the prescriptions for oxycodone in a manner that would allow the individual filling said prescriptions to be paid for by West Virginia Medicaid. As a part of the conspiracy, Hagins deposited $4,000 into a business equity line of credit to be used in the scheme, with the intention of concealing the criminal activity.
Hagins faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the first count, up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the second count, and up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $500,000 for the third count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Wagner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner Fraud Division; the West Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; the Office of Ohio Attorney General Health Care Fraud Unit; the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Jefferson County, Ohio Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force; and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., presided.
Navajo Man from Arizona Pleads Guilty to Federal Involuntary Manslaughter Charge in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Jerome Dayzie, 44, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Roundrock, Ariz., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Dayzie was arrested in Dec. 2017, on a criminal complaint charging him with killing a man on Dec. 9, 2017, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M. According to the complaint, Dayzie killed the victim when he hit a trailer parked on the side of the road and flipped the vehicle he was driving and in which the victim was a passenger. At the time of the crash, Dayzie was driving under the influence of alcohol.
During today’s proceedings, Dayzie pled guilty to a felony information charging him with involuntary manslaughter. In entering the guilty plea, Dayzie admitted killing the victim when he crashed the vehicle he was driving into a trailer parked on the side of the road, flipping the vehicle and causing the victim, who was a passenger, to be ejected. Dayzie admitted killing the victim while driving recklessly and under the influence of alcohol, and that the alcohol rendered him incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating the vehicle.
At sentencing, Dayzie faces a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez is prosecuting the case.
Nashville Man Sentenced to 105 Years in Prison for Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
Crimes involved Infant and Toddler
Defendant Dressed as Spider-Man Window Washer at Children’s HospitalNASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 16, 2018 – Jarratt A. Turner, 36, of Nashville, Tennessee was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 105 years in prison for multiple instances of production of child pornography and transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“The sentence imposed by the Court should insure that this defendant will never have another opportunity to inflict his perverted sexual desires upon another innocent child,” said U.S. Attorney Cochran.
According to court records, Turner befriended two different families who had very young children, including a toddler boy and an infant girl, and he offered to babysit these children. Between October 2014 and May 2015, Turner took sexually explicit images and videos of the toddler girl on 10 different occasions and of the infant boy on six different occasions, while in his basement apartment in Nashville. The sexually explicit material included depictions of himself sexually molesting the two very young children, who were between the ages of 12 and 31 months during this period. After making these recordings, Turner distributed these images via the internet to other like-minded individuals and in an attempt to avoid detection of law enforcement, he only used publicly available Wi-Fi networks to collect and distribute child pornography. With the help of a manager of a business where Turner frequently accessed the internet, law enforcement officers were able to identify the defendant more quickly.
Court records also reference Turner’s characteristic behavior in attempting to access other vulnerable children by dressing as Spiderman when washing windows at a local children’s hospital, during the time he was raping these children.
“Children of this community are a little safer today with this sexual predator behind bars,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigation’s operations in Tennessee. “The fact he would film, and then upload to the internet, videos of himself molesting an infant and toddler, then take elaborate steps to conceal his activities, represents the extreme danger he posed to the community.”
Turner was charged on June 1, 2015, with 16 counts of Production of Child Pornography and Transportation of Child Pornography. He pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment on March 20, 3017. He was sentenced today by visiting U.S. District Court Judge Marvin E. Aspen.
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 - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Carran Daughtrey.
NKC Woman Sentenced for Embezzling $290,000 from Her EmployerRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A North Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for embezzling more than $290,000 from her former employer.
Tonya A. Topel, 40, of North Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to eight years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Topel to pay $293,193 in restitution, which includes losses from the four fraud schemes to which Topel admitted in her plea agreement as well as additional loss, discovered after her guilty plea, which resulted from another scheme in which Topel fraudulently received tuition reimbursements for non-existent college courses.
On Sept. 18, 2017, Topel pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Topel was a senior auditor at Construction Benefits Audit Corporation (CBAC), a Kansas City, Mo., non-profit corporation that conducts employer audits of union contracts for employers making payments into fringe benefit plans, and ensures fringe benefit payments are made correctly. Topel, who earned approximately $68,000 a year, managed audits and staff and presented ongoing audits. She handled expense payments and had sole access to CBAC’s QuickBooks.
Topel admitted that she conducted four fraudulent embezzlement schemes while employed at CBAC. She began her first scheme, in which she created false invoices for toner cartridges, on Oct. 18, 2012, just a few months after she started working at CBAC. She then added three more fraud schemes, which continued until CBAC discovered her embezzlement and she resigned in May 2016.
According to court documents, Topel stole from employers before and after she worked for CBAC. Topel had an unrelated criminal case pending in Johnson County, Kan., for stealing from her previous employer and was on pretrial supervision at the time she was hired by CBAC. Topel pleaded guilty to forgery and theft in that case, and paid her criminal defense lawyer using CBAC’s credit card. She was sentenced to probation and paid restitution with money she stole from CBAC. According to court records, Topel reportedly stole $26,000 from yet another employer after leaving CBAC.
Through her four admitted fraud schemes, Topel embezzled a total of at least $277,681 from CBAC. Topel spent the embezzled funds on a lavish lifestyle that included travel to Hawaii, Dallas, Boston, and the Bahamas; restaurants; entertainment, including golf, spas, tickets for the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs and Worlds of Fun; a 2014 Ford Mustang; and personal spending such as cash, clothing, dance classes, utility bills, jewelry, transfers to relatives, bank fees/NSF fees, iPads, groceries, and other living expenses.
In Topel’s first scheme to defraud CBAC, she created false invoices for toner cartridges and correspondingly altered CBAC American Express monthly statements to make it appear the toner invoices were being charged to CBAC’s American Express account. Topel submitted the invoices and altered American Express bills to CBAC. CBAC then paid for the false toner invoices to American Express. In reality, Topel made personal charges to the CBAC American Express card, which CBAC paid. Topel submitted her first false toner invoice on Oct. 18, 2012, and continued this scheme through May 2015, during which time she embezzled approximately $45,809.
In her second scheme to defraud CBAC, Topel falsely inflated her payroll checks and made payments to a false IRA plan (which was actually her own bank account). Topel began this scheme in March 2013 and continued it into 2016, during which time she embezzled approximately $24,777.
In her third scheme to defraud CBAC, Topel used a former vendor’s name to create a false email address, false street address, 72 false invoices, and false IRS forms. Topel created the false invoices in amounts ranging from $1,080 to $4,680, made payable to bank accounts controlled by her. Through this scheme, Topel embezzled approximately $188,599.
In her fourth scheme to defraud CBAC, Topel misused a company credit card by charging personal expenses, such as a vacation to the Bahamas, to the card beginning in 2016. Topel then paid the CBAC’s company credit card bill using CBAC’s bank account. Topel created at least five false paystubs in which she showed deductions from her paycheck in order to reimburse CBAC, however, she made no reimbursements for her use of the company credit card. Through this scheme, Topel embezzled approximately $19,780.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by the FBI.
Morristown Resident Sentenced to Eleven Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine and Violation of Her Supervised Release ConditionsRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - On April 16, 2018, April Lee West, 35, of Morristown, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge, to serve 108 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance. West was sentenced to serve an additional 24 months in prison as a result of violation of conditions associated with her supervised release from a previous sentence. These sentences will run consecutively for a total of 132 months.
West pleaded guilty to a one-count federal indictment in December 2017. According to the plea agreement on file with U.S. District Court, in August 2016, while under surveillance by law enforcement, West drove from Morristown to Knoxville to purchase 19.2 grams of crack cocaine. Upon returning to Morristown, a law enforcement officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop of West. She did not stop and a slow speed pursuit ensured. West was eventually stopped with the assistance of another officer. Before exiting the vehicle, she hid the recently purchased crack cocaine, as well as 1.2 grams of methamphetamine and various other unlawfully obtained substances including 25 pills of morphine, six pills of hydrocodone, 13 pills of Opana, two pills of oxymorphone and 20 miscellaneous depressants on her person. A search of her vehicle, after a drug canine made a positive hit on the vehicle, produced no controlled substances. However, West ultimately admitted to the officers that she had purchased the crack cocaine and was in possession of it as well as the other substances referenced above.
The Morristown Police Department Narcotics and Vice Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney TJ Harker represented the United States in court proceedings.
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Missouri Man Sentenced to Prison for Methamphetamine OffenseRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – On April 13, 2018, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Seth James Stockwell, age 35, of Princeton, Missouri, to 242 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Stockwell was ordered to serve seven years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
On December 13, 2017, Stockwell pleaded guilty to the charge that arose from an investigation by the Des Moines Police Department. On July 18, 2017, Stockwell was in possession of more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute to other individuals.
This matter was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department and Iowa Department of Public Safety, DCI Criminalistics Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
Defendant had a felony child abuse conviction in Florida and a prior removal
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Alan Lopez-Salazar pled guilty to the felony offense of Reentry of a Removed Alien, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Mr. Lopez-Salazar, 29, of Mexico, faces up to 10 years of incarceration, a 250,000 dollar fine, supervised release for three years, and a special assessment when he is sentenced on May 21, 2018 by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. He also faces removal proceedings at the conclusion of any sentence of incarceration. United States Attorney Mike Stuart praised the work of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We are committed to prosecuting every single individual who enters the United States illegally,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Legally entering the United States is not complicated. Get in line and follow the rules, and if you don’t, we’re sending you back home.”
On January 31, 2018, Mr. Lopez-Salazar was arrested by the Cabell County Sheriff’s department for disturbing the peace and destruction of property. After giving a Mexican identification document, ICE agents were contacted and responded to the scene. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents confirmed that Mr. Lopez-Salazar was not in the United States legally and he was taken into federal custody. Fingerprints taken from the defendant matched him to a felony conviction and a prior removal in 2011. The felony conviction occurred on August 23, 2011 in Collier County, Florida where, defendant was convicted of felony child abuse. After this conviction Mr. Lopez-Salazar was removed from the United States on October 11, 2011 Mr. Lopez-Salazar then reentered the United States without legal permission from the Secretary of Homeland Security. Mr. Lopez-Salazar is a citizen of Mexico.
Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Stephanie Taylor are handling the prosecution.
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart
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MedFast Pharmacist Sentenced to Prison for Misbranded Drug SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Butler County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to one year and one day incarceration on his conviction of conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Gino Cordisco, 48, of Mars, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, the Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy prohibits pharmacists from restocking medications that have left the pharmacy’s control. These medications must be destroyed. According to the FDCA, if a prescription or a container of stock drugs falsely describes the lot numbers, expiration dates or manufacturers, then the drugs are rendered/deemed misbranded. For example, when pills that left the pharmacy are returned and comingled with stock drugs instead of being destroyed, and the required labeling on stock containers does not accurately state the actual manufacturer, date of expiration and lot number, then the drugs in the stock container or prescription package are misbranded. Misbranded drugs are illegal contraband and cannot be sold.
Cordisco, a pharmacist, was the supervisor over a chain of several pharmacies known as MedFast Pharmacies. He reported directly to its owner, Doug Kaleugher, not a defendant herein. Most of the conduct that supports the charges occurred at MedFast Institutional Pharmacy, 2003 Sheffield Road, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
MedFast Institutional Pharmacy supplied nursing home chains with individualized medication packages for the patients/residents. If the nursing home had unused pills from prescriptions filled by MedFast or other pharmacies from, for example, a resident passing or a change in medications, MedFast delivery drivers were instructed to collect the unused medications and return them to MedFast. Once these drugs were returned to MedFast, the drugs would be removed from their packaging and returned to stock. As a result, pills with different lot numbers, different expiration dates and different manufacturers were comingled. These comingled pills were thereafter used to fill new prescriptions. The defendant was the leader and organizer of this criminal conduct. The immediate supervisor of the MedFast Institutional Pharmacy, Correna Pfeiffer, who reported directly to the defendant, was responsible for carrying out this policy on a day-to-day basis. She was previously sentenced to a term of probation.
The Court was also made aware that in October 2011 the defendant arranged for a surveillance technician to focus a hidden camera on an employee suspected of stealing drugs. Upon reviewing the video and doing an inventory, the defendant realized that Jade Gagianas had stolen 100 Opana ER 40 mg. The defendant took Gagianas to a back room and questioned her about the theft. She eventually admitted to this theft as well as additional thefts that had taken place in the past. She told the defendant that she gave the Opana to her boyfriend, David Best. The defendant told Gagianas that he wanted the drugs back and told her to call Best to ask him to return them. Gagianas made the call, but Best would not bring them back for fear of getting arrested. The defendant told Best he would contact the police if Best did not agree to return the stolen Opana. After about two hours, Best showed up at the pharmacy but did not have the drugs in his possession. Best told Gagianas where he had hidden the drugs down the street. The defendant took Gagianas and drove to the location where Best said he had hidden the drugs. The drugs were recovered by Gagianas from a bush in front of a convent. The defendant took the Opana pill vial from Gagianas and observed that the seal had been broken on the prescription vial. He returned to the pharmacy with it. The drugs had been out of the possession of the pharmacy from between 2 and 6 hours. Knowing that the drugs had been stolen, had been in the hands of a drug dealer, that they were recovered from a bush after being gone from the pharmacy from between 2 and 6 hours, the defendant thereafter ordered another pharmacist to restock the Opana. The Schedule II log of the pharmacy reflected that 79 Opana pills were restocked. Jade Gagianas was fired that day by the defendant for stealing Opana.
The defendant was interviewed by DEA Special Agent Vijay Nemani on May 29, 2013. SA Nemani asked the defendant if there had ever been any diversion of pharmaceutical or disciplinary problems of any current or former employees. The defendant stated there were "none that he knew of." This statement was not true.
SA Nemani then asked the defendant about any former employees and he stated Jade Gagianas worked there as a Pharmacy Technician for a while and that her boyfriend had drug issues. The defendant stated Gagianas quit awhile back claiming she was "stressed out." The defendant stated Gagianas quit her job but was not fired or let go. This statement was not true.
SA Nemani asked the defendant pointedly if there were any instances of any current or former employees, at the Baden pharmacy, where the employee had stolen controlled substances and then was asked to return the controlled substances to the pharmacy. The defendant stated that he was not aware of any instances. This statement was not true.
SA Nemani also asked if there were any current or former employees that had been fired or asked to resign as a result of the diversion of controlled substances and the defendant stated, "no." This statement was not true.
The government had no evidence that any patient was harmed in any way as a result of any of the conduct described herein.
Assistant United States Attorney Nelson P. Cohen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Attorney commended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-OCI, the Drug Enforcement Administration-Diversion Investigators and the U.S. Health and Human Services-OIG for the investigation that led to a successful prosecution of Gino Cordisco.
Maryland man sentenced for bank fraudRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Steven Allen Baldwin, Jr., of Baltimore, Maryland was ordered to pay back nearly $10,000 for committing bank fraud, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Baldwin, age 34, was sentenced today to time served and four years supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud” in January 2018. Baldwin admitted to conspiring with others to steal checks from mailboxes, create counterfeit checks, and cashing those counterfeit checks, profiting $9,945. The crime took place in April 2016 in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danae DeMasi-Lemon and Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Manager of Mystic Enchantments Arrested, Charged in Ongoing Investigation of Spice, K2 Distribution in Central IllinoisRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The manager of a Springfield, Ill., establishment known as Mystic Enchantments has been arrested and charged by complaint in an ongoing investigation of distribution of synthetic cannabinoids, known as Spice or K2. Letha Dean, 71, of Salisbury, Ill., was arrested on April 13, and was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Dean appeared this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough and waived preliminary hearing. The complaint charges Dean with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Dean is the eighth defendant charged in a continuing task force investigation of the distribution of synthetic cannabinoids in Central Illinois. This task force, part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, is led by the DEA with the Illinois Attorney General Investigations; Illinois State Police; FBI; Decatur Police Department; Springfield Police Department; Illinois Department of Revenue; and IRS-Criminal Investigation. OCDETF is a Department of Justice program that supports multi-jurisdictional task forces of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to conduct long-term and complex investigations and prosecutions of drug-related crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.
According to publicly disseminated DEA drug fact information, K2 and Spice are two of the many trade names or brands for synthetic cannabinoids which are human-made, mind-altering chemicals developed to mimic the effects of THC, the main active ingredient of marijuana. They are often marketed under the guise of “herbal incense” or “potpourri.” The synthetic cannabinoids are typically marketed in rectangular, heat-sealed packets with brightly colored wording and street names to appeal to a youthful crowd, such as “Scooby Snax,” “Mr. Happy,” California Dream,” “Hayz,” “AK47,” “OMG,” “Down2Earth,” etc.
Dean was arrested on April 13, at Mystic Enchantments’ current location, 1020 W. Lawrence Ave. in Springfield. Mystic Enchantments previously operated at 2828 E. Clear Lake Ave., Springfield, in the same building with The Crossing II, a liquor store. According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Dean was employed by the manager of The Crossing II to manage the distribution of synthetic cannabinoids from Mystic Enchantments.
As alleged in the complaint affidavit, on April 13, an undercover law enforcement officer met with Dean at Mystic Enchantments, and purchased 520 packets of suspected synthetic cannabinoids for $5,000. As the undercover officer exited the store carrying the packets in a black plastic garbage bag, agents entered the store and arrested Dean. Immediately after her arrest, agents searched the location and recovered approximately 1,445 additional packets from the back room. As a result of the undercover purchase and search of the store, agents recovered a total of approximately 1,967 packets, containing approximately 11,800 grams or 11.8 kilograms of suspected synthetic cannabinoids.
In February 2018, four men were charged by indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute a controlled substance, namely synthetic cannabinoids or K-2. Trial is currently pending for Mohanad Al-Matarneh, of Chicago; Walid Alanasawi and Jamal Nasir, both of Decatur, Ill.; and Abdulrhamn Saleh of Hamtramck, Mich.
The indictment alleges that Alanasawi, Nasir, Saleh, and others, agreed to distribute and did distribute K-2 containing controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, from retail stores in Decatur, including JB’s, United Discount, Gold Star, Handy Pantry, Cigar Outlet, Tobacco Express, and BJ’s Mini-Mart. As part of the alleged conspiracy, Alanasawi, Nasir and Saleh agreed to obtain synthetic cannabinoids from Al-Matarneh in St. Louis, where he and others allegedly operated a clandestine laboratory. As alleged in the indictment, on Nov. 13, 2015, after departing the St. Louis laboratory, Al-Matarneh possessed with intent to distribute and attempted to distribute to the three co-defendants more than 100 kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids.
Trial is scheduled in June 2018, for Abdu Saleh Mohamed, of Decatur. The indictment, returned by the grand jury on Jan. 3, 2018, alleges that Mohamed agreed to distribute and did regularly distribute synthetic cannabinoids or K-2 from his retail store, BJ’s Mini-Mart, in Decatur. As part of the conspiracy, the defendant agreed with other store owners / operators to obtain synthetic cannabinoids from a source in St. Louis. On or about July 16, 2014, the indictment alleges Mohamed possessed with intent to distribute more than nine kilograms of synthetic cannabinoids at his storage facility in Decatur.
Two additional men have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing related to the ongoing investigation. Noman Hizam, of Decatur, pleaded guilty on March 2, 2018, to attempted possession with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute synthetic cannabinoids.
According to court documents, Hizam owns multiple stores in the Decatur area, including Handy Pantry, 3715 N. Woodford; the Cigar Outlet at 1247 E. Mound; and Tobacco Xpress 1101 N. Route 48. Sentencing for Hizam is scheduled on July 6, 2018.
Mohamed Ali Saleh, of Hamtramck, Mich., pleaded guilty in May 2017, to conspiracy to distribute synthetic cannabinoids or K-2 from January 2015 to May 2016. Saleh is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10, 2018.
Each defendant, if convicted, faces the same statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Members of the public are reminded that complaints and indictments are merely accusations; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
MS-13 Member Admits Trafficking Drugs to New Jersey from Inside California PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A member of MS-13 today admitted trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine to New Jersey from inside a California state prison, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Luis Calderon, 32, a/k/a “Lagrima,” of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between August 2015 and November 2015, Calderon was incarcerated at the Calipatria State Prison in California. However, Calderon had access to multiple contraband cellular telephones, which he used to communicate with conspirators outside the prison.
Law enforcement officers lawfully-recorded numerous telephone conversations between Calderon and an MS-13 member based in New Jersey, identified in the indictment as “Individual-1.” Among other topics, Calderon and Individual-1 discussed plans to distribute crystal methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine in the New Jersey area. Calderon and Individual-1 ultimately settled on that plan that involved Calderon and others outside the prison sending a package containing controlled substances to a business center in Edison, New Jersey.
Shortly before the package arrived, Calderon informed Individual-1 by telephone that he was sending Individual-1 a package containing four ounces each of heroin and cocaine. Calderon stated that the package would also likely contain two ounces or more of crystal methamphetamine. Calderon told Individual-1 that the total cost for the heroin, cocaine, and crystal methamphetamine was $9,000, and stated that Individual-1 could keep the proceeds made from selling the drugs once Individual-1 paid Calderon for the shipment. Calderon subsequently gave Individual-1 the names that would appear on the package and the tracking number.
On Nov. 4, 2015, federal agents lawfully intercepted and searched the package. The search revealed approximately 95.5 grams of heroin, 54.7 grams of cocaine, and 52.4 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside a box of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls.
Calderon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael, with the investigation. He also thanked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), the Calipatria State Prison, the Plainfield Police Department, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamari Buxton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division and James Donnelly, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crimes Unit.Defense counsel: Stacy Ann Biancamano Esq., Chatham, New Jersey
London Cardiologist Convicted of Health Care Fraud for Medically Unnecessary PacemakersRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – On April 11, 2018, a federal jury convicted London physician Dr. Anis Chalhoub of health care fraud. The jury returned its guilty verdict after twelve days of trial, during which it heard evidence that Dr. Chalhoub defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurers by implanting medically unnecessary pacemakers in his patients and causing the unnecessary procedures and follow-up care to be billed to health insurance programs.
Between 2007 and 2011, Dr. Chalhoub implanted approximately 234 pacemakers in patients at St. Joseph London hospital. The evidence at trial showed that dozens of those patients’ pacemakers were medically unnecessary, under well-established national guidelines and Medicare coverage rules. A number of patients testified at trial that Dr. Chalhoub pressured them into getting the procedures and told them misleading information about their health conditions. For instance, several patients recalled Dr. Chalhoub telling them that they might die without a pacemaker. Sinus node dysfunction, the diagnosis Dr. Chalhoub gave the patients, is a non-fatal condition. The jury also heard evidence that Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurers suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses from Dr. Chalhoub’s unnecessary procedures.
United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr., Derrik L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Atlanta Division; and Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the verdict.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew E. Smith and Paul C. McCaffrey represented the United States in the case.
Chalhoub is currently scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2018 in London, Kentucky, by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove. He faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.
Lexington Couple Plead Guilty to Federal Charges of Trafficking in Fentanyl and Cocaine and Illegal Use and Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Michael D. Jackson, 37, and Brandi Stamper, 27, both of Lexington, pleaded guilty today, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine; to being a convicted felons in possession of firearms; and to possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
In their guilty pleas, Jackson and Stamper both admitted that they maintained a residence, on Norway Street in Lexington, in January 2017. At that time, the Lexington Police Department executed a search warrant at the residence, locating more than 140 grams of fentanyl, more than 500 grams of powder cocaine, and more than an ounce of crack cocaine. Lexington Police also located three pistols, scales for weighing drugs, more than $80,000, and a vehicle purchased with drug proceeds. The firearms were found in close proximity to the drugs. Norway Street is three blocks from Lafayette High School.
“The drugs seized in this case represented an enormous risk to our community,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Fentanyl can be lethal in the 2 milligram range, which means the fentanyl seized in this case constituted tens of thousands of potentially lethal doses. The great work of our law enforcement partners led to these convictions; made our community safer; and saved lives – perhaps many, many lives. We will continue to focus our efforts on combatting the opioid crisis and prosecuting this disgraceful conduct that endangers us all.”
United States Attorney Duncan; Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge, ATF; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the guilty pleas.
The investigation was conducted by ATF and the Lexington Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Roger W. West represented the United States.
Both Jackson and Stamper are currently scheduled to appear for sentencing, before Chief United States District Judge Karen K. Caldwell, in Lexington, on July 26, 2018. Jackson faces a minimum sentence of 20 years and Stamper faces a minimum sentence of 15 years. Any sentence, however, will be imposed by the Court, after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal statutes governing imposition of sentences.
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.
LaPorte Man ChargedRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Eric R. Weiler, 45, of LaPorte, Indiana, was charged in a six Count Indictment before a South Bend District Grand Jury, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Weiler was charged with 2 counts of production of child pornography, 1 count of receipt of child pornography, 1 count of possession of child pornography, 1 count of making a destructive device in violation of the National Firearms Act, and 1 count of possession of unregistered destructive devices.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “Crimes committed against children are particularly heinous. Children are among the most innocent victims. This case exemplifies how local and federal law enforcement agencies and state and federal prosecutor’s offices work together to investigate and prosecute cases involving children. Additionally, this investigation was conducted very quickly, within two days of learning of Mr. Weiler’s conduct, he was taken into custody by the LaPorte City Police. That is very quick work by both the LaPorte Police and LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office. Explosives, like those allegedly manufactured and possessed by Mr. Weiler, are extremely dangerous and meant to do considerable harm. My Office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who violate the nation’s destructive device and firearms laws.”
Prosecuting Attorney Espar said, “The case is a shining example of the collaborative approach contemplated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Program, for the investigation and prosecution of crimes of violence against children, bringing local and federal law enforcement together in a collective effort to identify and apprehend violent criminals whose crimes neither respect the dignity of the individual or jurisdictional lines.”
According to documents in this case, on August 23, 2017, a person who lived near Weiler discovered that someone had run wires into the gas tank of that person’s car. On September18, 2017, investigators learned that Weiler allegedly had been accessing a vacant house next to the house of the person whose car had been wired to explode. On the same date in September, investigators gained access to the vacant house and discovered writings on the walls inside documenting the writer’s attempts to acquire a girl under the age of twelve, ideally a newborn baby, for sexual contact. On September 20, 2017, two incendiary devices were located inside Weiler’s house, one of which is commonly referred to as an improvised explosive device (IED), and the other of which is commonly referred to as a CO2 “cricket” bomb. On September 21, 2017, multiple electronic devices and electronic storage devices were located inside Weiler’s house, some of which contained over 24,000 images and over 80 videos of child pornography. The videos included Weiler allegedly engaging in sexual acts with a child under the age of twelve. Weiler’s electronic devices also contained videos of Weiler allegedly explaining the explosive device that he put in the gas tank of the car.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office, LaPorte Police Department, Michigan City Police Department and the Porter County Sheriff’s Department. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly E. Donnelly and John M. Maciejczyk.
The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty in court.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Justice Department Honors Muscogee (Creek) Nation Victim AdvocateRead the Press Release
On Friday, during the annual National Crime victims’ Service Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., Attorney General Sessions recognized Shawn Partridge, director of the Family Violence Prevention Program (FVPP) for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, with the National Crime Victim Service Award. The Department of Justice bestows this honor to individuals or programs for exceptional service to victims of crime.
“Survivors in American Indian and Alaska native communities have unique needs, and Shawn Partridge has dedicated her career to serving them, “ Attorney General Sessions said. “Her innovative approach to supportive services has expanded access to specialized populations, including teens and children impacted by dating and sexual violence. I am grateful for her passion and applaud her courage.”
United States Attorney Trent Shores also commended Shawn Partridge, “I am proud that an Oklahoman has been celebrated nationally by the Department of Justice. I know that Ms. Partridge’s programs at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation offer comfort and security for domestic violence victims facing difficult life-changing decisions. Victims in the Northern District of Oklahoma are safer because of Ms. Partridge’s dedication.”
FVPP provides support services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking and other violent crimes in the Muscogee (Creek) community. Under Partridge’s leadership, the FVPP has expanded services, including the creation of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s first Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program.
Partridge’s work also includes the development of Warriors Honor Women, a movement led by Muscogee men to end violence against women and children. Her efforts promoting the reauthorization of the 2013 Violence Against Women Act helped to restore tribes’ authority to hold accountable non-American Indian/Alaska and Native individuals who commit domestic violence on tribal lands.
President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime. More information about Crime Victims’ Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.
Haworth Man Sentenced to 24 Months for Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Christopher Blake Gilbert, age 33, of Haworth, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, and 3 years supervised release for Felon In Possession Of Firearm & Ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). The charges arose from an investigation by the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office, the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Indictment alleged that on or about September 7, 2017, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, Christopher Blake Gilbert, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce a firearm and ammunition which have been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
“Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms. Enforcing that law is one way that this office, in conjunction with the work of our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, can protect the public,” United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said. “I am thankful for the team effort by the McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office, Choctaw Tribal Police and the ATF that lead to this successful prosecution.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Harrington represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.
Haitian National Sentenced for ID Theft and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Haitian national was sentenced today to seven years in prison for filing fraudulent tax returns using stolen personal identifying information from hundreds of individuals around the United States.
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Jimmy Lord Calixte, 37, participated in a Miami-based stolen identity refund fraud scheme. He and three co-conspirators traveled repeatedly to Richmond in the early part of 2012 and used stolen personal identifying information to file hundreds of fraudulent tax returns, utilizing online tax preparation programs and seeking over $2 million in fraudulent refunds. Calixte and his accomplices claimed significant refunds on those fraudulent returns, and requested that those refunds be placed on pre-paid debit cards, which were later mailed to Richmond addresses selected by the conspirators. The other co-conspirators also took steps to obstruct the investigation by providing them with false information and refusing to testify before a grand jury. The other co-conspirators have been sentenced as follows:
Name, Age
Hometown
Convictions
Sentence
Ramoth Jean, 37
Miami, Florida
Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft; Contempt of Court
122 months
Junior Jean Merilia, 36
Miami, Florida
Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Theft; Obstruction of Official Proceedings
133 months
Eddie Blanchard, 40
Miami, Florida
Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud; Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft; Obstruction of Official Proceedings
204 months
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Moore and Thomas A. Garnett 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 Nos. 3:13-cr-136; 3:14-cr-73; 3:14-cr-139; and 3:15-cr-39.
Green Bay Man Receives 20 Year Sentence for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 13, 2018, Ryan L. Pieper (age: 33) of Green Bay, Wisconsin, appeared in federal court in Green Bay and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution ring in Northeast Wisconsin.
In the spring of 2017, Pieper was involved in a conspiracy that resulted in pounds of methamphetamine, acquired from a source in Phoenix, Arizona, being distributed in Brown County and elsewhere in Northeast Wisconsin.
In pronouncing sentence, Chief United States District Court Judge William C. Griesbach noted the serious nature of Pieper’s crime and the negative effect that methamphetamine has had on the community. The judge told Pieper that his crime called for a strong sentence, especially in light of his extensive prior record of criminal convictions. Following his release from prison, Pieper will serve 10 years on federal supervised release.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brown County Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble prosecuted the case.
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