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7 May 2018
Two Men Plead Guilty to Possessing “Dark Web” Counterfeit Carfentanil Pills Intended for DistributionRead the Press Release
Two man who sold counterfeit carfentanil pills have pled guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Cameron James Lensmeyer, age 20, from Waverly, Iowa, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute carfentanil and marijuana. Evan Paul Sage, age 20, from Waverly, Iowa, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute carfentanil, cocaine, and marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In a plea agreement, Lensmeyer admitted that he and Sage purchased hundreds of purported prescription pills, including purported oxycodone and alprazolam pills, through a “dark web” marketplace. Evidence at an earlier hearing showed that, during a search of Lensmeyer’s and Sage’s shared Cedar Falls residence in June 2017, investigators seized over 800 blue pills that appeared to be prescription oxycodone pills (depicted below), over $20,000 in cash, over 30 grams of cocaine, over 600 grams of marijuana, and a loaded .32 caliber handgun. Later testing determined that most of the blue pills contained carfentanil, while a smaller amount contained another synthetic fentanyl called cyclopropyl fentanyl. Carfentanil is a powerful narcotic that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. It is not approved for human use, but is used as an elephant tranquilizer.
United States Attorney Peter E. Deegan, Jr. stated, “Counterfeit prescription pills have become all too common. A pill may look like a prescription drug, but unless it was prescribed by a legitimate health care provider, looks can be deceiving.” Deegan added, “Pills purchased off the Internet or from the street often contain drugs far more powerful and dangerous than the purchaser may realize. These pills can kill.”
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Lensmeyer and Sage remain in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. On the drug charge, each man faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and up to a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment. Sage also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, consecutive to any term of imprisonment on the drug count, and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $100 special assessment, and up to 5 years of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-2004-LRR.
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Two Long Island Men Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Participating in Two Investment Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that two Long Island residents were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven for their roles in two separate investment fraud schemes. THOMAS HEAPHY, Jr., 43, of East Moriches, N.Y, and BRIAN FERRAIOLI, 41, of Sayville, N.Y., were each sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, for several years, Heaphy, Ferraioli and others defrauded investors through a stock “pump and dump” scheme. As part of the scheme, Heaphy, Ferraioli and their co-conspirators induced investors to purchase securities by making false and misleading representations in calls, emails and press releases concerning the securities and the issuing companies, thereby causing the price of those securities to become falsely inflated. The issuing companies were essentially shell companies with virtually no legitimate business activities. Heaphy and Ferraioli’s numerous misrepresentations induced investors to purchase securities, thus causing the share price of the securities to become artificially inflated. Certain co-conspirators then sold their own preexisting positions in the securities at a profit. They then allowed he price of the securities to fall, leaving investors with worthless and unsalable stock. As a result, victim investors lost millions of dollars.
Heaphy and Ferraioli received approximately 25 percent of all money that they induced individuals to invest, and gained approximately $719,000 and $1.25 million, respectively, from the scheme. They disguised the income by having the funds flow through the trust accounts of various attorneys, including Corey Brinson in Connecticut, into bank accounts in the name of various shell entities under their control, and failed to pay federal income taxes on most of the income.
In the summer of 2016, after Heaphy and Ferraioli learned that they were under federal investigation for their roles in the stock pump and dump scheme, they became involved in the promotion and sale of securities of Waters Club Worldwide, Inc. and Waters Club Holdings, Inc. (collectively, “Waters Club”), which provided yacht charter services to customers. From approximately August 2016 to February 2017, Heaphy and Ferraioli solicited prospective investors to purchase shares of Waters Club stock purportedly in advance of an initial public offering (“IPO”).
Heaphy and Ferraioli represented that Waters Club intended to form a membershipbased “time share” club with a fleet of yachts that members jointly owned and could use for yachting vacations. They stated that investors’ money would be used to develop the business and fund the operations of Waters Club, and that Heaphy and Ferraioli were being compensated with stock for recruiting investors. In truth, Heaphy and Ferraioli received approximately half of all the money they induced investors in Waters Club to invest. Due in part to the payments to Heaphy and Ferraioli, Waters Club lacked the capital to develop its membership-based club, Waters Club did not pursue an IPO, and the shares purchased by investors were unsalable.
Heaphy and Ferraioli recruited at least 12 investors to pay a total of at least $1,289,500 for shares of Waters Club stock. One of the victims of the Waters Club scheme was a Connecticut resident who paid $475,000 to Waters Club. Heaphy’s total gain from the scheme was $307,658 and Ferraioli’s total gain was $297,546.
At least six Waters Club victim-investors have also been identified as victims of the earlier stock pump and dump scheme.
Heaphy and Ferraioli each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of tax evasion related to the stock pump and dump scheme, and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud related to the Waters Club investment scheme.
Judge Meyer ordered Heaphy to pay total restitution of $6,738,539, and Ferraioli to pay total restitution of $6,896,927. The restitution orders include restitution owed to victims of the schemes, and to the Internal Revenue Service.
Judge Meyer ordered Heaphy and Ferraioli, who are released on bonds, to report to prison on July 9.
On January 20, 2017, Brinson, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity. On April 13, 2017, he was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Banking and the Hartford and Stamford Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi M. Perry.
Two Long Island Men Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Participating in Investment Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that two Long Island residents were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven for their roles in two separate investment fraud schemes. THOMAS HEAPHY, Jr., 43, of East Moriches, N.Y, and BRIAN FERRAIOLI, 41, of Sayville, N.Y., were each sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, for several years, Heaphy, Ferraioli and others defrauded investors through a stock “pump and dump” scheme. As part of the scheme, Heaphy, Ferraioli and their co-conspirators induced investors to purchase securities by making false and misleading representations in calls, emails and press releases concerning the securities and the issuing companies, thereby causing the price of those securities to become falsely inflated. The issuing companies were essentially shell companies with virtually no legitimate business activities. Heaphy and Ferraioli’s numerous misrepresentations induced investors to purchase securities, thus causing the share price of the securities to become artificially inflated. Certain co-conspirators then sold their own preexisting positions in the securities at a profit. They then allowed he price of the securities to fall, leaving investors with worthless and unsalable stock. As a result, victim investors lost millions of dollars.
Heaphy and Ferraioli received approximately 25 percent of all money that they induced individuals to invest, and gained approximately $719,000 and $1.25 million, respectively, from the scheme. They disguised the income by having the funds flow through the trust accounts of various attorneys, including Corey Brinson in Connecticut, into bank accounts in the name of various shell entities under their control, and failed to pay federal income taxes on most of the income.
In the summer of 2016, after Heaphy and Ferraioli learned that they were under federal investigation for their roles in the stock pump and dump scheme, they became involved in the promotion and sale of securities of Waters Club Worldwide, Inc. and Waters Club Holdings, Inc. (collectively, “Waters Club”), which provided yacht charter services to customers. From approximately August 2016 to February 2017, Heaphy and Ferraioli solicited prospective investors to purchase shares of Waters Club stock purportedly in advance of an initial public offering (“IPO”).
Heaphy and Ferraioli represented that Waters Club intended to form a membership-based “time share” club with a fleet of yachts that members jointly owned and could use for yachting vacations. They stated that investors’ money would be used to develop the business and fund the operations of Waters Club, and that Heaphy and Ferraioli were being compensated with stock for recruiting investors. In truth, Heaphy and Ferraioli received approximately half of all the money they induced investors in Waters Club to invest. Due in part to the payments to Heaphy and Ferraioli, Waters Club lacked the capital to develop its membership-based club, Waters Club did not pursue an IPO, and the shares purchased by investors were unsalable.
Heaphy and Ferraioli recruited at least 12 investors to pay a total of at least $1,289,500 for shares of Waters Club stock. One of the victims of the Waters Club scheme was a Connecticut resident who paid $475,000 to Waters Club. Heaphy’s total gain from the scheme was $307,658 and Ferraioli’s total gain was $297,546.
At least six Waters Club victim-investors have also been identified as victims of the earlier stock pump and dump scheme.
Heaphy and Ferraioli each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of tax evasion related to the stock pump and dump scheme, and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud related to the Waters Club investment scheme.
Judge Meyer ordered Heaphy to pay total restitution of $6,738,539, and Ferraioli to pay total restitution of $6,896,927. The restitution orders include restitution owed to victims of the schemes, and to the Internal Revenue Service.
Judge Meyer ordered Heaphy and Ferraioli, who are released on bonds, to report to prison on July 9.
On January 20, 2017, Brinson, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity. On April 13, 2017, he was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Banking and the Hartford and Stamford Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi M. Perry.
Three Physicians Agree to Pay Total of $700,000 to Settle Alleged False Claims Act Violations Arising from Improper Financial Relationship with Drug Testing LaboratoryRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Dr. Robert Fetchero, D.O., of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, Dr. Sridhar Pinnamaneni, M.D., of Windermere, Florida, and Dr. Thelma Green-Mack, M.D., of Zionsville, Indiana, separately agreed to settle allegations that they each received improper payments for referrals from Greensburg, Pennsylvania drug testing lab Universal Oral Fluid Laboratories, and caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare for drug testing services, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. These settlements follow the earlier guilty plea on related charges of Dr. John H. Johnson of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, who had served as UOFL’s medical director.
The settlements announced today resolve allegations that the settling physicians referred Medicare patients to Universal Oral Fluid Laboratories ("UOFL") for drug testing services while engaged in a financial relationship with the lab. Specifically, UOFL paid the settling physicians to refer their patients to the lab for drug tests; UOFL then submitted claims to Medicare for the drug testing services from 2011 to 2014. UOFL was owned and operated by William Hughes. The United States alleged that the financial arrangement between the settling physicians and UOFL violated the physician self-referral law, commonly known as the "Stark Law," and the Anti-Kickback Statute, giving rise to liability under the False Claims Act. Pursuant to separately executed settlement agreements, Dr. Fetchero agreed to pay $200,000; Dr. Pinnamaneni agreed to pay $370,000; and Dr. Green-Mack agreed to pay $130,000.
The Stark Law forbids physicians from making referrals for certain designated health services payable by Medicare to an entity with which he or she (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship, unless an exception applies. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of services covered by federal health care programs, such as Medicare. Violations of the Stark Law or Anti-Kickback Statute may give rise to civil liability for treble damages and penalties under the False Claims Act.
"The integrity of the relationship between patients and their doctors is sacrosanct. A physician’s medical judgment should never be compromised by improper financial incentives," said United States Attorney Scott W. Brady. "We will continue to hold healthcare providers accountable when they enter into financial arrangements that violate the law."
These matters were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachael L. Mamula and Paul E. Skirtich handled the investigations that led to the settlements on behalf of the United States.
The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Stealing FundsRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Omar Jaber, 31, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of government funds today in U.S. District Court. Jaber appeared before U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry who accepted his plea and set his sentencing date for August 10, 2018.
In his plea, Jaber admitted to stealing nearly $200,000 in tax refunds by using the name and other identifying information of forty-two different individual taxpayers without their knowledge or consent. Jaber filed false tax returns in the names of the victims for the 2014 tax year and the 2015 tax year after obtaining their information from another tax preparation service. During the crime, Jaber was working as an IRS-registered tax preparer.
Jaber faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment per count, a fine of up to $250,000 per count or both imprisonment and a fine. In determining the actual sentence, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provides recommended sentencing ranges.
The case was investigated by the IRS – Criminal Investigations Office. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the IRSRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker today announced the guilty plea of CHARLES ASONG-MORFAW, 55, to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false individual income tax return. ASONG-MORFAW entered his guilty plea on May 7, 2018, before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between February 1, 2012 and April 13, 2015, ASONG-MORFAW, through his tax preparation business AJ & A Tax Services, located in Fridley, Minnesota, aided, assisted in and advised the preparation and presentation to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of false and fraudulent income tax returns. In preparing the tax returns, ASONG-MORFAW falsely represented to the IRS that the taxpayers were entitled to claim certain deductions under the provisions of the Internal Revenue laws, including unreimbursed employee business expenses, unreimbursed medical expenses and charitable deductions. During the course of the scheme, ASONG-MORFAW prepared over 100 tax returns resulting in a tax loss of approximately $103,095.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Michelle E. Jones is prosecuting the case.
Defendant Information:
CHARLES ASONG-MORFAW, 55
Champlin, Minn.
Charges:
- Aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false individual income tax return, 1 count
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Summer Camps Must Reasonably Accommodate Children with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
Columbia, SC - With summer approaching, parents and camps alike are making plans for terrific, fun opportunities for young campers to learn new skills and grow in their confidence and abilities. The United States Attorney’s Office has taken the opportunity to increase the understanding of camp organizers and parents about the law that pertains to camps which ensures that all children are welcome, especially those with disabilities. To help ensure that children with disabilities are allowed the opportunity to attend summer camp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office recently sent the attached flyer to hundreds of summer camps located within the District of South Carolina reminding them of their responsibilities and obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
Under the ADA, summer camps, both private and those run by municipalities, must make reasonable modification to enable campers with disabilities to participate fully in all camp programs and activities. This generally means that children with disabilities are entitled to attend any camp or activity that non-disabled children attend, that camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis, and that camps must train their staff in the requirements of the ADA. Camps are obligated to pay for the cost of any reasonable modifications necessary for disabled children to participate in camp activities, and parents should not be charged any additional fee beyond standard camp enrollment costs.
“Summer camps – whether in a tent or a gym - present tremendous growth opportunities for our children. Camp is not only fun, but the camp experience offers the camper the opportunity to try new things, develop some independence, and gain self-confidence in the process,” said U.S. Attorney Drake. “All of our kids should have access to summer camps and in fact the law requires camps to provide equal opportunities to disabled children whose needs can be reasonably accommodated.”
Additional information about the ADA is available at www.ada.gov, or through contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Team at (864) 282-2100 or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/civil-rights.
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2018_ada_summer_camp_flyer_0.pdfStamford Resident Charged with Trafficking Synthetic OpioidRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that GILBERTO VALENTIN, also known as “Miguel Perez-Sanchez,” 28, of Stamford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute U-47700, a synthetic opioid.
VALENTIN, who was arrested on May 4, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.
As alleged in court documents, law enforcement identified VALENTIN as a suspected drug supplier of a heroin distributor residing in Albany, New York. On May 4, 2018, the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Stamford Police Department conducted a search of VALENTIN’s residence at 69 Turn of River Road and seized a shoebox containing approximately 1,950 glassine folds of suspected narcotics packaged for resale. Preliminary testing of the seized substance indicated the presence of a synthetic opioid known as U-47700, commonly referred to by the street name “pinks.” The shoebox also contained approximately 51 grams of a compressed powder, consistent with heroin/ fentanyl and their derivatives, which has not yet been tested for safety reasons.
The charged offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Stamford Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo.
South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Damien S. Pinkney, 36, of Goosecreek, South Carolina, entered a guilty plea Friday before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to possession of firearms by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst announced.
Pinckney admitted he brought a .50 caliber rifle, a multi-caliber rifle with two 30-round magazines, and a multi-caliber pistol to a confidential informant as down payment for cocaine on September 23, 2017. Pinckney and others were part of conspiracy that was attempting to purchase as much as 50 kilos of cocaine from a DEA confidential informant. Pinckney and others wired money to Gulfport along with bringing cash and the firearms. Pinckney has three previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine in South Carolina.
Pinckney faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on August 21, 2018, at 9:30 a.m.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.
Scam Artist Sentenced to Eleven Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina –------- United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today on May 2, 2018, April Cormelius Miller, age 44, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced by District Court Judge Timothy M. Cain sitting in Anderson, South Carolina. Miller was sentenced to serve 135 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be followed by 3 years of Supervised Release.
Miller was charged with two counts of wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. The fraud consisted of offering a totally bogus investment which purported to be a legitimate program run out of Switzerland with the approval of banking and government entities in that country. Miller would represent to potential investors that the investment was totally risk free and that the returns were up to 100% each month. In order to boost her credibility Miller would claim that she had been in banking for 20 years, that she had large personal investments, that she had a number of attorneys on her payroll, and that for 17 years she had been successfully taking investors to Switzerland to engage in the investment she was offering. These credentials turned out to be as bogus as the investment that was being offered.
In 2011 Miller came to the attention of the FBI in South Carolina which along with AUSA Stephens launched an undercover investigation into Miller’s activities. During this operation Miller was recorded pitching the “opportunity” to persons she believed to be representatives of a charitable organization which had a $30 Million endowment which they wished to invest. These persons were in fact FBI agents and operatives.
Miller was indicted in January 2012 and tried and convicted by a jury in June 2012. During the trial it was shown that the investment program was in fact totally non-existent and that Miller had none of the credentials that she had claimed. At the conclusion of the trial Miller was allowed to remain on bond, however, she became a fugitive and was not located by the United States Marshals Service until May 2017.
United States Attorney Drake commended the FBI, AUSA Stephens and the US Marshals Service for their role in a long and complicated investigation, prosecution and fugitive hunt.
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Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft Scheme While on Probation for Similar OffensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tou Fue Lor, 24, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, credit application fraud, and unlawful possession of identification documents, all committed while he was on supervised release for similar crimes he had previously committed, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to the plea agreement, on May 20, 2014, Lor was convicted and later sentenced to serve 18 months in federal custody to be followed by three years of supervised release for identity theft offenses. After serving his sentence and while on supervised release, Lor failed to report his whereabouts to federal probation authorities.
Lor admitted in court that between May 2017 and July 2017, he operated a scheme to steal money from banks. Using victims’ stolen identification documents, Lor applied for checking and savings accounts and deposited stolen and altered checks into the accounts. He also applied for a line of credit using the identity of another victim.
According to court documents, on July 11, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lor’s residence and found evidence of Lor’s fraudulent activity. Lor left the Sacramento area and was arrested in Fresno on February 20, 2018. He pleaded guilty today to the new federal charges and admitted to violations of the terms of his supervised release.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Roseville Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
Lor is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on July 30, 2018. Lor faces a maximum statutory sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for mail fraud, bank fraud, and credit application fraud, and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft to be served consecutively to any other sentence. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Romanian Computer Hacker Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison for Staging Denial of Service Attacks on ‘World of Warcraft’ ServersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Romanian computer hacker who orchestrated a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on the European servers of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft was sentenced today to one year in federal prison.
Calin Mateias, 38, of Romania, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II.
Mateias, who has been in custody since November 20 after being extradited from Romania, was also ordered to pay $29,987 in restitution to Blizzard Entertainment, the Irvine-based owner and operator of World of Warcraft, to compensate the company for labor costs associated with countering the computer attacks.
World of Warcraft is an online virtual world where players participate in a game using avatars. Mateias, using his in-game avatar, often participated in collaborative events, such as “raids,” where players joined forces to meet game objectives and were rewarded with virtual proceeds or in-game advantages. Mateias became involved in disputes with other players for a variety of reasons, including the division of loot and membership in raid teams.
Between February and September 2010, typically in connection with in-game disputes with other players, Mateias launched DDoS attacks on World of Warcraft servers in Europe. A DDoS attack is an attack on a computer network in which multiple computers are used to transmit a flood of superfluous requests to the target network, thereby overloading it, and making it unavailable to other users. Mateias’ DDoS attacks caused World of Warcraft servers to crash and prevented some paying customers from accessing the game.
After being indicted in this case in 2011 and extradited from Romania last year, Mateias pleaded guilty in February to one count of intentional damage to a protected computer.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki of the Cyber & Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
Rogers Man Sentencing for Operating an Illegal Gambling BusinessRead the Press Release
Fayetteville, AR – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Robert Rogers, age 73, of Rogers, Arkansas, was sentenced today to three years probation with the first 18 months to be served as home confinement and ordered to pay $250,000.00 in fines for Operating an Illegal Gambling Business. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court records, beginning in 2016, special agents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began an investigating a large scale gambling operation that was being run by Rogers from his Rogers, Arkansas residence.
During the investigation, federal agents discovered that Rogers directed a gambling operation that consisted mainly of taking bets on college and professional football and basketball games based on point spreads all in violation of Arkansas law. Records show that Rogers operated the gambling operation for at least 15 consecutive years and had a gross revenue of at least $70,000.00-$80,000.00 per year.
On February 8, 2017, agents from the IRS and FBI executed a search warrant on Rogers’s residence where they discovered additional evidence of his illegal gambling operation.
Rogers was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2017 and entered a guilty plea in January 2018.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Denis Dean prosecuted the case for the United States.
Randolph Woman Sentenced for Money Laundering and Marijuana ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Randolph woman was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Friday, May 4, 2018, for her role in a conspiracy that distributed thousands of pounds of marijuana and laundered millions of dollars in proceeds.
Daphne Jean, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to one day of time served and three years of supervised release. During the first year of her supervised release, Jean must serve six months of intermittent incarceration – she must report to the jail facility on Friday mornings and may leave the facility on Monday mornings. In December 2017, Jean and her co-conspirator, Michael Gordon, were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and conspiring to launder drug money through real estate transactions.
From at least July 2011 to November 2014, Gordon shipped large amounts of marijuana from sources in California to Boston through the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Express, and then distributed the marijuana in the Boston area. Jean assisted Gordon by renting apartments that were used to receive the shipments of marijuana, and helping to launder drug proceeds. The operation produced millions of dollars in profits, and Gordon and Jean laundered the drug proceeds by participating in various financial transactions in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
In March 2018, Gordon was sentenced to 15 years in prison, ordered to pay forfeiture of $5,030,812, to forfeit his interests in a house in Randolph, two houses in Florida, $371,239 seized during the investigation, and an Acura SUV.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Delany De Leon-Colon, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Albert Angelucci, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement. Substantial assistance was also provided by Homeland Security Investigations in San Francisco; the Boston, Norwood, Randolph and Needham Police Departments; the Sonoma County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department; and the Irwindale (Calif.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Lazarus, Chief of Lelling’s Asset Forfeiture Unit, prosecuted the case.
Postal Service Worker Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempted Online Enticement and Distribution of Obscene Material to A MinorRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chief United States District Judge Joseph H. McKinley, Jr., sentenced Timothy Scott Walters, 51, to 10 years in prison followed by 20 years of Supervised Release, announced United States Attorney Russel M. Coleman. There is no parole in the federal system. Walters remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
Walters previously admitted to online communications with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl for the purpose of meeting her to engage in sexual conduct. He also admitted to sending obscene material to the same person.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, law enforcement officials became aware of Walters’ conduct as the result of an online undercover operation. In March of last year, an investigator responded to a Louisville Craigslist advertisement in which the poster was seeking a young female for what appeared to be sexual purposes. The investigator replied to the ad and advised that he was a 15-year-old girl. Walters then sought details about the girl’s sexual history, sent graphic sexual photos of himself, and requested to meet her to engage in sex acts.
The investigator determined that Walters worked for the United States Postal Service in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. After being advised of his constitutional rights and waiving those rights, Walters admitted that he had placed the Craigslist ad that resulted in the conversation with a 15-year-old girl. He went on to state that he used the Craigslist personals site in the past to meet people for sexual encounters. In his estimate he had used the site 10 to 15 times to meet individuals for sex. He also admitted that the photos he sent to the girl were pornographic and confirmed his knowledge that the age of consent in Kentucky is 16.
Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, Department of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from United States Postal Inspection Service.
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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."
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Phillips 66 Store Clerk Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Taleb Jawher, 40, of St. Louis, MO, pled guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on September 26, 2017 Jawher, a clerk at the Phillips 66 store at 2800 N. Florissant, was involved in an altercation with a customer he wrongly suspected of shoplifting. Jawher retrieved a handgun and in a scuffle the customer was shot and killed. Jawher was previously charged by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office with first degree murder and armed criminal action due to the death of the customer.
Jawher faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 or both. In determining the actual sentence, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provides recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney John Ware is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Ohioans turn in more than 20 tons of unused medication during Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
Ohio saw a 13 percent increase in medication collected during Drug Take Back Day last month.
Appoximately 40,509 pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription pills were turned in in Ohio on April 28. That’s an increase from 35,797 pounds collected last fall.
Americans nationwide did their part to drop off a record number of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications during the DEA’s 15th event National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, at close to 6,000 sites across the country. Together with a record-setting amount of local, state and federal partners, DEA collected and destroyed close to one million pounds—nearly 475 tons—of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, making it the most successful event in DEA history.
This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 9,964,714 pounds, or 4,982 tons.
“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a day for every American, in every community across the country, to come together and do his or her part to fight the opioid crisis – simply by disposing of unwanted prescription medications from their medicine cabinets,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. “This event – our 15th – brings us together with local, state and federal partners to fight the abuse of prescription drugs that is fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic.”
“We know of many cases where leftover pain pills have led to an opioid addiction,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Justin Herdman said. “Properly disposing of these pills is one important step anyone can take to get involved in turning the tide on the opioid epidemic that has caused so much pain here in Ohio.”
Now in its 9th year, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events continue to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they could be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
DEA launched its prescription drug take back program when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.
Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.
Complete results for DEA’s fall Take Back Day are available at www.deatakeback.com. DEA’s next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 27, 2018.
Ohio Man Sentenced on Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – An Ohio man was sentenced today to 56 months imprisonment on a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Michael B. Stuart. Cortez Quayveon Brown, 26, of Marion Ohio, pled guilty in January to distribution of heroin. Brown’s sentence will run concurrently with a sentence he is currently serving on a felony drug charge in Ohio. Stuart commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Dealers peddling dangerous drugs and protecting themselves and their inventory with semi-automatic weapons are exactly the type of criminal defendants that should be locked up for a long time,” said United States Attorney Stuart. “Good riddance.”
On March 3, 2016, a confidential informant made a phone call to arrange a purchase of heroin. Brown directed the confidential informant to go to Brown’s apartment located at 813 1/2 7th Street, in Huntington. There, the confidential informant met Brown and provided him $1500 in United States currency. Brown provided the confidential informant with approximately 5.5 grams of heroin and fronted an additional amount – 15.86 grams of heroin in total. Brown also sold heroin to the same confidential informant on five other occasions. Agents executed a search warrant at Brown’s apartment on March 10, 2016. Agents seized approximately 7.86 grams of heroin in the apartment, $5500 in United States currency, along with a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun and a loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Both handguns were located in the bottom drawer of the kitchen stove in Brown’s apartment.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney R. Gregory McVey handled the prosecution.
Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews
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North Branford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL BAUER, 36, of North Branford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 10, 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a court-authorized search of BAUER’s North Branford residence and seized approximately 19 electronic devices, including external hard drives. A forensic examination of the seized devices revealed more than 600 images and videos of child pornography, including images and videos depicting children younger than 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Some of the images and videos depict sadistic and masochistic conduct.
BAUER is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on August 1, 2018, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
BAUER is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
New Bedford Fishing Companies, Manager, and Vessel Captain to Pay over $400,000 in Civil Penalties and Make Fleet-Wide Fixes to Settle U.S. Oil-Pollution ClaimsRead the Press Release
Challenge Fisheries LLC, Quinn Fisheries Inc., Charles Quinn II, and Charles Quinn III have agreed to pay a total of $414,000 in civil penalties and to perform fleet-wide improvements and other compliance assurance measures to resolve federal Clean Water Act claims stemming from oily bilge discharges from the commercial fishing vessel Challenge, and a related fuel oil discharge in August 2017 in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, the Department of Justice and the Coast Guard announced today.
In its complaint filed today, along with the lodging of a consent decree in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the United States alleges that the companies and individuals are liable for violations of the Clean Water Act related to the Challenge’s operations in New Bedford Harbor and in coastal waters off of southeastern New England. The complaint addresses discharges of oily bilge waste from the vessel while in port and at sea harvesting scallops, and the release of approximately 100 barrels (4,200 gallons) of fuel oil in connection with the illegal overboard pumping of oily bilge water in August 2017. The complaint also includes a Clean Water Act claim for violations of the Coast Guard’s spill prevention and pollution control regulation related to the failure to provide sufficient capacity to retain all oily bilge water onboard the vessel. The complaint alleges that the defendants discharged engine room bilge, which contains a mixture of fuel, lubricating oils, water, and other wastes, into the ocean and New Bedford Harbor rather than retain the waste onboard. The complaint further alleges these illegal discharges were the result of willful misconduct and were done to extend the duration of the fishing voyages. The United States seeks civil penalties and injunctive relief to deter future violations by the defendants and others in the industry.
In addition to payment of the civil penalties, the consent decree requires corrective measures across the defendants’ fleet of five New Bedford-based fishing vessels. The defendants will be required, among other things, to repair the vessels to reduce the generation of oily bilge water, operate within the vessels’ capacity to retain oily bilge for the full length of planned voyages, provide crew and management training on the proper handling of oily wastes, document all oil and oily waste transfers on and off of the vessels, including documenting proper disposal of engine room bilge water at a shore reception facility, and submit compliance reports to the government.
“Today’s action sends a clear message to the commercial fishing fleet that Clean Water Act compliance must be a non-negotiable part of operations,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We appreciate our partners at the U.S. Coast Guard for their diligent investigation and referral of these violations.”
“Discharges of fuel and oily bilge wastes into our nation’s waters have long been prohibited and will not be condoned,” said Captain Richard J. Schultz, Commander of the Coast Guard’s Sector Southeastern New England. “These defendants will pay significant penalties and conduct fleet-wide corrective measures for their discharges of oil into New Bedford Harbor and the ocean.”
“This enforcement action will help protect people and the environment in and around New Bedford Harbor from the effects of oil pollution, and other fishing vessel owners and operators should take note,” said Andrew E. Lelling, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Section 311(b) of the Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge oil or hazardous substances into or upon the waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines in quantities that may be harmful to the environment or public health. Under the Act, the Coast Guard also has promulgated spill prevention and pollution control regulations for vessels and other facilities. Overboard discharges of oily mixtures, whether by directly pumping out oily bilge water that has not been properly treated, or by attempting to pump only the portion of oily bilge water beneath a floating oil layer in the bilge (so-called “decanting”), has long been unlawful under federal law.
The penalty paid for these discharges and the related pollution prevention violations will be deposited in the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund managed by the National Pollution Funds Center. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is used to pay for federal response activities and to compensate for damages when there is a discharge or substantial threat of discharge of oil or hazardous substances to waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines.
The proposed consent decree, lodged in the District of Massachusetts, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court review and approval. A copy of the consent decree is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
Monona Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempted Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
A man who attempted to rob the Freedom Bank in Monona, Iowa, was sentenced today to 3 years in federal prison.
Tyler Koehler, age 21, from Monona, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 16, 2017 guilty plea to attempted bank robbery.
At the guilty plea, Koehler admitted he attempted to rob the Freedom Bank in Monona on June 9, 2017. Information presented at his sentencing hearing showed that Koehler passed multiple notes to the teller at the bank’s drive-up window. Each note threatened to “blow this place up” unless the teller gave Koehler cash. The third note Koehler passed demanded $100,000. The teller stalled him until police arrived and took him into custody. Koehler has multiple prior convictions for disorderly conduct in Wisconsin and Georgia.
Koehler was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Koehler was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Koehler is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Monona Police Department, and the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-cr-1023. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Mobile County Man Sentenced to Nearly 14 Years in Prison for Hobbs Act Robbery and Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney, Richard W. Moore, announces that William Coleman, a 31 year old, resident of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced to 164 months of incarceration and ordered to pay $582.00 in restitution followed by five years of supervised release for the armed robbery of a local retail business.
According to the facts Coleman admitted as part of his guilty plea, on August 8, 2017, Coleman entered the Advance America, located at 28841 Hwy 98, Unit-D, Daphne, Alabama 36526, which was a payday loan business engaged in interstate commerce, and was conducting business in an industry that affects interstate commerce. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt, blue pants and a blue ball cap. Coleman asked an employee for a title loan for his car. The employee told him they did not do those kinds of loans. Next, Coleman pulled out a pistol and demanded the money from the counter drawer. The employee complied and gave Coleman the approximately $480.00 in the drawer. Coleman then asked the employee where the safe was located. The employee took Coleman to the safe that was located in the rear area of the store, opened the safe and gave Coleman the approximately $100.00 from the safe. Coleman then ordered the employee into the bathroom and told her to close the door, which she did. Coleman fled the scene. After approximately five minutes, the employee left the bathroom and called the police. Coleman pled guilty on February 22, 2018.
Officers of the Daphne, Alabama Police Department along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and presented it to the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The prosecutors assigned to the case was Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.
Mexican National Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Cocaine Trafficking and Immigration OffensesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS PALACIOS ORTIZ, 44, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for cocaine trafficking and immigration offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 13, 2017, the Connecticut State Police stopped a car that PALACIOS ORTIZ was driving on I-84 East near Waterbury. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 4.5 kilograms of cocaine.
PALACIOS ORTIZ has been convicted of at least six federal immigration offenses since 1999, and he was previously deported from the U.S. multiple times, the last time occurring in September 2015.
PALACIOS ORTIZ has been detained since his arrest on February 13, 2017. On February 15, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and one count of reentry of a removed alien. He will be deported after he serves his 60-month prison term.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
Mexican National Sentenced for Marijuana Cultivation Operation in Sequoia National ForestRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Jose Manuel Sanchez-Zapien, aka “Chacal” (Sanchez), 38, a citizen of Mexico from Coalcomán, Michoacán, residing in Dos Palos, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture marijuana, and manufacturing marijuana in the Sequoia National Forest, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Sanchez was also ordered to pay $8,665 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for damage to public land and natural resources caused by the cultivation operation.
According to court documents, between August 26, 2016 and June 13, 2017, Sanchez delivered supplies to growers at a marijuana cultivation site in Alder Creek in the Sequoia National Forest. The drop point had been used numerous times in the past to bring supplies to marijuana growers in the Slick Rock Creek drainage area. Law enforcement officers found over 20,952 marijuana plants at the Alder Creek site.
Approximately three acres of public land were almost completely stripped of vegetation and the ground was terraced to accommodate the marijuana plants. Large amounts of ammonium nitrate and other fertilizers, Spectracide brand insecticide containers, and trash were scattered throughout the site.
Co-defendant Maximiliano Farias-Martinez allegedly supervised Sanchez and others associated with the site. He is scheduled for trial on November 27, 2018. The charges as to Farias are only allegations, and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General’s Office of Investigations, and the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET). Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Mexican National Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Greenbelt, Maryland – On May 3, 2018, United States District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Jose Juarez-Diaz, age 32, of Clarksburg, Maryland to 21 months in prison for being an unlawfully present alien, after three illegal entries and two prior deportations.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to the plea agreement, officers of the United States Border Patrol initially encountered Juarez on February 6, 2003, after they stopped him attempting to illegally enter the country near Oceanside, California. Immigration authorities voluntarily returned Juarez to Mexico a few days later. Juarez then reentered the United States at an unknown time and location. In July 2003, Juarez was arrested for kidnapping during a carjacking in San Diego, California. Juarez pled guilty to vehicle theft, a misdemeanor in California, and was sentenced to a term of probation. An Immigration Judge ordered Juarez removed on November 6, 2003, and he was removed that same day to Mexico.
Subsequently, Juarez again illegally reentered the United States at an unknown time and location. Juarez claims to not remember the date of his return and stated during a post-arrest statement that he walked across the border.
On March 12, 2015, Juarez was arrested in Montgomery County, Maryland after he sexually assaulted a 14-year old girl. Juarez was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in that jurisdiction. On September 11, 2015, a Montgomery County judge sentenced Juarez to a term of imprisonment of twenty-five years but suspended all but five years, followed by five years of probation. On October 12, 2017, the Maryland Division of Corrections paroled Juarez after he served less than three years in prison. Immigration authorities took Juarez into custody and he was prosecuted federally on immigration charges.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised ICE and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Fish, who prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Failure to File a Foreign Agent Registration StatementRead the Press Release
Nisar Ahmed Chaudhry, 71, of Columbia, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to failure to file a foreign agent registration statement.
The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, Chaudhry, a national of Pakistan and lawful permanent resident of the United States, represented himself to be the President of the Pakistan American League, an unincorporated entity he created and associated with his residential address in Maryland.
Chaudhry failed to file a registration statement with the Attorney General, as required by law, providing notification of his activities on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, and falsely represented that his activities in relation to Pakistan were solely educational in nature and executed for the benign purpose of encouraging better relations between the United States and Pakistan.
According to his plea agreement, from 2012 through 2018, Chaudhry acted as an agent of the Government of Pakistan in order to engage in political activities for, and in the interests of, the Government of Pakistan. These activities were designed by Chaudhry to obtain and manage information on the status of the U.S. Government's policies regarding Pakistan, and to influence U.S. government officials and U.S. foreign policy towards Pakistan.
Chaudhry interacted on a routine basis with representatives of the Government of Pakistan, at their Embassy in Washington, D.C. and consular office in New York City. Chaudhry also interacted with numerous institutes, foundations and organizations operating in and around Washington, D.C., commonly referred to as "think tanks," that played a role in shaping and influencing U.S. foreign policy. Chaudhry organized roundtable discussions in Washington, D.C. and Maryland metropolitan areas between his American government and think tank contacts and visiting Pakistan government officials to influence United States foreign policy in a direction favorable to Pakistan’s interests. Chaudhry cultivated contacts within these entities and the U.S. government in order to obtain in-depth information regarding the U.S. government's policies towards Pakistan. Chaudhry then sought to neutralize unfavorable views of Pakistan held by current and former U.S. government officials by employing certain methods of discussion with these individuals during personal interactions with them and/or by controlling and manipulating discussion at the roundtable events he organized or attended.
In order to be more effective in obtaining information of interest to Pakistan, and to gain a strategic advantage in acquiring information that might not otherwise be divulged to official representatives of the Government of Pakistan, Chaudhry falsely represented that his activities were solely educational in nature and not affiliated with the Pakistan government. These representations were made not only to American think tank scholars, but also to current and former U.S. government officials, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents who interviewed Chaudhry upon entry into the United States from his travels to Pakistan.
According to his plea agreement, Chaudhry regularly traveled to Pakistan to brief high-level Pakistan government officials on information obtained from his American government and think tank contacts. He also met with Pakistan government officials in the United States to report on the details of his meetings in Pakistan with high-level Pakistan government officials, and obtain information regarding matters of interest to Pakistan relevant to his activities in the United States on behalf of the Pakistan government.
In consideration for his activities on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, Chaudhry was granted invitations to events at the Pakistan Embassy; introductions to, and meetings with, high-level Pakistan government officials; assistance with procuring civilian, military, or government -related jobs and preferential postings for relatives and associates in Pakistan; assistance with securing Pakistani visas on an expedited basis for friends, relatives, or associates; reimbursement for certain travel expenses; and the use of diplomatic channels to ship personal items to and from Pakistan, among other things.
Chaudhry organized press briefings in the Washington, D.C., and Maryland for visiting Pakistan government dignitaries and arranged for various scholars and/or former U.S. officials to attend conferences in Pakistan.
Chaudhry faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 30, at 2 p.m. in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for their work in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Manuelian of the District of Maryland, and Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Failure to File A Foreign Agent Registration StatementRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Greenbelt, Maryland – Nisar Ahmed Chaudhry, age 71, of Columbia, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to failure to file a foreign agent registration statement.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers; and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, Chaudhry, a national of Pakistan and lawful permanent resident of the United States, represented himself to be the President of the Pakistan American League, an unincorporated entity he created and associated with his residential address in Maryland.
Chaudhry failed to file a registration statement with the Attorney General, as required by law, providing notification of his activities on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, and falsely represented that his activities in relation to Pakistan were solely educational in nature and executed for the benign purpose of encouraging better relations between the United States and Pakistan.
According to his plea agreement, from 2012 through 2018, Chaudhry acted as an agent of the Government of Pakistan in order to engage in political activities for, and in the interests of, the Government of Pakistan. These activities were designed by Chaudhry to obtain and manage information on the status of the United States Government's policies regarding Pakistan, and to influence U.S. government officials and U.S. foreign policy towards Pakistan.
Chaudhry interacted on a routine basis with representatives of the Government of Pakistan, at their Embassy in Washington, D.C. and consular office in New York City. Chaudhry also interacted with numerous institutes, foundations, and organizations operating in and around Washington, D.C., commonly referred to as "think tanks," that played a role in shaping and influencing U.S. foreign policy. Chaudhry organized roundtable discussions in the Washington D.C., and Maryland metropolitan areas between his American government and think tank contacts and visiting Pakistan government officials to influence United States foreign policy in a direction favorable to Pakistan’s interests. Chaudhry cultivated contacts within these entities and the United States government in order to obtain in-depth information regarding the United States government's policies towards Pakistan. Chaudhry then sought to neutralize unfavorable views of Pakistan held by current and former U.S. government officials by employing certain methods of discussion with these individuals during personal interactions with them and/or by controlling and manipulating discussion at the roundtable events he organized or attended.
In order to be more effective in obtaining information of interest to Pakistan, and to gain a strategic advantage in acquiring information that might not otherwise be divulged to official representatives of the Government of Pakistan, Chaudhry falsely represented that his activities were solely educational in nature and not affiliated with the Pakistan government. These representations were made not only to American think tank scholars, but also to current and former United States government officials, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents who interviewed Chaudhry upon entry into the United States from his travels to Pakistan.
According to his plea agreement, Chaudhry regularly traveled to Pakistan to brief high-level Pakistan government officials on information obtained from his American government and think tank contacts. He also met with Pakistan government officials in the United States to report on the details of his meetings in Pakistan with high-level Pakistan government officials, and obtain information regarding matters of interest to Pakistan relevant to his activities in the United States on behalf of the Pakistan government.
In consideration for his activities on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, Chaudhry was granted invitations to events at the Pakistan Embassy; introductions to, and meetings with, high-level Pakistan government officials; assistance with procuring civilian, military, or government -related jobs and preferential postings for relatives and associates in Pakistan; assistance with securing Pakistani visas on an expedited basis for friends, relatives, or associates; reimbursement for certain travel expenses; and the use of diplomatic channels to ship personal items to and from Pakistan, among other things.
Chaudhry organized press briefings in Washington, D.C. and Maryland for visiting Pakistan government dignitaries and arranged for various scholars and/or former United States government officials to attend conferences in Pakistan.
Chaudhry faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 30, 2018 at 2 p.m. in Greenbelt, Maryland.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for their work in the investigation and the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Manuelian, who prosecuted the case.
Man Charged in Connection with RobberyRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Mark Triolo, 46, of Texas, has been charged by criminal complaint for violating the federal robbery statute. Triolo is currently being treated at Dartmouth Medical Center in New Hampshire for gunshot wounds he sustained in connection with this incident. It is expected that Triolo will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy as soon as he is physically able to do so.
According to court documents, on May 1, 2018, Triolo robbed the Small City Market in Vergennes at gunpoint and fled the store with approximately $6115 in cash. At the time of this robbery, Triolo was wanted on a parole violation in Texas, and he was a suspect in a recent robbery in Queensbury, New York. On the evening of May 4, 2018, law enforcement was notified of two more armed robberies: one at the Ascutney Sunoco gas station in Weathersfield and a second armed robbery at the Allen Brothers Farm Market in Westminster. Based on information generated from the Vergennes robbery and the robbery in New York, law enforcement believed that Triolo was involved in the robberies.
On May 4, 2018, at approximately 20:41 hours, law enforcement encountered Triolo at a gas station in Brattleboro and attempted to take him into custody. Triolo fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Triolo was later located on the Black Mountain Road in Brattleboro. Officers began to give verbal commands to Triolo ordering him to stop and show his hands. Triolo did not respond to those commands and officers subsequently fired multiple rounds striking him. Triolo was taken into custody with officers rendering medical aid until rescue personnel arrived. A search of the vehicle driven by Triolo recovered a pellet gun which was similar in appearance to an actual semi-automatic pistol and similar to the weapon used in the Small City robbery.
United States Attorney Christina E. Nolan emphasized that the charge against Triolo is merely an accusation, and that Triolo is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. If convicted, Triolo faces up to twenty years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police, the Vergennes Police Department, the Brattleboro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It 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. This case exemplifies local, state and federal law enforcement working together to make our neighborhoods safer.
The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy G. Fuller.
Maine Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Maine woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Melissa Rock, 39, of Pemaquid, Maine, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and cocaine, specifically cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Aug. 1, 2018. In 2017, Rock and four others, Vito Nuzzolilo, of Worcester; Kristin Little, of Worcester; Thomas Walker, of Pemaquid, Maine; and Ricardo Ortega-Vasquez, a Dominican national residing in New York City, were indicted for their roles in the conspiracy.
According to court documents, a court-authorized wiretap intercepted Rock and Walker speaking with Nuzzolilo about purchasing cocaine for re-distribution in Maine. On April 10, 2017, Rock contacted Nuzzolilo to ask if he would “front” a quantity of cocaine; she then traveled to Nuzzolilo’s apartment in Worcester. On April 27, 2017, Walker spoke with Nuzzolilo about obtaining additional cocaine, promising that his “workers” had cash to cover it. Rock and Walker then traveled to Nuzzolilo’s Worcester apartment, and, after leaving the apartment, were stopped by law enforcement and found in possession of more than 50 grams of cocaine.
Rock faces a sentence of up to 40 years in prison, a minimum of four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Little and Ortega-Vasquez have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Albert Angelucci, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
KC Man, Woman Indicted for Seven Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kanas City, Mo., man and woman have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies at area businesses.
Aaron Fisher, 46, and Dawn Baldwin, 49, both of Kansas City, were charged in a 16-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 2, 2018. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed on April 6, 2018, and includes additional charges. Fisher and Baldwin remain in federal custody without bond.
The federal indictment alleges that Fisher and Baldwin participated in an armed robbery conspiracy from Dec. 20, 2017, through April 2, 2018.
In addition to the conspiracy, Fisher and Baldwin are charged together with two armed robberies: the armed robbery of Holiday Inn Express, 19901 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence, Mo., on Dec. 31, 2017; and with the armed robbery of Comfort Inn Motel, 210 N.W. Jefferson St., Grain Valley, Mo., on Jan. 21, 2018. They are also charged together with possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in each of those robberies.
Fisher is also charged with five additional armed robberies: the armed robbery of Blue Ridge Food Stop, 4704 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 20, 2017; the armed robbery of Subway, 3380 Fascination, Lee’s Summit, Mo., on Dec. 20, 2017; the armed robbery of Papa Murphy’s, 9027 E. 350 Hwy., Raytown, Mo., on Jan. 4, 2018; the armed robbery of Four Points Sheraton, 4011 Blue Ridge, Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 15, 2018; and the armed robbery of Trex Mart, 7812 E. 116 Hwy., Lathrop, Mo., on April 2, 2018. Fisher is charged with possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in each of those robberies.
Fisher is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that Fisher, having been convicted of a felony, was in possession of an H7R .22-caliber revolver on Dec. 20, 2017.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Moeder. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, the Raytown, Mo., Police Department, the Grain Valley, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department and the Clinton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Coconino County, Arizona, to Ensure Accessible VotingRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today reached a settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Coconino County, Arizona, to make the County’s polling places accessible to individuals with mobility and vision impairments.
The Department’s survey identified architectural barriers at County polling places, including inaccessible parking, ramps that were too steep, and doors that were too narrow. Under the ADA, counties that conduct local, state, or federal elections may not select polling places that are inaccessible during elections to individuals with disabilities. Coconino County is the Country’s second largest county, covering more than 18,000 square miles, and is also home to the Grand Canyon. The County includes parts of the Navajo, Hualapai, Hopi, Havasupai, and Kaibab Indian reservations, and more than one dozen County polling places are located on Indian reservations.
Under the terms of the agreement, Coconino County will start remediating polling places in time for its next election and will ensure that all of its polling places are accessible during elections to people with disabilities by no later than the November 2020 election. To make polling places accessible, the County will employ temporary measures such as portable ramps, signage, and propped open doors, and permanent changes such as paved parking. In addition, the County will train its poll workers on ADA requirements and on how to use temporary measures to ensure each polling place is accessible during elections. Furthermore, the County will survey polling locations for accessibility and maintain the accessibility of each polling place. When selecting future polling places, the agreement requires the County to select locations that will be accessible during elections. The Department will monitor the County’s compliance with the agreement and provide the County with technical assistance as appropriate.
“Through this settlement, Coconino County will ensure that its polling places are accessible to voters with disabilities, including those living in Indian Country, so that they have an equal opportunity to participate in elections,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore for the Civil Rights Division. “We applaud the County’s commitment to guaranteeing equal access to the polls.”
This settlement is part of the Department’s ADA Voting Initiative, which focuses on protecting the voting rights of individuals with disabilities. A hallmark of the ADA Voting Initiative is its collaboration with jurisdictions to increase accessibility at polling places. Through this Initiative, the Department has surveyed more than 1,500 polling places and increased polling place accessibility in more than 35 jurisdictions, including Chicago; Richland County, South Carolina; and Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
For more information about the ADA and today’s agreement, please visit http://www.ada.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TTY).
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 10 Months in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Jesus Patino-Lopez, age 31, of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for Illegal Re-Entry into the United States. United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr. of Spartanburg sentenced Patino-Lopez to 10 months in federal prison with 1 year of supervised release to follow.
The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on June 23, 2017, ICE–Enforcement and Removal Operations Officers in Charleston, SC, encountered Patino-Lopez at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center where he was detained for local charges. A records check revealed that Patino-Lopez is a native and citizen of Mexico and had two prior removals in 2009. On both occasions, he was removed from the United States back to Mexico. A records check also revealed that Patino-Lopez had not received permission to enter, re-enter, or remain in the United States.
This case was investigated by officers of the ICE–Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Horry County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel of the Florence office handled the case.
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Illegal Alien Located in Lexington County Pleads Guilty to Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Nicholas Benitez-Hernandez, age 46, of Mexico, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia to Illegal Re-Entry, a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b)(2). United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that the South Carolina Department of Public Safety/Immigration Enforcement Unit (SCDPS/IEU) and the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office arrested Benitez-Hernandez for Forgery and Identity Fraud to Obtain Employment. He was encountered by ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations agents on April 26, 2018, at the Lexington County. An investigation revealed that he is a citizen of Mexico who had previously been deported after serving a sentence for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. U.S. Attorney Drake stated the maximum penalty for Illegal Re-Entry is imprisonment for 29 years and/or a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by agents of the SCDPS/IEU, the Newberry County Sherriff’s Office and ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.
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High School Senior Charged with Recruiting Other Juveniles to Smuggle Methamphetamine and Fentanyl from MexicoRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Sherri Walker Hobson (619) 961-0287
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 7, 2018
SAN DIEGO – Phillip Junior Web, a high school senior at Castle Park High School, was charged in federal court today with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and bringing in unlawful aliens, including a Mexican national and Chinese national, for financial gain. He was arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard G. Skomal.
According to the court documents, the defendant was a high school senior who recruited other high school students to smuggle methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States on multiple occasions, including on July 1, 2017 (juvenile attempted to smuggle methamphetamine), September 19, 2017 (two juveniles attempted to smuggle methamphetamine), September 27, 2017 (juvenile attempted to smuggle methamphetamine), and October 23, 2017 (juvenile attempted to smuggle fentanyl). On each of these occasions, the juveniles had drugs strapped on their bodies as they attempted to enter the United States at the San Ysidro or Otay Mesa Ports of Entry.
Last Friday, defendant Webb was caught attempting to bring in a Chinese national and Mexican national into the United States in the trunk of his vehicle. The defendant’s next court appearance is on May 10, 2018 for a detention hearing and May 21, 2018 for a preliminary examination before Judge Skomal.
In an unrelated criminal complaint, defendant Alejandro Barba was charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to the complaint, agents saw a juvenile briefly enter Barba’s parked vehicle at the San Ysidro High School parking lot, remove items from his backpack, and then exit Barba’s vehicle. Barba, the sole occupant and driver, was stopped and agents found five kilograms of methamphetamine in his back seat. According to the complaint, the unnamed juvenile had smuggled the methamphetamine through the border earlier that day. Barba will appear for his initial appearance later this week.
“We are seeing a very troubling trend and we want to warn parents and high schoolers,” said U.S. Attorney Adam L. Braverman. “Our youth are being recruited by drug cartels to smuggle dangerous drugs across the border. We are going after the recruiters who exploit these kids, but the kids also need to know that they are gambling with their lives when they do this. Don’t throw away your future.”
DEFENDANT Case No. 18MJ2229
Phillip Junior Webb Age: 18 Tijuana, Mexico
CHARGES
Count 1 – Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. 841 & 846)
Maximum Penalty: Ten years minimum to life in custody; $1 million fine
Count 2 - Bringing in Undocumented Aliens for Financial Gain (8 U.S.C. 1324)
Maximum Penalty: Three years mandatory minimum to 20 years in custody; $250,000 fine
DEFENDANT Case No. 18MJ2147
Alejandro Barba Age: 27 San Diego, California
CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. 841 & 846)
Maximum Penalty: Ten years minimum to life in custody; $1 million fine
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Drug Enforcement Administration
Customs & Border Protection
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
*The charges and allegations contained in a complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are no considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Grand Jury Returns Indictment Against Wilson Resident for Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN — United States Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Connie Margaret Metzger, a resident of Wilson, Michigan, has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with two counts of assaulting a federal officer.
The indictment alleges that on October 7, 2017, Metzger used a dangerous weapon, her vehicle, to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede and interfere with a Hannahville Tribal Police Officer while he was engaged in the performance of his official duties. The indictment further alleges that, on the same date, Metzger punched a Michigan State Trooper while he was engaged in the performance of his official duties.
If convicted, Metzger faces up to 20 years in federal prison on Count 1 of the indictment and up to eight years in federal prison on Count 2 of the indictment.
This matter was investigated by the Hannahville Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah N. Bobee.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Grand Jury Returns Indictment Against Wilson Resident for Assaulting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN — United States Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Margaret Sue Hardwick, a resident of Wilson, Michigan, has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with assaulting a federal officer.
The indictment alleges that on October 7, 2017, Hardwick forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded and interfered with a Hannahville Tribal Police Officer while he was engaged in the performance of his official duties by punching him in the face.
If convicted, Hardwick faces up to eight years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
This matter was investigated by the Hannahville Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah N. Bobee.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Fruitdale Woman Sentenced for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Fruitdale, South Dakota, woman convicted of Bank Robbery was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Kaycee Teppo, age 23, was sentenced on April 30, 2018, to 41 months in custody, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and restitution in an amount to be determined.
Teppo was charged on May 23, 2017. The conviction stems from Teppo robbing a bank in Spearfish, South Dakota, on May 18, 2017.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Spearfish Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
Fresno Man Sentenced for Laser Strike on Police HelicopterRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Michael Vincent Alvarez, 32, of Fresno, Calif., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for striking Air-1, a Fresno Police Department helicopter, with a powerful green laser beam, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on October 22, 2017, Alvarez struck a Fresno Police helicopter several times with a powerful green laser. The laser caused visual interference of the tactical flight officer and disrupted an air support response to a domestic violence call. Alvarez was driving a vehicle on Highway 99 when he pointed the laser at the helicopter and tracked and struck it. When ground units were called to apprehend Alvarez, he drove through the streets of Fresno at a high rate of speed, eluding officers for several miles until he crashed into the center divider at First Street and Floradora Avenue. Following the crash, Alvarez ran into a residential area, jumping several fences until he was arrested in a backyard. A green laser pointer that officers found inside the driver side door pocket of Alvarez’s vehicle had a danger warning on it.
In 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported 6,771 laser strikes of aircraft or 18.55 per day nationwide. In the Eastern District of California, which encompasses 34 counties in the eastern portion of California, there were over 170 laser strikes reported. Law enforcement and emergency transport helicopters are particularly vulnerable, since they typically fly at lower altitudes. Their convex-shaped windows also cause greater refraction and visual interference when the beam of a laser strikes.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.
Fort Mill Resident Sentenced for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that David Scott LaPointe was sentenced to prison for 8 months followed by 3 years supervised release in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, by United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, of Columbia, after being convicted for failing to register as a sex offender in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2250(a).
Evidence presented at the guilty plea and other hearings established that LaPointe was convicted in September 2002 of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor-Second Degree (Person Under 13). As a result of this conviction, he was required to register in any state where he lived, worked or attended school. LaPointe registered as a sex offender in North Carolina after serving his sentence but failed to register when he moved to South Carolina in June 2017.
The United States Marshal Service, Mecklenburg, and York County Sheriff Offices investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Day of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
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Former Sergeant for Gates County Sheriff’s Office Arrested for Stealing Firearms and Drugs from Criminal CasesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that a federal grand jury sitting returned an indictment charging BRANDON SCOTT HAWKS, 33, of Eure, NC with two-counts of possession of a stolen firearm, and one-count of possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of controlled substances. Each of the firearm offenses carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, and the drug offense carries a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison.
HAWKS was employed as a deputy with the Gates County Sheriff’s Office since 2006, and held the title of Sergeant in 2017. The indictment alleges that beginning on July 23, 2017, and continuing until December 6, 2017, HAWKS possessed a stolen firearm, specifically a Glock 26 handgun. The prosecution alleges that the firearm was unlawfully seized by HAWKS during a traffic stop on July 23, 2017, was never submitted as evidence to the Sheriff’s Office, and was found at HAWKS’ residence on December 6, 2017.
Count Two of the Indictment charges HAWKS with possessing a stolen firearm from May 27, 2014 until December 6, 2017. Finally, Count Three charges that on December 6, 2017, HAWKS possessed with the intent to distribute several controlled substances, to include heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. The controlled substances were considered property of the Gates County Sheriff’s Office and were seized during criminal investigations.
HAWKS was terminated from his employment with the Gates County Sheriff’s Office on December 6, 2017, the day that all of the above items were recovered.
This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative, which was newly implemented by United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and State Bureau of Investigation conducted the criminal investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Peggah B. Wilson is handling the prosecution of this case for the government.
Former Mississippi Tax Return Preparer Charged with Filing Fraudulent Refund ClaimsRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Teresa Chism, 48, a former resident of Durant, Mississippi, was arrested Friday on charges of filing fraudulent tax refund claims with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Ted A. Magee, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s New Orleans Field Office.
According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in January, Teresa Chism was a tax return preparer doing business under the name Lady T Taxes in Holmes County, Mississippi. Between February 2013 and April 2015, Chism prepared numerous tax false returns for clients which claimed fraudulent refunds. Chism is also charged with preparing a false tax return for an undercover agent. On the tax return, Chism reported false wages and false education expenses, which caused the claimed tax refund to increase to more than double the correct amount.
Chism appeared for arraignment today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball. The case is set for trial on June 25, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate in Jackson. If convicted, Chism faces statutory maximum penalties of five years in prison on each count of presenting a false claim to the IRS. She also faces monetary penalties and restitution.
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Helen Wall and DOJ Tax Division Trial Attorney Robert J. Boudreau.
The public is reminded that an indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Atlanta police sergeant sentenced to prison for using excessive force and obstructing investigationRead the Press Release
ATLANTA –Trevor King, a former sergeant with the Atlanta Police Department, was sentenced to five years in prison for using excessive force when he arrested a Walmart shopper who King wrongfully suspected of shoplifting a tomato and for writing a false police report about the incident in an effort to cover up his crime.
“King was punished today for willfully violating the Constitution by misusing his power to violently assault and injure an innocent man,” said U. S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “To make matters worse, he wrote a false incident report in an attempt to make the victim sound like the aggressor. King’s egregious misconduct is an affront to law enforcement officers who serve honorably and uphold their oath of office with integrity.”
“The defendant abused his authority as a police sergeant when he used a baton to brutally assault an innocent man and wrote a false report to cover up his crime,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore for the Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the Department’s commitment to prosecuting official misconduct cases and sends a strong message that any abuse of power will not be tolerated.”
“It is our duty in the FBI to uphold our Constitution and laws, which prohibit law enforcement officers from willfully using excessive force against non-resistant subjects,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Had Sgt. King respected his authority, like the vast majority of his fellow law enforcement officers who serve and protect, he would have quickly realized an arrest was not merited.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other evidence presented during King’s trial: On the evening of October 13, 2014, the victim, Tyrone Carnegay, was grocery shopping at a downtown Atlanta Walmart. After purchasing groceries, Carnegay returned to the produce aisle to weigh a tomato for which he believed he had been overcharged. Sergeant King saw Carnegay on the store’s security monitor weighing the tomato, and then walking out of the store after placing the tomato back into a bag. Suspecting that Carnegay was stealing the tomato, King drew his asp baton and stopped Carnegay at the store’s exit door. Within seconds of the stop, King began to strike Carnegay on his legs with the metal baton. After several blows, Carnegay fell to the floor. As he lay on the floor, King delivered a final baton strike, causing a compound fracture to Carnegay’s leg. After the assault, King found a receipt in Carnegay’s pocket for the groceries he had purchased, including the tomato.
King charged Carnegay with misdemeanor offenses for allegedly assaulting and obstructing a police officer, and authored a false police report justifying the beating. In that report, King claimed that Carnegay had attempted to push past King and had reached for King’s gun belt before King delivered any baton strikes.
Following surgery for his broken leg, Carnegay was transported from the hospital to Fulton County Jail, where he was held for several days before being released. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office later dismissed the charges against him,
Trevor King, 50, of Acworth, Georgia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to five years in prison, followed by three years supervised release. King was convicted on December 8, 2017, following a jury trial.
This case was investigated by the Atlanta Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Alan Gray and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Atlanta Police Sergeant Sentenced to Prison for Using Excessive Force and Obstructing InvestigationRead the Press Release
Federal District Court Judge Steve C. Jones today sentenced Trevor King, 50, a former sergeant with the Atlanta Police Department to five years in prison for using excessive force when he arrested a Walmart shopper who the officer wrongfully suspected of shoplifting a tomato and for writing a false report about the incident in an effort to cover up his crime. King was convicted on Dec. 8, 2017, following a jury trial. Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore, U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, and David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta made the announcement.
“The defendant abused his authority as a police sergeant when he used a baton to brutally assault an innocent man and wrote a false report to cover up his crime,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore for the Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the Department’s commitment to prosecuting official misconduct cases and sends a strong message that any abuse of power will not be tolerated.”
“King was punished today for willfully violating the Constitution by misusing his power to violently assault and injure an innocent man,” said U. S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “To make matters worse, he wrote a false incident report in an attempt to make the victim sound like the aggressor. King’s egregious misconduct is an affront to law enforcement officers who serve honorably and uphold their oath of office with integrity.”
“It is our duty in the FBI to uphold our Constitution and laws, which prohibit law enforcement officers from willfully using excessive force against non-resistant subjects,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Sgt. King should have respected his authority, like the vast majority of his fellow law enforcement officers who serve and protect.”
According to evidence presented during King’s trial, on the evening of Oct. 13, 2014, the victim, Tyrone Carnegay, was grocery shopping at a downtown Atlanta Walmart store. After purchasing groceries, Carnegay returned to the produce aisle to weigh a tomato for which he believed he had been overcharged. Former Sergeant King saw Carnegay on the store’s security monitor weighing the tomato, and then walking out of the store after placing the tomato back into a bag. Suspecting that Carnegay was stealing the tomato, King withdrew his asp baton and stopped Carnegay at the store’s exit door. Within seconds of the stop, King began to strike Carnegay on his legs with the metal baton. After several blows, Carnegay fell to the floor. As he lay on the floor, King delivered a final baton strike, causing a compound fracture to Carnegay’s leg. After the assault, King found a receipt in Carnegay’s pocket for the groceries he had purchased, including the tomato.
King charged Carnegay with misdemeanor offenses for allegedly assaulting and obstructing a police officer, and authored a false police report justifying the beating. In that report, King claimed that Carnegay had attempted to push past King and had reached for King’s gun belt before King delivered any baton strikes.
Following surgery for his broken leg, Carnegay was transported from the hospital to Fulton County Jail, where he was held for several days before being released. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office later dismissed the charges against him.
When King is released from prison, he will be under federal supervision for three years.
This case was investigated by the Atlanta Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brent Alan Gray and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Possessing Images of Child Sexual Abuse While IncarceratedRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A federal inmate already serving a lengthy sentence for a child pornography conviction was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for possessing images of child pornography while incarcerated, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Erik M. Smith, 36, of Iron Mountain, Michigan, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an information charging him with possession of child pornography through the use of a contraband micro SD card. Smith was already serving a 235-month sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix (FCI Fort Dix) for his conviction in the Western District of Michigan for receipt of child pornography. Judge Rodriguez imposed today’s sentence in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Smith possessed a 16-gigabyte micro SD card containing 263 images of child pornography, including 213 sexually explicit images of prepubescent children. He told another inmate the SD card included “mostly boy stuff,” referring to images of boys. Smith admitted that he downloaded these and other images of child pornography from a cloud account on behalf of other inmates.
Smith and seven other inmates were arrested in April 2017 and February 2018 following an FBI investigation involving multiple covert recordings and several cooperating inmates. The investigation revealed that Smith and other inmates utilized contraband cellphones, micro SD cards, and access to the internet to obtain, view, and distribute child pornography within the prison. A co-defendant organized and helped facilitate this criminal activity by maintaining cloud accounts that were used as repositories for child pornography.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced Smith to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked officials of the Bureau of Prisons at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gabriel Vidoni and Alyson M. Oswald of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
Defense counsel: Mark W. Catanzaro Esq., Mount Holly, New Jersey
Espanola Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Goldyne Duran, 27, of Espanola, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The FBI and HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force arrested Duran in Aug. 2017, on a criminal complaint alleging that she possessed heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute on July 11, 2017, in Rio Arriba County, N.M. According to the complaint, law enforcement agents seized approximately 41.9 ounces (1,187.85 grams) of heroin, 13.3 ounces (377.05 grams) of cocaine, 17.6 ounces (498.95 grams) of methamphetamine, large amounts of currency, a firearm, and drug paraphernalia while executing a state search warrant on Duran’s residence.
During today’s proceedings, Duran pled guilty to a felony information charging her with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Duran admitted that on July 11, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at her residence where they seized four large bundles of cash, heroin weighing more than a kilogram, and more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Duran admitted possessing the heroin and methamphetamine with the intention of distributing the drugs to others.
After entering her guilty plea, Duran was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service and will be detained pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Duran faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Santa Fe office of the FBI and the HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force. The HIDTA – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area – Program is a program of the White House Office National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) that facilitates cooperation among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to foster intelligence sharing and to support the execution of effective enforcement operations aimed at dismantling drug trafficking organization in critical drug trafficking regions of the United States. The HIDTA Region III Narcotics Task Force is comprised of the New Mexico State Police, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Elizabeth City Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced JEREL LEON JORDAN, 27, of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to 195 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.
JORDAN was named in a three-count Superseding Indictment on April 18, 2017. On August 21, 2017, JORDAN pled not guilty. During a bench trial on December 1, 2017, JORDAN was found guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug-Trafficking Crime, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
JORDAN distributed cocaine and cocaine base (hereinafter, crack cocaine) in the Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County areas of North Carolina from at least 2015 until his arrest on December 28, 2016. Multiple informants provided law enforcement with information to substantiate that JORDAN was trafficking crack cocaine from his home and was known to carry a firearm.
Law enforcement authorities then began surveilling JORDAN’S home and movements. As a routine, JORDAN left his residence in Elizabeth City each day, traveled to various locations in and around Elizabeth City where he made several hand-to-hand drug deliveries to various individuals known to be drug dealers, and then returned to his residence in Elizabeth City.
On December 28, 2016, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for JORDAN’S residence. Later that day, during the execution of the search warrant at JORDAN’S home, law enforcement authorities found: (1) a .45 caliber handgun loaded with seven rounds of ammunition; (2) 226.25 grams of cocaine; (3) 156.05 grams of crack cocaine; (4) 41 rounds of ammunition; (5) digital scales; (6) a money counter; (7) two gun cases; and (8) two boxes of sandwich bags.
JORDAN immediately provided a statement in which he advised he began selling street-level quantities of crack cocaine when he was 13 or 14 years old. He stated that he “stepped up” his drug activities in early 2016 when he began purchasing and selling one-half kilogram of crack cocaine each month. However, JORDAN added that there were months when he sold as much as one kilogram of crack cocaine (6.5 kilograms of crack cocaine).
The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, Elizabeth City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) conducted the criminal investigation of this case. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Belle Kessler handled the prosecution of this case for the United States
Eagle Butte Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor was sentenced on May 3, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Charles Edwards, age 37, was sentenced to 36 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Edwards was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 21, 2017. He pled guilty on January 16, 2018.
Between December 13, 2013, and December 12, 2016, Edwards engaged in a sexual act with a minor who had attained the age of 12 years old, but had not attained the age of 16 years old and was at least 4 years younger than Edwards.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case.
Edwards was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Eagle Butte Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man charged with Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on April 30, 2018, by U.S. District Court Judge Roberto A. Lange.
David Brody Gunville, age 31, was sentenced to 48 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims fund in the amount of $100.
Gunville was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 19, 2017, for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Distribution of a Controlled Substance. Gunville pleaded guilty on January 24, 2018.
Between July, 2015, and January 19, 2017, Gunville conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine. Gunville admitted that he received distributable quantities of methamphetamine from others who knew he intended to further distribute the methamphetamine in South Dakota. He agreed it was forseeable that between 200 to 350 grams of methamphetamine would be distributed during the course of the conspiracy.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Narcotics Division, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case.
Gunville was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Dillion Man Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Gerald Arnette, Jr., of Dillion, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for bank fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344. United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell, of Florence, sentenced the defendant to one year and a day in federal prison.
Evidence presented established that the defendant was a loan officer at Citizens Bank in Florence, South Carolina. In his role as loan officer, the defendant used his position to fraudulently obtain loans, some of which he received kickbacks for obtaining. Moreover, information was presented that the defendant paid back over $150,000 dollars to the bank thereby making full restitution for the loans that were fraudulently issued.
The case was investigated by agents of the FBI and US Postal Inspector. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Richardson of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
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Delaware Man Sentenced to Three Years for Heroin and Crack TraffickingRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Kyle Rivers, 26, of Bear, Delaware, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.” He pleaded guilty on November 28, 2017.
Court records reveal that on August 1, 2017, law enforcement officers searched the defendant’s hotel room in Brunswick, Maine, and seized heroin, cocaine base, Xanax pills, and about $10,500 in drug proceeds. At the time of this offense, the defendant was on probation in Maryland following a drug trafficking conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, and the Brunswick and Bath Police Departments and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.