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Wednesday 21 March 2018
Canadian Man Charged by Superseding Indictment for Committing an Act of Terrorism Transcending National BoundariesRead the Press Release
Amor M. Ftouhi, 50, of Montreal, Canada, who was previously indicted in July 2017, for charges relating to an attack on a Bishop Airport officer in Flint, Michigan, was charged today with an additional offense of committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider for the Eastern District of Michigan and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffery E. Peterson of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office made the announcement.
United States Attorney Schneider stated, “This additional terrorism charge against Mr. Ftouhi shows we will — to the fullest extent of the law — vigorously prosecute terrorists who seek to harm the people of Michigan.”
"Today's superseding indictment is a clear example of the work done by the Detroit Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to hold accountable those who seek to harm U.S. citizens on behalf of a foreign terrorist group. The indictment speaks to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and intelligence professionals at the state, local and federal level, as well as the FBI’s close relationship with our international partners in Canada," said Jeffery E. Peterson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI.
According to court records, Mr. Ftouhi entered the United States from Canada for the purpose of killing government personnel in the United States. Before entering the United States on June 16, 2017, while in Canada, Mr. Ftouhi conducted online research of American gun laws and for gun shows in Michigan. Mr. Ftouhi subsequently traveled to Michigan where he was unsuccessful in purchasing a gun and purchased a knife instead. On June 20, 2017, Mr. Ftouhi walked up to the victim, who is a lieutenant with the Bishop Airport Authority and was in full uniform, and stabbed the police officer in the neck with a knife. Mr. Ftouhi referenced killings in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and yelled “Allahu Akbar.” After his arrest, Mr. Ftouhi told law enforcement that he was a “soldier of Allah” and subscribed to the ideology of al-Qaeda and Usama bin Laden.
Ftouhi will be arraigned on the new indictment in federal court in Flint. The defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
California Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Federal Prison for Laundering $350,000 in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Julio Cesar Rosales Saucedo, age 25, of Paramount, California, was sentenced after having pleaded guilty on December 19, 2017, to conspiracy to commit money laundering of drug proceeds. Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea sentenced Saucedo to an 87-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tri-Cities Safe Streets Task Force, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Federal Serious Organized Crime Unit, conducted an undercover money laundering investigation of a transnational drug trafficking organization. Investigators determined the organization trafficked heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine from Mexico through Los Angeles, California to the Eastern District of Washington. According to court records, Saucedo assisted the organization by laundering over $350,000 in drug proceeds, picking up large cash drops and trafficking drugs to the Eastern District of Washington. Saucedo’s fingerprints were recovered from the packaging on 700 grams of pure fentanyl that investigators seized during the investigation.
Joseph H. Harrington said, “I commend the federal, state, local and Canadian law enforcement officers who worked on this case. Their seamless partnership resulted in the successful outcome in this matter. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for offenders who launder drug proceeds in this District.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tri-Cities Safe Streets Task Force, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Federal Serious Organized Crime Unit. This case was prosecuted by Stephanie Van Marter, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
California Man Indicted on Mail and Wire Fraud Conspiracy Charges for Telemarketing SchemeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Naif Wedad Nazer (39, Laguna Niguel, California) with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies him that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $811,162.06, the proceeds of the charged criminal offense.
According to the indictment, between 2011 and 2015, Nazer founded and operated 10 different businesses, each of which engaged in cold-calling timeshare owners across the United States and fraudulently inducing them to pay advance fees for services that the businesses never intended to render. Nazer, and others that he had recruited for this scheme, made a series of false claims to victims, including that Nazer’s businesses would help the owner market his or her timeshare; that they had identified buyers to purchase the timeshare; that they would facilitate the sale of the timeshare; and that they would refund the advance fee within a prescribed time period if the timeshare sale did not go through.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
Cairo Man Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Assisting in the 2014 Attempted Armed Robbery of First National Bank in Cairo and Other Related CrimesRead the Press Release
Otha Don Watkins, III, 35, of Cairo, Illinois, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Benton to 23 years in prison for assisting James Nathanial Watts in the May 15, 2014, attempted armed robbery of the First National Bank in Cairo and for other related crimes, announced Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Watkins admitted that he assisted Watts in the planning of the robbery, drove him to the bank on May 15, and served as a lookout while communicating with Watts via a hand-held radio. After failing to obtain any money, Watts killed long-time bank employees Anita Grace and Nita Jo Smith and seriously injured a third employee.
Watkins had previously pled guilty in January 2018 to assisting Watts in that offense and to making false statements to the FBI during the investigation of the attempted bank robbery, possessing a stolen firearm, and conspiring with Watts to commit robberies that interfered with interstate commerce. That conspiracy included both the attempted robbery of the First National Bank and the successful May 2014 armed robbery of over $12,000 from a McDonald’s Restaurant in Charleston, Missouri.
The 23-year sentence was imposed consecutively to a 155-month federal prison sentence which Watkins was already serving for the armed robbery of another McDonald’s restaurant in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in October 2014. According to information from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Watkins will not finish serving that sentence until January 7, 2026. Watkins will begin serving the 23-year sentence imposed today after that date.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Watkins was ordered to pay a total of $12,062.51 in restitution to the owner of the Charleston McDonalds and its insurer. Watkins was also placed on a five-year term of supervised release to follow his incarceration. After sentencing, Watkins was returned to the custody of the United States Marshal to await his return to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
James Watts was previously sentenced in May 2017 to life in prison plus ten years for his role in these crimes.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Illinois State Police with the assistance of numerous other law enforcement agencies in Illinois and Missouri.
Bunnell Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal Prison for Firearms and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Travis Demond Johnson (38, Bunnell) to eight years and nine months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for selling cocaine on two occasions. He pleaded guilty on November 9, 2017.
According to court documents, on June 9, 2017, Johnson sold crack cocaine and a firearm to a confidential informant (CI). A few weeks later, he again sold crack cocaine to the CI. During a traffic stop on August 2, 2017, Johnson was arrested by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office for possessing crack cocaine. The following week, while on bond for his state charges related to the traffic stop, Johnson again sold crack cocaine to the CI. On August 18, 2017, Johnson sold crack cocaine and a second firearm to the CI; he also brandished a third firearm. On August 24, 2017, a search warrant executed at Johnson’s home revealed additional crack cocaine and a fourth firearm. Johnson was prohibited from possessing firearms – two of which had been reported stolen – due to his previous felony convictions for attempted second degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, battery on a law enforcement officer, and possession of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Involvement in Multi-Million Dollar Heroin, Cocaine, and Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Maulana Lucas, 43, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $20,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan A. Tokash and Michael P. Felicetta, who are handling the case, stated that between January 2013 and September 2015, the defendant and his girlfriend formed a relationship with co-defendant Darryl Williams to assist Williams with receiving drug shipments from California, distributing the drugs, and collecting proceeds the Western District of New York and elsewhere. In the Western District of New York alone, the defendant assisted in collecting a total of approximately $19,000,000 in cash in drug proceeds.
In May 2014, as part of the conspiracy, Lucas was directed by co-defendant Williams to meet with another co-defendant, Sonia Hernandez, to receive kilograms of cocaine.
From July 15, 2014, through March 18, 2015, Lucas received 29 pallets of shipments of illegal drugs from Herman Aguirre. Each pallet contained a mixture of approximately 30-50 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. The drugs were then distributed in the Western District of New York and in other cities and states. The defendant assisted in breaking down pallets of drugs and in collecting drug proceeds from surrounding states. The drugs were shipped in crates or pallets, disguised as microwaves or furniture. The drugs were unloaded at a local warehouse. Lucas also directed his girlfriend to store kilograms of drugs in the bedroom of her apartment in the Western District of New York.
On March 23, 2015, Buffalo Police seized 22 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of heroin, and eight kilograms of fentanyl at the defendant’s girlfriend’s apartment.Lucas was arrested in August 2016 along with 16 other defendants. To date, two of the defendants have been convicted. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kelly, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vilardo.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Archie Phillips, 45, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that between December 2012 and March 12, 2013, the defendant shipped kilogram bricks of cocaine from Houston, Texas to Buffalo, NY for distribution. Co-conspirators, including Beverly Fields, would then package cash proceeds from the cocaine distribution and ship the currency from the Buffalo area to the defendant in Houston. The defendant utilized a storage locker in Houston, to store some of the drug proceeds. In March 2013, DEA Special Agents found $284,980 in cash in plastic bags stored in the locker.
Beverly Fields has been convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
One of the defendant’s customers was Tyshawn Bradley, who was convicted of multiple charges including conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine within 1000 feet of the Perry Housing Projects.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons; and the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Charles Salina.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. before Judge Skretny.
Bradenton Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Shavon Montgomery (38, Bradenton) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine and a substance containing fentanyl and heroin. She pleaded guilty on December 20, 2017.
According to court documents, on two occasions in March 2017, Montgomery sold crack cocaine to an undercover deputy from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. On April 26, 2017, and May 4, 2017, she sold substances containing fentanyl and heroin to an undercover officer from the Bradenton Police Department. During the second transaction, Montgomery agreed to sell more fentanyl to the officer later that day, and shortly thereafter arranged a time and location to conduct the sale. When Montgomery reversed course on her way to the agreed upon location for the second sale, an officer stopped the vehicle and searched Montgomery and her two passengers. One of the passengers possessed the fentanyl that Montgomery had arranged to sell to the undercover officer. In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 33 grams of fentanyl and heroin during this investigation.
This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation entitled “Hot Batch.” The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The investigation was conducted by the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.
Belmont County woman sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Faith Diane Leasure, of Bridgeport, Ohio was sentenced today to 36 months incarceration for her role in a crack cocaine distribution operation, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Leasure, age 23, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Crack Cocaine.” Leasure admitted to selling crack cocaine in Ohio County in August 2016.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Bank robber sentenced to 14 years in prisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Rondell Muwwakkil has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for robbing five metro-Atlanta banks in 2016. He passed notes to tellers at banks inside of stores demanding they give him small bills in each robbery.
“Muwwakkil never cared about the terror he caused when robbing these banks,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “Regardless of whether a robber uses a weapon or a simple note to rob a bank, it makes no difference. As we continue to employ our Project Safe Neighborhood initiative, we will continue to prosecute anyone who drives violent crimes in the district.”
“The FBI would like to thank the public who helped us locate and arrest this suspect,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “As frightening as the five robberies were to the victims in the banks, there is little doubt there would have been more robberies, and more victims, had it not been for a concerned citizen’s tip.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Rondell Muwwakkil committed five bank robberies in August 2016. He committed each of the robberies by passing the bank teller a note demanding money. The robberies were scattered throughout the metro-Atlanta area.
On August 12, 2016, Muwwakkil took a taxi to the Best Bank located inside a Kroger in Decatur, Georgia, and then he went inside and robbed it. On August 17, 2016, He again took a different taxi to the same Best Bank inside of Kroger in Decatur, Georgia, then proceeded inside the store and robbed the bank. On August 22, 2016, he robbed a Best Bank inside of a Kroger in Ellenwood, Georgia, and on August 27, 2016, he robbed the Woodforest National Bank inside a Walmart in Duluth, Georgia. Finally, on August 30, 2016, he robbed the Woodforest National Bank inside the Walmart in Newnan, Georgia.
In each robbery, Muwwakkil waited in line as if he were a regular customer. When he reached the teller, he passed them a note that told them to give him all loose bills in $100s, $50s, $20s, and $10s. Muwwakkil then took the money and fled the robbery scene. Muwwakkil was identified as the robber by a tip called in to the FBI. His fingerprints were also found on the demand note given to the bank teller in the August 22 bank robbery.
Rondell Muwwakkil, 48, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $7,961.00 in restitution. Muwwakkil was convicted of the August 22 and 27, 2016 robberies on January 5, 2018, after he pleaded guilty to those robberies.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary L. Webb prosecuted the case.
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.
Bakersfield Trucking School Owner and Former DMV Employee Charged in Scheme to Fraudulently Issue Commercial Driver’s LicensesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Two Bakersfield residents were arrested today for their for their roles in a conspiracy to sell California driver’s licenses to unqualified drivers, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
On March 15, 2018, a federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment against Paramjit Singh Mangat, 54, and Javier Jesus Hernandez-Herrera, 54, charging them with criminal conspiracy, six counts of unlawful production of an identification document, and six counts of unlawful transfer of an identification document.
According to court documents, Mangat operated driving schools in Bakersfield that ostensibly provided training to those seeking to obtain driver licenses, including Akal Truck Driving School and Akal Driving School. When students had difficulty passing DMV examinations, in return for money, Mangat offered to assist them in obtaining fraudulently issued, yet official licenses through Mangat’s contact, Herrera, a DMV employee.
From approximately June 2012 through August 24, 2016, Mangat conspired with Herrera, a Licensing Registration Examiner at a DMV office in Bakersfield. In return for monetary payment, Herrera agreed to access the students’ DMV records and alter the records to reflect that the individual had passed DMV written and/or behind-the-wheel examinations, when, in fact, the individual had not passed one or more required DMV tests. Herrera’s alteration of the records resulted in the DMV issuing a California driver’s license and mailing it to that individual. The indictment also charges the unlawful production and transfer of six specific commercial licenses.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Department of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Investigations Division Office of Internal Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Z. Carbajal III and David L. Gappa are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Mangat and Herrera face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge and a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the charges of unlawful production and transfer of identification documents. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Attorney General Sessions Will Travel to Birmingham to Address the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) CEO LuncheonRead the Press Release
****** MEDIA ADVISORY *******
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions will travel to Birmingham
FRIDAY, March 23, 2018, to address the NOBLE CEO luncheon.
WHO: Attorney General Jeff Sessions
WHAT: Attorney General Sessions will address the NOBLE CEO luncheon.
WHEN: 12:45 pm. CDT
Friday, March 23, 2018
WHERE: Sheraton Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham Ballroom 3 & 4 (floor/lobby level)
2101 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N
Birmingham, AL 35203
OPEN PRESS
(Camera Preset time for K9 sweep: 11:30 a.m. CDT// Final access time for print media: 12:30 p.m. CDT)
NOTE: Media must RSVP and present government-issued photo I.D. and valid media credentials. Please RSVP via email to Kelly Laco in the Office of Public Affairs at [email protected] or 202-305-5219. Please RSVP with the email addresses of the person(s) attending the event, so that we may reach them directly if details change.
# # #
Attorney General Sessions Issues Memo to U.S. Attorneys on the Use of Capital Punishment in Drug-Related ProsecutionsRead the Press Release
Today Attorney General Sessions issued the following memo to U.S. Attorneys providing guidance regarding the use of capital punishment in drug-related prosecutions:
"The opioid epidemic has inflicted an unprecedented toll of addiction, suffering, and death on communities throughout our nation. Drug overdoses, including overdoses caused by the lethal substance fentanyl and its analogues, killed more than 64,000 Americans in 2016 and now rank as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. In the face of all of this death, we cannot continue with business as usual.
"Drug traffickers, transnational criminal organizations, and violent street gangs all contribute substantially to this scourge. To combat this deadly epidemic, federal prosecutors must consider every lawful tool at their disposal. This includes designating an opioid coordinator in every district, fully utilizing the data analysis of the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, as well as using criminal and civil remedies available under federal law to hold opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable for unlawful practices.
"In addition, this should also include the pursuit of capital punishment in appropriate cases. Congress has passed several statutes that provide the Department with the ability to seek capital punishment for certain drug-related crimes. Among these are statutes that punish certain racketeering activities (18 U.S.C. § 1959); the use of a firearm resulting in death during a drug trafficking crime (18 U.S.C. § 924(j)); murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise (21 U.S.C. § 848(e)); and dealing in extremely large quantities of drugs (18 U.S.C. § 3591(b)(1)). I strongly encourage federal prosecutors to use these statutes, when appropriate, to aid in our continuing fight against drug trafficking and the destruction it causes in our nation."Note: To view the signed memo click here.
Assistant Tuskegee Football Coach Arrested on Federal Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, Ramone Jardon Nickerson, 33, of Phenix City, Alabama, was arrested on two charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one charge of possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., from the Middle District of Alabama. Nickerson was an assistant football coach at Tuskegee University.
The charges stem from allegations that Nickerson was selling cocaine and marijuana in the Tuskegee area. Nickerson was indicted by a federal grand jury after being found with approximately 3 ounces of cocaine, a pound of marijuana, and a .40 caliber handgun on March 13, 2018 in Russell County.
If convicted, Nickerson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the drug trafficking charges, and at least 5 years for the firearms charge. There is no parole in the federal system.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Gulf Coast H.I.D.T.A., Montgomery Police Department, Autauga County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Alabama Attorney General’s Office, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Prattville Police Department, and Russell County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ben Baxley is prosecuting the case.
Tuesday 20 March 2018
Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Enticing a MinorRead the Press Release
A man who enticed a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on March 19, 2018.
Carson Sibley, age 26, from Lacrosse, Wisconsin, received the prison term after pleading guilty to one count of enticement of a minor. At the plea hearing, Sibley admitted that, in 2017, he persuaded a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Sibley met minors while playing online video games. Sibley then communicated with these minors, sometimes while pretending to be female, to entice the minors into sending him sexually explicit pictures and videos. Sibley also twice travelled to Grundy County, Iowa, while hoping to have sex with a minor. Sibley had previously been convicted of child pornography offenses and was still on probation at the time he was enticing the minors in this case.
Sibley was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Sibley was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Sibley 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 Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the LaCrosse Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-CR-53.
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Westwego Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking More Than 1,000 Kilograms of Marijuana and Laundering the ProceedsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MICHAEL KWAN, age 33, of Westwego, pled guilty today to two counts of an indictment charging marijuana trafficking and money laundering offenses, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A), and 846, and 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(1)(A)(i), (a)(1)(B)(i), and (h).
According to court documents, Louisiana State Police seized a shipment containing approximately 420 pounds of marijuana hidden in 12 steel drums and bound for KWAN’s Westwego warehouse. Shipping records showed that KWAN had received numerous similar shipments from his California supplier in the past, and a search of KWAN’s Westwego warehouse revealed another 161 similar steel drums. KWAN admitted to laundering the proceeds from his marijuana trafficking by using the drug money to buy seafood from fishermen before reselling it to restaurants and seafood retailers.
KWAN pled guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiring to launder the proceeds. For the drug charge, KWAN faces a term of imprisonment of at least ten years and up to life, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. For the money laundering charge, KWAN faces up to twenty years in prison, a fine of $500,000, and up to five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
Judge Zainey set sentencing for June 16, 2018.
United States Attorney Evans praised the work of the Louisiana State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas D. Moses and Jeffrey Sandman are in charge of the prosecution.
Westport Inn and Restaurant to Make Changes to Comply with Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached settlement agreements with the Inn at Longshore in Westport, the Pearl at Longshore Restaurant in Westport, and the Town of Westport, to resolve allegations that the Inn at Longshore and the Pearl at Longshore Restaurant were not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).
The Inn at Longshore leases its premises from the Town of Westport, which provides parking facilities for the Inn at Longshore and Pearl at Longshore Restaurant. The Pearl at Longshore Restaurant leases its premises from the Inn at Longshore.
The settlement agreements resolve an ADA complaint filed by an individual with disabilities alleging that the Inn at Longshore and Pearl at Longshore Restaurant were not accessible for individuals with physical disabilities. The inn, restaurant and town are in the process of making the changes required by the settlement agreements, which include increasing the accessibility of the entrance to the inn, doubling the number of accessible parking spaces, adding an accessible bathroom for use by restaurant patrons and visitors to the inn, providing guest rooms with communication features, ensuring the restaurant’s porch is accessible, and increasing the number of accessible dining seats within the restaurant. The Town of Westport and the Pearl at Longshore Restaurant will make improvements over the next six months and the Inn at Longshore will continue to make improvements over the next two years.
Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including restaurants and inns, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability. Similarly, public entities, such as municipalities, are obligated under federal law to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from participation in the public entities’ services, programs or activities because of facilities that are inaccessible or unusable for individuals with disabilities. The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities. The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages and civil penalties.
U.S. Attorney Durham noted that the ownership of the Inn at Longshore and the Pearl at Longshore Restaurant have worked quickly and cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to address the ADA issues without litigation and that the Town of Westport offered critical and expeditious support in facilitating settlement of these matters.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that individuals are able to access and enjoy the state’s restaurants, inns and other places of public accommodation,” stated U.S. Attorney Durham. “Our Office is committed to enforcing the ADA, which requires businesses to appropriately serve the diverse populations of patrons who live, work, and visit Connecticut. We appreciate the cooperation of the ownership of the Inn at Longshore and the Pearl at Longshore Restaurant, as well as the leadership of the Town of Westport, all of which contributed to the quick resolution of this matter.”
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.
Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica H. Soufer of the District of Connecticut in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
Waterloo Drug User Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
A man who unlawfully possessed a loaded handgun and ammunition was sentenced on March 19, 2018, to nearly a year in federal prison.
Kamechie Coffer, age 20, originally from Mississippi but now residing in Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to one count of being a drug user in possession of ammunition. Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Coffer possessed a loaded handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition while riding in a car in Waterloo on July 16, 2017. Waterloo police stopped the car and then found the loaded handgun and individually packaged bags of marijuana. Coffer was arrested. While he was being transported to jail, he removed multiple bullets from his pockets and dropped them in the police car. While on release pending trial, Coffer violated his conditions of release by possessing a second gun.
Coffer was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Coffer was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. He 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 a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-CR-2075.
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Virginia Man Sentenced on Fraud ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Michael Martin, 58, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was sentenced to 48 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $1,113,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys MaryEllen Kresse and Elizabeth R. Moellering, who handled the case, stated that in March 2013, the defendant, operating as Capital Source Lending, LLC, agreed to work with co-defendant Christopher Venti, operating as Viewpoint Solutions Group and Secured Strategies LLC, to establish a fraudulent investment scheme involving multiple victims.
Victims who were interested in obtaining funding were solicited by Christopher Venti and others. The solicitations involved false promises of, among other things, access to “blocked” bank accounts that purportedly contained the funds victims sought. Victims were required to make advance payments into escrow in order to establish the “blocked” bank accounts in their names. Victims were falsely and fraudulently told that the “blocked” bank accounts would contain 10 times the amount of funds placed in escrow and would be accessible to the victims in approximately 30 days. The advance payments were to be released from escrow by the victim upon the victim’s confirmation that the “blocked” bank account had been established in the victim’s name.
Victims were given letters on bank letterhead that purported to confirm the existence of the “blocked” bank accounts. In reality, the defendant Martin, Venti, and others knew that the bank letters were fraudulent, and that the confirmation process established in the escrow agreements signed by the victims, was fraudulent. Pre-arranged numbers victims were instructed to call directed them to others involved in the scheme who falsely represented to victims that they worked at the respective bank and that they could confirm the existence of the claimed “blocked” bank account.
Defendant Martin and Venti attempted to obtain $1,240,000 from six individuals, two of whom sent the defendant and Venti a total of $300,000. Martin also admitted his involvement in two other fraudulent schemes, both involving false representations that Martin could obtain funding for the victims through the alleged “monetizing” of a bank instrument. None of the defendant’s victims received the funds promised by the defendant.
Christopher Venti has been convicted for his involvement in this and other investment fraud schemes and is awaiting sentencing.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons.
Union County, New Jersey, Man Admits Interstate Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Elizabeth, New Jersey, man today admitted operating a scheme to fraudulently obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in commercial and residential merchandise from various companies, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Roy Depack, a/k/a “Ray Depack,” a/k/a “Roy Soriano,” a/k/a “John Soriano,” 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in 2014, Depack and others conspired to fraudulently obtain merchandise – including Apple computers, digital scales, a walk-in freezer, a snow blower, a gas backpack blower, Samsung televisions, and Milwaukie tools kits – from at least six different victim companies. In total, Depack fraudulently obtained and attempted to obtain over $900,000 in merchandise.
As part of the scheme, Depack called the victim companies and falsely claimed to be a representative of companies that had preexisting business relationships, lines of credit, or accounts with the victim companies. Depack would then direct the victim companies to ship the products to various addresses in New York, Newark, Elizabeth, and Union, New Jersey, while the victims billed the companies that Depack was pretending to represent. Depack and others sold the goods to pawn stores and other individuals.
For example, on April 10, 2017, Depack, using the name "Mike Clarke" and falsely claiming to be a representative of a food distribution company, ordered one digital scale, valued at approximately $3,614, from a victim identified in the information as “Company Six” and directed that it be delivered to Elizabeth. After the scale was delivered on April 11, 2017, Depack and another individual sold it at a pawn store in Newark for approximately $700.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for June 26, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley W. Cohen in Newark, and postal inspectors from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Ruth M. Mendonca, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Moscato, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Defense Counsel: Dennis S. Cleary Esq., West Orange, New Jersey
Union County, New Jersey, Auto Dealer Admits Laundering Proceeds of Fraud on Russian CitizensRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey auto dealer today admitted laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars generated by a scheme to defraud Russian citizen of monies, paid in advance, for the purchase of luxury automobiles shipped from the United States, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Sergey Kapustin, 49, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Kapustin was the owner and president of Global Auto Group, Effect Auto Sales and G Auto Sales, located in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Global bought and sold used cars, typically high-end vehicles that were routinely classified as “salvaged.”
From January 2008 through December 2014, Kapustin defrauded customers, who usually lived in Russia, Ukraine or members of the former Soviet Union. He had at least one Russian language website that offered for sale luxury vehicles that were normally priced below market value and that could be shipped to Finland for easy delivery to Russian citizens, but only if they agreed to pay full price in advance for the vehicle. He admitted that his customers routinely either did not receive the vehicles for which they had wired payment or, alternatively, were shipped vehicles that were either not operable or in poor condition
Once the funds were deposited into one the several bank accounts Kapustin controlled, he would move those funds to other accounts from which he withdrew funds to continue the scheme, as well as for his own personal use. Kapustin admitted laundering as much as $550,000 of customer down payments.
The count to which Kapustin pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 10, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley W. Cohen in Newark, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel V. Grady O’Malley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit.
Defense: Carol Gillen Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi Collects Almost $5 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions for U.S. Taxpayers in Fiscal Year 2017Read the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – United States Attorney Mike Hurst announced today that the Southern District of Mississippi collected $4,678,223.77 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2017. Of this amount, $2,310,064.36 was collected in criminal actions and $2,368,159.41 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Southern District of Mississippi worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the U.S. Department of Justice to collect an additional $9,899,364.47 in cases pursued jointly with these offices. Of this amount, $8,008.00 was collected in criminal actions and $9,891,356.47 was collected in civil actions.
Overall, the Justice Department collected just over $15 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2017.
"This office will continue to be relentless in pursuing restitution for victims, seizing ill-gotten gains from criminals, and recovering funds owed to taxpayers. I commend the men and women in our office for their collection efforts on behalf of the American people through their tenacious pursuit of justice every single day," stated U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.
On example of these collection efforts occurred this past August, when Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. ("HII"), a publicly traded company headquartered in Newport, Virginia, agreed to a $9.2 million settlement of allegations that it had violated the False Claims Act by knowingly overbilling the government for labor on U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships at its shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Under the settlement, the second largest under the False Claims Act in the history of the Southern District of Mississippi, HII paid the United States $7.9 million, which, combined with earlier repayments, resulted in the settlement recovery of approximately $9.2 million. The civil settlement resolved alleged labor mischarging on various
U.S. Navy and Coast Guard contracts dating back to 2003. The settlement also resolved claims disclosed by HII that it had billed the Navy and Coast Guard for dive operations to support ship hull construction that did not actually occur as claimed.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims’ Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws. In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and Department of Education.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $5,414,108 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2017. This is the third largest collection among medium-sized U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the nation, and ranks in the top third of all U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
Two New York National Guard Soldiers Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Recruitment Bonus SchemeRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that EVETTE MERCED, a Staff Sergeant in the New York Army National Guard, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, and her husband, DARRYL HARRISON, a Sergeant First Class in the New York Army National Guard, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, for leading a scheme designed to fraudulently obtain recruiting bonuses intended to reward those who legitimately recruited soldiers to the Army National Guard. MERCED and HARRISON pled guilty on June 16, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV to conspiracy to commit theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “While most join the military to serve their country, Evette Merced and Darryl Harrison enriched themselves by fraudulently obtaining recruiting bonuses. Today, they were sentenced to prison for defrauding the military and American taxpayers.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings:
In September 2005, the Army National Guard established a recruiting bonus program, referred to as the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP), administered by a private company, Document and Packaging Broker, Inc. (Docupak). The G-RAP was designed to offer referral bonus payments to Army National Guard soldiers not otherwise involved in Army National Guard recruitment efforts for civilians the soldiers successfully convinced to serve in the Army National Guard. A participating soldier, also known as a Recruiting Assistant (“RA”), could receive up to $2,000 in bonus payments for referring another individual to join. To participate in the program, a soldier was required to establish an online account in his or her name to record the referral and recruitment efforts. The RA would input the personal identifying information of each recruit into the account. Based on certain milestones achieved by the referred soldier, a participating soldier could then receive payment through direct deposit into the participating soldier’s designated bank account. Soldiers who were themselves serving as paid recruiters for the Army National Guard as part of the National Guard’s standard recruitment program were not eligible to participate in the G-RAP or to receive a referral bonus payment, as the G-RAP was intended to be a supplement to the National Guard’s standard recruiting program.
Beginning in 2007, MERCED and HARRISON abused their positions as members of the Army National Guard then serving as full-time salaried recruiters for the Army National Guard by providing the personal identifying information of potential soldiers to various RAs in exchange for thousands of dollars in kickbacks. The RAs then used their respective online RA accounts to falsely claim that they were responsible for referring those soldiers to the New York Army National Guard. After making those false claims, those RAs received referral bonus payments totaling more than $77,000 from the G-RAP, and kicked back a significant portion of those payments to MERCED and HARRISON.
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In addition to their prison terms, MERCED, 47, and HARRISON, 53, both of Charlotte, North Carolina, were each sentenced to two years of supervised release. MERCED was also ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $28,000 and restitution in the amount of $77,000. HARRISON was ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $10,250 and restitution in the amount of $77,000.
Mr. Berman praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Army Criminal Investigation Command.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Boone is in charge of the prosecution.
Two Mexican citizens charged for illegally reentering the U.S. after deportationRead the Press Release
Two Mexican citizens were charged with illegally reentering the United States after multiple deportations, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman.
Joel Tovar-Leon, 36, was previously deported four times when he was found in Ohio on Feb. 26, according to the indictment.
Rogelio Cervantes-Huezo, 45, was found in Ohio on Feb. 26 after having been previously deported, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The cases were investigated by the United States Border Patrol and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Freeman.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two KC Men Plead Guilty to Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Kansas City, Mo., men have pleaded guilty in federal court to a series of armed robberies following their arrests after a head-on collision with a police vehicle in a Quik Trip parking lot.
Roy L. House, Jr., 38, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to conspiracy to commit robbery and to brandishing a loaded firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. Co-defendant Curlie Pruitt, III, 39, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to the same charges on Feb. 22, 2018.
House and Pruitt both admitted they participated in a conspiracy to rob four businesses at gunpoint in December 2016. They stole $500 and at least one carton of cigars (as well as $150 from an employee) from Road Star Gas Station, 11100 E. US 40 Hwy., Independence, Mo. They stole $200 and an undetermined amount of cigars (as well as an employee’s wallet) from Beeline Mini-Mart, 1005 Isley Blvd., Excelsior Springs, Mo. They stole $300 (as well as $200 from an employee) from Discount Smokes, 4718 N.E. Vivion Rd., Kansas City, Mo. They also robbed the Phillips 66 Gas Station at 3636 Randolph Road, Randolph, Mo.
House and Pruitt also admitted they used an American Tactical .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun during those robberies.
House and Pruitt were arrested on Dec. 20, 2016. Independence police officers were contacted by an employee at the Super 8 Hotel, 4031 S. Lynn Court Drive, in regard to two men – later identified as Pruitt and House – who were acting suspiciously. The employee feared the men were going to rob the hotel. They left the hotel but returned at approximately 9:05 p.m.
When officers arrived at the hotel, House and Pruitt were in a blue Ford 500 and were leaving the area, with Pruitt driving. A police officer activated the emergency equipment on his patrol vehicle to initiate a traffic stop, however, Pruitt accelerated the vehicle and drove through the parking lot of the Quik Trip at 4024 S. Noland Road. As Pruitt’s vehicle continued at a high rate of speed through the parking lot, traveling toward S. Noland Road, it collided head-on with the patrol vehicle of another officer who was responding to assist. The collision was severe enough to disable both vehicles.
Pruitt immediately attempted to exit his vehicle and flee, but was trapped by a third police vehicle that pinned the driver’s side door closed. Pruitt and House were placed under arrest. Officers found the loaded American Tactical .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun on the floor board of the front passenger seat area.
Under federal statutes, House and Pruitt are each subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Excelsior Springs, Mo., Police Department.
Three Buffalo Men Arrested in Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jose Alvarez, 26, Angel Cabrera, 25, and Wilfredo Cruz, Jr., 21, all of Buffalo, NY, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute butyryl fentanyl. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on July 27, 2017, special agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant on Alvarez’s Mazda 6 sedan. During the search, agents recovered 20 bags that contained butyryl fentanyl, a Schedule I controlled substance. The investigation determined that the defendants were staying at the hotel and casino located in Salamanca. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at their hotel room and agents recovered another 196 bags that contained butyryl fentanyl. Alvarez is suspected of selling butyryl fentanyl on at least three prior occasions.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and were released on bail.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the NYS State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; and the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Texas Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Violently Kidnapping A Las Vegas WomanRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Texas man was sentenced today to life in prison for kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas, then chaining her to the floorboard of his van and driving her to a cave in New Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.
Jack William Morgan, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson. Morgan was previously found guilty by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of kidnapping.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Morgan and co-defendant Samuel Brown conspired to use force and violence to kidnap Morgan’s ex-girlfriend and to take her to New Mexico. On January 30, 2017, Brown went door-to-door at the woman’s apartment complex until he found her. Morgan forced his way into her apartment and kidnapped her. He gagged her, dragged her down the stairs, and choked her unconscious. He then handcuffed her wrists and ankles and chained her to the floorboard of his van where Brown was waiting. They drove to a cave that Morgan carved out in the side of a remote hill in Española, New Mexico. A law enforcement alert was issued and the New Mexico State Police and Española Police Department found the van driving along U.S. Highway 84. They arrested Morgan and Brown and rescued the woman.
Brown pleaded guilty prior to the trial and was sentenced to 63 months in prison and five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Susan Cushman and Kathryn Newman prosecuted the case.
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Ten Individuals Charged with Racketeering, Armed Robbery, Carjacking, and KidnappingRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – A 27-count indictment was unsealed today in the District of Puerto charging ten defendants with racketeering, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, firearms conspiracy, interference with commerce by robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The case was investigated by the FBI, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, and the Police of Puerto Rico.
The purpose of the enterprise was to rob trucks carrying valuable merchandise and resell it for profit. The defendants charged in the indictment had different roles within the organization:
- Luis A. Marzan-Oyola, 42, aka Omi, coordinated the robberies; he would contact the members of the organization and give instructions.
- Luis Ortiz-Figueroa, 38, aka Geovanni, would keep control of the security guards during the robberies. Ortiz-Figueroa also drove the robbed trucks.
- Ramon L. Berrios-Cintron, 37, aka Gordo, would keep control of the security guards during the robberies and hold them at gunpoint.
- Jesus M. Rivera-Rios, 40, aka Manny/Prieto, would hold the security guards at gunpoint.
- Angel N. Orozco-Ramos, 32, aka Noel, would keep control of the security guards during the robberies. Orozco-Ramos also jumpstarted and drove the robbed trucks.
- Jose W. Sierra-Lopez, 24, aka Caguita/Menor, drove trucks owned by Rivera-Rios that contained the robbed merchandise. He also off-loaded the merchandise from the robbed trucks.
- Gilberto Ferrer-Rivera, 48, would transport Berrios-Cintron who would hold the security guards at gunpoint during the robberies.
- Samuel I. Cruz-Colon, 31, aka Chamaquito, helped off-load the robbed merchandise.
- Felix E. Morales-Olivo, 57, aka Ricky, would knowingly sell the robbed merchandise.
- William A. Vazquez-Rodriguez, 34, aka Pokemon, brandished a firearm during the April 23, 2017 robbery.
According to the indictment, on April 23, 2017, Marzan-Oyola, Ortiz-Figueroa, Berrios-Cintron, Rivera-Rios, Orozco-Ramos, and Jaime J. Ferrer-Rivera, aka Jimmy (deceased), robbed two trucks carrying alcoholic beverages at gunpoint, from two security guards at the Mendez & Company warehouse in Puerto Nuevo. The merchandise had a value of $107,815.68.
The indictment does not charge Jaime Ferrer-Rivera, a member of the enterprise whose role was to plan the robberies, because he was murdered on August 4, 2017 in Dorado while driving down road PR-696.
On May 9, 2017, Marzan-Oyola, Ortiz-Figueroa, Berrios-Cintron, Rivera-Rios, Orozco-Ramos, Sierra-Lopez, Ferrer-Rivera, Cruz-Colon, Jaime Ferrer-Rivera robbed two containers carrying General Electric appliances valued at $111,000 at gunpoint from one security guard in Haier US Appliance Solution, Inc., a General Electric appliances warehouse in Carolina.
In May 2017, Sierra-Lopez, delivered a truck loaded with robbed merchandise to Morales-Olivo. Morales-Olivo made sure that the robbed merchandise was off-loaded from the truck and sold.
On July 3, 2017, Marzan-Oyola, Ortiz-Figueroa, Berrios-Cintron, Rivera-Rios, Orozco-Ramos, Sierra-Lopez, Ferrer-Rivera, Cruz-Colon, and Jaime Ferrer-Rivera robbed two trucks carrying Kmart merchandise valued at $57,000 at gunpoint from one security guard located at the Francisco Vega-Otero warehouse in Gurabo.
On July 11, 2017, Marzan-Oyola, Ortiz-Figueroa, Berrios-Cintron, Orozco-Ramos, and Jaime Ferrer-Rivera robbed one truck carrying beverages kidnapping the truck’s driver.
On July 19, 2017, Ortiz-Figueroa, Berrios-Cintron, Rivera-Rios, Orozco-Ramos, Sierra-Lopez, and Jaime Ferrer-Rivera robbed two trucks carrying dairy products at gunpoint, from one security guard at the Colomer & Suárez Company in Ponce. As Ortiz-Figueroa fled from the authorities in one of the stolen trucks, he attempted to murder three Police of Puerto Rico officers who were chasing him. He rammed their patrol car several times with the stolen truck. The merchandise was valued at $20,000.
The investigation also revealed that Marzan-Oyola, Rivera-Rios, and Sierra-Lopez had planned to commit another robbery between November and December 2017.
“We thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, and the Police of Puerto Rico for their instrumental support during the investigation of this case,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The investigation in this case is part of a coordinated effort between federal and local law enforcement authorities to combat organizations such as this one who engage in the use of violence to commit robberies. We will continue to work together to keep our communities and businesses safe.”
“The allegations in today’s indictment describe organized crime in its most dangerous form, characterized by wanton acts of violence committed in a manner that demonstrates a complete lack of concern for the lives of others. This is exactly the type of conduct that should be addressed by the use of federal RICO laws to ensure that those responsible receive the maximum possible prison sentence,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Leff. “We express our gratitude to the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI Ponce Office for making this case, and to all of the brave task force officers and agents of the FBI, DEA, HSI, U.S. Marshals, and Puerto Rico Police Department, who made today’s operation a success.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor O. Acevedo is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendants face from 20 years to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Spokane Man Sentenced to 135 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Spokane– Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Christopher M. Turner, age 45, of Spokane, Washington was sentenced after having pleaded guilty on December 20, 2017, to possession of child pornography. Chief United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Turner to 135 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a twenty-year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. Turner will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, a Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) agent was conducting an online undercover investigation using peer-to-peer software that offenders use to trade and distribute child pornography. During the investigation, Turner’s Spokane residence was identified as a place where someone was distributing images of child pornography. HSI agents obtained a federal search warrant for Turner’s residence.
Law enforcement agents with HSI executed the search warrant at Turner’s residence and seized electronic devices, including a homemade computer that Turner had built. During a forensic examination of that computer, agents identified more than 2,800 images and video files of child pornography. The child pornography on Turner’s electronic devices included images of children under the age of twelve and sadistic, masochistic and violent conduct. Many images on Turner’s electronic devices depicted children previously identified as victims by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”). In 1993, Turner was convicted in the State of Washington for rape of a child in the second degree and is a registered sex offender.
Joseph H. Harrington said, “The Court’s sentence today should serve as a warning to people who harbor a sexual interest in children – if they collect or trade child pornography, they will be actively pursued by federal and state law enforcement officers. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute aggressively child exploitation crimes that occur in the Eastern District of Washington.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States 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. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Homeland Security Investigations and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation of this matter. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister and David M. Herzog, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
Solon accountant charged with defrauding the IRSRead the Press Release
A two-count criminal information was filed today charging a Solon accountant with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and attempting to interfere with the administration of Internal Revenue laws, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and IRS Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner.
Patrick DiPietro, 51, conspired with two other people and a company owned by the other people between 2007 and 2012 to impede the lawful function of the IRS in the assessment and collection of revenue, while enriching themselves with the tax savings.
The scheme involved checks being written from the company’s bank account payable to another entity controlled by DiPietro, purportedly as payments for rent and other business expenses. DiPietro deposited the checks into an account he controlled and then wrote checks back to the two individuals for approximately 90 percent of the amounts received, with DiPietro keeping approximately 10 percent as his “fee” for conducting the transactions, according to the information.
DiPietro also prepared federal income tax returns for the individuals and their business for 2007 through 2011 which falsely understated taxable income and overstated business deductions, according to the information.
During the IRS criminal investigation, DiPietro provided various fraudulent documents to the investigating agents in an attempt to legitimize or explain the checks written to his business entity from the other individuals’ business, including a commercial lease, a stock option agreements, a promissory note. None of the documents were, in fact, legitimate or had ever been executed by the parties, according to the information.
“This defendant enriched himself by taking money that should have been going into the U.S. Treasury,” Herdman said.
“Conspiring to impede the IRS by creating business checks for expenses not actually incurred and receiving a ‘kickback’ from those fraudulent business checks is not tax savings, but rather a recipe for criminal prosecution,” said Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Kern following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Seattle Police and Homeland Security Seize 315 Pounds of Methamphetamine following Sting OperationRead the Press Release
A multi-state sting operation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) resulted in the arrest of ADRIAN PEREZ, 41 of San Diego, California and the seizure of more than 315 pounds of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. PEREZ was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in Seattle last week after he tried to take possession of 18 kilos of cocaine he intended to transport for a Canadian drug trafficking organization. Quick work by law enforcement, and especially the Seattle Police Department, resulted in the seizure of more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine from the Seattle home rented by PEREZ.
“Drug trafficking organizations use the I-5 corridor to ship large quantities of their poisons into our communities -- from San Diego to Bellingham and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “We work closely with our international, federal, state and local counterparts to identify those involved and disrupt their efforts.”
According to records filed in the case, in April 2017, RCMP and HSI began investigating a group smuggling drugs from San Diego into Canada. Last month agents went undercover and posed as drug couriers who had cocaine they were willing to sell to the criminal organization. On March 13, 2018, a member of the drug trafficking organization agreed to meet at a central Seattle parking lot to pick up 18 kilos of cocaine. PEREZ arrived at the meeting place, took delivery of the cocaine and was arrested by HSI. The next day Seattle Police Department officers served a search warrant at a ‘HomeAway’ rental property in the Leschi neighborhood which PEREZ had occupied for the previous four days. Inside officers found three large duffle bags containing 150 pounds of methamphetamine and $4,000 in cash. HSI obtained a court authorized warrant to search the vehicle PEREZ was driving. Inside they found an additional 165 pounds of methamphetamine.
“HSI continues to work closely with the Seattle Police Department and other partners to investigate crimes like drug trafficking,” said Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Seattle. “Three hundred pounds of meth and 18 kilos of cocaine can have devastating effects on a community, and the quick action of HSI and the Seattle Police Department thwarted that from happening.”
“Methamphetamine is second only to opioids when it comes to fatal drug overdoses,” said Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best. “Getting these dangerous drugs off the street is a testament to what is possible when we work together with our federal partners.”
Due to the drug quantities involved PEREZ faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison if convicted.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by HSI with critical assistance from the Seattle Police Department.
Rock Island Man Sentenced to over Eight Years in Prison for Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - A Rock Island man has been sentenced in federal court for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. On March 20, 2018, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow sentenced Anthony Gardner to 100 months (8 years, 4 months) in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Gardner, 31, had already pled guilty to illegally possessing a Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic handgun on Oct. 4, 2017. At the time Gardner possessed the gun, he had prior felony convictions in Illinois state court. The gun in question had previously been reported stolen.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Knight.
Queens Man Convicted of Enticing Minor for Sexual Acts Sentenced to 10 Years’ ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Christopher Arroyo was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. The sentencing proceeding was held before United States District Judge Jack B. Weinstein, who also imposed a term of five years’ supervised release to follow Arroyo’s prison sentence, during which time he must register as a sex offender, and he will not be allowed unsupervised contact with minors.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.
“Arroyo sexually exploited a child through social media, using threats and harassment to publicly shame the victim with the explicit images he enticed her to create,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Today’s sentence will serve not only to protect the public from the defendant for a significant period of time, but it will also serve as a message to other child predators using the Internet to target victims that they will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
“The FBI New York Crimes Against Children Task Force won’t ever stop investigating and arresting every predator we can, but it is incredibly difficult to stop predators before they make initial contact,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “Cell phones, computers and social media give sexual criminals easy access to your children that they’ve never had before and that we did not have to contend when we were younger. Parents, guardians, educators, and other adults can help law enforcement create a much stronger line of defense against these predators. Please talk with your children and students about their social media presence, and take the time to both learn and teach our children how to protect themselves online. You can go to https://sos.fbi.gov for ways to start that conversation.”
As set forth in the charging instruments and the defendant’s plea allocution, beginning in 2012, Arroyo, who was 21 at the time, used Facebook and other social media platforms to meet and then entice a 12-year-old victim to take sexually explicit images of herself and engage in other sexual conduct as directed by Arroyo. Arroyo continued to exploit this young victim for years, and when the victim refused to comply with Arroyo’s demands, he threatened and harassed her, stating that he would publicly post images of her across the Internet.
In 2015, Arroyo followed through on those threats, and created multiple fake social media accounts to which he posted explicit images of the victim. After tracing Arroyo’s online activity to his residence in Queens, FBI agents executed a search of his home and seized multiple computers and other electronic devices. A forensic examination of those devices revealed that Arroyo had archived images of the victim in an electronic folder bearing her name.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Assistant United States Attorneys G. Karthik Srinivasan and Drew G. Rolle are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
CHRISTOPHER ARROYO
Age: 26
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-376 (S-1) (JBW)
Previously Convicted Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 32 YearsRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced James Christopher Gann, 36, of Asheville, to 391 months in prison and five years of supervised release on drug trafficking conspiracy and witness intimidation charges, announced R. Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Nick S. Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, Gann was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was ordered to serve more than six years in prison. Upon his release from prison in late 2016 and continuing through February 2017, Gann trafficked more than 22 kilograms of high-purity methamphetamine into North Carolina from a supply source in Oklahoma. Court records show that Gann recruited his girlfriend and co-defendant, Elizabeth Ann Hollifield, to assist him in the sale of the methamphetamine.
According to court records, during an undercover drug transaction, law enforcement arrested Hollifield, who subsequently agreed to cooperate with the investigation. According to court records, when Gann became aware of Hollifield’s cooperation with law enforcement, he physically assaulted her on two separate occasions to dissuade her from further interaction with the authorities.
Gann pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and assault with intent to hinder, delay and prevent communication to law enforcement.
Hollifield was previously sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
HSI led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bradley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Philadelphia-Area Political Consultant Charged in Superseding Indictment with Obstructing Investigation of Federal Election CommissionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania returned a superseding indictment today adding charges in a pending criminal case against a Philadelphia-area political consultant, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The original indictmenz, returned on Oct. 24, 2017, charged Kenneth Smukler, 57, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, with causing unlawful campaign contributions, causing the filing of false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and causing false statements to the Federal Election Commission in connection with a 2012 congressional campaign. The superseding indictment charges Smukler with these same offenses, as well as making conduit contributions to a federal campaign committee and obstructing an FEC investigation in connection with the 2014 congressional campaign of a different candidate.
According to the indictment, Smukler made and caused to be made excess and conduit contributions and engaged in a falsification and obstruction scheme involving a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. According to the indictment, the excess contributions came from associates of Smukler and were funneled through two of Smukler’s consulting companies. The conduit contributions were routed through another political consultant and the candidate.
As alleged in the indictment, in or about April 2014, Smukler became aware that the campaign was running out of funds that it could spend on primary election expenses. According to the indictment, Smukler nevertheless directed the campaign to continue paying for goods and services associated with the primary election. According to the indictment, in or about May 2014, one of Smukler’s companies made a $78,750 payment to the campaign that was used to pay for primary election expenses. Smukler falsely told the campaign that this money came from a segregated media account, when in fact the payment was funded by an associate of Smukler’s and therefore constituted an illegal campaign contribution.
As alleged in the indictment, after the campaign lost the primary election, the campaign did not have sufficient funds to repay the contributions that the campaign had received for the general election. As alleged in the indictment, in order to conceal this shortfall, Smukler funneled illegal contributions totaling $150,000 from an associate to the campaign through two of Smukler’s consulting companies. As alleged in the indictment, Smukler falsely told the campaign that these payments were refunds of money that had been escrowed in Smukler’s companies for general election expenses, when, in fact, the money had come not from escrow accounts but from Smukler’s associate, and the money could not have been escrowed campaign funds because Smukler’s companies had already spent a significant portion of the funds they had received from the campaign.
According to the indictment, Smukler caused the campaign to falsely characterize the payments from his companies as refunds in FEC reports and in a letter to the FEC, which led the FEC to dismiss a pending complaint against the campaign.
In addition, the indictment alleges that Smukler made an unlawful conduit contribution to the campaign in excess of $2,000 through another political consultant. And, according to the indictment, in or about June 2015, Smukler made another unlawful conduit contribution to the campaign, this time in excess of $10,000, through the candidate.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Trial Attorney Jonathan Kravis of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gibson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.
Philadelphia-Area Political Consultant Charged in Superseding Indictment with Obstructing Investigating of Federal Election CommissionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania returned a superseding indictment today adding charges in a pending criminal case against a Philadelphia-area political consultant announced U.S. Attorney Louis D. Lappen for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The original indictment, returned on Oct. 24, 2017, charged Kenneth Smukler, 57, with causing unlawful campaign contributions, causing the filing of false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and causing false statements to the Federal Election Commission in connection with a 2012 congressional campaign. The superseding indictment charges Smukler with these same offenses, as well as making conduit contributions to a federal campaign committee and obstructing an FEC investigation in connection with the 2014 congressional campaign of a different candidate.
According to the indictment, Smukler made and caused to be made excess and conduit contributions and engaged in a falsification and obstruction scheme involving a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. According to the indictment, the excess contributions came from associates of Smukler and were funneled through two of Smukler’s consulting companies. The conduit contributions were routed through another political consultant and the candidate.
As alleged in the indictment, in or about April 2014, Smukler became aware that the campaign was running out of funds that it could spend on primary election expenses. According to the indictment, Smukler nevertheless directed the campaign to continue paying for goods and services associated with the primary election. According to the indictment, in or about May 2014, one of Smukler’s companies made a $78,750 payment to the campaign that was used to pay for primary election expenses. Smukler falsely told the campaign that this money came from a segregated media account, when in fact the payment was funded by an associate of Smukler’s and therefore constituted an illegal campaign contribution.
As alleged in the indictment, after the campaign lost the primary election, the campaign did not have sufficient funds to repay the contributions that the campaign had received for the general election. As alleged in the indictment, in order to conceal this shortfall, Smukler funneled illegal contributions totaling $150,000 from an associate to the campaign through two of Smukler’s consulting companies. As alleged in the indictment, Smukler falsely told the campaign that these payments were refunds of money that had been escrowed in Smukler’s companies for general election expenses, when, in fact, the money had come not from escrow accounts but from Smukler’s associate, and the money could not have been escrowed campaign funds because Smukler’s companies had already spent a significant portion of the funds they had received from the campaign.
According to the indictment, Smukler caused the campaign to falsely characterize the payments from his companies as refunds in FEC reports and in a letter to the FEC, which led the FEC to dismiss a pending complaint against the campaign.
In addition, the indictment alleges that Smukler made an unlawful conduit contribution to the campaign in excess of $2,000 through another political consultant. And, according to the indictment, in or about June 2015, Smukler made another unlawful conduit contribution to the campaign, this time in excess of $10,000, through the candidate.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Trial Attorney Jonathan Kravis of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gibson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Payza and Two Canadian Brothers Accused of Operating an Unlicensed Money Service Business and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Firoz Patel and Ferhan Patel, the founders and operators of Payza.com, AlertPay.com and Egopay.com, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges alleging they operated an Internet-based unlicensed money service business that processed more than $250 million in transactions.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C.
The indictment was returned earlier this month and unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Firoz Patel, 43, and Ferhan Patel, 37, who live in the area of Montreal, Québec, are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and to violate anti-money laundering program requirements, one count of a money laundering conspiracy and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in the District of Columbia. If convicted, each of the brothers faces a maximum sentence of more than 25 years.
MH Pillars, Ltd., doing business as Payza, is charged with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Ferhan Patel was arrested on March 18, 2018, in Detroit. He made his first appearance on March 19, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He remains held pending further proceedings in the District of Columbia. His brother remains at large.
“The arrest and indictments in this case demonstrate that we will vigorously enforce laws meant to protect the American consumer,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Money transmitting businesses are required to be registered federally and licensed in most states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia. Consumers should beware of those that do not follow these laws because they could be acting as a cover for other illegal activity.”
“I am proud of the skilled and professional teams of investigators and attorneys involved in today’s indictment and commend their efforts,” said Special Agent in Charge Lechleitner, special agent in charge of HSI Washington. “Through this type of routine interagency cooperation we ensure our safe, reliable and just society.”
The indictment alleges that the criminal activity took place from in or about March 2012 until the present. The defendants, through Payza.com, are accused of operating a money transmitting business that operated without the necessary state licenses and knowingly transmitting funds that were derived from illegal activity. Despite receiving cease and desist letters from various states, and being told by a consultant that operating a money transmission business without the necessary licenses was a crime, Firoz and Ferhan Patel continued their illegal activity, the indictment alleges.
The indictment alleges that the Patels, together with other co-conspirators, are responsible for transmitting over $250 million throughout the United States and elsewhere. The investigation is continuing.
According to the indictment, Payza’s customers included Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes. The Patels opened bank accounts in the United States and laundered their illegal proceeds through those accounts.
The indictment also seeks forfeiture of any property involved in these offenses or traceable to these offenses. In addition, the indictment seeks the specific forfeiture of approximately $10 million that has already been seized and frozen.
Further information is available to the public at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance/obopay-payza.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field office. It is being prosecuted and investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui and Arvind Lal and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Connelly John Marston, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists C. Rosalind Pressley and Toni Donato; Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant; Document Management Analyst Basizette Stribling; Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick; and Thomas Royal and Joshua Ellen from the Litigation Support Section.
Pair of Culpeper Heroin Traffickers Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Charlottesville, VIRGINIA – A pair of defendants who were part of a larger conspiracy to distribute heroin in and around Culpeper were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Charlottesville, United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle announced.
April Christine Sherman, 35, of Tidewater, Va., and David Lee Boyce, 38, of Culpeper, Va., were each sentenced to serve 84 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Both pleaded guilty on December 18, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In all, six members of the conspiracy have been prosecuted as a result of an undercover investigation of heroin trafficking in the Culpeper area.
United States Attorney Mountcastle commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the County of Culpeper Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force for the investigation, and Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Walther for his assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald M. Huber and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Swartz are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Ohio Man Arrested, Charged with Assaulting A CPB OfficerRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Michael White II, 18, of Canton, OH, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with a misdemeanor count of assaulting a federal officer. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the case, stated that on the morning of March 15, 2018, a charter bus arrived at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry. The defendant was one of the occupants on board the bus attempting to make entry into the United States from Canada. During a routine inspection, Customs and Border Protection officers asked the occupants to exit the bus and make their way into the Customs office for inspection or admission into the United States.
After White exited the bus, he walked directly into a CBP officer who had given a lawful command to the defendant to stop. White ignored the command and attempted to walk past the officer. At that point, the officer raised his arm to his side in order to stop the defendant from walking past him. White then pushed the officer’s arm out of the way. The officer attempted to restrain the defendant by grabbing his sweatshirt and pushing White up against the door. The defendant then swung his right arm in an attempt forcibly to strike the officer, his fist, however, missed the officer and White was restrained.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Brophy, Director of Field Operations, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Odebolt Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced March 20, 2018, to five years in federal prison.
Dennis Yorgensen, 59, from Odebolt, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 31, 2017, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Yorgensen was twice previously convicted of felony drug trafficking.
At the guilty plea, Yorgensen admitted his involvement in a conspiracy that distributed more than 350 grams of mixed methamphetamine from 2012 through March 2015 in the Sac, Ida and Crawford County, Iowa areas. Yorgensen purchased methamphetamine in various quantities, including ounce to multiple ounce quantities from various sources and would then break down the methamphetamine into smaller quantities to distribute to other persons.
Yorgensen was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Yorgensen was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Yorgensen 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 Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Sac County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa DCI Criminalistics Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 15-4043.
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North Carolina Man Convicted of Attempting and Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Erick Jamal Hendricks, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was convicted today by a jury in Akron, Ohio, of attempting and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The guilty verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman of the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Office following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge John Adams.
“Hendricks used social media to recruit others to plan and carry out attacks on our homeland in the name of ISIS, with the goal of creating a sleeper cell on our soil,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, Hendricks’ plan was thwarted, and with today’s verdict he is being held accountable for his terrorist activities.”
“This defendant recruited and directed people here in the United States to launch attacks against our citizens, and attempted to recruit others to engage in similar attacks,” said U.S. Attorney Herdman. “Protecting our citizens from terrorist attacks remains our priority and our community will be safer with this defendant behind bars.”
“Erick Jamal Hendricks represents the significant online ISIS threat that we face daily – a US citizen that becomes radicalized online and attempts to recruit and train individuals to commit jihad, all while on American soil,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony. “The FBI urges the public to report information regarding individuals pledging their allegiance to ISIS or other identified terrorist groups. The FBI is pleased that Hendricks was stopped before he was successful and now will spend a significant amount of time behind bars.”
According to court documents and trial testimony, Hendricks tried to recruit people to train together and conduct terrorist attacks in the United States on behalf of ISIS.
Amir Al-Ghazi was arrested in the Northern District of Ohio in June 2015 after attempting to purchase an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition from an undercover law enforcement officer. Al-Ghazi had pledged allegiance to ISIS in social media and made statements expressing interest in conducting attacks in the U.S.
Hendricks had contacted Al-Ghazi over social media to recruit him in the spring of 2015. Hendricks allegedly told Al-Ghazi that he “needed people” and wanted to meet in person; that there were several “brothers” located in Texas and Mexico; that he was attempting to “get brothers to meet face to face;” and that he wanted “to get brothers to train together,” according to court documents and trial testimony
Al-Ghazi said Hendricks tested his religious knowledge and commitment, inquiring about his willingness to commit “jihad,” to die as a “martyr” and his desire to enter “jannah” (paradise). Al-Ghazi understood these statements to mean that Hendricks was recruiting people to train together for the purpose of conducting a terrorist attack in the U.S. and to see if Al-Ghazi was suitable for recruitment, according to the allegations. Al-Ghazi believed that Hendricks and the “brothers in Texas and Mexico” may have been responsible for a thwarted terrorist attack in Garland, Texas, on May 3, 2015, and therefore he decided to stay away from social media for a period following the attack to minimize detection by law enforcement.
Hendricks also communicated over social media with several other people, including an undercover FBI employee (UCE-1). Hendricks on April 16, 2015 instructed UCE-1 to download the document “GPS for the Ghuraba in the U.S.”, which included a section entitled “Final Advice” which advocated that “brothers and sisters” should not allow themselves to go to jail. This section also allegedly encouraged Muslims to die as a “Shaheed” (martyr), to “Boobie trap your homes,” to “lay in wait for them” and to “never leave your home without your AK-47 or M16.” Hendricks also directed UCE-1 to communicate online with other people and stated “It’s hard to sift through brothers;” “Allah chooses only the few;” and “Everyday I do this day in and day out,” according to court documents and trial testimony.
Hendricks told another person that his goal was to create a sleeper cell to be trained and housed at a secure compound that would conduct attacks in the U.S. He mentioned that potential targets included military members whose information had been released by ISIS and the woman who organized the “Draw Prophet Mohammad contest,” and he claimed to have 10 members signed up for his group, according court documents and trial testimony.
On April 23, 2015, Hendricks used social media to contact Elton Simpson, who, along with Nadir Hamid Soofi, was inspired by ISIS and launched the attack on the “First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest” in Garland. Simpson and Soofi opened fire, wounding a security guard, before Garland police returned fire and killed both Simpson and Soofi. Hendricks also connected UCE-1 with Simpson via social media, communicated with UCE-1 about the contest in Garland, and directed UCE-1 to go to the contest. Hendricks said: “If you see that pig (meaning the organizer of the contest) make your ‘voice’ heard against her.” He also asked UCE-1 a series of questions related to security at the event, including: “How big is the gathering?” “How many ppl?” “How many police/agents?” “Do you see feds there?’ “Do you see snipers?” and “How many media?” Shortly thereafter, Simpson and Soofi committed the attack on the cartoon drawing contest.
Al-Ghazi previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and being a felon in possession of firearms. He is awaiting sentencing.
Hendricks’ sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s offices in Cleveland; Columbia, South Carolina; Baltimore; and Charlotte, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Maryland, District of South Carolina and the Western District of North Carolina.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Mark S. Bennett and Trial Attorney Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Mountain City Police Lieutenant Sentenced to Serve 37 Months in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On March 19, 2018, Ronald Glen Shupe, 44, of Butler, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 37 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and the use of a firearm during and relation to a drug trafficking offense. Shupe was a lieutenant with the Mountain City Police Department at the time of his offenses. Upon his release from prison, U.S Probation will supervise him for three years.
According to information on file with the U.S. District Court, in 2016 and 2017, while serving as the third-ranking member of the Mountain City Police Department, Shupe bought and sold oxycodone pills, supplied pills to another Mountain City Police Officer, and used controlled substances, including methamphetamine and pain pills. In one incident, a confidential witness reported that in 2017 she gave Mr. Shupe an intravenous injection of methamphetamine while he was in his patrol car and on duty. In November 2017, Mr. Shupe purchased oxycodone pills for distribution from another individual working on behalf of law enforcement. During the transaction, Shupe was in full uniform, driving a Mountain City Police car, and armed with a department-issued Glock pistol and ammunition.
“Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the public and uphold the law. The U.S Attorney’s office will prosecute vigorously those that choose to violate that trust by committing crimes, especially while on duty and in uniform,” said J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Renae McDermott, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Knoxville Division commented, “Citizens have the right to expect that law enforcement officers act legally and in accordance with the law. The FBI is committed to ensuring that all violations of the law are aggressively investigated.”
Agencies involved in this investigation included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and Johnson County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gunn represented the United States in court proceedings.
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Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, Man Admits Robbing Investors BankRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, man today admitted robbing an Investors Bank branch in Navesink, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Martin Racioppi, 52, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of bank robbery.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On July 20, 2017, Racioppi entered an Investors Bank in Navesink and approached a bank teller. He told the teller, “Give me all of your money.” When the teller said, “Excuse me?” Racioppi again demanded all the teller’s money and told the teller to “make it quick.” The bank teller handed Racioppi cash, and Racioppi left the bank. The FBI arrested Racioppi in Middletown one day later.
The bank robbery charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of either $250,000 or twice gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for July 10, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, Jersey Shore Gang and Criminal Enterprise Task Force (which includes representatives from Bradley Beach Police Department, Brick Police Department, Marlboro Police Department, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, and Toms River Police Department), under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley W. Cohen; the Middletown Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Craig Weber; the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni; the Monmouth Beach Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas C. Walsh; the Atlantic Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jerry Vasto; and the Eatontown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael D. Goldfarb with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fabiana Pierre-Louis, Attorney-in-Charge of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Trenton Branch.
Mississippi County Sheriff Indicted on Charges of Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Cape Girardeau, MO – Cory Hutcheson, 34, of East Prairie, MO, appeared today in United States District Court in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, following his indictment on eleven felony counts of Identity Theft in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028(a)(7). The indictment charges Hutcheson with illegally possessing and transferring the means of identification of others, in this case mobile telephone numbers, without lawful authority, and in connection with the commission of the state felony crime of Forgery.
Mr. Hutcheson has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and was released on bond. If convicted, Mr. Hutcheson faces a maximum punishment of five years’ imprisonment on each count, and a maximum fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Jeff Jensen stated, “This office will prosecute people who violate federal law regardless of their positions.”
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Keith Sorrell is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As is always the case, charges set forth in the complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Importing Counterfeit DrugsRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Arturo Rafael Salazar Cruz, age 38, of Matamoros, Mexico, was sentenced in United States District Court in Charleston for conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 & 2320. United States District Judge P. Michael Duffy, of Charleston, sentenced Cruz to the maximum of 60 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release.
Evidence presented in this case established that from 2011 through 2017, Cruz conspired with others in foreign countries to import counterfeit pharmaceuticals from China and India into the United States. Cruz had a Non-Immigrant Visa, and he misused his Visa to transport the counterfeit pharmaceuticals from Mexico to Texas where he shipped the drugs through the United States Postal Service. Cruz and others sold these counterfeit pharmaceuticals to persons without prescriptions in the United States. Some of the counterfeit pharmaceuticals were highly addictive controlled substances, including Xanax and OxyContin. During the investigation, agents executed a search warrant at Cruz’s office in Texas and seized 360,000 pills. The retail value of these seized pharmaceuticals exceeded $8 million.
The case was investigated by agents from the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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Medical Doctor Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO –Christopher Owens pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to unlawfully prescribing oxycodone hydrochloride without a medical purpose, announced Acting United States Attorney Alex G. Tse and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Special Agent in Charge Jerry Miller. The plea was accepted by the Honorable William Alsup, U.S. District Judge.
According to his open plea application, Owens, 50, of Indianapolis, Ind., was a medical doctor when he prescribed oxycodone hydrochloride, a Schedule II controlled substance, to an individual. Owens acknowledged he prescribed the drugs without a legitimate medical need and outside of the course of medical practice. On July 11, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Owens charging him with 36 counts of distributing oxycodone without a medical need, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). Owens pleaded guilty to Count 36 of the indictment in open court today, but the court may consider evidence relating to Counts 1 through 35 at sentencing.
Judge Alsup scheduled Owens’s sentencing hearing for July 17, 2018, at 2:00 pm. The maximum statutory penalty for the violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C) is 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000 plus restitution, if appropriate. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila A.G. Armbrust is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Linda Love. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA with assistance from the University of California San Francisco Police Department.
Medford Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Armed Robbery and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore. – Justin Douglas Jones, 42, of Medford was sentenced today to 155 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release for armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on June 30, 2015, Jones walked into a Purple Parrot restaurant in Medford with a gun and told an employee, "don’t move, do what I say or I will shoot." Jones took the employee at gunpoint to a back room and stole $500 in cash. The robbery was captured on video by the restaurant’s surveillance system. The Medford Police Department identified Jones from the video and later arrested him at a campground. Officers recovered a Ruger .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol in Jones’ backpack.
Jones has prior felony convictions for robbery, burglary, illegal possession of a firearm and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane to one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm, interfering with commerce by robbery, and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on November 6, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Medford Police Department, and was prosecuted by Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Jones holds a victim's arm while conducting an armed robbery at the Purple Parrot in Medford. Jones collects money during armed robbery at the Purple Parrot in Medford.Maryland man indicted on charges involving transporting a minor across state lines for sexRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kenneth Earle Ewing, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges involving transporting a 12-year-old across state lines for sex, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Ewing, age 37, was indicted on one count of “Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct,” one count of “Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity,” and one count of "Kidnapping." Ewing is accused of transporting a 12-year-old girl from Ranson, West Virginia, to Hagerstown, Maryland, to engage in sexual conduct.
Ewing faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the first count, and faces up to 30 years and a fine of up to $250,000 for the second count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Martinsburg man indicted on illegal ammunition chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Gary Owen Jones, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on an illegal possession of ammunition charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Jones, age 46, was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of Ammunition.” Jones, who was previously convicted of a felony in the Circuit Court of Berkeley County, is accused of possessing more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition in February of 2018 in Berkeley County.
Jones faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Man Sentenced to Prison for Lying about Murder to FBIRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A James City County man was sentenced today to five years in prison for lying to federal agent about a 2017 murder.
According to court documents, in October 2017, Malik Corey Brown, 29, invited gang members to the Burnt Orange Ordinary neighborhood in James City County. When the gang members arrived at Burnt Orange Ordinary, an altercation occurred with two rival individuals who were present. During the altercation, one of the rival individuals was shot and killed and the other was wounded. When investigators arrived and questioned Brown about having contact with one of the gang members at the shooting, Brown lied to the agent and denied any such contact.
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-114.