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18 April 2018
Ogdensburg Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Harry McCarthy, age 58, of Ogdensburg, New York, was sentenced today to serve 15 years in prison for his sexual exploitation of a minor, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Albany FIeld Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, McCarthy admitted that in 2013 and 2014, he used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images of that conduct. At the time of his crime, McCarthy was employed as an officer at the City of Ogdensburg, New York Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a lifetime term of supervised release, which will start after McCarthy is released from incarceration, and to pay a $10,000 fine. As a result of his conviction, McCarthy will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Kopita and Geoffrey Brown.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Oahu Physical Therapist Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Garrett Okubo, of Honolulu, Hawaii, pled guilty today in federal court to four counts of health care fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1347.
According to court documents and information presented in court, Okubo was the owner and operator of a physical therapy business in Honolulu. From January 2011 through October 2017, Okubo submitted false claims for payment for physical therapy services to TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, and HMSA. Okubo submitted claims to these health care benefit programs using his unique provider number, thereby falsely stating that Okubo himself had personally provided the physical therapy services to his patients, when in reality the services were provided by Okubo’s unlicensed staff members, including at times when Okubo was travelling on the U.S. mainland or in a foreign country. The government alleges that Okubo billed approximately $5.5 million of false claims for services provided by his unlicensed staff members, of which approximately $3.7 million was actually paid. Okubo reserved the right to challenge the loss amount in his plea agreement.
Okubo’s sentencing is scheduled for August 6, 2018 before U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright. For each count, Okubo faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to three years. Okubo agreed to pay restitution, and agreed to forfeit the proceeds of his unlawful activity, in amounts to be determined by the Court.
The case was jointly investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the State of Hawaii, Department of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marc A. Wallenstein.
Norfolk Woman Sentenced to Prison for ID Theft of PrisonersRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to 129 months in prison for operating multiple fraud schemes that included stealing the identities of local prisoners.
According to court documents, less than a month after her release from federal prison for a prior fraud scheme, Teresa Gallop undertook two new sophisticated frauds. In the first, Gallop created a fake legal services company that she used to lure inmates of local jails to disclose their identifying information and to release their personal property. Gallop used her son, who was then serving multiple state sentences for theft, to identify and prime inmate victims. Once she had their information and property, Gallop forged powers of attorney naming her conspirators as attorneys in fact for the inmates. Gallop and her co-conspirators used these documents to access and open inmate bank accounts, which they used to cash worthless checks.
In the second fraud, Gallop recruited others to open bank accounts at several financial institutions. She then used these accounts to negotiate checks she had stolen from the mail and elsewhere, ultimately disbursing the funds to herself in a variety of transactions. The total intended loss for both schemes exceeds $130,000.
Name
Age, Hometown
Conviction(s)
Info
Teresa Gallop
50, Norfolk
4:16cr86
18 U.S.C. § 1349
18 U.S.C. § 1028A
4:16cr88
18 U.S.C. § 1349
18 U.S.C. § 1028A
Sentenced to 129 months
Delanio Vick
32, Norfolk
4:16cr88
18 U.S.C. § 1349
18 U.S.C. § 1028A
Sentencing May 14
Jessie Davis
21, Portsmouth
4:16cr86
18 U.S.C. § 1349
18 U.S.C. § 1028A
4:16cr88
18 U.S.C. § 1349
18 U.S.C. § 1028A
Sentencing June 14
Aaren Ivey
22, Portsmouth
4:16cr86
18 U.S.C. § 1349
Sentencing June 25
Gloria Vick
60, Norfolk
Pending Trial
Trial July 10
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Robert B. Wemyss, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Larry D. Boone, Chief of Norfolk Police, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton 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 are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 4:16-cr-86 and 4:16-cr-88.
Newport News Man Sentenced for Firearms and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking and his role in stealing 52 firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer in February 2017.
According to court documents, Xavier Justice Lee Greenauer-Mattox, was part of a robbery crew that stole 52 firearms from Hunter’s Heaven Gun Store in Hayes on Feb. 12, 2017. Approximately nine days later, law enforcement apprehended all four defendants, including Greenauer-Mattox, who fled in a vehicle travelling at over 100 miles per hour with co-defendant Philip Thomas Evans.
Name, Age
City
Charges
Result
Angel Lewis Bruno, 19
Newport News
Pleaded guilty to: Possession of a Stolen Firearm; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
8 years in prison
Xavier Justice Lee Greenauer-Mattox, 23
Newport News
Pleaded guilty to: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
13 years in prison
Philip Thomas Evans, 23
Yorktown
Pleaded guilty to: Possession of a Stolen Firearm; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Sentencing set for April 30, 2018
Alissha Shalee Faulks, 28
Newport News
Pleaded guilty to: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Stolen Firearm
3 years’ probation
Law enforcement has recovered 18 of the stolen firearms to date. The investigation into the whereabouts of the outstanding firearms continues.
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, and Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan M. Cowles prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-72.
Newark Non-Profit Director and Political Fundraiser Sentenced to 38 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The former executive director of a Newark-based childcare and community program and a partner in a political fundraising and consulting company was sentenced today to 38 months in prison for wire fraud and tax evasion, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Kiburi D. Tucker, 43, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud and four counts of tax evasion. Judge Linares imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
As the executive director of The Centre Inc., Tucker embezzled its funds through ATM, debit card and bank withdrawal transactions to fund personal expenditures, including gambling, travel, and furnishing his home. Tucker defrauded The Centre of $332,116 from 2012 through 2015.
In addition, Tucker, who was also receiving an annual salary from his employment at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, filed false personal income tax returns in which he intentionally under-reported both the proceeds that he embezzled from The Centre and income from his partnership in Elite Strategies, a political fundraising and consulting company. Tucker admitted that he was responsible for underreporting $177,040 in income from these sources for the 2015 tax year, resulting in a tax loss of $56,509.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Linares sentenced Tucker to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $133,624 to the IRS and forfeit $334,116.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley W. Cohen in Newark; IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacques S. Pierre and Jihee G. Suh of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Timothy M. Donohue Esq., West Orange, New Jersey and Alfred C. Decotis Esq., Teaneck, New Jersey
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 36 Months of Probation for Conspiracy to Alter U.S. Postal Money OrdersRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JARVIS WHEELER, age 29, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced to 36 months of probation, which included eight months of home incarceration, by United States District Court Judge Sarah S. Vance after the defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to alter U.S. Postal money orders.
According to the court records, WHEELER conspired with others in the New Orleans area to buy U.S. Postal money orders in small amounts (typically $1.00) and then the money orders were sent out of state where they were altered to much higher amounts. WHEELER, working with other conspirators, then enlisted individuals to deposit the altered U.S. Postal money orders into local bank accounts. Once the money orders cleared, the funds were withdrawn and split by WHEELER and the conspirators.
In addition to incarceration, WHEELER was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $25,000 to two local banks and to pay a $100.00 special assessment.
U. S. Attorney Evans praised the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspector Office for its handling of the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera prosecuted the matter.
Navajo Man from McKinley County Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Vinson Six, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Smith Lake, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to assault charges.
Six was arrested on Dec. 13, 2017, on a three-count indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, a knife, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and robbery. According to the indictment, Six committed the crimes on April 14, 2016, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Six pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. In entering the guilty plea, Six admitted that on April 14, 2016, he forced himself into the victim’s home, and threatened and cut the victim with a knife. Six acknowledged that the victim suffered lacerations to his head and arm, which required medical attention, as the result of the assault.
At sentencing, Six faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa Dimas.
Multistate Serial Bank Robber Sentenced for Robberies in California, Nevada, and UtahRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gregory Jerome Brown, 28, of Bountiful, Utah, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to five years and three months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing three banks, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Brown robbed three banks in three different states. Brown wrote his demands on index cards, and in two instances, Nevada and Utah, he threatened tellers in demand notes with a gun. After the robberies, Brown rode away on his motorcycle. After the Utah bank robbery, Brown fled south and was apprehended in Phoenix, Arizona. At his guilty plea, Brown admitted that he robbed the following banks:
- On October 13, 2017, he robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 338 Elm Avenue, Auburn, California;
- On October 14, 2017, he robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 2895 Northtowne Lane, Reno, Nevada;
- On November 8, 2017, he robbed the America First Credit Union at 2928 East Mall Drive, Saint George, Utah.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Auburn Police Department, the Reno Police Department, the Saint George Police Department, and the Pleasant Grove Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez prosecuted the case.
Monroe County Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Patrick Hynes, age 21, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on April 17, 2018, before U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Hynes admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute between 40 and 60 grams of heroin (which is equivalent to 1,600 to 2,400 individual doses of heroin), as well as additional quantities of cocaine, in the Monroe County area between May and July 2015. Davis was one of eleven individuals indicted by a grand jury in July 2015, and charged with conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine in the Monroe County area.
Judge Caputo ordered a presentence report to be completed. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law is up to twenty years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Michigan Man Sentenced on Drug Charge in Federal Court in BeckleyRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that a Michigan man was sentenced to prison on drug charges in federal court in Beckley. Tremaine Dean Pool Jr., 23, of Romulus, a suburb of Detroit, was sentenced to 40 months in prison. Stuart praised the work of the Greenbrier Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.
“I commend the law enforcement agencies in Greenbrier County for working together to rid their streets of violent pill dealers,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Communities throughout southern West Virginia have been ravaged by opiate abuse and addiction and we are more committed than ever to putting an end to this epidemic.”
Pool pled guilty in January, admitting that on December 2, 2016, law enforcement authorities found a loaded 9mm handgun and a bag containing 68 40 mg oxymorphone pills close to him when they searched a residence in Lewisburg. Pool admitted that he possessed the pain pills with intent to distribute them and also possessed the gun. He further admitted that he worked with his codefendants, Joshua Adam Smith and Jessica Nicole Honaker, to distribute pain pills in Greenbrier County during November and December 2016, and that they distributed or possessed with the intent to distribute about 300 40 mg oxymorphone pills during that time. Smith received 96 months for his part in this drug activity, and Honaker was sentenced to 24 months.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. The case was investigated as part of the Greenbrier Valley Heroin and Pill Initiative. That initiative is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, to combat illegal drug trafficking in communities across the Southern District. Assistant United States Attorney John File prosecuted the case.
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Mexican National Sentenced for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 22-year-old woman from Guadalajara, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison following her conviction of importing methamphetamine into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Yezel Eunice Nevarez-Martell pleaded guilty Aug. 30, 2017.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Nevarez to serve 168 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Nevarez is expected to face deportation proceedings following the sentence. At the hearing, the court took into consideration that the methamphetamine had a 90% purity level which is commonly referred to as “ice.” In handing down the sentence, Judge Alvarez noted that there are many young people that come before the court, sadly, on a regular basis and also expressed concern with the significant amount of such a significant drug which, once distributed, effects people at all levels of life.
At the time of her guilty plea, Nevarez admitted that on April 2, 2017, she drove a vehicle from Mexico and attempted to enter the United States at the Hidalgo port of entry, knowing the vehicle contained a controlled substance. Upon inspection, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered methamphetamine hidden in a false compartment within the rear cargo area of the vehicle. Agents seized 23 packages weighing approximately 22 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Nevarez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and CBP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Requénez prosecuted the case.
Methamphetamine Traffickers Sentenced as Part of Operation Leaving Las VegasRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Two defendants involved in a conspiracy that generated at least $1 million in drug proceeds by trafficking methamphetamine, oxycodone, and suboxone from Las Vegas to Southwest Virginia were sentenced in recent days in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, the United States Attorney’s Office announced.
Tracy Allen Callihan, 49, of Glade Spring, Va., was sentenced Tuesday, April 17 to 324 months imprisonment. Callihan was previously found guilty by a jury of one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and oxycodone, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Callihan was also ordered to forfeit $30,000 in proceeds from his criminal activity. On April 12, Steven Cino, 52, of Henderson, Nevada, was sentenced to 292 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a money judgment of $251,633. Cino previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, methamphetamine and suboxone and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Cino and Callihan are the latest defendants to be sentenced as part of Operation Leaving Las Vegas, a multi-agency investigation that began in 2014 and resulted in charges against 32 individuals for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, oxycodone and suboxone in Southwest Virginia, Nevada, Eastern Kentucky, and elsewhere.
According to evidence presented at previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, members of the conspiracy sent crystal methamphetamine and oxycodone via FedEx and the United States Postal Service from Las Vegas to various individuals in Abingdon and Eastern Kentucky. Upon receipt, the drugs were redistributed. Investigators were able to identify and charge not only those who received the drugs locally but also the source of the substances in Nevada.
The proceeds from the conspiracy, which investigators found to be at least $1,000,000, were routinely transferred from Abingdon to Las Vegas using bank accounts in the names of drug suppliers who lived in Las Vegas. Funds were also transferred between Abingdon and Las Vegas using Western Union and MoneyGram services.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, United States Marshals Service, Virginia State Police, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Abingdon Police Department, Marion Police Department, and Smyth County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee will prosecute the case for the United States.
Matthews, N.C. Man Sentenced to 16 ½ Years for His Role in Union County Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – United States Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced today that a Matthews, N.C. man was sentenced to 198 months in prison and five years of supervised release for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Nestor Javier Martin Fernandez, 37, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on November 12, 2017, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Fernandez was driving and arrested Fernandez on outstanding warrants. Over the course of the traffic stop, law enforcement recovered from Fernandez’s vehicle more than 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, and two firearms.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Monroe Police Department, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Dillon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Lindahl of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
Massachusetts Resident Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charge Stemming from Arson at Enfield RestaurantRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that, on April 16, 2018, MUSTAFA ZABANA, 32, a citizen of Iraq last residing in Westfield, Mass., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to a fraud offense related to an arson at his Connecticut restaurant.
According to court documents and statements made in court, ZABANA was the majority owner of Zabana, Inc., doing business as Bruno’s Pizza, a restaurant located at 634 Enfield Street in Enfield, Connecticut. On June 3, 2016, at approximately 10:42 p.m., ZABANA intentionally set a fire in Bruno’s Pizza, causing damage to the restaurant and its contents, as well as other commercial space in the mall where the restaurant was located. Emergency fire personnel responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.
After the fire, ZABANA filed an insurance claim with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Liberty Mutual sent ZABANA an advance check of $5,000 for claimed loss. ZABANA then continued to pursue additional payments from Liberty Mutual through at least December 2016.
ZABANA pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for June 29, 2018.
ZABANA has been detained since his arrest on March 23, 2017.
This investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT), ATF Fire Research Lab, Connecticut State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit, Enfield Police Department, and Thompsonville Fire Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Dave Vatti.
Man Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans, announced that EDY GARCIA-BANEGAS, age 32, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to a one-count Bill of Information for illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously removed, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced EDY GARCIA-BANEGAS to 6 months incarceration, to be followed by 1 year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100.000 fine.
According to court records, EDY GARCIA-BANEGAS was found in the United States on December 14, 2017, after having been previously deported on multiple occasions.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is in charge of the prosecution.
Louisville Man Charged with Possession and Distribution of MethRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville convicted felon was charged by grand jury indictment today with possession and distribution of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, announced United States Attorney Russell M. Coleman.
Roger Dale Goodman, 37, is charged in a single count indictment with conspiring with others between January of 2017 and April of 2018, to knowingly and intentionally distribute meth.
Goodman is currently in state custody on a $50,000 bond, following a Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) police involved shooting. The incident occurred on February 1, 2018, on Derby Avenue. According to LMPD, Goodman was driving a truck that was stopped by Detectives Darrell Hyche and Bradley Woolridge as part of a narcotics investigation. A passenger, according to police, opened fire critically injuring Detective Hyche. Detective Woolridge returned fire, mortally wounding two passengers in the vehicle.
Goodman will be remanded to federal custody for an initial appearance on the single charge. The court date has not been scheduled.
If convicted at trial, Goodman could be sentenced to no less than ten years in federal prison, fined, and required to serve a five years period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Larry Fentress and is being investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and LMPD.
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The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
goodman_roger_indictment_4_18_18_7.pdfLewiston Man Sentenced to Almost 22 Years for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Nicholas T. Richard, 39, of Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to 262 months in prison and supervised release for life for receiving child pornography images. He was also ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to the victims depicted in the images. Richard pleaded guilty on November 20, 2017.
According to court records, in February of last year, Richard used the internet and peer-to-peer file-sharing software to download child pornography images. Richard was at the Auburn Public Library when he downloaded the images using the library’s wireless internet connection. Investigators seized Richard’s laptop computer and other electronic devices from him at the library and obtained a search warrant for them. The laptop contained thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography and child erotica. Richard was subject to an enhanced sentence because of a prior federal child pornography conviction.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Auburn Police Department. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative to locate, apprehend and prosecute people who sexually exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Lead Defendants in Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy Sentenced to Serve Time in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On April 17, 2018, David Byron Jones, 61, of Chatsworth, Georgia, was sentenced by the Honorable R. Leon Jordan, Senior U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 180 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine (meth) in the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Jones pleaded guilty in January 2018. According to his plea agreement on file with U.S. District Court, he admitted to being responsible for at least 1.5 kilograms but less than 4.5 kilograms of actual meth.
In 2016, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together began an investigation into an evolving meth distribution network that was distributing multiple kilogram quantities of meth in and around Hawkins County, Tennessee. Jones, who lived in north Georgia, supplied this organization with kilograms of meth that was then distributed by members of conspiracy, most of whom were from Hawkins County, Tennessee. One of his distributors, Jonathan Delph, 51, of Rogersville, Tennessee, was sentenced in March 2018 to serve 210 months in federal prison after pleading guilty and admitting to being responsible for at least 1.5 kilograms but less than 4.5 kilograms of actual meth.
The convictions of Jones and Delph are the result of a 49-count indictment that also charged the following individuals for their roles in the conspiracy:
- Clay Seals, Jr., 51, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee
- Stephanie Bailey, 50, of Hawkins County, Tennessee
- Donna Strong, 54, a/k/a Donna Dunbar, of Surgoinsville, Tennessee
- Curtis Carpenter, 43, of Whitesburg, Tennessee
- Jerry Robinette, 48, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Edward Smith, 52, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Tyler Delph, 25, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Scottie Delph, 49, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- James Michael Whitaker, 54, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Paul Bledsoe Jr., 43, of Morristown, Tennessee
- William West, 58, a/k/a Bump, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Frankie Benton, 34, of Hawkins County, Tennessee
- James Dwayne Byington, 50, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Leonard Brad Eidson, 43, of Bull’s Gap, Tennessee
- Phillip Burton, 49, a/k/a Burger, of Rogersville, Tennessee
- Toby Jones, 40, of Chatsworth, Georgia
All of the individuals charged in this case have been convicted of conspiring to distribute meth. Several have already been sentenced in U.S. District Court and the remainder are scheduled to be sentenced between now and June 12, 2018.
The ongoing investigation leading to the indictment was the product of a partnership between Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department, Third Judicial Drug Task Force, Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area - Rocky Top Task Force, Third Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Lampe represents the United States in court proceedings.
The investigation is a result of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. 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.
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Las Vegas Realtor Indicted for Tax and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury for the District of Nevada has returned an indictment yesterday, charging a former Las Vegas, Nevada, realtor with tax evasion, corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the internal revenue laws, making a false statement to a bank and failure to file tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.
According to the indictment, William Waller evaded over $500,000 in taxes owed for 2004 through 2009 and obstructed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by directing third parties to pay nominee entities for services Waller provided, and then using bank accounts in the names of those nominees to pay his personal expenses. Waller also allegedly failed to timely file federal income tax returns for the years 2011 and 2012, despite having an obligation to do so.
The indictment further charges Waller with making a false statement to a bank in order to obtain a loan modification by falsely representing that he had not worked in several years and had no source of income, when in fact he had been employed and received income.
If convicted, the defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for making a false statement to a bank, five years in prison for tax evasion, three years in prison for obstruction of the internal revenue laws, and one year in prison on each failure to file a tax return count. Waller also faces a period of supervised release, monetary penalties and restitution.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Elieson commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Andrea Kafka and John Mulcahy, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Las Vegas Realtor Indicted for Tax and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A federal grand jury for the District of Nevada returned an indictment yesterday, charging a former Las Vegas, Nevada, realtor with tax evasion, corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the internal revenue laws, making a false statement to a bank and failure to file tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.
According to the indictment, William Waller evaded over $500,000 in taxes owed for 2004 through 2009 and obstructed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by directing third parties to pay nominee entities for services Waller provided, and then using bank accounts in the names of those nominees to pay his personal expenses. Waller also allegedly failed to timely file federal income tax returns for the years 2011 and 2012, despite having an obligation to do so.
The indictment further charges Waller with making a false statement to a bank in order to obtain a loan modification by falsely representing that he had not worked in several years and had no source of income, when in fact he had been employed and received income.
If convicted, the defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for making a false statement to a bank, five years in prison for tax evasion, three years in prison for obstruction of the internal revenue laws, and one year in prison on each failure to file a tax return count. Waller also faces a period of supervised release, monetary penalties and restitution.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Elieson commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Andrea Kafka and John Mulcahy, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
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Knife-wielding Coraopolis Man Carjacked a Vehicle then Robbed a Rite Aid Pharmacy of $200K in Prescription MedsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA. – A former resident of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of carjacking, armed robbery of a pharmacy and violating the federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Joshua Williams, age 37, pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on May 29, 2017, Williams climbed through the open passenger window of a Chevrolet Malibu vehicle and attempted to poke the driver with a knife. The driver of the car was able to jump out of the vehicle and crawl onto the sidewalk as the defendant fled in the vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, Onstar tracked the vehicle to Noblestown Road. When police responded to the area, they learned that the defendant had just robbed a Rite Aid pharmacy. The defendant jumped over the counter, pointed a large serrated knife at the pharmacist, and demanded Oxycodone, Fentanyl and Adderall. Williams fled the pharmacy with a trashcan full of medications with a street value of nearly $200,000. Onstar continued to track the vehicle and the defendant was apprehended minutes later with the prescription pill bottles stolen from the pharmacy, as well as a knife.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
Jury Finds Tulsa Man Guilty of Violating Federal Firearms and Drug LawsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today that a jury found Kevin Dewayne Leffler, 38, of Tulsa, guilty of possessing an unregistered firearm after prior felony convictions, and possessing and intending to distribute methamphetamine. The jury determined that Leffler illegally possessed six firearms, including a loaded .45 caliber pistol, two conventional shotguns, a rifle, an assault rifle, and a sawed-off shotgun. The jury also found that the sawed-off shotgun was possessed in furtherance of Leffler’s intent to traffic approximately 42 grams of methamphetamine. Leffler was acquitted of knowingly possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
“Today, a jury held Kevin Leffler accountable for his drug and related crimes. I commend the jury for reaching verdicts of guilty and thank them for their service. Jury trials are one of the most important duties undertaken by federal prosecutors. Jury trials are especially significant in our criminal justice system because it is the citizens on the jury who make the final decision,” stated U.S. Attorney Shores. “I am proud of Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Roberts and Chris Nassar for their deft and professional prosecution of this matter. I am thankful for the skilled investigators at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department. This community is safer and this conviction was secured because of their joint efforts.”
District Judge John E. Dowdell, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and will sentence Leffler on July 23, 2018 at 10:00 am. Leffler faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, a fine of $250,000, and five years supervised release for the Felon in Possession of Firearm charge and the Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime charge; a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, and three years supervised release for the Possession With Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine charge; a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years supervised release for the Felon in Possession of an Unregistered Firearm charge.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan M. Roberts and Christopher J. Nassar.
Jury Convicts Three Men of 2009 Newport News MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A federal jury convicted three men late yesterday for their respective roles in a 2009 murder in Newport News.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Joseph J. C. Benson, 36, of Boston, Massachusetts, Mark X. Wallace, 36, of Williamsburg, and Bryan L. Brown, 31, of Newport News, were convicted of murder resulting from the home invasion and attempted drug robbery of Louis E. Joseph, Jr. of Newport News on March 13, 2009. Wallace recruited Benson, who traveled from Massachusetts to Virginia to help perpetrate the drug robbery. During the robbery, Benson and another individual entered the home and murdered Joseph, who was shot multiple times. Benson was linked to the crime by DNA evidence found at the scene. Wallace, who was waiting in the car during the crime, left the scene and following the murder Bryan Brown caused the murder weapons to be transported to New York, where they were recovered in an undercover operation.
The men were each convicted of use of a firearm resulting in death, and face a maximum penalty of life in prison when they are sentenced. Bryan Brown’s sentencing is scheduled for July 19, 2018, Joseph Benson’s sentencing is set for July 24, 2018, and Mark Wallace’s sentencing is set for August 6, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Michael C. Grinstead, Acting Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-45.
Johnstown Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pa. pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of filing false income tax returns, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
James E. Book, Sr., pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Book knowingly filed false income tax returns for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, in which he understated his income and overstated his expenses, for a total tax loss of $239,940.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for August 9, 2018, at 1 p.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 12 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie L. Haines is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Book.
Jefferson County, Ohio man guilty of drug distribution and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – After a two-day trial, Emory Chiles, of Steubenville, Ohio, was found guilty on all counts today by a jury, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
After 26 minutes of deliberations, a jury found Chiles, age 43, guilty of one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin,” one count of “Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Offense,” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Chiles distributed heroin and possessed a 9mm pistol in Monongalia County in November 2017. Chiles was previously convicted of a felony in the Northern District of West Virginia
“I appreciate the hard work of our trial team and judgement of the jury. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who violate our drug laws and be particularly vigilant when prohibited individuals have firearms. Firearms and drugs often go hand in hand and keeping our communities safe is our number one priority,” said Powell.
Chiles faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the first count, faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the second count, and faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the third count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.Interns Visit National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenRead the Press Release
On Wednesday, April 11th, interns from INTERPOL Washington—the U.S. National Central Bureau—visited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. NCMEC has centers in Florida, New York, Texas, and California. INTERPOL Washington has been in partnership with NCMEC for approximately 20 years. NCMEC provides leads and information about child sexual exploitation and abuse to law enforcement officials via INTERPOL’s I-24/7 secure messaging system. The I-24/7 system quickly disseminates information and leads shared from NCMEC’s CyberTipline to domestic and international investigative law enforcement agencies for potential action.
During the visit, the Spring intern class of 2018 heard from speakers who discussed the units within NCMEC and the support services NCMEC provides to families when a child goes missing whether domestically or internationally. The interns also learned about the various partner organizations that assist in disseminating photos of missing children across the United States.
INTERPOL Washington InternsInternships at INTERPOL Washington offer in-depth insight about the criminal justice system at the domestic and global levels, transnational crime, and law enforcement. Interns are placed within critical mission areas and also receive opportunities to take field trips to nearby law enforcement facilities and training sites. To learn more about internships at INTERPOL Washington, please visit our website.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Unlawfully Being in the CountryRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 42-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to prison for illegally re-entering the country after removal or deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. A federal jury deliberated for only approximately 30 minutes before finding Candelario Lucio-Garza guilty on Jan. 23, 2018.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez handed Lucio-Garza a 40-month sentence to be followed by three years of supervision after his release from prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Lucio-Garza is again expected to face deportation proceedings following the sentence. At the hearing, additional evidence was also provided that detailed Lucio-Garza’s three prior convictions for illegal re-entry and that he had also been convicted of attempted murder in 1993. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Lucio-Garza’s prior convictions, the fact that he attempted to re-enter the United States just two weeks after being deported and the 32-month sentence he received for his last illegal re-entry conviction in 2015.
During the trial, law enforcement testified that Lucio-Garza had been apprehended hiding on the Pharr International Bridge just 150 yards south of the Pharr Port of Entry shortly after midnight on Oct. 16, 2017. At that time, he admitted to being a Mexican national. Record checks revealed he had also been previously removed from the United States on three separate occasions and that he had no lawful status to be in the country.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that he had not actually entered the United States because he was still on the international bridge and that it was his intent to seek asylum in the United States even though he was found hiding from law enforcement agents after the bridge was closed and had not attempted to approach the processing center.
The jury did not believe his claims and found him guilty as charged.
Lucio-Garza has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Pharr Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Paxton and Linda Requénez prosecuted the case.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to Federal Prison for Document FraudRead the Press Release
A Guatemalan man who unlawfully used fraudulent identification documents was sentenced April 17, 2018, to four months in federal prison.
Cesar Mendez-Chavez, age 26, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Tama, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 12, 2018, guilty plea to three counts of unlawful use of identification documents.
Evidence in the case showed that on June 9, 2016, and June 13, 2016, Mendez-Chavez, an illegal alien, used a fraudulent social security card when completing employment forms to obtain jobs using an alias name in Tama and Northwood, Iowa. Mendez-Chavez also used the social security card on February 12, 2012, to obtain employment in Postville, Iowa. The social security account number on the card used by Mendez-Chavez was not his. Mendez-Chavez falsely claimed to be a United States citizen on the employment forms.
On January 26, 2018, Mendez-Chavez used a different social security card in applying for a State of Iowa Identification Card using a different alias name in Tama, Iowa. The social security account number and name on the social security card used by Mendez-Chavez belonged to a real United States citizen. Mendez-Chavez also used a fraudulent birth certificate in that alias name as proof of identity. These documents were seized by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
On January 31, 2018, Mendez-Chavez was arrested by immigration officers at his place of employment in Tama, Iowa, where he worked under an alias.
Mendez-Chavez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Mendez-Chavez was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mendez-Chavez 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 Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-04-LRR.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Honduras Man Sentenced to Time Served (over Seven Months) for Entering the U.S. After RemovalRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Mario Ernesto Garcia-Zavala, 22, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by George Z. Singal to time served (about 221 days) after being found guilty of having entered the United States after being removed. He was convicted following a non-jury trial on March 21, 2018.
The evidence at trial showed that Garcia-Zavala unlawfully entered the United States in about March 2014 and was ordered removed to Honduras on March 29, 2014. Four days later, immigration authorities returned him to Honduras. Garcia-Zavala did not apply for permission to reenter the United States. He was arrested in Portland on September 9, 2017 after a Maine State Trooper stopped the van in which he was a passenger for traffic violations.
U.S. Attorney Frank said: “We have a lawful system of immigration. We appreciate it when our state and local law enforcement partners help us identify people who cross our borders illegally, often, as here, repeatedly.”
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Removal Operations and the Maine State Police.
Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Use of a Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LAZARO VILLATORO-BODDEN (“VILLATORO-BODDEN”), age 36, was sentenced today after pleading guilty on January 10, 2018, to a one-count Bill of Information for illegal use of a social security number in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B). United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced VILLATORO-BODDEN to one year of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
According to court records, VILLATORO-BODDEN knowingly and with the intent to deceive, falsely represented that a social security number was assigned to him by the Commissioner of Social Security when, in fact, as VILLATORO-BODDEN knew, the social security number had not been assigned to him. His deception and illegal use of the social security number was done for the purpose of obtaining boat registration documents from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson is in charge of the prosecution.
Hanover Man Found Guilty of Dumping Sewage into West Virginia StreamRead the Press Release
Defendant was dumping truckloads of sewage into Little Huff Creek in Wyoming County
BECKLEY, WV -- Mike Blankenship was found guilty after a two day jury trial, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Mike Blankenship, 54, of Hanover, West Virginia, was convicted of two felony Clean Water Act violations and faces a total sentence of up to six years of incarceration, a $500,000 fine, supervised release for three years, and a special assessment of $200 when he is sentenced on August 1, 2018 by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger. United States Attorney Mike Stuart praised the work of the Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, who were also assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia State Police.
“Environmental crimes are serious, serious matters,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “After presentation of the evidence and in front of a jury of his peers, Mr. Blankenship was convicted for a serious environmental crime. Great work by my team and by the EPA and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.”
“The defendant in this case showed reckless disregard for the environment and public health,” said Susan Bodine, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Working together, EPA, FBI and the State of West Virginia are sending a clear message that those who violate laws designed to protect our communities will be held responsible.”
On September 29, 2015, a sewage truck owned by Blankenship was seen dumping untreated sewage into Little Huff Creek, a tributary of the Guyandotte River in Southwestern West Virginia. Inspectors with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) responded to the truck’s location in Hanover, West Virginia. They saw the sewage truck with a hose placed in the creek, observed sewage in the water and on the ground, and quickly requested the assistance of the West Virginia State Police. Returning to the truck, WVDEP agents were able to take samples from the truck and pad. Lab tests confirmed the presence of fecal coliform, an indicator of raw or untreated sewage. Later, agents with the FBI, EPA, and WVDEP spoke to Blankenship. Blankenship owns a porta-john and sewage business under the name Hanover Contracting Company. Blankenship admitted that it was his sewage truck dumping sewage into the water on the day the WVDEP inspectors observed it. Blankenship also admitted to dumping sewage into Little Huff Creek on other occasions. Neighbors provided photographic evidence that they testified showed Blankenship’s trucks dumping sewage and porta-john waste into the creek on various dates in 2015 and 2016. The jury also heard testimony from the law enforcement agents and experts in water quality assessment.
Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Perry McDaniel represented the United States during the jury trial.
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart
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Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Returning to the United States Following Prior DeportationRead the Press Release
A Guatemalan man who illegally returned to the United States was sentenced April 17, 2018, to almost three months in federal prison.
Vicente Raymundo-Lopez, age 51, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 15, 2018, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States.
At the guilty plea, Raymundo-Lopez admitted he had previously been deported from the United States on July 30, 2008, and that he illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. On January 12, 2018, Raymundo-Lopez was found by immigration officers at the Linn County Jail in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, following his arrest for a traffic offense. Raymundo-Lopez claimed to have illegally reentered the United States in 2012.
Raymundo-Lopez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Raymundo-Lopez was sentenced to 83 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Raymundo-Lopez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 18-CR-02-LRR.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Great Falls Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – Antonio Todd Tigart, a 21-year-old Great Falls resident, was sentenced today to 14 months in prison followed by 2 years supervised release after pleading guilty to prohibited person in possession of firearms on January 17, 2018. U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris handed down the sentence.
On June 26, 2017, officers with the Great Falls Police Department ran Tigart for warrants after he walked past a civil standby. Tigart had an active arrest warrant for the revocation of his felony, criminal endangerment conviction in February 2017. A loaded Springfield Armory .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was tucked into his waistband. Further investigation revealed that the firearm was stolen in December 2016.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart and investigated by the Great Falls Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Glenville Man Charged with Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Brendan Chandler, age 34, of Glenville, New York, was arrested yesterday and charged today with attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to a criminal complaint, Chandler used the Kik messaging application to solicit sex from someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl, but who was actually a New York State Police Investigator acting in an undercover capacity. Chandler was arrested in a parking lot in Albany County, where he thought he was going to pick up the girl in his car so that they could have sex. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Chandler appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered him detained pending further proceedings.
If convicted, Chandler faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison. He also faces a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, a fine of up to $250,000, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Four Women Admit Conspiracy to Distribute Thousands of Oxycodone Pills in Hunterdon County, New JerseyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – Four women appeared in federal court this week to admit their respective roles in an oxycodone distribution conspiracy in Flemington, New Jersey, and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Alicia Balaban, 35, of Wellington, Florida; Marie DeJulia, 42, of Lodi, New Jersey; and Michele Call, 63, and Nelida Rios, 55, both of Flemington, were previously charged by complaint. They entered their guilty pleas – to informations charging them each with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone – before U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson in Trenton federal court.
According to the documents filed in the case and statements made in Court:
Balaban, is Call’s daughter and DeJulia’s friend. From April 2016 through December 2017, Balaban, Call, and Rios worked together to secure prescriptions for oxycodone, fill them at pharmacies in Flemington, and then distribute the pills to DeJulia from Call’s and Rios’ Flemington residences for resale. The conspirators distributed thousands of 30 mg oxycodone pills.
Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense. Sentencing for Rios and Balaban is scheduled for July 20, 2018, and for Call and DeJulia, July 24, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Valerie A. Nickerson in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Alfonzo Walsman, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Protection Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: DeJulia: John Azzarello Esq., Morristown, New Jersey
Balaban: Clifford Lazzaro Esq., Elizabeth, New Jersey
Call: Jason LeBoeuf Esq., Newark
Rios: Michael Pedicini Esq., Chatham, New JerseyFounder of Not for Profit Organization Convicted of Stealing United Nations Grant Funds SentencedRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Steve S. Jabar, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted following a jury trial of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and making false statements, was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marie P. Grisanti and MaryEllen Kresse, who prosecuted the case, stated that Jabar, and co-defendant Deborah Bowers, founded a not for profit organization OKI, Opportunities for Kids International, Inc. In June 2004, Jabar and Bowers, through OKI, applied for and received a $500,000 grant from United Nations to create, maintain and operate a radio station in Iraq. The mission of the radio station was to further women’s rights issues in Iraq.
Within 24 hours of receiving a portion of the grant money, the defendants began to divert some of the funding for their own personal use. Jabar and Bowers diverted more than $65,000 for their own personal use. Jabar used some of the funding to pay off personal debts, including the payment of property taxes owed on his residence and business, as well as mortgage, utility, credit card payments and personal loan payments. Bowers also utilized some of the funding to pay personal credit card debt and make mortgage payments.
During the investigation, the defendants made false statement to investigator with the Internal Revenue Service in order to conceal with criminal behavior.
Deborah Bowers is awaiting sentencing.
“Following a five-week trial, a jury returned a verdict convicting defendant Jabar of conspiring to commit wire fraud, engaging in wire fraud, and making materially false statements,” said U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Notwithstanding that verdict, the trial judge found that the government’s evidence regarding harm to be lacking such that defendant’s wire fraud convictions could not be sustained. Notably, however, the Court found no infirmity in the defendant’s conviction for making a materially false statement to Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That statement came when the defendant falsely told agents that the entire $350,000 grant from the United Nations was sent to Iraq for the radio station, with the exception of expenses totaling no more than $10,000. In truth and in fact, however, the defendant used tens of thousands of dollars of the UNIFEM grant money to pay his personal loans and expenses. Such monies were not sent to Iraq for purposes of the radio station. Despite the defendant’s criticism of the government, his anger is misplaced. The only person he has to be mad at is himself. The job of the prosecutors in my Office and the job of our law enforcement partners is impartially to enforce the law. That is precisely what happened here—nothing more and nothing less. I commend Assistant United States Attorneys Marie Grisanti and Mary Ellen Kresse and the fine men and women of the IRS and the FBI for their efforts in this case. The defendant could have avoided this entire ordeal simply by being completely honest, forthright, and transparent in all of his dealings with the government. His refusal to do that is precisely what landed him before a federal judge for sentencing today.”
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons.
Fort Peck Meth Dealer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Landon Dupree, a 32-year-old resident of Poplar, was sentenced to 70 months in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided over the hearing.
Dupree previously entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In January 2017, Dupree was arrested on an outstanding warrant for violating the terms of his supervised release, drugs and drug paraphernalia on his person during the subsequent arrest.
In July 2017, the Montana Highway Patrol stopped the vehicle Dupree was driving and following a search of the vehicle, located a digital scale, methamphetamine, and syringes. Dupree was a mid-level distributor selling methamphetamine on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, primarily in Poplar.
In a sentencing memorandum filed in federal court, federal prosecutors noted, “Methamphetamine … is destroying lives, breaking up families, and undermining tribal cultures”. It continued “Dupree’s conduct contributed directly to this problem. He provided meth to people needing a quick fix and seemingly fails to understand the broad implications of his criminal conduct.”
Judge Morris sentenced Dupree to more than five years in federal prison, with four years of supervised release to follow. Because there is no parole in the federal system, Dupree will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Dupree does have the opportunity to shorten the term of custody by earning credit for good behavior. However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
The Dupree case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, Montana Highway Patrol, and other federal, state, and local agencies.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Former Waterbury Resident Sentenced to Prison for Violating Conditions of ProbationRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALEA CRUZ, 20, formerly of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven to six months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for violating the conditions of her probation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2016, as part of a DEA New Haven Task Force investigation that followed an overdose death, law enforcement officers made two controlled purchases of heroin from CRUZ’s boyfriend, Teddy Stuart Lopez, Jr., in Waterbury. On July 5, 2016, at Lopez’s direction, CRUZ delivered 20 bags of heroin to an individual for $100. CRUZ and Lopez were arrested on July 19, 2016.
On December 1, 2016, CRUZ pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor offense. On February 27, 2017, Judge Merriam sentenced CRUZ to three years of probation and ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine at a rate of $40 per month.
Lopez pleaded guilty to a related heroin distribution offense and was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment.
While on probation and under the supervision of U.S. Probation officers in Virginia and, most recently, Rhode Island, where she was residing, CRUZ tested positive for marijuana nine times and, on one occasion, provided a diluted urine specimen. She also failed to report to probation officers and failed to submit to drug screenings on multiple occasions, and failed to participate in substance abuse treatment as ordered. In addition, CRUZ violated her probation by associating with Lopez, a convicted felon, through email and the telephone. She also failed to make any installment payments on her court-ordered fine even though she had the ability to do so, and had made more than 50 payments totaling more than $1,800 to Lopez’s prison account.
At the conclusion of today’s court proceeding, CRUZ was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving her sentence.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Jongbloed.
Former U.S. Soldier and Two North Carolina Men Found Guilty for Conspiring to Kidnap and Murder as Part of A Murder-For-Hire Scheme OverseasRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JOSEPH MANUEL HUNTER, a U.S. citizen and former member of the U.S. Army, and two co-defendants, ADAM SAMIA and CARL DAVID STILLWELL, both U.S. citizens, were convicted by a federal jury today of offenses relating to the February 2012 murder of a woman in the Philippines. The defendants’ conviction followed a 12-day trial before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams of the Southern District of New York. Sentencing has been scheduled for HUNTER on September 7, 2018, and for SAMIA and STILLWELL for September 14, 2018, before Judge Abrams.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “This horrifying real-life murder-for-hire case included details usually seen in action movies. Hunter, Samia, and Stillwell conspired to end the lives of people overseas whom they had never met. Today a unanimous jury convicted them for their craven indifference to human life. I commend the DEA for bringing this tragic story to a just ending.”
According to the Superseding Indictment against HUNTER, SAMIA, and STILLWELL, other filings in Manhattan federal court, and the evidence admitted at trial:
HUNTER served from 1983 to 2004 in the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of sergeant first class. While in the Army, HUNTER led air-assault and airborne infantry squads; served as a sniper instructor; and trained soldiers in marksmanship and tactics as a senior drill sergeant. Since leaving the Army in 2004, HUNTER has arranged for the murders of multiple victims in exchange for money, among other completed acts of violence undertaken for pay.
SAMIA is a self-described “Personal Protection/Security Industry” professional. According to SAMIA’s résumé, he has worked as an “Independent Contractor” for clients in the Philippines, China, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo; and has training in tactics and weapons, including handguns, shotguns, rifles, sniper rifles, and machineguns. STILLWELL also purported to have training and experience in the field of information technology and to have worked at a firm in North Carolina that provides firearms training.
In 2011 and 2012, HUNTER, SAMIA, and STILLWELL agreed to commit murders-for-hire in overseas locations in exchange for salaries and bonus payments for each victim. In early 2012, SAMIA and STILLWELL traveled from North Carolina to the Philippines, where HUNTER provided them with, among other things, information about their intended victims and firearms to use to commit the murders.
In January and February 2012, SAMIA and STILLWELL surveilled their intended victims in the Philippines as they formulated their murder plans. On February 12, 2012, SAMIA and STILLWELL killed one of their intended victims – a Filipino woman – in the Philippines by shooting her multiple times in the face (“Victim-1”). After killing Victim-1, SAMIA and STILLWELL disposed of her body on a pile of garbage, where it was later found by local authorities. HUNTER paid SAMIA and STILLWELL $35,000 each for completing the murder, and SAMIA and STILLWELL sent thousands of dollars from the payments they received to the United States using, among other methods, structured wire transfers in amounts under $10,000.
In late February and early March 2012, SAMIA and STILLWELL returned from the Philippines to North Carolina, where they continued to reside until their July 2015 arrests on these charges.
* * *
HUNTER, 52, of Owensboro, Kentucky, SAMIA, 43, of Roxboro, North Carolina, and STILLWELL, 50, of Roxboro, North Carolina, were each convicted of one count of conspiring to commit murder-for-hire and one count of committing murder-for-hire, each of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; and one count of conspiring to murder and kidnap in a foreign country and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, each of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. SAMIA and STILLWELL were also each convicted of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
The charges against the defendants were the result of the close cooperative efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit; DEA’s Manila Country Office; DEA’s Atlanta Field Division, Raleigh Resident Office; DEA’s Louisville Field Division; the Durham Police Department; the Raleigh Police Department; the Harnett County Sherriff’s Office; the Wake County Sherriff’s Office; the Person County Sherriff’s Office; the Cary Police Department; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Greensboro Field Office; the Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center; the Royal Thai Police; the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation; and the Philippines National Police; and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs. Mr. Berman also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section for their support and assistance.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebekah Donaleski, Patrick Egan, and Emil J. Bove III are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Police Officer Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting an Individual in His CustodyRead the Press Release
Jerry Lynn Gragg Jr., 41, a former police officer with the Savanna Police Department in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, was sentenced today in federal court in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to 100 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release. Gragg previously pleaded guilty to one count of violating the civil rights of a female whom he sexually assaulted during a routine traffic stop. As part of his sentence, Gragg must forfeit his law enforcement certification and comply with federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
According to court documents, on Jan. 21, 2017, Gragg, while on-duty, stopped a vehicle during the early hours of the morning while it was still dark outside. After approaching the vehicle, Gragg brought the female driver back to his marked patrol unit and directed her to sit in the front passenger seat. Given the coercive power of Gragg’s position as a law enforcement offer, and the physical disparity in size between Gragg and the victim, she could not escape from the patrol car. Thereafter, Gragg caused the victim to perform a sexual act on him against her will. Gragg admitted that he knew what he was doing was wrong and against the law, yet he did so anyway. Gragg further admitted that his acts included aggravated sexual abuse, which under federal law, requires force or putting the victim in fear of serious bodily injury, kidnapping, or death.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate the actions of law enforcement officers who exploit their authority and sexually abuse individuals in their custody,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. “Gragg’s sentencing today reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to holding officers who violate an individual’s civil rights accountable for their egregious actions. The Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases.”
"I commend the victim for her strength and courage to come forward and provide law enforcement with the information necessary to hold the Defendant accountable for committing this heinous act and for violating his oath to protect and serve his community." said U.S. Attorney Brian Kuester. "While the majority of law enforcement officers follow the laws they are sworn to uphold, this Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who choose otherwise."
“This deliberate abuse of authority is a disgrace and embarrassment to all members of the law enforcement community,” said FBI’s Oklahoma City Division Special Agent in Charge Kathryn Peterson. “There is an added sense of betrayal when a fellow law enforcement official preys on the citizens he has sworn to protect.”
This case was investigated by the Oklahoma City Division of the FBI and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the Pittsburg County District Attorney’s Office and the Savanna Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Henson of the Eastern District of Oklahoma and Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Former Police Officer Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting an Individual in CustodyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jerry Lynn Gragg Jr., 41, a former police officer with the Savanna Police Department in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, was sentenced today in federal court in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to 100 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release. Gragg previously pleaded guilty to one count of violating the civil rights of a female whom he sexually assaulted during a routine traffic stop. As part of his sentence, Gragg must forfeit his law enforcement certification and comply with federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
According to court documents, on Jan. 21, 2017, Gragg, while on-duty, stopped a vehicle during the early hours of the morning while it was still dark outside. After approaching the vehicle, Gragg brought the female driver back to his marked patrol unit and directed her to sit in the front passenger seat. Given the coercive power of Gragg’s position as a law enforcement officer, and the physical disparity in size between Gragg and the victim, she could not escape from the patrol car. Thereafter, Gragg caused the victim to perform a sexual act on him against her will. Gragg admitted that he knew what he was doing was wrong and against the law, yet he did so anyway. Gragg further admitted that his acts included aggravated sexual abuse, which under federal law, requires force or putting the victim in fear of serious bodily injury, kidnapping, or death.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate the actions of law enforcement officers who exploit their authority and sexually abuse individuals in their custody,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. “Gragg’s sentencing today reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to holding officers who violate an individual’s civil rights accountable for their egregious actions. The Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases.”
"I commend the victim for her strength and courage to come forward and provide law enforcement with the information necessary to hold the Defendant accountable for committing this heinous act and for violating his oath to protect and serve his community." said U.S. Attorney Brian Kuester. "While the majority of law enforcement officers follow the laws they are sworn to uphold, this Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who choose otherwise."
“This deliberate abuse of authority is a disgrace and embarrassment to all members of the law enforcement community,” said FBI’s Oklahoma City Division Special Agent in Charge Kathryn Peterson. “There is an added sense of betrayal when a fellow law enforcement official preys on the citizens he has sworn to protect.”
This case was investigated by the Oklahoma City Division of the FBI and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the Pittsburg County District Attorney’s Office and the Savanna Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Henson of the Eastern District of Oklahoma and Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Former Pasco County Aircraft Mechanic Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Russel Lee Orr (42, Trinity) to 15 years in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity, attempted production of child pornography, and for soliciting for child pornography online. A federal jury found Orr found guilty on July 1, 2016. Prior to his arrest, Orr had worked as an aircraft mechanic in the Tampa area.
According to testimony and evidence introduced during the four-day trial, between March 10 and May 20, 2015, Orr engaged in a series of text messages and email conversations with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The “child” was actually a detective with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. During the course of the conversations, Orr discussed in detail his desire to meet the “child” for sex. He also repeatedly solicited the “child” to produce and send photos of her genitalia to him.
On May 21, 2015, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Orr’s apartment and arrested him. During the search of the home, the agents located and seized a smart phone that Orr had used to communicate with the “child” and also to search the internet for materials related to the sexual exploitation of children.
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI in Jacksonville and Tampa. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case 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 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.justice.gov/psc.
Former Housing Authority Executive Director Sent to PrisonRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas ‐ The former director of the La Joya Housing Authority and another man have been ordered to federal prison for a bid rigging scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Juan Jose Garza, 50, of La Joya, and Mexican national Armando Jimenez, 53, pleaded guilty to wire fraud May 3, 2017.
Today, U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa ordered Garza to serve 37 months in prison, while Jimenez received an 18-month-prison term. In imposing the sentence, the court ruled Garza abused his position of trust to facilitate the wire fraud scheme, commenting that “the public trusts people in public office to do the right thing.” Judge Hinojosa further noted in regard to Garza “that trust was broken.” Garza will also serve two years of supervised release. Not a U.S. citizen, Jimenez is expected to face deportation proceedings following his sentence.
From 1999 through 2016, Garza was the executive director of the La Joya Housing Authority. From July 2013 through March 2013, Garza and Jimenez engaged in bid rigging for construction contracts with the Alamo and Donna Housing Authorities. They submitted false bids to guarantee Jimenez Construction would be the low bidder and then awarded construction projects. Jimenez then falsely submitted invoices for work he claimed his construction company did, but that had been completed by subcontractors working for Garza.
Garza and Jimenez were permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rees prosecuted the case.
Former Flint Police Officers Plead Guilty to Theft Conspiracy Targeting Flint Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
Two former police officers of the Flint Police Department (FPD) pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to conspiring to commit theft from an organization receiving federal funds, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to documents filed with the court, Richard Besson, 53, of Davison, Michigan, served as an FPD officer from 1989 to 2011 and Jason Groulx, 44, of Flint, Michigan, served as an FPD officer from 1998 to 2018. From June 2011 to June 2013, Besson and Groulx conspired together and with others to steal traffic crash reports from the FPD in exchange for cash payments. Many of the stolen reports were marked “unapproved” and were not publicly available.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 31. Besson and Groulx face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison, as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and William Guappone, who are prosecuting the case, and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for their assistance.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Former Elementary School Teacher Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Robert Krietzman was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution for possession of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Alex G. Tse and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Beth L. Freeman, U.S. District Judge.
On April 17, 2018, Krietzman, 53, of Watsonville, Calif., pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4). According to the plea agreement, Krietzman admitted to possessing over 600 images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Many of the images depicted prepubescent female children engaged in masturbation, sexual intercourse with adult males, or in bondage. The images were discovered in May of 2016 by Santa Cruz Police detectives executing a search warrant at Krietzman’s home in Watsonville. The case later was referred for federal prosecution. Krietzman was a credentialed first grade teacher in Watsonville at the time the images were located on electronic devices in his home.
Krietzman was charged by information on September 6, 2017, with one count of possession of child pornography. Pursuant to his April 17, 2018, plea agreement, pleaded guilty to this count. He was sentenced the same day.
In addition to the prison term and restitution, Judge Freeman also sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release and required him to pay a $5,100 special assessment fee. The Court also imposed forfeiture of all devices recovered from Krietzman’s home containing child pornography. Judge Freeman also ordered Krietzman to register as a sex offender and participate in sex offender treatment and counseling. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Harris is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the HSI and the Santa Cruz Police Department.
Former Director of East St. Louis Public Library Indicted for Fraud and EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
Marlon P. Bush, 47, formerly the Director of the East St. Louis Public Library, was charged in a six-count Indictment with three counts of Wire Fraud and three counts of Embezzlement from the City of East St. Louis Public Library, A Unit of Government That Received Federal Funds, Don Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. Counts One through Three of the Indictment, Wire Fraud, each carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, while Counts Four through Six, Embezzlement, each carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Each of the offenses is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000, with mandatory restitution.
The Indictment charges that from September 2014 through December 2016, Bush took excess salary and charged personal purchases to the East St. Louis Public Library’s credit card that included professional sports tickets, concert tickets, personal apparel, jewelry, firearm accessories, and personal travel expenses. Specific counts of the Indictment charge Bush with using the Library’s credit card to purchase tickets for the Dallas Mavericks and the entertainer Bootsy Collins, as well as throwing knives, a machete, and an axe.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation was conducted by the Metro-East Public Corruption Task Force, consisting of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service/Criminal Investigations, and the Illinois State Police. Anyone with information concerning public corruption can call the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force Tip Line: 618-589-7353. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.
Former Detroit Deputy Chief of Police Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for BriberyRead the Press Release
Former Deputy Chief of Police for the Detroit Police Department, Celia Washington, 57, of Detroit, was sentenced to twelve months in prison today based on her conviction for conspiring with Gasper Fiore to commit bribery in connection with the corruption of towing permits in Detroit, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Timothy Slater, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Manny Muriel, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service.
Washington was sentenced today before United States District Judge David Lawson who also ordered Washington to pay a fine of $2,500 and be under supervision of the court for a period of two years following completion of her sentence.
While serving as a Deputy Police Chief and the legal advisor to the Chief of Police, Washington accepted multiple bribes from the owners of towing companies while Washington’s responsibilities included overseeing the Detroit Police Department’s permitting, licensing, and use of private towing companies. Washington was convicted of bribery conspiracy in January 2018 after she admitted accepting $4,000 in cash from tow company owner Gasper Fiore. Previously, in December 2017, Fiore had pleaded guilty to bribing Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds in connection with a Clinton Township towing contract.
At her guilty plea hearing, Washington had admitted that she knew that Fiore was using the cash bribe to seek to influence her in the selection of tow rotations in the City of Detroit for Fiore’s towing companies. Under the city’s towing rotation, private towing companies are called by the police to tow cars that are seized by the police or had been stolen. When she accepted the bribe, Washington was aware that Fiore was violating the City of Detroit’s rules prohibiting a towing company owner from having more than one company in the rotation for a particular police precinct or district. After she accepted the $3,000 cash bribe from Fiore, Washington assisted in issuing a police towing rotation list that continued to allow Fiore to violate the city’s towing rules and that significantly benefited Fiore’s companies.
Besides accepting $4,000 in cash from Fiore in 2016, Washington had accepted other bribes from Fiore and another owner of a towing company. Fiore had paid over $800 for drinks at Washington’s birthday party at the Granite City restaurant. Washington also accepted $2,400 in repairs on her personal car from another tow company owner, as well as a $2,700 cash “loan” from that same owner, half of which Washington claimed she paid back. Finally, Washington purchased a car for $5,000 from one tow company owner, and then Fiore gave Washington $5,000 in cash to pay for the car purchase for her.
United States Attorney Schneider said, “Former Deputy Police Chief Washington’s corruption was particularly egregious because she was a high-level police official and a licensed attorney at the same time. While the grand majority of police officers are honest and dedicated, we will not tolerate bribery by any police officer charged with protecting the rule of law and our community.”
“Former Deputy Police Chief Washington violated the public’s trust by accepting bribes for her own financial gain,” said Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit FBI. “These actions are not representative of the dedicated men and women of the Detroit Police Department. The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who commit criminal acts that erode the public’s confidence.”
This case is part of the government’s wide-ranging corruption investigation centered in Macomb County, Michigan. The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Gardey and R. Michael Bullotta.
Five More Sentenced for Role in Heroin EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Harrisonburg, VIRGINIA – An additional five defendants out of 13 convicted of trafficking more than 1,000 grams of heroin from Baltimore to Front Royal were sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced.
Tuesday in Federal Court, three Front Royal residents were sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy. Da’Shawn Lee Edwards, 22, was sentenced to 168 months in prison, Keon Rasheed Hackley, 20, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and Tiara Lachay Bailey, 24, was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
In addition, a pair of Baltimore men involved in the conspiracy were sentenced for their roles in the trafficking enterprise. Antwan Lucas, 21, was sentenced Tuesday to 108 months in prison and Antwan Wilson Cottman, 29, was sentenced to 180 months.
All five of the defendants sentenced Tuesday, as well as three members of the conspiracy sentenced Monday in federal court, and five defendants scheduled for sentencing Wednesday, were involved in a multi-year trafficking enterprise that brought significant amounts of heroin from Baltimore to Front Royal.
“Our office is committed to working with state and local law enforcement in the Northern Shenandoah Valley to disrupt opioid distribution networks and aggressively prosecute the dealers who are poisoning our communities,” U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen said today. “With the help of our local partners, we will be increasing enforcement and federal prosecutions in this region.”
According to information and evidence presented at previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Wolthuis, the conspiracy began as early as 2013 with the goal of trafficking heroin from Baltimore to the Front Royal area. On average, members of the conspiracy distributed one kilogram of heroin per week during the life of the conspiracy, which operated between 2013 and April 2016.
To insulate the identity of the sellers from the identity of the buyers, heroin customers in Virginia contacted a phone number in Maryland, either by voice call or text, which was controlled by conspiracy members and was known only as the “Chris phone.” “Chris” was not a real person, but rather was a fake name associated with the phone number customers contacted to place heroin orders. At the time an order was placed, customers were provided a street address in Baltimore where their order was to be picked up. When a customer arrived at the pre-determined address, the customer’s car was approached by other members of the conspiracy, a drug transaction took place, and the Virginia customers drove back to Front Royal. No socializing or small talk took place between the customer in the car and the seller on the street. The Virginia customers made these trips every day, sometimes multiple times per day. Once they returned to Front Royal, the customers used the heroin and sold it to others.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Winchester Office, the Front Royal Office of the Virginia State Police Northwest Regional Drug and Gang Task Force, the Baltimore City Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Frederick, Maryland Sheriff’s Office, the Loudoun County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office and the Howard County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Wolthuis is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Five More Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison for Marijuana Trafficking and Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Five defendants were sentenced to federal prison this week after having pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The sentences were announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Yesterday, the following defendants were sentenced on both charges:
- Charles Zachariah Sindylek, 32, of Pensacola, 90 months in prison and
- David DelGiacco, 56, of Lake Forest, California, 30 days in custody of the Bureau of Prisons.
Today, the following defendants were sentenced on both charges:
- Brandon Craig Remeyer, 35, of Trabuco Canyon, California, 72 months in prison and
- Andrew Paul Marcelonis, 32, of Pensacola, 18 months in prison.
Also today, Steven Ryan Michael Sholly, 31, of Milton, was sentenced to 59 months in prison on conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
Co-defendants Sanford Eugene Johnson III, William Brett Brownell, and his father William Ezra Brownell had previously pled guilty and were sentenced last November.
Between 2014 and 2017, the defendants conspired to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana in the Northern District of Florida. Johnson, William Brett Brownell, Sholly, and others in the Pensacola area ordered the marijuana from Sindylek and Remeyer, who shipped packages of marijuana from California to Florida with the assistance of DelGiacco. Johnson, William Brett Brownell, and Sholly then sold the marijuana in Florida with the assistance of Marcelonis, William Ezra Brownell, and others. The cash proceeds of the marijuana distribution were laundered through bank accounts, and later mailed to addresses in California. More than $3.5 million in cash proceeds from the sale of marijuana was laundered during the time frame of the conspiracy.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, the Pensacola Police Department, the Mobile Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Breeze Police Department, and the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Fifth Defendant in Multi-State Dog Fighting Prosecution Sentenced to Two Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – The fifth defendant to plead guilty in a multi-state dog fighting case was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in dog fighting activities that took place in New Jersey and Virginia, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey and Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced.
Mario Atkinson, 42, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty June 15, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan an information charging him with one count of sponsoring and exhibiting a dog in a dog fight, and one count of unlawful possession of a dog intended to be used for the purpose of dog fighting. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents in this and other cases and statements made in court:
Atkinson admitted that in 2016, he had fought his dog in a dog fight in Virginia for a $1,000 wager. The investigation revealed that Atkinson’s dog perished after the dog fight while Atkinson was driving home, and that Atkinson placed the dog’s body in a trash receptacle. On June 1, 2016, agents seized 18 pit bull-type dogs from Atkinson. Some of these dogs had scarring and injuries consistent with fighting and were found near dog fighting equipment, including an electric treadmill specially outfitted with side panels and a leash clip to force dogs to run on the treadmill. Agents also found blood splatters in three areas of Atkinson’s basement that tested positive for canine blood.
Four other defendants in this case previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to a total of 111 months. The court set a trial date of Oct. 8, 2018, for the four remaining defendants in the case.
“Federal and local law enforcement agencies in New Jersey have ramped up their efforts recently to track down animal fighters and bring them to justice,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said. “We will continue to root out dog fighting in New Jersey and to work with our local and state partners to bring the offenders to justice.”
“Animal cruelty like the conduct in this case has no place in a civilized society,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wood. “Today’s sentencing sends a strong message that we are bringing to justice those who engage in illegal dog fighting and that anyone who engages in this conduct does so at the risk of significant jail time.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms and gambling,” Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General said “Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Atkinson to three years of supervised release and fined him $1,000.
The case is part of Operation Grand Champion, a coordinated effort across numerous federal judicial districts to combat organized dog fighting. The phrase “Grand Champion” is used by dog fighters to refer to a dog with more than five dog fighting “victories.” To date, 98 dogs have been rescued as part of Operation Grand Champion, and either surrendered or forfeited to the government. The Humane Society of the United States assisted with the care of the dogs seized by federal law enforcement.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O’Leary of the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section.