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14 March 2018
Disney Cruise Ship Employee Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
For Further Information, Contact: Assistant U.S. Attorney
Joseph J.M. Orabona (619)546-7951
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 13, 2018
SAN DIEGO – Renan Dias Da Rocha Gomes, a former employee aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for wire fraud in connection with his scheme to embezzle more than $260,000 from The Walt Disney Company.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations arrested Gomes on October 27, 2017, when the Disney Wonder made port in San Diego, California. According to his plea agreement, Gomes admitted that from at least October 2015 through October 27, 2017, he was employed as a merchandise host and assigned to work in the merchandise stores aboard the Disney Wonder. He admitted he executed his scheme by fraudulently obtaining money through his access to an online payment system in order to embezzle funds from Disney for his own personal use and benefit.
As evidenced by his guilty plea, Gomes made approximately $260,000 in unauthorized charges to Disney’s bank account, and loaded the value of the funds onto Disney gift cards while working aboard the Disney Wonder on the high seas. During the search of Gomes’ cabin aboard the Disney Wonder, investigators found approximately 217 gift cards, a stolen watch, and $1,240 in cash.
Gomes also admitted that from April 23, 2017 through May 7, 2017, he spent approximately $37,700 of the embezzled funds for his own personal benefit by taking his family on a Disney World vacation. While on this vacation, Gomes stated that he used the gift cards with the embezzled funds to pay approximately $8,200 on lodging, approximately $29,500 on food, beverage, merchandise and entertainment expenses.
As part of the sentence today, the Court ordered Gomes to pay restitution to The Walt Disney Company in the total amount of funds he stole. In addition, the Court ordered Gomes to criminally forfeit the stolen watch and $1,240 in cash which were proceeds of his wire fraud.
In order to work aboard the Disney Wonder, Gomes, who is a Brazilian national, obtained a temporary visa. As a consequence of his criminal conviction, Gomes’ visa was cancelled and he will be removed from the United States to Brazil following the completion of his prison term.
“Today’s sentence should remind the public that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting consumers and enforcing the law against employees who embezzle funds from their employers for their own personal benefit,” said United States Attorney Adam L. Braverman. “The defendant in this case has been held accountable for his criminal conduct and for the way he cheated his employer.”
“The FBI is committed to identifying, investigating, and bringing those responsible for fraudulent criminal activity to justice,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge John A. Brown. “We want to encourage San Diego citizens and businesses alike to report suspicious or fraudulent activity to the FBI. It is this partnership between our community and law enforcement partners that allows us to better protect against these fraudulent actors.”
DEFENDANT Criminal Case No. 17CR3897-CAB
Renan Dias Da Rocha Gomes Age: 32 Citizenship: Brazil
SUMMARY OF CHARGES:
Count 1 – Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343)
Maximum Penalties: maximum of 20 years in prison; maximum fine of $250,000; maximum term of supervised release of three years; restitution; criminal forfeiture
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Delaware Man Charged in Artifact TheftRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Michael Rohana, 23, of Bear, DE, was charged today by indictment[1] of theft of major artwork from a museum, concealment of major artwork stolen from museum and interstate transportation of stolen property. According to the indictment, on, December 21, 2017, Rohana stole from the Franklin Institute, a piece (“the Thumb”) from one of the terracotta sculptures dating from 210 to 209 B.C. Rohana then transported the Thumb from Philadelphia to his home in Bear, Delaware.
If convicted, Rohana faces a maximum term of thirty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine.
This case was brought to the immediate attention of authorities by the Franklin Institute. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney KT Newtown.
[1]An Indictment or Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
DOJ Officials, Arkansas First Lady to Open NCAC International SymposiumRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE – Two top U.S. Department of Justice officials and the First Lady of Arkansas will open the 34th International Symposium on Child Abuse presented by the National Children’s Advocacy Center March 19-22 at the Von Braun Center.
The annual symposium is a premiere conference that provides expert training and numerous networking opportunities to professionals in the child maltreatment field, and is one of the few conferences that addresses all aspects of child maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, poly-victimization, exploitation, intervention, trafficking and prevention. The NCAC will bring together approximately 1,400 law enforcement, medical, prosecution, victim advocacy, child protection and mental health professionals, and youth-serving organizations from 48 states, Washington, D.C., and 12 countries for the symposium.
Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Alan Hanson and Arkansas’ First Lady Susan Hutchinson will speak at the symposium’s opening session Tuesday, March 20, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
NCAC Executive Director Chris Newlin said, “We are honored to have officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, along with First Lady Hutchinson of Arkansas, with us to welcome participants from throughout the United States and the world and provide an inspirational message about the impact and value of the work being done at Children’s Advocacy Centers. The Department of Justice has long supported the multidisciplinary work of Children’s Advocacy Centers in responding to child abuse.”
“Since its inception in 1985, the NCAC has been a model in caring for abused children and in coordinating the work of the numerous agencies that treat and care for those courageous children with the agencies that investigate and prosecute cases involving them,” Town said. “The NCAC and its international symposium have trained thousands of professionals in the best methods of caring for the children and investigating their cases. The Justice Department has awarded valuable grants to support the NCAC’s important work, and I welcome Acting Associate Attorney General Panuccio and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hanson to Alabama to address the symposium and underscore the invaluable service the NCAC provides to children and communities across our country,” he said.
Hutchinson, a former schoolteacher, has a lifetime of experience advocating for and working with children. Before becoming Arkansas’ first lady, Hutchinson spent several years on the board of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County, one of 16 non-profit Children’s Advocacy Centers in Arkansas that work with abused children.
Panuccio is the third-ranking officer in the Department of Justice, overseeing more than a dozen department components, including the Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions, and the Office of Justice Programs and the Office on Violence Against Women.
Hanson, who worked as general counsel, chief of staff and legislative director for U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, brings more than 17 years of congressional policy, management, appropriations and political experience to the Justice Department.
The three-day international gathering will offer more than 160 workshops with tracks designed specifically for administration, child protective services, forensic interviewing, human trafficking/sexual exploitation, law enforcement, medical, mental health/treatment, prevention, prosecution/legal, secondary traumatic stress, victim advocacy and youth-serving organization.
For information or to arrange an interview with NCAC Executive Director Newlin or a speaker, contact Pam Clasgens, NCAC Community Awareness and Prevention Director, 256-327-3761 (direct line), or 256-533-5437 (main line) or [email protected].
About the NCAC: The NCAC revolutionized the response to child sexual abuse in the U.S. There are currently more than 1,000 Children’s Advocacy Centers in the U.S. and 33 other countries are based on the model developed in Huntsville, Ala., in 1985. The NCAC provides services to children and families in the Huntsville-Madison County area, and is a national and international leader in training for professionals responsible for the protection of children.
The NCAC models, promotes and delivers excellence in child abuse response and prevention through service, education and leadership. For information, contact 256-533-5437 or visit www.nationalcac.org.
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Corvallis Man Receives Federal Prison Sentence for Defrauding Local CompanyRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore. – On Tuesday, March 13, 2018, Matthew Linderman, 50, of Corvallis, Oregon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised released for wire fraud and filing a false tax return. Linderman was also ordered to pay over $1.7 million in restitution.
According to court documents, Linderman used his position as business area manager at Corvallis-based Trimble Forestry Automation to approve invoices from companies with whom he was personally associated. He used his knowledge of Trimble’s invoicing procedures to ensure that he alone would be required to authorize the expenditures. Linderman received a substantial amount of each vendor payment in the form of kickbacks to companies he owned including Strategic Enterprises and Santiam Organics.
Between 2009 and 2013, Linderman approved over $2.2 million in payments to Precision Mobile Integration and J. Waldien Designs. After he was terminated, Trimble discovered that the owner of the two vendors was a friend and former military colleague of Linderman’s, Jeffery Waldien. Waldien pleaded guilty and was sentenced in a separate case in January 2018.
A detailed financial analysis conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) discovered that of the more than $850,000 Trimble paid to J. Waldien Designs, more than $763,000 was based on fraudulent invoices. Approximately $636,000 of those funds were transferred to Strategic Enterprises and used by Linderman to start Santiam Organics. The analysis further discovered over $1 million in fraudulent payments to Precision Mobile Integration, the majority of which Linderman used for business and personal expenses.
Linderman pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and filing a false federal income tax return on September 15, 2016.
This case was investigated by the FBI and IRS CI and prosecuted by Gavin Bruce and Amy Potter, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Columbia Man Pleads to Conspiracy to Steal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Jonathan Donnell Thompson, age 36, of Columbia, plead guilty in federal court to conspiracy to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. In January 2018, Thompson’s co-defendant, Cedric K. Reddick, age 24, of Columbia, plead guilty to conspiracy to steal firearms from a federal firearms licensee and to being a felon in possession of a firearm, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). United States District Judge Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted both guilty pleas and will impose sentence on both Thompson and Reddick after she has reviewed the presentence reports, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented in court established on August 5, 2016, Tony’s Guns and Police Supplies, a federal firearms licensee, in Sumter was burglarized and 69 handguns stolen. The investigation revealed similarities between that burglary and other burglaries of liquor stores in several counties. Through the joint investigation, law enforcement developed information that lead to Thompson being a suspect and later a DNA match linked co-defendant Reddick to a burglary of one of the liquor stores. Further investigation linked Thompson and Reddick to the burglaries through various means, including phone records and social media posts. Additionally, a search warrant at Reddick’s apartment revealed a 9mm handgun stolen during the burglary of Tony’s Guns and Police Supplies. Upon arrest, Reddick confessed to his involvement and implicated Thompson.
Thompson faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the Clinton Police Department, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.
Project Ceasefire is South Carolina’s continued application of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
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Colombian Drug Kingpin Found Guilty by Miami Federal JuryRead the Press Release
Colombian drug kingpin Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño was convicted today by a jury in Miami.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.
A Miami jury found Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño, a/k/a “Mi Sangre,” 47, a citizen of Colombia, guilty today of conspiring to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine with the knowledge that it would be unlawfully imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 959 and 963. Sentencing is set for May 30, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. in Miami. The defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison.
The evidence presented at the six week trial, which included the testimony of special agents from DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, Argentinean National Police, and multiple co-conspirators, showed that the defendant in Colombia was as a leader of the Urabeños, one of the largest and most dangerous drug cartels in the world. As a leader, the defendant was part of a drug distribution chain spanning from Colombia to Central America, Mexico, and the United States. The evidence at trial showed that as part of this conspiracy, the defendant was responsible for trafficking over 60,000 kilograms of cocaine. The evidence at trial also revealed that at one point, Lopez Londoño attempted to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement. However, when it was discovered that the defendant was lying and committing acts of violence, he became a target of investigation. That trial evidence further showed that Lopez Londoño had engaged in unauthorized drug trafficking activities while attempting to cooperate.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg stated, “The conviction of Henry de Jesus Lopez Londoño is the result of extraordinary international cooperation. It also reflects years of hard work, commitment and perseverance of our Colombian, Argentinean and U.S. law enforcement partners to stem the flow of cocaine into the United States and bring a major international drug trafficker to justice.”
“Henry Lopez-Londono’s conviction marks the success of the DEA Miami Field Division’s strong alliance and cooperation with our foreign and other U.S. law enforcement partners.” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Adolphus P. Wright. “As a result of this partnership, we are able to reach out to other parts of the globe to target transnational criminal organizations and bring to justice the leaders of those drug trafficking organizations.”
The prosecution was part of Operation Golden Eagle, which is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.
Mr. Greenberg would like to commend the DEA Miami Field Division, DEA Bogota Country Office, DEA Buenos Aires Country Office, the Governments of Colombia and Argentina, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the Office of the Judicial Attaché in Colombia, and the U.S. State Department for their assistance in this matter. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Emery and Michael B. Nadler.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Chelsea Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Trans-National Methamphetamine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering ring operating between Massachusetts and California.
Russell Ormiston, 51, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2018.
In November 2016, Ormiston and 10 co-defendants were charged with various methamphetamine offenses relating to a transnational trafficking scheme.
Beginning in at least 2013 and continuing to November 2016, Ormiston was involved in a conspiracy that transported methamphetamine from San Diego, Calif., to Massachusetts, where it was distributed in the greater Boston area. Proceeds from the sale of that methamphetamine were then transported and/or transferred back to California and laundered in various ways.
Ormiston received methamphetamine from a co-conspirator, who received it from a supplier in California. Ormiston redistributed a portion of the methamphetamine to his customers.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; William Ferrara, Director of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans made the announcement. The Massachusetts Department of Correction; Norfolk County Sherriff’s Office; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; and the Reading, Watertown, Quincy, Chelsea, Braintree, Peabody, Waltham, and Woburn Police Departments; and Connecticut State Police assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Beausey of Lelling’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the cases.
California Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Scheme to Steal 94,000 Debit and Credit Cards from Michaels’ Stores in 19 StatesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Riverside, California, man was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to steal 94,000 credit and debit cards from customers at approximately 80 Michaels’ Stores and use that information to make fraudulent withdrawals from the customers’ bank accounts, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Angel Angulo, 28, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to Count One and Count Two of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Judge Rodriguez imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The conspirators installed devices that acquired customers’ bank account and personal identification number (PIN) information on point of sale (POS) terminals at stores operated by Michaels. The stolen account information was used to produce counterfeit bank cards, which were used with the stolen PINs to withdraw funds from the compromised bank accounts.
The conspirators allegedly replaced 88 POS terminals in 80 different stores operated by Michaels across 19 states, including New Jersey, with counterfeit POS devices. Each counterfeit device was equipped with wireless technology, which the conspirators used to retrieve the stolen information. From February 2011 to April 2011, conspirators stole approximately 94,000 debit and credit card account numbers.
From April 2011 to May 2011, Angulo, Crystal Banuelos, and others obtained counterfeit cards with the corresponding PIN numbers written on them from other conspirators. They used the cards and PIN numbers to withdraw money using ATMs from hundreds of bank accounts. On May 14, 2011, Angulo and Banuelos possessed 179 counterfeit cards in New Jersey.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced Angulo to five years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $480,300.
Banuelos previously pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 5, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Shapiro of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.
Defense counsel: Lisa Lewis Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden
Bank Robber Gets More Jail Time After Assaulting GuardRead the Press Release
Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on March, 12, 2018, United States District Court Judge Leslie J. Abrams sentenced Christopher Belt, age 27, of Columbus, GA, to 84 months imprisonment for the offense of assault on a federal employee. Mr. Belt had pled guilty to the offense on December 12, 2017.
The evidence supporting the plea showed that in April 2016, Mr. Belt was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service as a result of his commission of an armed bank robbery. On August 18, 2017, Mr. Belt was being held at the Sumter County Jail while awaiting sentencing on the bank robbery charge. Mr. Belt became involved in a verbal dispute with another inmate. A corrections officer attempted to calm the situation by sending Mr. Belt to a different area of the jail. Rather than relocate as instructed, Mr. Belt rushed toward the other inmate to try to make physical contact with him. The officer put her arm out in an attempt to block Mr. Belt’s advance, and her arm was broken. The injury required immediate surgical correction.
On August 22, 2017, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Clay D. Land imposed a sentence of 106 months imprisonment on the bank robbery charge. On March 12, 2018, the Honorable Leslie Abrams ordered that the 84-month sentence imposed as a result of the assault in this case be served consecutively to the sentence for the bank robbery charge. As a result, Mr. Belt faces a total sentence of 190 months imprisonment. Mr. Belt was also ordered to pay over $28,000 in restitution related to the officer’s medical bills incurred as a result of the injury he inflicted.
“This office is dedicated to ensuring that the correctional facilities which house those we prosecute are safe places in which punishment and rehabilitation can take place,” said United States Attorney Peeler. “Violence against officers or other inmates will not be tolerated. Our office will do everything we can to see that such acts result in additional jail time being imposed and that those responsible for the costs be made to bear them.”
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Leah E. McEwen prosecuted the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Andrew Birge Appointed by the Court to Continue Serving as United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - Andrew Byerly Birge, who has led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the last 14 months, has been appointed by the U.S. District Court to continue leading the Office. In an order signed yesterday afternoon, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Jonker announced:
"Upon the unanimous vote of the Court, the Court exercises its authority . . . and appoints Andrew Byerly Birge to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, effective immediately upon expiration of Mr. Birge's existing appointment . . . and continuing until the President fills the position with a nominee confirmed by the United States Senate."
Mr. Birge initially assumed the duties of Acting U.S. Attorney by operation of law following Patrick Miles, Jr.’s resignation in January of 2017. Attorney General Jefferson B. Sessions appointed Mr. Birge interim U.S. Attorney in November for a period of 120 days or until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a successor, whichever is shorter—which is the limit of the Attorney General’s authority. That 120-day period expires this week. Whenever an Attorney General’s authority expires, the Court must appoint a U.S. Attorney.
Mr. Birge’s job has been to carry out effectively the priorities of the Department of Justice in West Michigan. Today, he vowed to continue the efforts he began last year. "Attorney General Sessions has identified violent crime, the opioid epidemic and the enforcement of criminal immigration law as our prime concerns. I am pleased to report that last year my office increased the number of firearm cases and defendants prosecuted by over 65%, increased drug cases prosecuted by 30% and increased the overall number of cases prosecuted by over 12%." Mr. Birge noted that the Attorney General in December awarded his office an additional full time prosecutor position to address violent crime in the district. "Federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies work very well together in West Michigan, which allows us to be particularly effective." He explained that criminal immigration prosecutions, which typically involve aliens with prior records and those involved in document fraud, historically comprise about 25% of the office’s caseload. He expects his office will bring about the same number of those cases this year as last year. "But these focus areas obviously don’t mean a holiday for those who commit other crimes. For example, we will continue to actively pursue white collar criminal activity as well as all manner of crimes arising on Tribal lands."
Among many outreach efforts, the office is advancing a public information campaign to stem the tide of the opioid epidemic. "When we prosecute, we are addressing the supply of drugs. But we also need to address the demand. And we do that through these public information campaigns to hopefully prevent future addiction and help those who are already addicted." Mr. Birge identified other outreach activities as well. "I meet as often as I can with community leaders to facilitate mutual understanding and build trust in law enforcement. If residents don’t trust law enforcement, we can’t succeed in making their community safer."
Mr. Birge knows his office well. He previously served for over nine years as the First Assistant, the senior-most management position in the office. A First Assistant functions as the chief advisor to the U.S. Attorney and oversees the office’s civil and criminal litigation as well as its administrative operations. U.S. Attorney Charles Gross first tapped him for the role in May of 2007, under then-President George W. Bush’s administration. U.S. Attorneys Donald A. Davis and Patrick Miles each subsequently asked him to continue serving in that capacity. Mr. Birge has been with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for over 17 years and an attorney for over 23 years. Before he served as the First Assistant, he oversaw the office’s appellate practice and handled all manner of criminal cases.
"When I assumed leadership of the office last year, I noted that I take great pride in what we do. This office has remarkably dedicated and talented attorneys and staff. They are the story behind this office’s success."
Mr. Birge began his legal career as a law clerk to the late Chief U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Enslen, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He obtained his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College, where he graduated cum laude and with Distinction as a history major.
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Additional Charges Filed Against Former Monroe County Financial Advisor for Investment FraudRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on March 13, 2018, Anthony Diaz, age 48, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was charged in a superseding indictment with additional charges of mail and wire fraud.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Diaz, who was a financial advisor, was originally indicted on May 12, 2016, and charged with six counts of wire fraud by using false and misleading statements and misrepresentations to induce his clients to purchase high risk and/or otherwise unsuitable investment products, through which Diaz received substantial fees and commissions to which he was not entitled. Today’s superseding indictment added five counts of mail and wire fraud and additional victims.
Diaz allegedly operated the scheme between approximately 2006 and 2015, while he was a registered representative and/or a certified financial planner associated with financial investment firms. Diaz had his own office, under the name of Financial Planners Group of America, with employees reporting to him during the periods when he was associated with other firms. From December 2006 through May 2015, Diaz allegedly sold what were called “alternative investment products” to his clients. Such products are generally high risk, speculative and illiquid (i.e., they cannot readily be converted to cash); may require long holding periods of up to nine years, and have “suitability requirements” related to the net worth and/or income of investors.
As part of the scheme, Diaz allegedly instructed clients to sign blank or partially completed documents, and provided false information on documents concerning the clients’ net worth, income, risk tolerance and/or investment experience to falsely make it appear that the clients met the applicable requirements to invest in the products.
Diaz also allegedly failed to explain to clients that alternative investment products lacked liquidity and had no public market for resale. He allegedly falsely assured clients they would have access to their funds and falsely told some of them the investments were “guaranteed” to earn a certain rate of return, when, in fact, he knew there was no guaranteed rate of return.
Diaz allegedly told his clients that he voluntarily left the broker dealers he was associated with at various times and for the clients’ benefit, when, in fact, he was terminated or asked to leave. As a result, some clients incurred additional fees and expenses.
The indictment charges Diaz with seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of mail fraud. Each count relates to an interstate wire transmission or interstate mailing concerning investments made in connection with the fraud scheme, totaling approximately $611,000 investments, between December 2012 and May 2014.
In May 2015, the Financial Industry Regulating Authority (FINRA), part of the U.S. Treasury Department, permanently banned Diaz from acting as a broker or otherwise associating with firms that sold securities to the public. Shortly thereafter, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities banned Diaz from representing an issuer or seller of securities in Pennsylvania and from being registered as a broker-dealer, agent or investment advisor in Pennsylvania.
Anyone with information concerning financial services rendered by Diaz and/or Financial Planners Group of America, should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 570-348-2800.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Evan Gotlob, Robert O’Hara and Phillip Caraballo are prosecuting the case.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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 30 years of imprisonment for each mail and wire fraud count, 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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2 New York Men Plead Guilty to Using Counterfeit Credit Cards at Giant Eagle StoresRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Two New York residents have pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
William O. Candelaria, 29, and Christopher T. Candelaria, 25, both of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that in June 2016, William and Christopher Candelaria and others conspired to use counterfeit credit cards at Giant Eagle stores in Western Pennsylvania to purchase gift cards and merchandise, which totaled approximately $91,000.
Judge Fischer scheduled Christopher T. Candelaria’s sentence for July 18, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. and William O. Candelaria’s sentence for July 18, 2018 at 11 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both at each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force (WPFCTF), conducted the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of these defendants. The WPFCTF was established as a collaborative, multi-agency effort to effectively combat financial crimes, including identity fraud, in Western Pennsylvania. Partnering in this effort are the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Robinson Township Police Department.
13 March 2018
“Pill Mill” Distributor Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute OxycodoneRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Baltimore, Maryland – United States Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Donald Russell, age 53, of Waldorf, Maryland today to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for his participation in a drug conspiracy in connection with the operation of purported pain management clinics that were actually “pill mills.” Eleven co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; Chief Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department; Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; Chief Peter Newsham of the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department; Commissioner Darryl DeSousa of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police.
According to court documents, “pill mills” routinely engage in the practice of prescribing and dispensing controlled substances - primarily oxycodone - outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. The owners kept the profits from the pill mill operations and from the sales of oxycodone in cash. According to the indictments, the owners recruited “distributors” and “runners” to visit their clinics so that they would profit from the cash fees charged for an office visit. Runners are recruited - usually by a distributor - to enter pill mill clinics with fictitious complaints of pain in order to obtain prescriptions for oxycodone and other controlled substances. Typically, runners filled the prescription and gave the oxycodone tablets they received to the distributor. Runners were typically paid in either cash or oxycodone tablets for their services. The distributors then generally sold the pills for a profit.
According to the plea agreement, from February 2014 through May 2015, Russell and co-defendant Bruce Kevin Lewis, age 52, of Deale, Maryland, owned and operated PG Wellness Center, LLC (PG Wellness), and A Plus Pain Clinic, LLC (A Plus Pain), purported pain management clinics located in Oxon Hill, Maryland and Washington, D.C., respectively. PG Wellness and A Plus Pain were actually pill mills.
Russell was captured on numerous wiretap calls buying and selling oxycodone pills, or prescriptions for oxycodone pills, from persons who regularly visited the clinics and/or arranged for others to do so. For example, on September 28, 2014, Russell and co-defendant Walter Moffett had a series of calls about Mr. Moffett bringing two patients to the clinic.
Russell worked with at least 62 different individuals who visited the clinics to obtain illicit oxycodone prescriptions. These included codefendants Melissa Catlett, Terrell Downing, John Fields, Ronald Kans, Robert Long, Walter Moffett, Ronald Rust, Danielle Silberstein, Peter Snyder, and Ronald Tennyson.
According to the plea agreement, on or about October 31, 2014, Russell and Lewis discussed the profits reaped that month from their clinics: $4,400 - 4,500 from A Plus Pain and $48,000-50,000 from PG Wellness. They talked about hiding the money and discussed methods that regulatory authorities had used when examining other pill mill clinics.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Russell distributed at least 2,307,000 milligrams (2,307 grams) of oxycodone.
The following 11 individuals have pleaded guilty to the conspiracy: Bruce Kevin Lewis, age 55, of Deale, Maryland; Danielle Silberstein, age 34, of Waldorf; Robert Long, age 37, of Mechanicsville, Maryland; Jamie Davis, age 31, of LaPlata, Maryland; Ronald Tennyson, age 35, of Mechanicsville; Terrell Downing, age 28, of New Carrollton, Maryland; John Fields, age 65, of Temple Hills, Maryland; Ronald Rust, age 47, of Alexandria, Virginia; Walter Moffett, age 54, of Chestertown, Maryland; Ronald Kans, age 44, of LaPlata, Maryland; and Peter Snyder, age 37, of Ocean City, Maryland.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised the DEA Tactical Diversion Squads from Baltimore and Washington DC, HHS-Office of Inspector General, Howard County Police Department, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, Metropolitan Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department, Baltimore City Police Department, and Virginia State Police for their work in this pharmaceutical investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth S. Clark who is prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
“Murdaland Mafia Piru” Bloods Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
March 13, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Baltimore, Maryland – Takuma Tate, a/k/a “Oop,” a/k/a “Ook,” age 39, of Baltimore pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP) and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Tate was one of 26 alleged MMP gang members and associates charged in this case. Thirteen of the 26 defendants indicted have pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy.
The plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Darryl DeSousa of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to court documents, MMP, also known as the “Mob” or “Mobsters,” is a violent subset of the Bloods gang that for many years controlled the drug trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore County. MMP was modeled after the Italian Mafia. Members and associates of MMP operated street-level drug distribution “shops” in various locations in Baltimore City and distributed heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, among other controlled substances. The gang’s drug shop in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road was particularly lucrative due to its close proximity to Interstate 70 and frequently attracted drug customers driving from western Maryland and neighboring states. MMP members were required to pay dues to the gang consisting of a portion of the proceeds of their criminal activities, and they were subject to reprisal—and sometimes murder—for failing to do so. Non-members who wished to sell drugs in MMP’s territories were forced to pay a “tax” or were targeted for violence by MMP members. MMP members enhance their status within the gang by carrying out acts of violence against rivals; for instance, members can earn a “lightning bolt” tattoo for “killing for the Mob.”
The 32-count second superseding indictment alleges that from at least 2011 through 2017, the defendants were members and associates of MMP who engaged in criminal activities in furtherance of the gang, including five murders, six attempted murders, assaults, abduction, witness tampering, and drug distribution resulting in nonfatal overdoses. Tate admitted that he agreed with members of MMP to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included offenses involving drug distribution. He also agreed that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that between one and three kilograms of heroin and between 280 and 840 grams of cocaine base would be distributed by members of the conspiracy.
The following 13 defendants were charged in the superseding indictment unsealed on September 27, 2016, and charges remain pending against them in the second superseding indictment:
Dante Bailey, a/k/a “Gutta,” “Almighty,” and “Wolf,” age 37, of Windsor Mill, Maryland; Dontray Johnson, a/k/a “Gambino,” “Bino,” and “Tray,” age 31, of Windsor Mill; Adrian Jamal Spence, a/k/a “Spittle,” “SP,” and “AJ,” age 29, of Baltimore; Randy Banks, a/k/a “Dirt,” age 38, of Baltimore;Ayinde Deleon, a/k/a “Murda,” and “Yin,” age 31, of Baltimore; Jamal Lockley, a/k/a “T-Roy,” and “Droid,” age 37, of Baltimore; Jacob Bowling, a/k/a “Jakey,” “Ghost,” and “Fred,” age 30, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland; Corloyd Anderson, a/k/a “Bo,” age 33, of Owings Mills, Maryland; Devon Dent, a/k/a “Tech,” age 26, of Gwynn Oak; Tiffany Bailey, a/k/a “Tiff,” age 31, of Windsor Mill; Shakeen Davis, a/k/a “Creams,” age 22, of Baltimore; Sydni Frazier, a/k/a “Sid,” a/k/a “Perry,” age 26, of Baltimore; and Malcolm Lashley, a/k/a “Spook,” age 27, of Baltimore.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
In addition to Tate, the following 12 defendants have pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy:
William Banks, a/k/a “Trouble,” age 27, of Baltimore; Dominick Wedlock, a/k/a “Rage,” and “Nick,” age 29, of Baltimore; Dwight Jenkins, a/k/a “Huggie,” and “Unc,” age 48, of Baltimore; Melvin Lashley, a/k/a “Menace,” age 26, of Baltimore; Maurice Pollock, a/k/a “Reese,” age 22, of Baltimore; Delante Lee, a/k/a “Tay Tay,” age 21, of Baltimore; William Jones, a/k/a “Bill,” and “Smalls,” age 27, of Baltimore; Jarmal Harrid, a/k/a “J-Rock,” and “PJ,” age 27, of Gwynn Oak; Jamal Smith, a/k/a “Mal,” and “Lil Mal,” age 25, of Gwynn Oak; Charles Blackwell, a/k/a “Ci-Bo,” and “Lil Charlie,” age 21, of Woodlawn; Kenneth Torry, a/k/a “Kenny,” age 39, of Owings Mills; Jay Greer, a/k/a “Champagne,” “Montana Gold,” and “Slick,” age 24, of Baltimore.
Tate and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Tate will be sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for June 19, 2018 at 9:15a.m.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended the ATF, Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments, and the Baltimore City and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Lauren E. Perry, who prosecuted the case.
“Great Outdoors Bandit” Sentenced for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BOISE – Josue Daniel Alfaro, a/k/a Danny Alfaro, a/k/a the “Great Outdoors Bandit,” age 32, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced today in United States District Court to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crimes of bank robbery and attempted bank robbery. Chief United States District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Alfaro to pay $31,216 in restitution to the six victim banks and to forfeit $28,930 in unrecovered cash proceeds and $2,826 in recovered cash proceeds. Previously, on December 20, 2017, Alfaro pleaded guilty to Counts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 of the indictment.
According to the plea agreement, Alfaro admitted to robbing and attempting to rob, the following banks on the following dates and in the following amounts:
-On December 21, 2016, the U.S. Bank at 10500 West Overland Road in Boise, Idaho for $3,174;
-On December 21, 2016, the Idaho Central Credit Union at 1615 South Celebration Avenue in Meridian, Idaho for $2,100;
-On March 24, 2017, the Bank of the West at 9140 West Emerald Street in Boise, Idaho for $3,469;
-On May 24, 2017, the Alpine Credit Union at 351 East 800 South in Orem, Utah for $12,736;
-On August 7, 2017, the Bank of the West at 9140 West Emerald Street in Boise, Idaho. Attempted robbery, no loss;
-On August 7, 2017, the Pioneer Federal Credit Union at 850 East Fairview Avenue in Meridian, Idaho for $9,637;
-On August 7, 2017, the Clarity Federal Credit Union at 555 South Meridian Road in Meridian, Idaho for $100.
According to the plea agreement, for each of the robberies, Alfaro obscured his face with a baseball cap and black sunglasses. He provided the tellers with notes demanding money. One of the notes, provided to the Idaho Central Credit Union on December 21, demanded $40,000 in large bills. Another note, provided to the Bank of the West on March 24, stated: “Give me money or I will shoot the teller next to you.” Yet another note, provided to the Pioneer Federal Credit Union on August 7, stated: “give me all of your hundred dollar bills, I have a gun.”
In total, Alfaro robbed $31,216 from the six banks and credit unions, whose deposits were federally insured.
According to the plea agreement, on August 13, 2017, Alfaro was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport attempting to board an international flight to Brussels, Belgium. In his carry-on bag, Alfaro possessed $2,826 in cash that he obtained from the robberies.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Boise, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles field offices), the Boise Police Department, and the Meridian Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Announces Suit Against the MTA and New York City Transit Authority for Failure to Make A Bronx Subway Station Accessible After A Full RenovationRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has filed a Complaint-in-Intervention (the “Complaint”) in a lawsuit, Bronx Independent Living Services v. Metropolitan Transit Authority, filed against the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) and the New York City Transit Authority (“NYCTA”) to remedy violations of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the “ADA”). The United States’ Complaint alleges that the MTA and NYCTA violated the ADA when they altered the Middletown Road subway station on the number 6 line in the Bronx without insuring that the station was rendered readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs, to the maximum extent feasible. Due to the failure to comply with the ADA, the Federal Transit Administration (“FTA”) concluded that it would not provide any funding for the cost of the renovation of the Middletown Road station. The Complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief requiring MTA and NYCTA to install elevators at the Middletown Road station.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “There is no justification for public entities to ignore the requirements of the ADA 28 years after its passage. The subway system is a vital part of New York City’s transportation system, and when a subway station undergoes a complete renovation, MTA and NYCTA must comply with its obligations to make such stations accessible to the maximum extent feasible.”
The United States’ Complaint alleges that MTA and NYCTA violated the ADA by failing to install an elevator at the Middletown Road subway station serving the Pelham Bay neighborhood in the Bronx, despite spending more than $27 million on renovations of the station. The renovations included replacing floors, walls, ceilings, and stairs leading to the street and platform. Prior to beginning construction, the FTA and the U.S. Department of Transportation corresponded with MTA and NYCTA about their obligation to install an elevator at the station unless the MTA and NYCTA could demonstrate that it was technically infeasible to do so. While that dialogue continued, and after the FTA had informed NYCTA that NYCTA’s analysis of the feasibility of installing an elevator was insufficient, MTA and NYCTA completed the renovation without installing an elevator and sought reimbursement from FTA for the cost of the renovation. FTA ultimately concluded that it would have been technically feasible for MTA and NYCTA to install one or more elevators at the station. As a result of MTA’s and NYCTA’s failure to install an elevator at the Middletown Road station, individuals with mobility impairments, including individuals who use wheelchairs, are unable to access the station.
Mr. Berman thanked the FTA for its assistance with this matter.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara K. Eshkenazi and Ellen Blain are in charge of the case.
U.S. Attorney Announces 98-Count Superseding Indictment Against Owners, Managers and Physicians Associated with HOPE Clinic and Related CompanyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today a federal grand jury returned a 98-count superseding indictment against the owners, managers and physicians associated with HOPE Clinic. The superseding indictment added 29 counts of distributing and dispensing controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for medically legitimate purposes to six different customers on various occasions from 2013 through 2015 by Sanjay Mehta, D.O., Michael T. Moran, M.D., Mark Clarkson, D.O., Vernon Stanley, M.D., Brian Gullett, D.O., William Earley, D.O., Paul W. Burke, Jr., D.O., and Rowsell Tempest Lowry, M.D. Among the 29 counts added, two counts charge Joshua Radcliffe, the son of PPPFD owner, Mark T. Radcliffe, with aiding, abetting, counseling, commanding and procuring, Sanjay Mehta, D.O., with the distribution of controlled substances on two separate occasions to two separate customers.
“The additional 29 charges were necessary as a result of the facts underlying this terrible case,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart. “A physician’s first oath is to ‘do no harm,’ but sadly when physicians do not uphold this oath, a lot of irrevocable harm is done.”
In addition, the superseding indictment charges all defendants with a conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for medically legitimate purposes, and charges defendants Blume and Mark Radcliffe with maintaining drug-involved premises in Beckley, Beaver and Charleston. Included in the superseding indictment are 91 counts charging several physicians with distribution of controlled substances not for legitimate medical purposes and outside the usual course of professional practice. Sanjay Mehta, D.O., a former physician at the Beckley and Beaver HOPE Clinic locations, is also charged with two counts of distribution of controlled substances causing death. Ten of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to launder drug proceeds by paying bonuses to HOPE Clinic physicians and employees of Patients, Physicians, and Pharmacists Fighting Diversion, Inc. (PPPFD), to encourage continued prescribing of Schedule II narcotics to customers.
The investigation was conducted by the following agencies:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, OIG
- Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations
- Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- West Virginia State Police
- Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT)
- Beckley Police Department
- Kentucky State Police
- Harrison County (KY) Sheriff’s Department
- Appalachia HIDTA
The additional charges announced today are part of the on-going effort by the United States Attorney’s Office to aggressively target medical professionals involved in the unlawful distribution of opioids and other dangerous controlled substances.
If convicted on all charges as alleged in the indictment, Dr. Blume and Mark Radcliffe face up to 100 years; Joshua Radcliffe faces up to 60 years; Teresa Emerson faces up to 20 years; Michael Moran faces up to 80 years; Sanjay Mehta faces a forty year mandatory minimum sentence up to life imprisonment; Vernon Stanley faces up to 300 years; Brian Gullett faces up to 380 years; Mark Clarkson faces up to 100 years; William Earley faces up to 300 years; Paul Burke faces up to 200 years; and Roswell Tempest Lowry faces up to 140 years.
This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Please note: An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart
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Two Men Convicted of Two Additional Counts Related to Extortion/Kidnapping PlotRead the Press Release
Fort Worth, Texas – Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor convicted Nygul Anderson, 19, and Albert Gonzalez, 18, of two additional counts for their role in an extortion and kidnapping scheme that occurred in Fort Worth in October 2017, announced Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
On March 2, 2018, following a one-day trial, Judge O’Connor convicted the two men of one count of conspiracy to use an interstate facility to commit a travel act violation. At that time, Judge O’Connor reserved ruling on the two remaining counts. Yesterday, Judge O’Connor convicted Anderson and Gonzalez of one count of conspiring to possess extortion proceeds and one count of attempted money laundering.
Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for June 25, 2018. They face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $750,000.
According to the evidence presented at trial and the documents filed in this case, on September 22, 2017, a victim began receiving threatening calls from an unrecognizable Mexican telephone number. The caller stated he had kidnapped the victim’s two brothers in Rioverde, San Luis Potosi, Mexico and demanded $300,000 or they would be killed. The next day the ransom demand was lowered to $40,000 and then again to $20,000. Instructions were given to deliver the money, once the money was delivered the caller disclosed the location of the brothers and they were found tied up in a motel room in Rioverde, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
On September 29, 2017, the same victim received another call from the same Mexican telephone number demanding an additional $100,000 or else they would kidnap the brothers again and kill them. The deadline for the second ransom drop was Friday, October 13, 2017.
On October 13, 2017, the kidnappers in Mexico and the victim agreed to a location at a Home Depot in Fort Worth for the money drop. At approximately 4:30 p.m., a controlled money drop was made at the agreed upon meeting location.
Shortly thereafter, four individuals – Anderson, Gonzalez, Fernando Cabrera (who previously pled guilty), and a 17 year-old minor – were arrested as they attempted to collect the ransom money.
During trial, the government proved that these four individuals believed that they were collecting $20,000 in unlawful proceeds. The four conspirators had met in McAllen, Texas, and then drove to Houston, then to Dallas, and then to Fort Worth in an attempt to collect the money. These four conspirators communicated with other conspirators in Mexico during the trip about the location of the money pick, the amount of money to be retrieved, and precautions that should be taken to avoid detection.
The FBI and the North Richland Hills Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and Chris Wolfe prosecuted.
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Transport Logistics International Inc. Agrees to Pay $2 Million Penalty to Resolve Foreign Bribery CaseRead the Press Release
Transport Logistics International Inc. (TLI), a Maryland-based company that provides services for the transportation of nuclear materials to customers in the United States and abroad, agreed to resolve criminal charges in connection with a scheme that involved the bribery of an official at a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation and to pay a $2 million criminal penalty. Three individuals have been charged for their alleged roles in the bribery scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen M. Schenning of the District of Maryland, Principal Deputy Inspector General April G. Stephenson of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General (DOE-OIG) and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement.
TLI entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department in connection with a criminal information filed in the District of Maryland charging the company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). In the DPA, TLI and the Department agreed that, because of the company’s financial inability to pay the penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the appropriate criminal penalty is $2 million. As part of the agreement, TLI also committed to cooperate fully with the Department’s ongoing investigation, and to continue to implement a compliance and ethics program designed to prevent and detect violations of the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws throughout its operations. In reaching the resolution with the Department, TLI received full credit for its substantial cooperation with the Department’s investigation and for engaging in remedial measures, including terminating the employment of all employees engaged in the misconduct.
“Bribery of foreign officials not only distorts markets and undermines democratic institutions; it can also pervert the incentives of those who are in a position to safeguard the public, as it did in this case involving the transportation of nuclear material,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan. “Today’s resolution, along with the related charges against the corporate executives and the Russian official in this matter, underscore the Department’s continued commitment to holding both companies and individuals accountable for their roles in corruption-related crimes and for breaching the public’s trust.”
“The Department of Energy remains committed to ensuring the integrity of our contractors and subcontractors, as well as providing the nation transparency, accountability, and security when it comes to safe and reliable transport of sensitive materials,” said Principal Deputy Inspector General Stephenson. “We appreciate the efforts of the FBI, the Justice Department’s FCPA Unit and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in pursuing this matter and will continue to work collaboratively with them to aggressively investigate those who seek to defraud Department programs.”
“Today’s charges reflect the determination and ability of the FBI to investigate and prosecute companies that engage in foreign corrupt business practices, regardless of how sophisticated or far-flung the scheme may be,” said Assistant Director in Charge Vale. “No entity is above the law and those that try to perpetrate a similar scheme will be pursued by the FBI.”
According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least 2004 and continuing until at least 2014, TLI conspired with others to corruptly pay more than $1.7 million to offshore bank accounts associated with shell companies, at the direction of, and for the benefit of, Vadim Mikerin, a Russian official at JSC Techsnabexport (TENEX), a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation. The bribe payments were made to help TLI secure improper business advantages and obtain and retain business with TENEX. In order to effectuate and conceal the bribe payments, TLI executives and others caused fake invoices to be prepared, purportedly from TENEX to TLI, that described services that were never provided. TLI then wired payments for those purported services to shell companies in Latvia, Cyprus and Switzerland to further the bribery scheme.
On June 17, 2015, TLI co-president Daren Condrey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and commit wire fraud. On Aug. 31, 2015, Mikerin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering involving violations of the FCPA, and Mikerin was sentenced to 48 months in prison on Dec. 15, 2015. On Jan. 12, an 11-count indictment was unsealed against TLI co-president Mark Lambert, which charged Lambert with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and to commit wire fraud, seven counts of violating the FCPA, two counts of wire fraud and one count of international promotion money laundering. The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The cases against TLI and Lambert are assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the District of Maryland.
The case is being investigated by DOE-OIG and the FBI. Assistant Chiefs Ephraim Wernick and Christopher J. Cestaro and Trial Attorney Derek J. Ettinger of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys David I. Salem and Michael T. Packard of the District of Maryland, are prosecuting the case.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter. The Department also thanks its law enforcement colleagues in Switzerland, Latvia and Cyprus for providing valuable assistance with the investigation and prosecution of the case.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Tonalea Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for KidnappingRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – On March 12, 2018, Roscoe Peter Begay, 37, of Tonalea, Ariz., and a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 12 years in prison, followed by a term of five years of supervised release. Begay had previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping.
On Feb. 7, 2017, the Navajo Nation Department of Law Enforcement responded to a domestic violence call at Begay’s residence. When officers arrived, Begay ran into the home and locked the door. While inside, Begay kept the victim in the back bedroom of the home and would not answer the door or respond to multiple commands by law enforcement to allow them entry into the home. Begay refused to allow officers into the home until he was told that a Special Response Team and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were being contacted. The victim is also a member of the Navajo Nation and the kidnapping occurred on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Law Enforcement. The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-08094-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-025_Begay
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Three More Defendants Plead Guilty for Roles in Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Three Beckley men pled guilty today for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Shaun A. Jones, 40, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin. Corey D. Larkin, 38, entered his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and more than 100 grams of heroin. Jonathan Vincent Moore, 34, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. Jones, Larkin, and Moore are three of 23 defendants indicted in June 2017 after a comprehensive investigation of drug trafficking in Southern West Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the cooperative investigative efforts of several agencies, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Beckley Police Department, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Postal Inspection Service also provided assistance throughout the investigation.
“This case shows how united and determined we are in fighting the drug scourge,” said U.S. Attorney Stuart. “With 23 defendants charged, the results speak for themselves. Drug dealers had better take notice that all levels of law enforcement – federal, state, and local – are working together to make sure that drug crime results in hard time.”
Shaun Jones admitted that between August 2016 and June 28, 2017, he took part in a drug trafficking conspiracy with multiple participants involving the distribution of cocaine and heroin. Jones admitted to working with James Rodney Staples and others to distribute cocaine and heroin in and around Raleigh County. Jones also admitted that on June 28, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence. During the search officers found over 200 grams of heroin, a quantity of methamphetamine, a quantity of cocaine, and over $50,000 in cash. Jones admitted he intended to distribute the controlled substances found in his house. He also agreed to forfeit the cash as it represented the proceeds of his illegal drug trafficking activity.
Corey D. Larkin admitted that between August 2016 and June 28, 2017, he participated in a drug trafficking organization that distributed cocaine and heroin in and around Beckley, Raleigh County, West Virginia. During this time he admitted to distributing approximately one kilogram of cocaine. Larkin also admitted that on June 14, 2017, police officers made a traffic stop on a car he was driving. During the stop, officers seized 133.97 grams of a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl, and $2,983 in cash. Larkin further admitted that on June 28, 2017, police officers executed a search warrant at his residence in Beckley. Officers found over $8,000 in cash, approximately 41 grams of cocaine, and a kilo press, often used to compress powder cocaine into “bricks.” Larkin has agreed to forfeit all the cash seized.
Jonathan Vincent Moore also admitted that between August 2016 and June 28, 2017, he took part in the drug trafficking conspiracy with multiple participants involving the distribution of cocaine and heroin. He further admitted that on April 26, 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of a confidential informant, made a controlled purchase of approximately one ounce of cocaine from Moore at his residence in Beckley. He also admitted that on June 28, 2017, a search warrant was executed at his residence. During the search, officers found over 1,500 grams of cocaine, eight firearms, and over $90,000 in cash. He agreed to forfeit the firearms and over $90,000 in cash that was obtained through the illegal drug trafficking.
Jones, Larkin, and Moore each face at least five years and up to 40 years in federal prison when they are sentenced. Jones and Moore are scheduled for sentencing on May 29, 2018. Larkin’s sentencing is scheduled for June 5, 2018.
Several individuals implicated as a result of this investigation have entered guilty pleas to drug charges and are awaiting sentencing. Cheyenne Fragale and Macon Fragale, two brothers from Boomer in Fayette County, face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison when they are sentenced on March 14, 2018. Velarian Carter, of Beckley, faces a mandatory minimum of not less than 20 years and up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced on April 17, 2018. Dominic Copney, of Beckley, faces a mandatory minimum of five and up to 40 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on April 17, 2018. Detria Carter, of Beckley, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than five and up to 40 years in federal prison when she is sentenced on April 24, 2018. Donald Scalise, of Montgomery, faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on April 25, 2018. Tiffany Ramsey, of Boomer, faces at least five years and up to 40 years in federal prison when she is sentenced on May 2, 2018. Shawn Akiem Anderson, of Mt. Hope, faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 29, 2018. Rory White, of Montgomery, faces at least five years and up to 40 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on June 6, 2018.
Karl Funderburk, of Teays Valley, who previously pled guilty to a gun charge, faces at least 5 years and up to life in federal prison for using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime when he is sentenced on May 29, 2018.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of these prosecutions. The Jones, Larkin, and Moore plea hearings were held before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber.
These cases are being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of illegal drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.
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###Three Illinois Men Charged in the Bombing of Bloomington, Minnesota Islamic CenterRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker today announced a federal criminal complaint charging MICHAEL MCWHORTER, 29, JOE MORRIS, 22, and MICHAEL B. HARI, 47, for using an explosive device to maliciously destroy and damage the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center (“DAF”) in Bloomington, Minnesota. MCWHORTER, MORRIS, and HARI are currently in custody in Urbana, Illinois. MORRIS and HARI made their initial appearance on federal charges related to an attempted bombing in Champaign, Illinois, today at 3:00 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long in U.S. District Court in Urbana, Illinois. MCWHORTER will make his initial appearance in connection with the attempted Illinois bombing at a later date.
The affidavit filed in support of the District of Minnesota criminal complaint alleges that on August 5, 2017, a pipe bomb was thrown through a window of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center (“DAF”), located in Bloomington, Minnesota. The pipe bomb, constructed of polyvinyl chloride, known as “PVC,” exploded, causing extensive damage. On January 27, 2018, law enforcement received information from a confidential source indicating that MCWHORTER, MORRIS, and HARI were responsible for the bombing carried out at DAF.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julie E. Allyn and John F. Docherty.
Defendant Information:
MICHAEL B. HARI, 47
Clarence, Ill.
Charges:
- Arson, 1 count
JOE MORRIS, 22
Clarence, Ill.
Charges:- Arson, 1 count
MICHAEL MCWHORTER, 29
Clarence, Ill.
Charges:- Arson, 1 count
###
Additional news available on our website.
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Texas Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Tax and Identity Theft CrimesRead the Press Release
A Killeen, Texas, resident pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false tax return and aggravated identity theft, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to court documents, Shermin Marshall devised a scheme to file false federal income tax returns on behalf of his clients. Marshall admitted that he falsified specific items on his clients’ tax returns in order to fraudulently increase their tax refunds. Marshall further admitted that he directed clients’ refunds to be deposited into financial accounts that he controlled and, unbeknownst to his clients, Marshall stole a portion of those refunds. Marshall also admitted that to receive some of the fraudulent refunds he opened financial accounts in his clients’ names, without their permission. Marshall admitted that his actions caused a tax loss of $397,367.
Marshall faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 36 months in prison on the aiding and assisting count, plus a two-year mandatory sentence for the aggravated identity theft count. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Robert A. Kemins and David Zisserson, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Statement by U.S. Attorney Regarding Tragic Incident Involving Zachary Police OfficerRead the Press Release
In the wake of last night’s events, United States Attorney Brandon J. Fremin stated, “Our prayers and sympathies are with the family, friends, and colleagues of Christopher Lawton, a courageous public servant who served the people of Zachary as both a police officer and firefighter. His senseless death serves as yet another reminder of the risks that our law enforcement heroes face every day to protect us. We will devote whatever federal law enforcement resources are necessary to ensure that justice is served.”
Statement of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman on the Conviction of Joseph Percoco, Former Executive Aide and Campaign Manager to N.Y. Governor, and A Co-DefendantRead the Press Release
“Joseph Percoco was found guilty of taking over $300,000 in cash bribes by selling something priceless that was not his to sell – the sacred obligation to honestly and faithfully serve the citizens of New York. As every schoolchild knows, but he corruptly chose to disregard, government officials who sell their influence to select insiders violate the basic tenets of a democracy. We will continue relentlessly to bring to justice those public officials who violate their oaths by engaging in this especially offensive misconduct.”
South Side Man Charged with Receiving, Possessing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of distribution, receipt and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The three-count indictment, returned on March 6 and unsealed today, named Shawn O’Brien, 47, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, from May 17, 2016 to May 18, 2016, O’Brien knowingly distributed images in computer graphic files containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. The indictment also alleges that on May 17, 2016, O’Brien received images in computer graphic files containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. The indictment further alleges that on June 8, 2016, O’Brien possessed images and videos in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 50 years imprisonment, a maximum term of lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $750,000. 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 Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Allegheny County District Attorney Investigations Unit, the Allegheny County Police Department, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Sioux City Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Offense and Drug OffenseRead the Press Release
A lawful permanent resident who possessed child pornography and more than a half pound of cocaine was sentenced on March 12, 2018, to more than seven years in federal prison.
Jose Ramon Ortega-Ramirez, 23, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 1, 2017 guilty plea to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing cocaine.
In a plea agreement, Ortega-Ramirez admitted that he possessed images conveying nude images of a minor. Ortega-Ramirez admitted that he also possessed images and videos of the minor engaging in sexually explicit activity. Ortega-Ramirez was aware that the minor was under the age of 18 at the time.
In a plea agreement, Ortega-Ramirez also admitted that law enforcement intercepted a package from Mexico containing approximately 290.70 grams of cocaine. The package was addressed to “Jhon Smith” and had Ortega-Ramirez’s address on it. On August 4, 2017, law enforcement executed a controlled delivery of the package at Ortega-Ramirez’s residence. On this day, Ortega-Ramirez approached the undercover agent, identified himself as “Jhon Smith,” signed for the package, and brought it into his home. Shortly thereafter, officers executed a search warrant on the residence and found the package in Ortega-Ramirez’s bedroom hidden underneath a blanket on his bed. After his arrest, Ortega-Ramirez claimed that he had accepted the package on behalf of the tenants in the upstairs apartment who he knew to sell cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. He claimed he expected to receive marijuana as compensation. Shortly after the interview ended, Ortega-Ramirez attempted to escape from police custody by running approximately thirty feet and jumping over a second floor railing that was approximately twenty feet off the ground. Before defendant could escape, five law enforcement officers subdued him.
Ortega-Ramirez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Ortega-Ramirez was sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Ortega-Ramirez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tim Duax and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ajay Alexander, and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-CR-4049 and 17-CR-4066.
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Sarasota Felon Convicted of Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – A federal jury today found Oliver A. Santana-Garcia (33, Sarasota) guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 8, 2018. Santana-Garcia was indicted on August 30, 2016.
According to testimony presented at trial, on March 7, 2016, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of Santana-Garcia and arrested him on an outstanding charge of violation of probation. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement discovered a loaded firearm semi-automatic pistol wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console. A subsequent search warrant of Santana-Garcia’s cell phone revealed that 12 days prior to his arrest, he had taken a video of himself with the same firearm.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Gregory T. Nolan.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Robert L. Rose Sentenced to 295 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On March 13, 2018, Robert L. Rose, 65, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced to serve a total of 295 months in prison by the Honorable Pamela L. Reeves, U.S. District Judge. Upon his release, Rose will be under the supervision of U.S. Probation for five years.
Rose pleaded guilty in October 2017 to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
As a result of this investigation, several other individuals have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the drug conspiracy.
Brandon S. Hill, 42, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced on November 20, 2017, to serve 115 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Hill pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Ruth Ann Oliver, 42, of Kodak, Tennessee, was sentenced on December 14, 2017, to serve 92 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Oliver pleaded guilty in June 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Bobby R. Leach, 52, of Blaine, Tennessee, was sentenced on November 20, 2017, to serve 151 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Leach pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Melvin L. Swiney, 38, of Rutledge, Tennessee, was sentenced on November 9, 2017, to serve 138 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Swiney pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Kevin R. Addington, 47, of Wise, Virginia, was sentenced on November 8, 2017, to serve 144 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Addington pleaded guilty in June 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
John R. Elrod, 55, of Talbott, Tennessee, was sentenced on November 28, 2017, to serve 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Elrod pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
William A. Dyer, 49, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced on November 8, 2017, to serve 151 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Dyer pleaded guilty in June 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Melissa D. Coffey, 45, of Rutledge, Tennessee, was sentenced on February 8, 2018, to serve 102 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Melissa Coffey pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Tiffany N. Coffey, 23, of Morristown, Tennessee, was sentenced on November 29, 2017, to serve 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Tiffany Coffey pleaded guilty in July 2017, to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The indictment and subsequent conviction of Rose and other co-conspirators was the result of a three-year investigation conducted by the Bean Station Police Department, Grainger County Sheriff’s Office, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Tennessee 4th Judicial Drug Task Force, Southwest Virginia Narcotics Task Force, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn L. Hebets represented the United States.
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Pittsburgh Physician Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Illegally Prescribing Drugs and Defrauding Health Care CompaniesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - Brent E. Clark, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to a 60-month term of imprisonment at each count of conviction, to run concurrently, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, at each count to run concurrently, on charges of distribution of Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and Amphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice, and health care fraud. Clark was also ordered to pay a mandatory $1,000.00 special assessment, a fine of $50,000.00, and total restitution in the amount of $225,874.33, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. The Judge also ordered that Clark forfeit $131,000, the building owned by Clark wherein he conducted his medical practice and he committed the offense conduct, Clark’s Drug Enforcement Administration prescribing number, Clark’s Pennsylvania state license to practice medicine, and a vehicle.
United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Clark, 55, a family care physician who practices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the Court, from February 26, 2015 through March 27, 2017, Clark distributed Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, on thirteen occasions, and Amphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, on three occasions, outside the usual course of professional practice. Also, from February 2015 to February 2017, Clark knowingly and willfully executed a scheme to defraud United Health Care, Medicare, and Medicaid in connection with the payment for health care benefits, items, and services.
Assistant United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for conducting the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Brent E. Clark.
Pittsburgh Pawn Shop Owners Plead Guilty to Selling Stolen ItemsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Pennsylvania resident and a Florida resident pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of mail fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Shane McFall, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Michael McDavid, 33, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that McFall and McDavid owned and operated 412Flip, a pawn/resale shop in downtown Pittsburgh. McFall and McDavid knowingly and willfully purchased health and beauty aids (HBAs) stolen by opioid dependent individuals from various commercial retailers, such as Rite-Aid, Walmart and Giant Eagle, for pennies on the dollar. The stolen HBAs were then resold through Amazon.
Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. for McFall and 11 a.m. for McDavid. The law provides for a total sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or both for each defendant. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Shaler Township Police Department and Ross Township Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of McFall and McDavid.
Pittsburgh Felon Indicted on Federal Drug and Gun Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott Brady announced today.
The three-count indictment, returned on March 6 and unsealed today, named Michael Champion, age 41, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on April 14, 2017, Champion possessed with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine. Additionally, on that date, Champion was in possession of numerous firearms, including a sawed off shotgun, in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. Champion is a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from possessing any firearms.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 25 years and up to life 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 criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy M. Lanni is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police – Narcotics and Vice Division conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Philadelphia Man Charged as Convicted Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Timothy Smith, 37, of Philadelphia, was charged today by indictment[1] with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. According to the indictment, on November 25, 2017, Smith was in possession of a Hi-Point, Model C-9, 9mm pistol, with obliterated serial number raised to read P1650136, loaded with 6 live rounds.
If convicted, Smith faces a minimum term of fifteen years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine E. Driscoll.
[1]An Indictment or Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pensacola Jury Convicts Palm Beach County Man of Online Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Nicholas E. Fogarty, 36, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was convicted today in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola of advertisement of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. The verdict was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
During the day and a half trial, the government presented evidence that, beginning in June 2017, an undercover investigator, posing as a minor female on the social media platform Kik, attempted to identify individuals seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors. Investigators noticed an individual, later identified as Fogarty, created the Kik group “Tweenteenlove,” a group that shared child pornography online. During the investigation, Fogarty instructed others to find and bring young girls to the online group. Fogarty communicated with the undercover agent online, including providing direction to the dark web, which is a hidden Internet where child pornography can be found. Upon Fogarty’s arrest in southern Florida, a search of his electronic devices revealed child pornography and a search browser for the dark web. In all, between 4,000 and 5,000 images and videos of child pornography were captured from Fogarty during this investigation.
For the advertisement charge, Fogarty faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. For the distribution charge, Fogarty faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 8, 2018, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.
The case is being investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Boynton Beach Police Department, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
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.
Pennsylvania Man Sentenced on Carjacking and Gun ChargesRead 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 Dimas Colon-Cruz, 37, of Erie, Pennsylvania, who was convicted of carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, was sentenced to 154 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Felicetta, who handled the case, stated on July 20, 2015, the defendant traveled with co-defendants Michael Gonzalez-Colon and Denis Cruz, from Erie, Pennsylvania to Dunkirk, NY, on stolen all-terrain vehicles. Shortly after arriving in Dunkirk, the stolen ATV's were seized by the Dunkirk Police Department.
Subsequently, the defendant and his codefendants assaulted an individual (Victim 1) near Robin and Second Streets in Dunkirk. The trio brandished firearms during the assault, struck Victim 1 in the face and stole several items from Victim 1. Almost immediately after Victim 1 was assaulted, a second victim (Victim 2) was assaulted by the defendant and his codefendants near 209 Robin Street. After exiting a car, Victim 2 was approached by the defendant and his codefendants and ordered to kneel on the ground at which time the victim was struck in the head with a handgun. Following the assault, the defendant and his codefendants stole Victim 2’s car, a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am. Also on July 20, 2015, Lakeside Lawncare in Fredonia, NY, was burglarized and several items were stolen including a gray 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck. On July 22, 2015, both the 2004 Pontiac Grand Am and the 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck were recovered in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Michael Gonzalez-Colon has been convicted and sentenced. Charges are pending against Denis Cruz. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Dunkirk Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Ortolano; the Erie, Pennsylvania Police Department, under the direction of Chief Randy Bowers; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin P. Lyons.
Paris Man Indicted for Crop Insurance Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – According to court records unsealed today, a Paris, Ky. man was indicted on March 1, 2018, and charged with crop insurance fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering-related offenses.
A federal grand jury in Lexington returned the indictment charging 46-year-old Ronnie Jolly with one count of conspiring to violate federal law, six counts of making false statements to influence the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (“FCIC”) and companies the FCIC reinsures, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 21 counts of money laundering, and one count of structuring currency transactions to avoid reporting requirements.
The indictment alleges that Jolly, an agricultural producer of tobacco, corn, and soybeans in Bath, Bourbon, Fleming, Montgomery, and Scott Counties, hid his crop production from his insurance company, in order to claim damage to his crop sufficient to trigger crop insurance indemnity payments, which are funded by the federal government through the FCIC. The indictment alleges that he also obtained crop insurance policies, in the names of his employees, for crops that he produced. The indictment alleges this was designed to avoid federal government scrutiny over his claims of crop damage, because he spread the damage amongst several producers. Similarly, the indictment alleges that Jolly obtained private crop insurance policies in the names of others.
According to the indictment, Jolly used the proceeds from crop insurance indemnity checks and fraudulent crop sales to make at least 21 bank transactions, in violation of federal money laundering statutes. He is also alleged to have withdrawn $9,500 in cash from his bank accounts, on four consecutive days, in an effort to avoid federal bank reporting requirements.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Karen Citizen-Wilcox, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Christopher Altemus, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and Dwayne Depp, Director, Kentucky Department of Insurance Fraud Investigation Division, jointly announced the indictment.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and Kentucky Department of Insurance. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn M. Anderson and Erin M. Roth.
A date for Jolly to appear in court has not yet been scheduled. For the conspiracy to violate federal law charge, Jolly faces up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. For each charge of making false statements to the FCIC, he faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. For the conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and structuring charges, Jolly faces 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, and for the remaining money laundering charges, Jolly faces 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.
Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Owner of Pittsburgh-Area Steel Erection Company Sentenced for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States of More than $1M in Bridge SubcontractsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Eighty-Four, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to defraud the United States, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer sentenced Donald R. Taylor, 78, to three years’ probation, a $30,000 fine, and 300 hours of community service.
Taylor previously pleaded guilty on October 30, 2017. In connection with his guilty plea, Taylor, the owner of Century Steel Erectors Co. (CSE), admitted that he conspired with Watson L. Maloy, Jr. to use Maloy’s company, W.M.C.C. Inc. (WMCC), as a "front" company to illegally obtain federally funded subcontracts on Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) bridge projects. As part of his guilty plea, Taylor further admitted that the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), through the Federal Highway Administration, required PennDOT and the PTC to implement USDOT’s disadvantage business enterprise (DBE) program, which was designed, among other things, to promote participation of minority-owned small businesses in federally funded projects. Because CSE was not a certified DBE subcontractor, Taylor and Maloy agreed that they would use WMCC as a means to obtain DBE-eligible bridge subcontracts. Contrary to DBE requirements, however, Taylor admitted that CSE employees, acting at his direction, actually identified, bid, negotiated, and performed the work on DBE-eligible subcontracts. As a means to conceal CSE’s role in handling contracts awarded to WMCC, Taylor admitted that CSE employees used a WMCC email account and phone line, used magnetic WMCC signs to cover the CSE logo on CSE vehicles at job sites, possessed WMCC business cards, and held themselves out as WMCC employees in dealings with general contractors and PennDOT and PTC officials. As a result, Taylor admitted that WMCC and CSE fraudulently obtained nine PennDOT subcontracts between approximately January 2012 and February 2014, resulting in payments to WMCC totaling approximately $1,065,000. In return, Taylor admitted that Maloy was paid a periodic "fee," ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 during the conspiracy.
At the time of his guilty plea, Taylor made full restitution in the amount of $85,221.21 to PennDOT.
Maloy previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti sentenced him to two years’ probation and a $1,000 fine on February 20, 2018.
Assistant United States Attorneys Robert S. Cessar, Eric G. Olshan, and Christy Criswell Wiegand prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation of Taylor and Maloy, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission – Office of Inspector General.
Ocean County, New Jersey, Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Point Pleasant, New Jersey, man today admitted that he planned to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in New York on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers announced.
Gregory Lepsky, 20, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, specifically ISIS.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Feb. 21, 2017, Lepsky was arrested by the Point Pleasant Police Department in connection with an incident that occurred that day in his family’s home. Following the arrest, law enforcement officers searched the residence and found a new pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in Lepsky’s bedroom closet.
During searches of computers and other digital evidence linked to Lepsky, law enforcement officers found evidence of Lepsky’s plan to build and detonate a bomb as part of his support for ISIS. During several social media communications, Lepsky told others that he intended to fight on behalf of ISIS and that he would, if necessary, become a martyr by driving a “bunch of explosives” to where the “enemies” could be found and blowing himself up.
Law enforcement officers also located a series of instructions that had been published online by another terrorist group that gave specific, step-by-step instructions on how to build a pressure cooker bomb, which coincided with the delivery of the pressure cooker to Lepsky a short time before his arrest. In addition, law enforcement officers recovered a message forwarded by Lepsky from another ISIS supporter stating that if a westerner could not travel to Syria to fight for ISIS, he could conduct a terrorist attack in his home country using improvised explosive devices.
During today’s plea hearing, Lepsky admitted that beginning in January 2017, he began to formulate a plan to detonate the pressure cooker bomb in New York City on behalf of ISIS. Lepsky admitted that he used the internet to access ISIS directives, obtain bomb-making instructions, and purchase the pressure cooker and other items to be used in the attack.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, if accepted by the Court, Lepsky will be given a sentence between 16 and 19 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for June 19, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito and Assistant Attorney General Demers credited the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; the N.J. State Attorney General’s Office under the direction of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Joseph Coronato; the Point Pleasant Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard P. Larsen; and the N.J. Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness under the direction of Director Jared Maples, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Donnelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.Defense counsel: Lisa Mack Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
North Carolina Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
A Durham, North Carolina, tax return preparer was sentenced to 20 months in prison today for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin for the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, from 2012 through 2014, Laurean S. Robinson, 31, worked as the office manager and a return preparer at Tax Breaks, a tax preparation business in Durham. Robinson admitted that she prepared false returns for her clients that fraudulently claimed the earned income tax credit and sought inflated refunds. To qualify her clients for the earned income tax credit, Robinson falsely reported that they earned income providing household services, such as babysitting and caretaking. Robinson trained other Tax Breaks employees to prepare false returns in a similar fashion. In addition to fees charged by Tax Breaks, Robinson also often required her clients to pay her an additional fee in cash. Robinson’s conduct caused a tax loss of approximately $600,737.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ordered Robinson to serve one year of supervised release and pay a total of $ 120,980 in restitution to the IRS.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Martin commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Daniel McGraw and Assistant U.S. Attorney JoAnna McFadden, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
North Carolina Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Durham, North Carolina, tax return preparer was sentenced to 20 months in prison today for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin for the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, from 2012 through 2014, Laurean S. Robinson, 31, worked as the office manager and a return preparer at Tax Breaks, a tax preparation business in Durham. Robinson admitted that she prepared false returns for her clients that fraudulently claimed the earned income tax credit and sought inflated refunds. To qualify her clients for the earned income tax credit, Robinson falsely reported that they earned income providing household services, such as babysitting and caretaking. Robinson trained other Tax Breaks employees to prepare false returns in a similar fashion. In addition to fees charged by Tax Breaks, Robinson also often required her clients to pay her an additional fee in cash. Robinson’s conduct caused a tax loss of approximately $600,737.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ordered Robinson to serve one year of supervised release and pay a total of $ 120,980 in restitution to the IRS.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Martin commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Daniel McGraw and Assistant U.S. Attorney JoAnna McFadden, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
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Nine Sex Traffickers Sentenced to Federal Prison TimeRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that nine sex traffickers were sentenced in United States District Court in Charleston for their roles in a conspiracy to force underage girls and young women into sex trafficking by means of force and threats of force throughout the southeast.
Defendants Bakari McMillan, a/k/a “Bizzle”, age 25, of Columbia, and Corey Miller, a/k/a “Clow”, a/k/a “C”, a/k/a “OG P”, age 44, of Orangeburg, were convicted at trial in March 2017. McMillan was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking and Trafficking of a Minor for Sex Involving Force, Fraud, and Coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1) and (b)(1). Miller was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking and Trafficking of a Minor for Sex Involving Force, Fraud, and Coercion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1) and (b)(1).
The following defendants pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking:
Defendant Tremel Black, a/k/a “Sincere”, a/k/a “New York”, age 33, of New York, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
Defendant Robert Black, a/k/a “Kareem Banks”, a/k/a “Nino Black”, a/k/a “Black”, age 47, of New York, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
Defendant Desmond Singletary, a/k/a “Six”, age 32, of Florence, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Defendant Kerry Taylor, a/k/a “KJ”, age 23, of Columbia, was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment.
Defendant Ryan Turner, a/k/a “Gotti”, a/k/a “Qweezy”, age 25, of Columbia, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Defendant Da’Shun Curry, a/k/a “Dae Dae”, age 25, of Columbia, was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment.
Defendant Howard Parker, a/k/a “Poppa”, age 25, of Columbia was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.
Defendant Damon Jackson (aka “D”, aka “Daddy Frost”), who was also convicted at trial, has yet to be sentenced.
Evidence in the case established that the defendants preyed on over 100 vulnerable female victims, many minors, forcing them on a regular basis to have sex with numerous “Johns” a night from 2014 through the summer of 2016. The defendants used brutal tactics, including physical beatings, brandings, supplying and withholding of drugs, threats, and various other forms of psychological manipulation in order to ensure their victims complied with a series of rules that were imposed upon them.
As part of their sentences, all of the defendants were given lifetime supervision, mandatory registration as a sex offender, and participation in a computer/internet monitoring program, amongst other conditions imposed on convicted sex offenders.
U. S. Attorney Drake stated, “Over the past several years, we have seen gangs and what were formerly exclusively drug conspiracies expand into human trafficking to fund their organizations. We have the legal tools to take the organizations apart, and need the public’s help. If you see something, say something. The Polaris Hotline, 1-888-3737-888, is available 24 hours a day to receive tips.”
“Human trafficking is a heinous crime, akin to modern day slavery,” said acting Atlanta HSI Special Agent in Charge Gregory L. Wiest. “These significant sentencings should serve as a grave warning that HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners, like the North Charleston Police Department, will use our full investigative resources to holding criminals accountable.”
The case was investigated by Special Agent Shawn Caines with Homeland Security Investigations and Detective Charlie Benton with the City of North Charleston Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Matt Austin and Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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New York Man Guilty of Drug Trafficking ViolationsRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A 41-year-old Buffalo, New York, man has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Roosevelt Appleton, St., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn.
According to information presented in court, beginning in 2015, following his release from state prison in New York, Appleton began conspiring with others to traffic drugs through the Eastern District of Texas to the Houston area. Appleton employed various means to facilitate the scheme including the use of the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express and specially outfitted vehicles that contained hidden compartments. On June 15, 2016, a vehicle driven by Appleton’s couriers was stopped for a traffic violation in Jefferson County, Texas. A search of the vehicle revealed six bundles of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment in the vehicle. Appleton admitted to being responsible for the distribution of between 15 and 50 kilograms of cocaine as part of this conspiracy. Appleton was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 18, 2017.
Under federal statutes, Appleton faces a minimum of ten years in federal prison at sentencing. The minimum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Beaumont Police Department and the Houston Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall L. Fluke and John Craft.
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New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Lepsky admitted that he planned to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in New York on behalf of ISIS.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced the plea which was accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Feb. 21, 2017, Lepsky was arrested by the Point Pleasant Police Department in connection with an incident that occurred that day in his family’s home. Following the arrest, law enforcement officers searched the residence and found a new pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in Lepsky’s bedroom closet.
During searches of computers and other digital evidence linked to Lepsky, law enforcement officers found evidence of Lepsky’s plan to build and detonate a bomb as part of his support for ISIS. During several social media communications, Lepsky told others that he intended to fight on behalf of ISIS and that he would, if necessary, become a martyr by driving a “bunch of explosives” to where the “enemies” could be found and blowing himself up.
Law enforcement officers also located a series of instructions that had been published online by another terrorist group that gave specific, step-by-step instructions on how to build a pressure cooker bomb, which coincided with the delivery of the pressure cooker to Lepsky a short time before his arrest. In addition, law enforcement officers recovered a message forwarded by Lepsky from another ISIS supporter stating that if a westerner could not travel to Syria to fight for ISIS, he could conduct a terrorist attack in his home country using improvised explosive devices.
During today’s plea hearing, Lepsky admitted that beginning in January 2017, he began to formulate a plan to detonate the pressure cooker bomb in New York City on behalf of ISIS. Lepsky admitted that he used the internet to access ISIS directives, obtain bomb-making instructions, and purchase the pressure cooker and other items to be used in the attack.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, if accepted by the Court, Lepsky will be given a sentence between 16 and 19 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release.
Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; the N.J. State Attorney General’s Office under the direction of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Joseph Coronato; the Point Pleasant Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard P. Larsen; and the N.J. Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness under the direction of Director Jared Maples, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Donnelly for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
New Jersey Elementary School Teacher’s Assistant Pleads Guilty to Illegally Distributing OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Angel M. Melendez, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced that GARY DIMICK, a teacher’s assistant at an elementary school in Fort Lee, New Jersey, pled guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Deborah A. Batts to distribution and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Gary Dimick admitted in federal court today that he sold tens of thousands of highly addictive opiates to others over a period of seven years. He now faces serious prison time for his actions.”
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez said: “The addiction to pain killers is a nationwide epidemic and this individual sold more than 25,000 oxycodone tablets over seven years, preying on the vulnerabilities of others. Dimick made his acts more egregious by selling these highly addictive pills on the school grounds where he was employed. It is time that he face the consequences of his actions.”
According to the allegations in the Information and other documents filed in federal court, as well as statements made in the public record:
Oxycodone is a highly addictive, narcotic opioid that may be prescribed by medical professionals to treat severe and chronic pain conditions. Because of its addictive properties, however, users can abuse oxycodone, and prescriptions are in high demand, and have significant cash value to drug dealers. From approximately 2010 to 2017, DIMICK, while employed as a teacher’s assistant at an elementary school in Fort Lee, New Jersey, sold more than 25,000 30-milligram oxycodone tablets for approximately $20 to $30 per tablet. DIMICK made some of his oxycodone sales on the grounds of the elementary school where he is employed.
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DIMICK, 33, of North Bergen, NJ, pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of HSI and the NYPD.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kiersten A. Fletcher and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.
New Cumberland Businessman Sentenced to One Year Probation and Home Confinement for Filing False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Powers, age 53, of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge John E. Jones, III, to one year probation with the condition that he spend four months on monitored home detention for filing a false Federal Income Tax Return pertaining to tax year 2010.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Powers who owns and operates Powers Auto Repair in New Cumberland, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2017, to understating his true income by $238,381 on his 2010 income tax return. The tax owed on that unreported income amounted to $42,774. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Powers will make restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in that amount plus another $26,198 for unpaid taxes owed on unreported income of $208,979 for tax year 2012. Thus, the total loss to the IRS as a result of Powers’ underreporting of income was $68,972.
Judge Jones also ordered Power’s restitution in the amount of $68,972 to be paid in no less than monthly payments of $500.
The IRS investigation of Powers began after the IRS received a Form 1099-K indicating Powers Auto Repair had significantly more gross receipts than what Powers reported on his 2011 income tax return. A Form 1099-K is a reporting document filed by entities that process credit card payments on behalf of businesses.
As a result, the IRS obtained Powers’ bank records, which showed that Powers established two accounts - a business account and a personal account at the same bank. Powers deposited all of the cash and all of the checks he received from his customers into the business bank account, and all of his credit card income into his personal account. However, Powers only reported the income in his business account as income on his 2010 and 2012 tax returns.
The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel prosecuted the case.
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Monticello Man Charged with Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gregory Stephen, age 42, from Monticello, Iowa, has been charged with one count of knowingly transporting child pornography across state lines. The charge is contained in a Complaint filed today in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Complaint alleges that, in January 2018, Stephen transported a recording device containing child pornography from Illinois to Iowa. The Complaint alleges the recording device contained video clips believed to depict young, non-adult disrobed male individuals. Based on the investigation, the male individuals do not appear to be aware they were being recorded.
If convicted, Stephen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
Stephen appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Stephen’s next appearance for a preliminary hearing and detention hearing is set for March 15, 2018.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Monticello Police Department, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-MJ-74.
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Mississippi Resident Sentenced for Attempting to Carry a Weapon on Board an AircraftRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Kendrick D. Holder, Jr., 27, of Lumberton, MS, was sentenced March 13, 2018, to a term of 30 months in the Bureau of Prisons, ordered to pay a fine of $3,000, and was further ordered to pay a special assessment of $100. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett, for the crime of Attempting to Carry a Weapon On Board an Aircraft, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst. Holder previously pleaded guilty to the offense on December 19, 2017.
On May 6, 2016, Kendrick Holder was Stopped While attempting to board flight 2865 from Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional airport to Dallas/Fort Worth. Within his carry-on bag was loaded Smith and Wesson 40-caliber firearm. This conduct violated Title 49 Section 4605(b)(1) United States Code.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Southeast Mississippi Safe Streets Task Force in Hattiesburg, which is made up of special agents from the FBI and law enforcement officer from the Office of the Mississippi State Auditor, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Hattiesburg Police Department, with assistance from the Jones County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Golden was the prosecutor for the case.
Minot Woman Sentenced to 25 years for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – United States Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on March 12, 2018, Chief United States District Judge Daniel L. Hovland sentenced Ashley Marie Moore, 29, Minot, ND, on charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Child; and Distribution of Images Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Judge Hovland sentenced Moore to serve 25 years in prison for count one and 20 years in prison for count two, both sentences to run concurrently. Moore was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release.
Between July 2015 and October 2015, on three separate occasions, Moore videotaped herself sexually exploiting her 7 month old daughter while at her residence on the Minot Air Force Base, ND. Moore sold the cellphone videos to a male she knew in Alabama, Leo Greene, for $50.00 each. The videos were later discovered on Mr. Greene’s cell phone by family members after his death from cancer. The family members immediately reported the videos to law enforcement in Alabama.
This case was investigated the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation; Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Minot, ND; and Ward County Sheriff’s Department, Minot, ND.
Assistant United States Attorney Gary L. Delorme prosecuted the case.
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Miami Residents Sentenced for Producing, Possessing and Trafficking in Device Making EquipmentRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – Yadian Alfonse Valdes and Juan Karel Merrero Barja, residents of Miami, were sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett for trafficking in device making equipment, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.
Yadian Alfonse Valdes pleaded guilty to the charge on October 17, 2017, and Juan Karel Merrero Barja pleaded guilty on December 19, 2017. Yadian Alfonse Valdes received a sentence of incarceration of 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons and a $50,000.00 fine.
Juan Karel Merrero Barja received a sentence of incarceration of 46 months in the Bureau of Prisons and a $3,000.00 fine. Upon release from prison, each defendant was ordered to be placed in removal proceedings and if removed to remain out of the country as a condition of supervised release.
On July 8, 2017, Hattiesburg officer David Wynn II saw suspicious activity occurring at a gas pump in Hattiesburg Mississippi. The officer saw a black Cadillac Escalade pull up very close to a gas pump 6 at a minimart located on West 4th in Hattiesburg. He then saw a man standing behind the rear driver’s side door placing a skimming device on the pump.
Hattiesburg police pulled the Escalade over. Police found Valdes and Barja in the vehicle along with tools and keys for getting into gas pump panels.
U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited between the Hattiesburg Police Department and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Golden was the prosecutor for the case.
Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Trafficking and Illegal Reentry ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – David Torres-Arrellanes, 29, a Mexican national illegally residing in the United States, was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 30 months in prison for his conviction for using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime and an illegal reentry charge. Torres-Arrellanes will be deported after he completes his prison sentence
Torres-Arrellanes and seven other residents of Lea County, N.M., including four Mexican nationals, and a resident of Yuma, Ariz., were charged in a 20-count indictment filed in July 2017, with federal drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. The indictment was the result of a multi-agency investigation into a significant drug trafficking organization allegedly led by Jose Raul Mendivil-Berrelleza, 34, a Mexican national who resided in Hobbs, that allegedly imported methamphetamine and cocaine into Lea County from Mexico through Arizona.
The investigation, which was led by the DEA and included HSI and the Lea County Drug Task Force of HIDTA Region 6, was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, a Department of Justice program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement authorities seized approximately 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) of pure methamphetamine and 1.45 kilograms (3.2 pounds) of cocaine, a firearm and $19,000 in cash.
The 20-count indictment charged alleged ringleader Mendivil-Berrelleza and seven co-defendants with conspiracy, methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking, and money laundering offenses. Count 1 of the indictment charged all eight defendants with participating in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and cocaine in Lea County and elsewhere between Nov. 2016 and July 2017. Count 2 charged Mendivil-Berrelleza and Roberto Rendon-Duran, 70, of Yuma, Ariz., with participating in an international money-laundering conspiracy. Counts 3 through 5 charged certain defendants with methamphetamine trafficking offenses and Count 6 charges certain defendants with a cocaine trafficking offense. Counts 7 through 20 charged certain defendants including Torres-Arrellanes, with using communications devices to facilitate their drug trafficking activity.
On Oct. 25, 2017, Torres-Arrellanes pled guilty to an information charging him with reentry of a removed alien and using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime. In entering the guilty plea, Torres-Arrellanes admitted that on May 24, 2017, he had a telephone call with an individual who distributed methamphetamine, and told the individual that $10,000 in drug proceeds was ready to be picked up by a drug courier. Torres-Arrellanes further admitted that on May 22, 2014, he was deported from the United States, and did not have permission to reenter when he was arrested by federal law enforcement agents on Aug. 2, 2017, in Ariz.
Four of Torrez-Arrellanes’ co-defendants previously have entered guilty pleas. Jeremy W. Gough, 41, of Hobbs, pled guilty on Dec. 13, 2017, and was sentenced on Feb. 20, 2018, to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Carlos Espinoza-Perez, 28, a Mexican national, pled guilty on Jan. 22, 2018; Reco Curry, 38, of Hobbs pled guilty on Nov. 27, 2017; and Rendon-Duran pled guilty on Oct. 31, 2017.
Two co-defendants have entered pleas of not guilty and are pending trial. Miguel Angel Luna-Arredondo has yet to be arrested and is considered a fugitive. Charges in indictments and criminal complaints are only accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the DEA and HSI offices in Las Cruces and the Lea County Drug Task Force with assistance from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office and the Hobbs Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terri J. Abernathy and Dustin Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
The Lea County Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Hobbs Police Department, Lovington Police Department, Eunice Police Department the Tatum Police Department and the Jal Police Department, and is part of the NM HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.