Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 19 December 2017
Armed Felon in Possession of Heroin and Other Drugs Sentenced to 137 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Billy Lee Stevens, age 48, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced for possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it and for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian, who noted Stevens’ extensive criminal history, sentenced him to a 137-month term of imprisonment and a four-year term of court supervision following release from Federal prison.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, law enforcement officers with the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNWVOTF) observed Stevens driving a pickup truck in the 1500 block of East Sharp Avenue in Spokane, Washington. The officers initiated a traffic stop of the truck because Stevens had an active felony warrant for his arrest – he has over 25 felony previous convictions. After the officers made contact with Stevens they sought judicial authorization by way of a warrant to search the vehicle. A judge issued the search warrant and the officers discovered over 228 grams of black tar heroin, along with cocaine and methamphetamine inside the truck. The officers also discovered a pistol-grip Remington shotgun and Derringer pistol next to the drugs. In the center console of the truck, officers located a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol. They discovered a Walther PK380 pistol and a fully automatic Special Weapon MP5 machine gun in the bed of the truck.
Joseph H. Harrington said, “Prosecuting firearms-related crimes continues to be a priority for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. Previously convicted felons should be aware that there are serious criminal penalties for possessing any firearm, but particularly a fully automatic firearm. This Office is committed to prosecuting aggressively firearm-related cases and violent crime occurring in this District.”
This case was investigated by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the Spokane Police Department Patrol Anti-Crime Team (PACT), the PNWVOTF, and the Spokane Resident Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Patrick J. Cashman, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 15-Year Federal Prison TermRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Corey R. Amundson announced that yesterday Chief U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced QUINTON HALL, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to serve fifteen (15) years in federal prison based on the defendant’s convictions for trafficking methamphetamine in Ascension and Livingston Parishes and possessing a firearm in furtherance of such trafficking.
A federal jury unanimously convicted HALL following a three-day trial in July 2017. At trial, the evidence established that HALL obtained kilogram and multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine from suppliers in Texas and California through the mail and other means. HALL and others would then distribute the methamphetamine to customers in Livingston and Ascension Parishes. HALL used a hidden compartment behind the stereo of his vehicle to conceal a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol that he used to further his drug trafficking business.
Acting U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson stated, “Armed drug traffickers contribute significantly to the threat of violence in our communities and must not be tolerated. The defendant’s fifteen-year sentence – which was mandatory under federal law – reflects our dedication to pursuing those who endanger our community with all the tools at our disposal. We do not seek to fill the prisons, but to deter others inclined to follow the same path and to spare the honest and descent members of our communities from further harm. I commend the agents and prosecutors whose dedicated work brought this defendant to justice.”
This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. The investigation received valuable assistance from the Louisiana State Police. This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Brady Casey and Ryan Crosswell.
Anchorage Man Charged with Stealing Cell Phones from U.S. Mail and Being a Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that an Anchorage man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for obstructing U.S. mail parcels and stealing cell phones from the packages, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment returned by the grand jury alleges that Jermaine N. Sails, 41, of Anchorage, took numerous parcels containing cell phones from the U.S. mail beginning in October 2016, and continuing until Aug. 30, 2017. Approximately 400 cell phones with an approximate value of $50,000 were reported as missing from the U.S. mail during this timeframe. Sails was employed by a private contractor which handled U.S. mail parcels – including those containing cell phones which were being mailed back to service providers for return or repairs.
On Aug. 30, 2017, Sails was confronted by special agents with the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, concerning the missing cell phones. Sails, who had been convicted of a felony assault charge in Alaska state court in 2004, was found in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at that time.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bottini, if convicted of the mail obstruction charge, Sails faces a prison sentence of up to 5 years. If convicted of the felon in possession of a firearm charge, Sails faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Associate ExtraditedRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Daniel Zipp (619) 546-8463
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 19, 2017
SAN DIEGO – Victor Manuel Felix-Felix, the alleged leader of a Mexican money laundering and cocaine trafficking organization, was extradited to the United States by Mexico yesterday and made his first appearance in federal court this afternoon. Felix-Felix was a close associate of Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman-Loera and Felix Felix’s daughter is reportedly married to Guzman-Loera’s son.
According to extradition documents, in 2009, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents began investigating a money laundering organization based in Southern California. One agent, acting in an undercover capacity, flew to Panama City, Panama and posed as the leader of a transportation cell capable of moving narcotics and bulk currency using private aircraft. After several additional undercover meetings, the agent gained the trust of the organization and agreed to begin picking up bulk currency for transfer to Mexico. Over the course of 2010 and 2011, the agent arranged for the transfer of millions of dollars in currency, coordinating with local law enforcement to arrange pick-ups in Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Vancouver, Canada and Montreal, Canada.
After the successful currency pick-ups, the undercover agent began traveling to Central America to meet with higher-level members of Felix-Felix’s organization. In September 2010, at a meeting in the Dominican Republic, the undercover agent offered that he could transport cocaine from Ecuador to Mexico City, extradition documents said. Felix-Felix agreed, and provided the agent with an encrypted phone and a cash down-payment of $3.5 million for his services. A team of DEA agents then traveled to Ecuador and worked with local law enforcement to set up a roadside checkpoint and seize a truck containing 2,500 kilograms of cocaine intended for Felix-Felix.
After the seizure in Ecuador, the undercover agent offered Felix-Felix that he could transport another load of cocaine from Ecuador to Mexico City. After receiving another upfront payment of $1 million in cash, DEA agents coordinated with Ecuadorian and Mexican law enforcement to arrange for an international “controlled delivery” of cocaine using a private jet. Agents picked up cocaine in Ecuador, transported it to Mexico City, and then seized it after it was delivered to members of Felix-Felix’s organization, the extradition documents said. Felix-Felix and 18 others were then arrested.
On May 13, 2011, a federal grand jury in San Diego returned an indictment, charging Felix-Felix with Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Felix-Felix was flown by the United States Marshals Service from Mexico City to San Diego on December 18, 2017. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, December 19, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Schopler.
United States Attorney Adam Braverman stated, “Today is a reminder that international drug kingpins who profit by shipping narcotics into our community are not safe from prosecution. We will work with our international partners to bring them to justice wherever they reside.”
U.S. Attorney Braverman also praised the outstanding work of the DEA, National City Police Department, San Diego Police Department, San Diego Sheriff’s Office, Mexican Federal Police, Colombian National Police, Panamanian National Police, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, and the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for their ongoing assistance in this investigation.
“DEA will continue to hunt down these violent drug traffickers,” said DEA San Diego Special Agent in Charge William R. Sherman. “Let this be a warning to those who think they can step into the shoes of those who have been arrested-we will come for you too.”
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
In 2012, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Felix-Felix under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The Kingpin Act prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these individuals and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
Felix-Felix’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 16, 2018 before U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff.
DEFENDANT 11-CR-1926-H
Victor Manuel Felix-Felix
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
- Operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise (18 U.S.C. 848)
- Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. 1956(h))
- Transportation of Monetary Instruments from the United States to a Place Outside the United States (21 U.S.C. 1956(a))
- Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Outside the United States ( 21 U.S.C. 959, 960)
- Distribution of Cocaine Outside the United States (21 U.S.C. 959, 960)
- Conspiracy to import cocaine (21 U.S.C. 952 and 960)
AGENCIES
Drug Enforcement Administration
Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
National City Police Department
San Diego Narcotics Task Force
San Diego District Attorney, Bureau of Investigations
Mexican Federal Police
Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republic (PGR)
Panamanian National Police
Ecuadorian National Police
Colombian National Police
Vancouver Police Department
Quebec Provisional Police
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Airway Heights, Washington Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Spokane– Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Daniel Lee Dove, age 36, of Airway Heights, Washington, was sentenced after having previously pleaded guilty on November 30, 2016, to Possession of Child Pornography. Senior United States District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Dove to a nine-year term of imprisonment for possession of child pornography, and a one-year term of imprisonment for violating his supervised release conditions, for a total sentence of imprisonment of ten years, to be followed by a life-year term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Judge Nielsen ordered Dove to pay $5,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act fund. Dove agreed to the forfeiture to the United States of his cell phone that he used to possess and distribute child pornography images. Upon release from prison, Daniel Lee Dove will be required to register as a Sex Offender.
According to information obtained initially from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami Division, Dove was communicating with an individual in Miami using the messaging application KIK. The KIK communications revealed that Dove was exchanging graphic descriptions of infant and toddler-aged child pornography, as well as discussing sexual contact offenses of similarly-aged children. The FBI in Spokane assisted United States Probation Officers in searching Dove’s residence and cell phone to determine if he was in compliance with his Federal supervised release conditions. A forensic examination of Dove’s cell phone revealed approximately 444 images of child pornography. The images were primarily of children under the age of twelve years of age, however, approximately 10 images were pornographic images of babies, and approximately 15 images were pornographic images of toddler-aged children. In addition, the material located on Dove’s cell phone involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.
Joseph H. Harrington stated, “The sentence handed down by the Judge Neilsen provides just punishment and I commend the excellent work of the FBI Special Agents who investigated this case. Prosecuting offenders who possess child pornography is one of the priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. This Office will continue to prosecute aggressively and seek appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and PSC Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.
AUSA Doris Pryor selected as United States Magistrate JudgeRead the Press Release
PRESS RELEASE
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
Laura A. Briggs, Clerk
46 East Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (November 17, 2017): The Honorable Jane E. Magnus-Stinson, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, is pleased to announce the selection of attorney Doris L. Pryor as United States Magistrate Judge. Ms. Pryor’s appointment will be made upon completion of a Federal Bureau of Investigation background check, a process that can take several months. Once appointed, she will fill the vacancy created by the untimely death of Magistrate Judge Denise K. LaRue, who passed away on August 2, 2017.
Ms. Pryor is presently employed as the National Security Chief for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and has served in that role since September 2014. From August 2006 until her appointment as National Security Chief, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. From August 2005 through August 2006, Ms. Pryor served as a Deputy Public Defender in the State of Arkansas Public Defender’s Commission. She also has served two terms as a law clerk, for Judge J. Leon Holmes in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (August 2004-August 2005), and for Chief Judge Lavenski Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (August 2003-August 2004).
Chief Judge Stinson said, “The court eagerly anticipates welcoming Ms. Pryor to the bench. She has demonstrated ability to handle complex cases in her varying assignments as an Assistant United States Attorney. She has also demonstrated her commitment to the principle of equal justice under law during her laudable career with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and, before that, as a deputy public defender. My fellow judges and I know that Ms. Pryor will serve the litigants who appear before her in court with the same fairness and equanimity for which she is already renowned.”
The duties of Magistrate Judges in the Southern District of Indiana are demanding and wide-ranging. Ms. Pryor will conduct various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings in civil cases on delegation from a district judge, and preside over trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants. After a period of recusal, she will also conduct preliminary proceedings in criminal cases, and preside over trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases. Ms. Pryor will primarily serve in the Indianapolis Division of the Southern District and travel to the other divisional offices of the Court to hold proceedings and conduct settlement conferences.
Ms. Pryor was born in Hope, Arkansas, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999 from the University of Central Arkansas, where she majored in political science. She obtained her law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2003 and was admitted to the bar the same year. Ms. Pryor has since been admitted to practice in numerous state and federal courts, including Indiana. Ms. Pryor is active in Indiana’s legal community. She is currently serving as the program chair for the Indianapolis branch of the Federal Bar Association and has previously served as the secretary and newsletter chair of that organization. Ms. Pryor is active in a number of other bar associations and chaired the Indianapolis Bar Association Diversity Job Fair’s Student Workshop in 2016 and 2017. Ms. Pryor was also instrumental in the development and growth of the Southern District of Indiana’s Re-entry And Community Help (REACH) federal re-entry courts, which give formerly incarcerated individuals access to resources, law enforcement officials, community leaders, and other experts to help the returning citizens transition successfully back into the community.
Ms. Pryor also serves her community as a board member of Goodwill Education Initiatives, Inc., and as the Young Adult Ministry Co-Director for the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. She is also passionate about the Just the Beginning Foundation, which is committed to developing and nurturing interest in the law among young persons from various socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession.
Ms. Pryor lives in Carmel with her husband and son.
Magistrate Judges are appointed by the Judges of the United States District Courts for terms of eight years, and are eligible for reappointment to successive terms.
36th Street Bang Squad Gang Member Sentenced for Attempted MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for his role in planning and attempting to murder a rival gang member in Hampton in June 2015.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2015, Shaquone Ford, 22, along with co-defendants Martin Hunt, 20, of Newport News, Jamaree Green, 21, of Hampton, and Corey Sweetenburg, 21, of Hampton, all members of a local gang known as the 36th Street Bang Squad, drove to a Hampton high school looking for a rival gang member suspected of murdering a 36th Street Bang Squad member two days prior, on June 3, 2015. Once at the location, other 36th Street members and associates joined the group. The group followed a Hampton City school bus in two vehicles, waiting for their target to get off at a stop. When the target exited the bus, the defendants and other 36th Street members and associates chased him into an apartment complex. The defendants carried loaded firearms and planned to kill the target if he was found.
On December 7, co-defendant Green pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to murder the rival gang member and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Green faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced on March 2, 2018. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is a product of a two-year ongoing investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Hampton Police Division and the Newport News Police Department, to address violent gang crime on the peninsula. As part of this ongoing focused effort to address violent crime, gang activities and drugs in Hampton, the Hampton Police Division has funded a full-time prosecutor to lead the federal prosecution of these cases.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Thomas L. Chittum, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, Terry L. Sult, Chief of the Hampton Police Division, and Michael C. Grimstead, Acting Chief of the Newport News Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross and Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard J. Zlotnick prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr--52.
Monday 18 December 2017
Wayne County man sentenced to federal prison for oxycodone convictionRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Wayne County man who assisted others in distributing oxycodone in the Fort Gay area in 2015 and 2016 was sentenced today to a year and a half in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Dennis Ransbottom, Jr., 32, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.
Between November 2015 and November 2016, Ransbottom participated in the conspiracy with others, including an oxycodone source from Detroit. During the conspiracy, the source frequently transported oxycodone pills from Michigan to Fort Gay to distribute, and would notify Ransbottom upon arrival in West Virginia. Ransbottom agreed to introduce individuals to the source, or otherwise arrange for customers to meet the source to buy pills. On November 29, 2016, Ransbottom was arrested along with another individual while they were meeting outside of the Pit Stop gas station in Fort Gay. Investigators located and seized a total of 382 thirty mg oxycodone tablets during the arrest.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.
This case was brought 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 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 illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
- Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews
U.S. Attorney’s Office Settles Disability Discrimination Allegations at Young Shakespeare Players EastRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The U. S. Attorney’s Office reached a settlement agreement today with Young Shakespeare Players East (YSPE) resolving allegations that the theater company violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide reasonable modifications to a child enrolled in the program and retaliating against another child for her advocacy.
“Children with disabilities should be able to pursue their interests and participate in a full range of programs and activities,” said Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb. “Whenever necessary, reasonable modifications under the ADA must be provided to ensure that all children can take advantage of educational opportunities. Enforcement of the ADA is an important priority of this office, and we applaud children and young adults who advocate for disability rights.”
YSPE is a private, non-profit, theater company for children ages 7-18 that performs full-length works of Shakespeare. The U.S. Attorney’s Office determined that YSPE discriminated against a child with a disability as a result of a peanut allergy, by failing to make reasonable modifications to its policies, practices or procedures to permit the child to safely participate in the theater company’s programs. When a second child advocated on behalf of the child with a disability, that child was excluded from participating at YSPE.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, YSPE will implement a disability non-discrimination policy; implement a process by which reasonable modifications will be considered and provided to participants with disabilities; and conduct appropriate training.
This matter was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Dorchak and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Heymann of Weinreb’s Civil Rights Unit.
The Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office was established in 2015 with the mission of enhancing federal civil rights enforcement. For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-ma/civil-rights.
Two Sentenced to Federal Prison on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Charlie Lee Martin, 54, of Jackson, Mississippi, and Shredewrick Anderson, 42, of Lancaster, California, were sentenced on December 12, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, for their roles in a drug conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst. Martin was sentenced to 130 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Anderson was sentenced to 90 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
The defendants were charged after a lengthy investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in Jackson. In November 2015, Martin and Anderson obtained cocaine hydrochloride from sources of supply in Texas and Jackson, Mississippi, and distributed it to other individuals in Jackson and Gulfport, Mississippi.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, the Ridgeland Police Department, the Jackson Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Brandon Police Department, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the Pearl Police Department, the Flowood Police Department, Customs and Border Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration - Houston Field Division.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerry L. Rushing.
Two Defendants Plead Guilty to Alien Harboring Scheme Involving Labor Exploitation at Nebraska MotelRead the Press Release
Defendants Vishnubhai Chaudhari, 50, and Leelabahen Chaudhari, 44, of Kimball, Nebraska, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, to one count of conspiracy and one count of alien harboring for financial gain, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Robert C. Stuart of the District of Nebraska, and Special Agent in Charge Alex Khu of St. Paul ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to documents filed in court, the defendants admitted to conspiring to harbor the victim, an Indian national who lacked immigration status, at a Super 8 Motel in Kimball, Nebraska, between October 2011 and February 2013. During that time, the defendants required the victim to work long hours, seven days a week at the motel, performing manual labor, including cleaning rooms, shoveling snow, and doing laundry. Although the defendants promised to pay the victim, they never did, but rather claimed to apply that amount to a debt the victim owed. The defendants further restricted the victim’s movement, isolated him, and verbally abused him. Defendant Vishnubhai Chaudhari also threatened to find the victim if he ever left the motel, and defendant Leelabahen Chaudhari regularly assaulted the victim, including on one occasion when she slapped his face several times because he had failed to clean a bathtub to her standards. The victim eventually escaped with the help of a motel guest and local law enforcement.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 19, 2018, before the Honorable Laurie Smith Camp. The defendants face a possible sentence of up to 18 months in prison according to their plea agreements, and they are expected to be removed from the United States at the completion of their sentences. The defendants also paid the victim $40,000 in restitution at today’s change of plea hearing as a condition of their guilty pleas.
“Motivated by their greed, the defendants violated the immigration laws and exploited a vulnerable individual who lacked immigration status,” said Acting Assisting Attorney General Gore of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will use its resources to proactively prosecute persons who, like the defendants, unlawfully victimize others for their own monetary profit.”
“This case is a reminder that forced labor occurs in the United States, not just overseas, and federal law targets those who profit from human trafficking and related crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert C. Stuart of the District of Nebraska. “This case is a testament that such conduct will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted in the District of Nebraska.”
“Human trafficking is the modern world’s version of enslaving another person for profit. That is what these individuals have done to this victim,” said Special Agent in Charge Alex Khu of HSI St. Paul. “I’m proud of the work accomplished by HSI’s special agents, our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, and the Department of Justice, who made these guilty pleas possible.”
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, and was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Olimpia Michel and Shan Patel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick D. Franklin of the District of Nebraska.
Two California Residents Indicted for Sex Trafficking of Six VictimsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two Sacramento, Calif., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for the sex trafficking of six victims.
Ronald Ean Taylor, 43, and Kimberly Anne Sanford, 33, both of Sacramento, were charged in a 10-count federal indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Taylor was arrested in California and Sanford in Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 15, 2017. The indictment was unsealed today.
The federal indictment charges Taylor and Sanford together in six counts of sex trafficking of an adult by force, fraud or coercion. According to the indictment, Taylor and Sanford trafficked six separate victims at various times between Nov. 1, 2014, and May 31, 2017. They allegedly used force, fraud or coercion to cause (or attempt to cause) the six victims to engage in prostitution, from which Taylor and Sanford benefitted financially.
Taylor and Sanford are also charged together in four counts of transporting (or attempting to transport) an individual across state lines for prostitution. According to the indictment, Taylor and Sanford transported, or attempted to transport, four of the sex trafficking victims across state lines for prostitution.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Los Angeles, Calif., Police Department and the Sacramento, Calif., Police Department in conjunction with the Human Trafficking Rescue Project.
Three Major New York Diagnostic Testing Facility Owners Charged for Their Roles in Alleged Multi-Million Dollar Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A 14-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in the Eastern District of New York charging three owners of independent diagnostic testing facilities in Brooklyn for their roles in an allegedly fraudulent scheme that involved submitting over $44 million in claims to Medicare and private insurers, which included government-sponsored managed care organizations. Defendant Iskanderova is expected to make an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres of the Southern District of Florida at the federal courthouse in Miami. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie.
Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John P. Cronan, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), New York Region, announced the indictment.
Tea Kaganovich and Ramazi Mitaishvili were the co-owners of Sophisticated Imaging, East Coast Diagnostics, East Shore Diagnostics, East West Management and RM Global. Syora Iskanderova, also known as “Samira Sanders,” was the owner of Global Testing, Liberty Mobile Imaging, Liberty Mobile Testing, Med Tech Services and Scanwell Diagnostics. The three defendants were each charged with one count of health care fraud, two counts of making false claims to a federal agency, one count of conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, two counts of paying health care kickbacks and four counts of money laundering. Kaganovich and Mitaishvili were also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the lawful functions of the IRS. Iskanderova was also charged with two counts of making false statements to federal agents.
According to the indictment, beginning in approximately January 2014 and continuing through at least December 2016, Kaganovich, Mitaishvili and Iskanderova executed a scheme in which they submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for diagnostic testing services. As part of the scheme, the defendants allegedly paid kickbacks for the referral of beneficiaries who submitted themselves to diagnostic testing and other purported medical services. The indictment also alleges that the beneficiaries themselves received kickbacks as part of the scheme. The defendants allegedly submitted and caused to be submitted claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for services that misrepresented which diagnostic testing company purportedly performed the services. The indictment further alleges that the defendants disguised their illicit payments by moving the proceeds of this illegal activity through shell companies and engaged in financial transactions greater than $10,000 involving the proceeds of unlawful activity. Kaganovich and Mitaishvili are alleged to have falsely reported to the IRS that the illegal payments made to co-conspirators were legitimate business expenses, which caused relevant tax forms to falsely under-report business income and claim deductions. In addition, the indictment alleges that Iskanderova, on two separate occasions, lied to federal agents about her role in the alleged fraud scheme.
As alleged in the indictment, the defendants submitted and caused to be submitted at least $44 million in claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for diagnostic testing services and were paid at least $19 million on those claims.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI, IRS-CI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Trial Attorneys Debra Jaroslawicz and Richard Powers of the Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 3,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $12.5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
The Defendants:
TEA KAGANOVICH
Age: 45
Residence: Brooklyn, New York
RAMAZI MITAISHVILI
Age: 57
Residence: Brooklyn, New York
SYORA ISKANDEROVA (also known as “Samira Sanders”)
Age: 42
Residence: Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-649 (MKB)
Three Major New York Diagnostic Testing Facility Owners Charged for Their Roles in Alleged Multi-Million Dollar Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Three owners of independent diagnostic testing facilities in Brooklyn, New York, were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their roles in an allegedly fraudulent scheme that involved submitting over $44 million in claims to Medicare and private insurers, which included government-sponsored managed care organizations.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Rohde of the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office, Special Agent in Charge James D. Robnett of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) New York Office and Special Agent in Charge Scott Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations made the announcement.
Tea Kaganovich, 45, and Ramazi Mitaishvili, 57, both of Brooklyn, were the co-owners of Sophisticated Imaging, East Coast Diagnostics, East Shore Diagnostics, East West Management and RM Global. Syora Iskanderova aka Samira Sanders, 42, also of Brooklyn, was the owner of Global Testing, Liberty Mobile Imaging, Liberty Mobile Testing, Med Tech Services and Scanwell Diagnostics. The three defendants were each charged with one count of health care fraud, two counts of making false claims to a federal agency, one count of conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, two counts of paying health care kickbacks and four counts of money laundering. Kaganovich and Mitaishvili were also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing the lawful functions of the IRS. Iskanderova was also charged with two counts of making false statements to federal agents. The indictment was filed on Nov. 22 and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants this morning. Defendants Kaganovich and Mitaishvili are expected to make an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven M. Gold of the Eastern District of New York at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Defendant Iskanderova is expected to make an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres of the Southern District of Florida at the federal courthouse in Miami. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie.
According to the indictment, beginning in approximately January 2014 and continuing through at least December 2016, Kaganovich, Mitaishvili and Iskanderova executed a scheme in which they submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for diagnostic testing services. As part of the scheme, the defendants allegedly paid kickbacks for the referral of beneficiaries who submitted themselves to diagnostic testing and other purported medical services. The indictment also alleges that the beneficiaries themselves received kickbacks as part of the scheme. The defendants allegedly submitted and caused to be submitted claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for services that misrepresented which diagnostic testing company purportedly performed the services. The indictment further alleges that the defendants disguised their illicit payments by moving the proceeds of this illegal activity through shell companies and engaged in financial transactions greater than $10,000 involving the proceeds of unlawful activity. Kaganovich and Mitaishviliare are alleged to have falsely reported to the IRS that the illegal payments made to co-conspirators were legitimate business expenses, which caused relevant tax forms to falsely under-report business income and claim deductions. In addition, the indictment alleges that Iskanderova, on two separate occasions, lied to federal agents about her role in the alleged fraud scheme.
As alleged in the indictment, the defendants submitted and caused to be submitted at least $44 million in claims to Medicare, Medicaid managed care plans and other health care benefit programs for diagnostic testing services and were paid at least $19 million on those claims.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI, IRS-CI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Trial Attorneys Debra Jaroslawicz and Richard Powers of the Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 3,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $12.5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Three Armed Bank Robberies Lead to Multiple Federal Indictments and ConvictionsRead the Press Release
Savannah, GA – Javel Roberts, 17, of Valdosta, Georgia, entered a guilty plea Thursday, December 14, 2017, before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr., for the armed robbery of the SunTrust Bank in Garden City, Georgia, on September 7, 2017, and for brandishing a firearm during the bank robbery. In addition to the SunTrust Bank robbery, Roberts was charged with the armed robberies of the Wells Fargo Bank at 10422 Abercorn Street in Savannah on July 25 and August 8, 2017. Although a juvenile under federal law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Roberts as an adult. He faces up to life imprisonment.
Roberts’ guilty plea follows the guilty pleas of India Janette Henderson, 31, and Ira King, 39, of Savannah, both of whom pled guilty before Judge Moore on November 28, 2017, to aiding and abetting the SunTrust armed robbery, and both of whom face up to twenty-five years in prison. Jamal Henderson, 30, of Savannah, previously pled guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and faces up to ten years in prison.
Oraefein Jabre King, 20, of Savannah, Georgia, was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama on December 12, 2017. King was charged in an eight-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Savannah with conspiring to rob the Wells Fargo Bank and SunTrust Bank, aiding and abetting the armed bank robberies committed on July 25, August 8, and September 7, 2017, aiding and abetting the carrying of a firearm during the bank robberies, and unlawfully transferring a handgun to a juvenile. If convicted, King faces not less than 57 years in prison and up to life imprisonment.
United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine said, “Our office will aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crimes in our neighborhoods and anyone who aids and abets them. Those who think they may avoid federal prosecution because of their youth, let this prosecution serve notice.”
“It very disconcerting that anyone would brandish a weapon during a bank robbery, let alone a 17-year old youth,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The disregard for employees and customers is reprehensible. These arrests and prosecution of this case demonstrate the determination of the FBI Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Task Force and its local law enforcement partners to make our community a safer place.”
United States Attorney Christine emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilty. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation into the three bank robberies was led by the FBI Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Task Force, along with assistance from Savannah-Chatham Police Department, and Garden City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Howard is prosecuting these cases for the United States. For any questions, please contact Appellate Chief R. Brian Tanner at (912) 652-4422.
Stratford Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
John H. Durham. United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DARRYLL HARMON, 44, of Stratford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of bankruptcy fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, HARMON was in default on his HUD-insured mortgage, which was held by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (“CHFA”). In January 2009, CHFA commenced foreclosure proceedings in Connecticut Superior Court. Between January 2009 and October 2013, HARMON filed seven petitions for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut, which caused the foreclosure proceedings to be automatically stayed until the bankruptcy proceedings were resolved. The bankruptcy court dismissed all but one of the bankruptcy petitions because HARMON failed to pay filing fees or to file required information. On July 25, 2014, the bankruptcy court dismissed HARMON’s seventh bankruptcy petition and issued an order barring HARMON from filing for bankruptcy for the two-year period from July 17, 2014 through July 17, 2016.
On July 1, 2016, HARMON filed another bankruptcy petition, this time in the name of another individual who lived in Texas. HARMON falsely listed his home as the other individual’s residence and forged that individual’s signature on the bankruptcy petition. The individual did not authorize the petition to be filed and did not have knowledge that it was being filed. The filing of the false bankruptcy petition caused another automatic stay of the foreclosure sale on HARMON’s home, thereby hindering and preventing CHFA from foreclosing on the HUD-insured mortgage and collecting the debts owed to it.
Bankruptcy fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. A sentencing date has not been scheduled. HARMON is released on a $75,000 bond.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
Shreveport felon pleads guilty to possessing a handgunRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced today that a Shreveport man who was previously convicted of two felonies pleaded guilty to possessing a loaded revolver.
Kevin Anthony Dison Jr., 21, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to the guilty plea, Shreveport Police officers stopped the vehicle Dison was driving on April 11, 2017. Police searched the vehicle and found a loaded Rossi revolver, model .38 caliber, which was located on the floorboard partially under the driver’s seat. The revolver could be seen by anyone driving the vehicle. Dison was previously convicted of felony theft in April 2015 in Caddo Parish and simple burglary in April 2016 in Bossier Parish.
Dison faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The court set a sentencing date of March 23, 2018.
This investigation and prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes by preventing the possession and use of firearms by dangerous and persistent felons and others not authorized to possess a firearm.
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford is prosecuting the case.
Shelby County Man Sentenced for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Robert Phelps, 49, of Jackson Center, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for possessing child pornography.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.
Phelps was one of three defendants convicted in the Southern District of Ohio as the result of a national FBI investigation, “Operation Pacifier,” which involved the takedown of a “dark web” site dedicated to child pornography. Using a court-approved Network Investigative Technique to pierce through the anonymity provided by the Tor network, agents uncovered IP addresses and other information that helped locate and identify users. Investigators sent more than 1,000 leads to FBI field offices in every state in the country and thousands more to oversees partners.
As a result of the investigation, at least 350 U.S.-based individuals have been arrested, 25 producers of child pornography have been prosecuted, 51 alleged hands-on abusers have been prosecuted and 55 American children who were subjected to sexual abuse have been successfully identified or rescued.
According to court documents in this case, when federal agents executed a search warrant in July at Phelps’s home, on just one computer they discovered more than 6,300 images and 590 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A separate hard drive contained an additional 255,000 images and 120 videos.
Phelps pleaded guilty in April to one count of possessing child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation by the FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Andrew J. Hunt, who are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Seminole Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rodney Phillip Aird, age 50, of Seminole, Oklahoma pled guilty to Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), punishable by not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years imprisonment, and up to a $5,000,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about August 13, 2017, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, Rodney Phillip Aird, did knowingly and intentionally possess with the intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Seminole Nation Tribal Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant will remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney John David Luton represented the United States.
Romanian Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of A False PassportRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Alin Madalin Munteanu, 37, of Romania, pleaded guilty, before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, to using a false passport. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that on August 12, 2017, in the Town of Webster, NY, Munteanu was encountered by local police and asked for identification. The defendant provided a forged Hungarian passport that had been issued to someone else but had been altered to include Munteanu’s photograph.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, under the direction of Charles Brandeis, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Rieger.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. before Chief Judge Geraci.
Resident of Webster, New York Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. - Acting United States Attorney John Farley announced today that Judith Morale (formerly known as Judith Remo), 54, currently a resident of Webster, New York, has pleaded guilty to health care fraud.
According to court documents, from 2006 to 2012, Morale owned and operated a business, Bedford Geriatric Physical Therapy, LLC, that provided physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries. Through the business, Morale provided routine foot care (e.g., toenail trimming, ingrown toenail repair and callus shaving) to patients in an assisted living facility in Bedford, New Hampshire. Knowing that the services were not covered by Medicare, Morale obtained payments totaling $41,127.89 by submitting claims for payment to Medicare that falsely described these routine services as wound care.
Morale is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph DiClerico on March 27, 2018.
“Fraud against federal health care programs such as Medicare is a very a serious crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “When health care providers fraudulently obtain money from the Medicare program, they will be held accountable for their actions. I commend the efforts of the law enforcement agents whose work led to this conviction.”
“By literally using the Medicare system as her own personal ATM, Ms. Morale violated the basic trust that taxpayers extend to healthcare providers.” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Boston Division. “Fraudulently billing the government defrauds every American taxpayer, and the FBI is committed to finding those who abuse public health care programs to which we all contribute and depend on.”
“Every Medicare dollar is needed to provide necessary patient care, thus skimming off funds by providers will not be tolerated,” said Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The message is clear. Those who steal from Medicare will have to pay the price.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Davis and Robert Kinsella.
###
Queens Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 84 Months’ Imprisonment for Distributing “Batman” Branded HeroinRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Lamont Moran was sentenced by United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser to 84 months’ imprisonment to be followed by four years of supervised release, after his conviction for conspiring to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin. The defendant ran a heroin distribution operation near the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica, Queens from 2015 until his arrest in September 2016. Moran pled guilty to the charge in April 2017.
Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York), William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Division (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
“The defendant Lamont Moran promoted and profited from the opioid epidemic in our District,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “Today he was held accountable. Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those like the defendant who seek to line their own pockets by selling these dangerous drugs and harming our community.”
According to court filings, the defendant was affiliated with the violent street gang “Get it in Stacks” (also known as “GI$”), a subset of the nationwide Bloods gang operating near the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica, Queens. The defendant supervised street-level dealers near the Baisley Park Houses—including at least one GI$ member and several elderly heroin addicts—who distributed heroin and fentanyl labeled with brand names such as “Batman,” “Call of Duty” and “Sleepys.” The defendant also sold heroin and fentanyl directly to users. From March 2016 to August 2016, for example, the defendant made more than 15 drug sales to a confidential FBI source. On many of these occasions, the defendant sold the source fentanyl instead of heroin—without ever revealing this fact to the source.
The defendant acknowledged in post-arrest statements that he personally did not use heroin: “I don’t use this [expletive]. I don’t touch this [expletive]. . . . I don’t view it as drugs, I view it as money.” A search of the defendant’s phone revealed more evidence of gang affiliation, plus photographs of the defendant with wads of cash and multiple firearms.
Four other defendants have been charged with heroin distribution crimes in this case, and each has pleaded guilty. On August 8, 2017, co-defendant Michael Singletary was sentenced to a year and a day of imprisonment for a single incident of heroin distribution. On October 3, 2017, co-defendant David Young—one of the defendant’s street-level dealers—was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment. On October 27, 2017, co-defendant William Parker—a career offender and another one of the defendant’s street-level dealers—was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment. Co-defendant Dennis Pristell—a street-level dealer who worked for the defendant—is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Jacobs is in charge of the prosecution.
Defendant Sentenced Today:
LAMONT MORAN
Age: 30
Residence: Queens, New YorkDefendants Previously Sentenced:
WILLIAM PARKER
Age: 53
Residence: Queens, New YorkMICHAEL SINGLETARY
Age: 43
Residence: Baldwin Harbor, New YorkDAVID YOUNG
Age: 66
Residence: Queens, New YorkDefendant Awaiting Sentencing:
DENNIS PRISTELL
Age: 57
Residence: Queens, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-506 (S-1) (ILG)
Porum Man Pleads Guilty to False StatementRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Darrell Lee McLemore, age 55, of Porum, Oklahoma pled guilty to False Statement, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 1383a(a)(2), punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about February 1, 2017, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, Darrell Lee Mclemore, did knowingly make or caused to be made any false statement or representation of a material fact to the Social Security Administration used to determine the right for any payment. Specifically, Darrell Lee Mclemore participated in a redetermination conference wherein Darrell Lee Mclemore stated that Darrell Lee Mclemore had not worked since the date of Darrell Lee Mclemore’s last eligibility determination, when, in fact, Darrell Lee Mclemore knew that he had been gainfully employed during the period.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Rob Wallace represented the United States.
Porter Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Firearm, AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Donald Jack Kilgore, age 67, of Porter, Oklahoma pled guilty to Felon In Possession Of Firearm And Ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about June 6, 2017, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, Donald Jack Kilgore, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm and ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Broken Arrow Police Department, the Wagoner County Sherriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant will remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney John David Luton represented the United States.
Political Consultant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Spend Nearly $1 Million from Springfield Charity for Illegal Political Activity, KickbacksRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Philadelphia political consultant pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring with a former Arkansas state legislator and several executives of a Springfield, Mo., charity to spend nearly $1 million on illegal political activity and on kickbacks to conspirators.
Donald Andrew Jones, also known as “D.A.” Jones, 62, of Willingboro, N.J., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information that charges him with participating in a conspiracy from April 2011 to January 2017 to steal from an organization that receives federal funds.
Jones’s firm, D.A. Jones & Associates, based in Philadelphia, Penn., provides political and advocacy services, including consulting, analysis, and public relations. By pleading guilty today, Jones admitted that he was paid approximately $973,807 by Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc., a non-profit charity in Springfield, for illegal lobbying and political activity on behalf of the charity. Two co-conspirators received a total of $264,000 in kickbacks from Jones. (Preferred Family Healthcare resulted from the May 1, 2015, merger between Alternative Opportunities of Springfield, Mo., and Preferred Family Healthcare of Kirksville, Mo.)
Court documents cite, but do not identify by name, five individual co-conspirators who are not charged in the fraud scheme. Person #1, Person #2 and Person #3 – all residents of Springfield – were executives at the charity. Person #4, a resident of Rogers, Ark., served as an executive for company operations in the state of Arkansas. Person #4 also operated two lobbying firms. Person #7, a resident of Melbourne, Ark., was an Arkansas lobbyist and former state legislator. Person #7 also was a board member and employee of the charity.
Preferred Family Healthcare and its subsidiaries provide a variety of services to individuals, including mental and behavioral health treatment and counseling, substance abuse treatment and counseling, employment assistance, aid to individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical services. The charity received Medicaid reimbursements from the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma from 2011 to 2016, of which the federal portion totaled more than $255 million. The charity also received more than $53 million from the federal government (the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and Justice) under programs involving grants, contracts, loans, guarantees, insurance and other forms of federal assistance from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2016.
According to today’s plea agreement, conspirators engaged in multiple schemes to unlawfully use the charity’s funds to make political contributions and for excessive and unreported lobbying and political advocacy. In order to provide a veneer of legitimacy for the kickbacks paid to themselves and others, and to disguise the nature and source of the payments, conspirators caused the payments to be described in the records as business expenses, such as “consulting” and “training” services, and executed sham “consulting agreements.”
Conspirators caused the charity to engage in political outreach that violated both law and public policy. For example, they employed lobbyists and advocates (including Jones) to influence elected and appointed public officials. Also, the conspirators caused personal contributions to elected officials and their political campaigns to be reimbursed by the charity. Such indirect contributions are prohibited by law just as if the payments had been made by the charity directly.
Jones admitted that he worked from 2011 through January 2017 to provide advocacy services, including direct contact with legislators and government officials, in order to influence elected and appointed public officials regarding legislative issues that impacted the charity. Jones also solicited the assistance of elected and appointed officials in steering grants and other sources of funding to the charity.
The charity paid Jones a total of $973,807, with some payments routed through different business entities or lobbying firms. Although his services were falsely described as “consulting” services and the payments made to Jones as payments pursuant to a “consulting agreement,” they actually were payments for Jones’s advocacy services, including direct contact with elected and appointed public officials.
Jones admitted that he paid $219,000 in kickbacks to Person #4 and that he made two payments totaling $45,000 to Person #7. Both Person #4 and Person #7 worked for the charity.
By pleading guilty today, Jones acknowledged he willfully blinded himself to (in other words, deliberately avoided learning or recognizing) the following facts, which should have been obvious to him:
• Person #1, Person #2, Person #3 and Person #4 made some payments to him indirectly in order to conceal on the charity’s books and records the full amount he was paid;
• Person #1, Person #2, and Person #3 caused the charity to pay him as a “consultant” in order to conceal the nature of his services for the charity, which were advocacy and lobbying; and
• Jones’s compensation for work done on behalf of Entity E – a separate for-profit company owned in part by Person #1 and Person #2 – should have been paid by Entity E, and not the charity.In a separate and unrelated case, Jones pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, to lying to the FBI. Jones admitted to making a false statement to the FBI arising from his participation in a scheme involving unlawful contributions to a political candidate’s campaign.
Under federal statutes, Jones is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich and Trial Attorney Sean F. Mulryne of the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the FDIC.
Pawtucket Resident Sentenced for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Pawtucket resident who admitted to selling substantial quantities of methamphetamine has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Warwick Police Chief Colonel Stephen M. McCartney; Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves; and Mickey Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Christopher Bergeron, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence on September 22, 2017, to possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He was arrested on May 4, 2017, after Warwick Police seized 15 grams of methamphetamine from Bergeron’s vehicle and Pawtucket Police seized 121 grams of methamphetamine during a court authorized search of his residence.
Bergeron’s drug trafficking activities came to the attention of law enforcement during an unrelated investigation into the methamphetamine trafficking activities of Jon Cascella, 49, of Warwick. A federal court jury recently convicted Cascella on four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count each of possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm arm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Cascella is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on March 2, 2018.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also ordered Christopher Bergeron to serve 4 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration. The statutorily required minimum sentence of 5 years imposed by the Court is greater than the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines imprisonment range in this matter of 41-51 months. The government recommended the Court impose a sentence of 60 months of incarceration.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee.
###
Owners of Oklahoma City Diabetic Supply Company Charged with Medicaid FraudRead the Press Release
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – A federal grand jury has charged EUNJA VASQUEZ, 55, and LAWRENCE VASQUEZ, 61, of Edmond, Oklahoma, with Medicaid fraud, announced Mark A. Yancey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Mike Hunter, Oklahoma Attorney General.
According to the 115-count indictment, the Vasquezes used their own Oklahoma City company, Mercy Diabetic Supply, Inc., to defraud the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. Mercy Diabetic Supply is not affiliated with Mercy Health System. The indictment alleges that the Vasquezes submitted Medicaid claims for insulin pump supplies in the names of 29 Medicaid beneficiaries who did not, in fact, use insulin pumps in the treatment of their diabetes and whose physicians had not prescribed the use of insulin pumps for them. According to the indictment, some had not been diagnosed with diabetes. It is further alleged that Eunja Vasquez falsified medical forms and forged physician signatures as part of the scheme.
Attorney General Hunter’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case and brought the charges to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. The Attorney General said his office is dedicated to working with federal prosecutors to pursue individuals and companies committing fraud in the state.
"I commend the attorneys and investigators in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, who worked tirelessly on this case," Attorney General Hunter said. "Our office remains committed to fighting fraud, waste, and abuse of the state’s Medicaid program that helps vulnerable Oklahomans. I appreciate U.S. Attorney Mark Yancey and his team for taking this case."
U.S. Attorney Yancey said his office will continue its partnership with state agencies and state law enforcement to prevent fraud and corruption.
If convicted, the Vasquezes could each be imprisoned for a maximum of ten years on each count, to be followed by three years of supervised release. They could also be fined up to $250,000 on each count and would be subject to mandatory restitution.
The public is reminded these charges are merely accusations and that the Vasquezes are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a unanimous jury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Maxfield Green and Assistant Oklahoma Attorney General Lory Dewey, who is also a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, are prosecuting the case. Reference is made to court filings for further information.
Orlando Woman Convicted of Tax Refund Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury found Jeanine Jeanty guilty of one count of conspiracy to steal tax refunds, five counts of theft of tax refunds, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, up to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the theft charges, and a mandatory minimum of two years in federal prison for the aggravated identity theft charges. The sentencing hearing will take place on March 16, 2018.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Jeanty conspired with others to steal federal tax refunds by filing false tax returns using stolen personal identifying information. She also purchased fraudulently-obtained tax refund checks from others for half of the face value of the checks. In less than two years, Jeanty and her co-conspirators stole more than $2.7 million in tax refunds from the Department of the Treasury.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.
Newington Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Drug RingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TREVON TERRY, also known as “B.J.,” 39, of Newington, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release, for his role in a cocaine and crack cocaine distribution ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from joint law enforcement investigation headed by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department that targeted a drug trafficking organization operating in Hartford’s North End that was distributing crack and powder cocaine. The investigation revealed that David Gil-Grande, of Manchester, received shipments of cocaine, secreted in sealed coffee cans, from Puerto Rico. He then supplied the cocaine to TERRY, Anthony Shelton, also known as “Pretty,” and Gerard Brown, also known as “Goldie,” who converted much of the cocaine into crack and distributed both forms of the drug in the area of Barbour Street in Hartford.
Twenty individuals were charged and convicted as a result of the investigation.
TERRY has been detained since his arrest on January 21, 2016. On that date, investigators seized $19,487 in cash from a safe in his Newington residence.
On August 31, 2017, TERRY pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
TERRY’s criminal history includes several state drug convictions, including a 2008 conviction for sale of narcotics for which he was sentenced to 11 years of incarceration, suspended after four years, and five years of probation. He was on probation for that narcotics offense while he was engaged in the criminal conduct that led to this federal conviction.
Gil-Grande, Shelton and Brown have pleaded guilty to related charges. On January 31, 2017, Gil-Grande was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment. Shelton and Brown await sentencing.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
New Haven Heroin Dealer Sentenced to 3 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ISMAEL RUIZ, also known as “Papo,” 51, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a heroin trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that members of the organization regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors, including RUIZ, on the streets of New Haven.
The investigation has resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.
RUIZ was arrested on March 15, 2017. On August 10, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.
The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments.
The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.
Mexican Citizen Sentenced for Illegal Re-entry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Avelarto Lopez Garcia, age 22, and a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to time served (29 days in jail) for illegally re-entering the United States.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas E. Feeley, Director of the Buffalo Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
As part of his guilty plea, Lopez Garcia admitted that he is a citizen of Mexico, and that he illegally returned to the United States after he was removed to Mexico on December 12, 2015. Lopez-Garcia had previously been removed from the United States back to Mexico on December 15, 2012, October 27, 2015, October 30, 2015, and December 9, 2015.
On November 16, 2017, ICE officers arrested Lopez Garcia in Latham, New York.
Following the sentencing, Lopez Garcia was remanded to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security, for removal proceedings.
The case was investigated by ICE-ERO and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Member of Cowboys Gang in South Carolina Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for RICO ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The last indicted member of the Cowboys gang, a violent street gang that originated in “Eastside” area of Walterboro, South Carolina, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge C.J. Hyman of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Charlotte, North Carolina Field Division; Solicitor Duffie Stone of the 14th Judicial Circuit; Solicitor David Pascoe of the First Circuit; Sheriff R.A. Strickland of the Colleton County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office; Chief Wade Marvin of the Walterboro, South Carolina Police Department; Sheriff Al Cannon Jr. of the Charleston County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office; Sheriff L. C. Knight of the Dorchester County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office; Chief Jon Rogers of the Summerville, South Carolina Police Department; Director Jerry Adger of the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; and Chief Mark Keel of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division made the announcement.
Dashawn Trevell Brown, aka TOB and Shawny, 24, of Walterboro, South Carolina, was sentenced to 240 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge David C. Norton. Judge Norton sentenced Brown to three years of supervised release following his prison sentence, and restitution for victims injured as a result of his criminal activity.
According to the plea agreement, Brown was a member of the Cowboys gang, a violent street gang that originated in the “Eastside” area of Walterboro, South Carolina. Members of the Cowboys show their allegiance by wearing red, white, and blue clothing, and carrying rags in these colors, including depictions of the American flag. Further, members of the Cowboys greet each other and show their membership in the gang using a set of hand-signs intended to evoke the shape of a “b.” This hand sign also shows an affiliation with the “Bloods” gang. Members of the Cowboys also show allegiance to the gang by having the words “Cowboy(s)” or “GMC” tattooed to some part of their body. The Cowboys gang was also, for a time, aligned with another violent street gang called the “Wildboys,” that originated out of the Green Pond area of Walterboro. In addition to sharing a common interest in posting threats, firearms, large amounts of cash, and what purported to be narcotics on Facebook and YouTube, Cowboys and Wildboys shared common enemies. These shared interests resulted in shootings, aimed at rival gang members, which left innocent by-standers seriously injured.
Brown was sentenced for his role in four shootings committed on behalf of his membership as a Cowboys. On May 12, 2011, after an encounter with an individual believed to be a member of a rival gang, Brown fired shots at the victim. The shooting occurred because of an on-going dispute between the Cowboys and the rival gang. Brown was identified by witnesses to the shooting. As a result of this, a retaliatory shooting occurred on May 14, 2011, during which, another innocent bystsander was shot and seriously injured. Brown was also identified as having fired shots during this incident.
Second, Brown was sentenced for his role in a June 30, 2013 shooting in the Druid Hills areas of Walterboro. Brown, who was in a vehicle occupied by two other members of the Cowboys, participated in a drive-by shooting of individuals believed to be members of a rival gang. Brown, who fired shots resulting in injuries to the victim’s arm, days later encountered the victim and told him, “I should have killed you.”
Third, Brown was sentenced for his role in the July 14, 2013 shooting at the Starlite Lounge in St. George. Brown, and other members of the Cowboys, attended a party at the lounge while dressed in Cowboys colors, including displays of red, white, and blue bandanas. While members of the Cowboys were on stage, members of the Cowboys exchanged words with a patron. After they believed they were disrespected by the patron, members of the Cowboys left the club and waited outside. As individuals began to leave the club, Brown and at least four other members of the Cowboys fired guns toward those coming out of the club. As a result of the shooting, at least three victims were shot and injured.
Lastly, Brown was sentenced for his role in a Nov. 6, 2015 attempted murder. Brown, along with co-defendants Khiry Broughton and Quintin Fishburne, attended a drag race outside of Walterboro. After bets were placed, Broughton questioned the results of the race and demanded the winnings, which were held by one of the race drivers. Broughton decided to rob the winner of the race and in so doing retrieved a backpack containing firearms from Fishburne’s vehicle. Broughton provided the firearms to Brown and other members of the Cowboys. After the winner refused to provide the money, the winner and another innocent bystander were shot and severely injured. After the shooting occurred, Fishburne, who transported Brown and Broughton, drove Brown and Broughton from the scene to avoid apprehension by the police.
Khiry Broughton, Clyde Naquan Hampton, Matthew Rashuan Jones, William Lamont Cox, Bryant Jameek Davis, Zaquann Ernest Hampton, Christopher Sean Brown, and Quintin Fishburne were all sentenced in November for their roles in criminal activity related to the Cowboys.
In August, Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered remarks to the 2017 Gangs Across the Carolinas Training Symposium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Since the beginning of this year, the Department of Justice has secured more than 1,260 convictions against gang members.
The case was investigated by the ATF Charleston, in partnership with the Walterboro Police Department; Colleton County Sheriff’s Office; Charleston County Sheriff’s Office; Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office; Summerville Police Department; Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office; First Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office; South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Leshia Lee-Dixon of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tameaka A. Legette from the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Bluffton, South Carolina.
# # # # #
Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Assault While Armed for Shooting His Neighbor in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Steven Talmadge Jones, 65, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a felony charge stemming from the shooting of his neighbor, which occurred in October 2017 on their block in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Jones pled guilty on Dec. 15, 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of aggravated assault while armed. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for April 20, 2018. The charge carries a mandatory minimum term in prison of five years and a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, Jones and the victim are neighbors and have known each other for several years. The two men had prior arguments related to the Homeowner Association rules for their gated community.
On Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the victim was waxing his car in the driveway outside his home in the 2200 block of Retta Gilliam Court SE. Jones was at his own home on the same street. Jones opened a window and shot the victim once in the chest. The victim fell to the ground bleeding. After the shooting, Jones took his dog, got into his car, and drove away. He was arrested on Nov. 1, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.
The gunshot entered the victim’s back, exited his chest, and pierced his heart. As a result of the shooting, the victim sustained serious bodily injuries that required surgery and hospitalization, including at least nine days intubated in an intensive care unit. He is in ongoing rehabilitation and treatment.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle, Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Man Caught with over 31,000 Marijuana Seeds Admits to Conspiring to Cultivate Marijuana in Giant Sequoia National MonumentRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Rosario Beltran-Leal (Beltran), 43, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture or cultivate, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in Tulare County, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Beltran was found last spring bringing over 31,000 marijuana seeds to a cultivation site in a remote area closed to the public in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. He was also in possession of a large quantity of food and cultivation supplies, including 100 hose connectors. In pleading guilty, Beltran acknowledged that he had delivered food supplies to marijuana growers in the same area in 2016. The irrigation system from the previous year was intact. Native vegetation and trees had also been trimmed to make room for the marijuana plants and water had been diverted from a tributary of Mill Creek.
Beltran is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on March 12, 2017. Beltran faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of up to $1 million. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
MS-13 Member Admits Responsibility for Murder of 15-Year Old BoyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An MS-13 member pleaded guilty on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in federal court in Boston to racketeering conspiracy involving the murder of a 15-year-old boy in East Boston.
Joel Martinez, a/k/a “Animal,” 23, a Salvadoran national formerly residing in East Boston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2018.
Martinez was identified as a member of MS-13’s Eastside Loco Salvatrucha (ESLS) clique, which operated in Chelsea, Everett, and elsewhere in greater Boston. Martinez admitted that on Sept. 20, 2015, he murdered a 15-year-old boy on Trenton Street in East Boston.
In recorded conversations between Martinez and a cooperating witness, Martinez acknowledged being a member of MS-13 and admitted that he stabbed the victim to death. Specifically, Martinez said, “I stabbed the asshole three times, and it was a beautiful thing! Just beautiful!” As a result of the murder, Martinez was “jumped in” and made a “homeboy,” or full member of MS-13, during a ceremony that was surreptitiously recorded by federal agents. When a prospective member is “jumped in,” members of the MS-13 clique beat the new member with their hands and feet while one of the leaders of the clique counts aloud slowly to thirteen.
After a three-year investigation, Martinez was one of 61 individuals named in a superseding indictment targeting the criminal activities of alleged leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 in Massachusetts. Martinez is the 27th defendant to plead guilty in this case.
Martinez faces up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and will be subject to deportation upon the completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; Somerville Police Chief David Fallon; and Herndon (VA) Police Chief Maggie A. DeBoard made the announcement.
Lebanon Sex Offender Sentenced to 21 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a registered sex offender in Lebanon, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.
Kavin Dywayne Finley, 45, of Lebanon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Finley to supervised release for the rest of his life following incarceration.
Finley, who pleaded guilty on April 27, 2017, is registered with the Missouri Sex Offender Registry due to his 1999 convictions in Arizona for molesting a 12-year-old child multiple times.
According to court documents, Finley was actively engaged in trading child pornography with other individuals on the Internet. The investigation began on April 16, 2015, when a Missouri State Technical Assistant Team investigator received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which reported child pornography in Finley’s Google Gmail account. Finley’s e-mail had multiple images of child pornography that he was sending to another user, and he remarked that he had more images and videos he could send.
On May 12, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Finley’s residence and seized a laptop computer, which contained multiple videos of child pornography, and Finley was arrested. Investigators also found child pornography on Finley’s cell phone.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team and the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Armored Vehicle and Gun Store RobberiesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to robbing an armored vehicle and stealing 18 firearms, including a silencer, from a gun store, was sentenced today to 63 months in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada.
Anthony Jovan Greene, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan. He pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of theft from a Federal Firearms Licensee.
According to the plea agreement, Greene admitted that on Oct. 5, 2012, both he and at least one other co-conspirator used baseball bats to rob approximately $210,889 from a Garda Cash Logistics armored truck at the Las Vegas Outlet Mall in downtown Las Vegas. Greene further admitted that on Sept. 8, 2016, he stole a total of 18 handguns, rifles, and a silencer from 2nd Amendment Gun shop at 4570 N. Rancho Drive in Las Vegas.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith Jr. prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide commitment by the Department of Justice to reduce gun and gang crime in America by networking local programs that target gun and gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit www.justice.gov/usao-nv.
###
Konawa Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joe William Cooper, age 59, of Konawa, Oklahoma pled guilty to Felon In Possession Of Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about May 29, 2017, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, Joe William Cooper, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant will remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.
Justice Department Settles U.S. Worker Discrimination Claims Against Colorado Agricultural CompanyRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with Crop Production Services Inc. (Crop Production), an agricultural company headquartered in Loveland, Colorado. The settlement resolves a lawsuit the Justice Department filed against the company on Sept. 28, 2017, alleging that the company discriminated against U.S. citizens because of a preference for foreign visa workers, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The Department’s lawsuit alleged that in 2016, Crop Production discriminated against at least three United States citizens by refusing to employ them as seasonal technicians at its El Campo, Texas location because the company preferred to employ temporary foreign workers under the H-2A visa program. According to the Department’s complaint, Crop Production imposed more burdensome requirements on U.S. citizens than it did on H-2A visa workers to discourage U.S. citizens from working at the facility. For instance, the complaint alleges that although U.S. citizens had to complete a background check and a drug test before being permitted to start work, H-2A visa workers were allowed to begin working without completing them and, in some cases, never completed them. The complaint also alleged that Crop Production refused to consider a limited-English proficient U.S. citizen for employment yet hired H-2A visa workers with limited-English proficiency. Ultimately, all of Crop Production’s 15 available seasonal technician jobs in 2016 went to H-2A visa workers instead of U.S. workers.
Under the INA, it is unlawful for employers to intentionally discriminate against U.S. workers because of their citizenship status or to otherwise favor the employment of temporary foreign visa workers over available, qualified U.S. workers. In addition, the H-2A visa program allows employers to hire foreign visa workers only if there is not a sufficient number of qualified and available U.S. workers to fill the jobs.
The settlement agreement requires Crop Production to pay civil penalties of $10,500.00 to the United States, undergo department-provided training on the anti-discrimination provision of the INA, and comply with departmental monitoring and reporting requirements. In a separate agreement with workers represented by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Crop Production agreed to pay $18,738.75 in lost wages to affected U.S. workers.
“There will be zero tolerance for companies that violate the Immigration and Nationality Act by hiring foreign visa holders over U.S. workers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. “The Division’s Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative is committed to fighting discriminatory hiring practices that prevent qualified U.S. workers from obtaining jobs, and we commend Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for bringing this matter to our attention.”
The settlement is part of the Division’s Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, an initiative aimed at targeting, investigating, and bringing enforcement actions against companies that discriminate against U.S. workers in favor of foreign visa workers.
The Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER), formerly known as the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits, among other things, citizenship status and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation; and intimidation.
For more information about protections against employment discrimination under immigration laws, call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); sign up for a free webinar; email [email protected]; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites.
Applicants or employees who believe they were subjected to: different documentary requirements based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin; or discrimination based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral, should contact IER’s worker hotline for assistance.
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Parker-HannifinRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Parker-Hannifin Corporation. The settlement requires Parker-Hannifin to divest the Facet filtration business, including the aviation fuel filtration assets that it acquired from CLARCOR Inc. on Feb. 28, 2017.
The Department’s Antitrust Division filed suit on Sept. 26, 2017, because the acquisition eliminated competition in the development, manufacture, and sale of qualified filtration products necessary for the proper filtration of aviation fuel used in commercial and military aircraft. It has now filed a proposed settlement in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware that, if approved by the court, would resolve the lawsuit, restore competition in the markets for aviation fuel filtration systems and elements, and address the Department’s competitive concerns.
“This agreement to fully divest the Facet filtration business restores the competition in the aviation fuel filtration markets that the underlying merger eliminated,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “Once the divestiture is completed, the acquirer will be in the same competitive position that CLARCOR enjoyed before the transaction, and the Facet brand of aviation fuel filtration products will be able to once again compete in the free market with Parker-Hannifin. This divestiture avoids the difficulties of a regulatory behavioral decree, relying instead on competition in the free market to protect American consumers and our military.”
Parker-Hannifin and the Antitrust Division agreed to the divestiture as well as provisions designed to promote compliance and make the enforcement of this consent decree as effective as possible on behalf of consumers and the military.
Prior to its delivery into commercial or military aircraft, aviation fuel must be properly filtered at multiple stages to ensure the removal of water droplets and particulate contaminants. Failure to filter aviation fuel properly creates unacceptable safety risks and can result in potentially catastrophic consequences. To address these safety concerns, aviation fuel filtration systems and elements are subject to specific industry standards, mandated by the U.S. airline industry. Only those aviation fuel filtration products qualified by the Energy Institute (EI) may be used to filter aviation fuel for use in U.S. commercial and military planes.
Prior to the acquisition, Parker-Hannifin and CLARCOR were the only two manufacturers of EI-qualified aviation fuel filtration systems and elements in the United States and were engaged in vigorous head-to-head competition, which was eliminated following the transaction. On Sept. 26, 2017, the Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Parker-Hannifin and its subsidiary, CLARCOR, alleging that Parker-Hannifin’s $4.3 billion acquisition of CLARCOR created an effective monopoly in the markets for EI-qualified aviation fuel filtration systems and elements sold to U.S. customers. The Department alleged in its complaint that Parker-Hannifin’s acquisition of CLARCOR’s aviation fuel filtration assets would result in increased prices, decreased services and product innovation, and slower delivery of these critical safety products. Shortly after the filing of its complaint, the Division reached an agreement with Parker-Hannifin to preserve and maintain the aviation fuel filtration assets of both Parker-Hannifin and CLARCOR during the pendency of the action.
Parker-Hannifin Corporation is an Ohio corporation headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a diversified manufacturer of filtration systems, and motion and control technologies for the mobile, industrial and aerospace markets with operations worldwide. In 2017, Parker-Hannifin’s sales revenues were approximately $12 billion. Parker-Hannifin sells its aviation fuel filtration products under the Velcon brand.
CLARCOR Inc. was a Delaware corporation headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. CLARCOR was a leading provider of filtration systems for diversified industrial markets with net sales of approximately $1.6 billion in 2016. CLARCOR manufactured and sold aviation fuel filtration products under the Facet brand.
The proposed settlement, along with the Department’s competitive impact statement will be published in the Federal Register, as required by the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act. Any person may submit written comments regarding the proposed final judgment within 60 days of its publication to Maribeth Petrizzi, Chief, Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 5th Street, N.W., Suite 8700, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the Final Judgment upon a finding that it serves the public interest.
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Owners and Manager of Kansas Rental PropertiesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit alleging that female tenants in residential rental properties in Wichita, Kansas, were subjected to egregious sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act. The department’s complaint names four individuals as defendants: Thong Cao, who manages the rental properties and does business as Cao Properties and Rentals; Mai Cao; Van Le; and Tong Nguyen. Each of the defendants owns or previously owned one or more of the properties where the illegal conduct occurred.
Today’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, arose from two complaints that former tenants filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The lawsuit alleges that Thong Cao sexually harassed female residents at the rental properties from at least 2010 to 2014. According to the complaint, Thong Cao engaged in harassment that included, among other things, making unwelcome sexual advances and comments, engaging in unwanted sexual touching, and evicting tenants who refused to engage in sexual conduct with him.
“No woman should have to endure sexual harassment in order to remain in her home,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual harassment in housing is unacceptable and illegal, and landlords should be on notice that the Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act to combat this type of discrimination and to obtain relief for its victims.”
“Property owners and managers who use their position to seek sexual favors are not only violating a woman’s housing rights, they are creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation,” said Anna María Farías, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD will continue to work with the Justice Department to take action to ensure that individuals that provide housing meet their obligation to comply with federal fair housing laws.”
In October, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced the Sex Harassment Initiative (SHI). The initiative specifically seeks to increase the Department’s efforts to protect individuals from harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, security guards, and other employees and representatives of rental property owners.
The Justice Department has filed or settled six sexual harassment cases since January 20, 2017, and has recovered over $1 million for victims of sexual harassment in housing.
Today’s lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate the victims, civil penalties and a court order barring future discrimination. The complaint contains allegations of unlawful conduct. The allegations must be proven in federal court.
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or operated by Thong Cao, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, can contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line:
- English language: Call 1-800-896-7743, then press 1 to continue in English and select mailbox 994 to leave a message; or
- Spanish language: Call 1-800-896-7743, then press 2 to continue in Spanish and select mailbox 3 to leave a message.
Individuals can also report sexual harassment and other forms of housing discrimination by e-mailing the Justice Department at [email protected].
Jury Convicts Former Police Officer of Attempting to Support ISISRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a former police officer today of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice.
“Nicholas Young swore an oath to protect and defend, and instead violated the public’s trust by attempting to support ISIS,” said Dana J. Boente, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metro Transit Police, and the trial team for their tireless work and dedication to this case.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nicholas Young, 38, of Fairfax, was formerly employed as a police officer with the Metro Transit Police Department. In late July 2016, Young attempted to provide material support and resources to ISIS by purchasing and sending gift card codes that he believed would allow ISIS recruiters to securely communicate with potential ISIS recruits.
Between Dec. 3, 2015, and Dec. 5, 2015, Young attempted to obstruct and impede an official proceeding. In specific, Young believed an associate of his, who was actually an FBI confidential human source (CHS), had successfully joined ISIS in late 2014. During an FBI interview, Young was told the FBI was investigating the attempt of his associate (the CHS) to join ISIS. Nevertheless, in an attempt to thwart the prosecution of the CHS and himself, Young attempted to deceive investigators as to the destination and purpose of the CHS’s travel.
Additionally, in November 2014, Young attempted to obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding of the Grand Jury by sending a text message to the CHS’ cell phone in order to make it falsely appear to the FBI that the CHS had left the United States to go on vacation in Turkey. In actuality, Young believed the CHS had gone to Turkey and then to Syria in order to join and fight for ISIS.
Young faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2018. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the verdict. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and John T. Gibbs, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Turgeon, and Trial Attorney David P. Cora of the National Security Division.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-265.
Jury Convicts Former Police Officer of Attempting to Support ISISRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a former police officer today of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice.
“Nicholas Young swore an oath to protect and defend, and instead violated the public’s trust by attempting to support ISIS,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metro Transit Police, and the trial team for their tireless work and dedication to this case.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nicholas Young, 38, of Fairfax, was formerly employed as a police officer with the Metro Transit Police Department. In late July 2016, Young attempted to provide material support and resources to ISIS by purchasing and sending gift card codes that he believed would allow ISIS recruiters to securely communicate with potential ISIS recruits.
“This case is another example of the complex nature of the terrorism threat we face and the danger it poses to our communities here at home,” said Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. “The FBI's highest priority is protecting the American people by countering the threat posed by terrorism. The dedicated professionals assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force work to thwart the threat of terrorism every day. I would like to thank all of our partner agencies for their dedication and hard work particularly the Metro Transit Police Department.”
Between Dec. 3, 2015, and Dec. 5, 2015, Young attempted to obstruct and impede an official proceeding. In specific, Young believed an associate of his, who was actually an FBI confidential human source (CHS), had successfully joined ISIS in late 2014. During an FBI interview, Young was told the FBI was investigating the attempt of his associate (the CHS) to join ISIS. Nevertheless, in an attempt to thwart the prosecution of the CHS and himself, Young attempted to deceive investigators as to the destination and purpose of the CHS’s travel.
Additionally, in November 2014, Young attempted to obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding of the Grand Jury by sending a text message to the CHS’ cell phone in order to make it falsely appear to the FBI that the CHS had left the United States to go on vacation in Turkey. In actuality, Young believed the CHS had gone to Turkey and then to Syria in order to join and fight for ISIS.
Young faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 23, 2018. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the verdict. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and John T. Gibbs, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Turgeon, and Trial Attorney David P. Cora of the National Security Division.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-265.
Iraqi Refugee Sentenced for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISILRead the Press Release
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, the 25-year-old refugee who was born in Iraq and resided in Houston, has been ordered to federal prison for 16 years following his conviction of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He pleaded guilty Oct. 17, 2016.
Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Division and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston made the announcement.
“Any person who provides material support to a foreign terrorist organization will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Martinez. “Al Hardan’s actions were treacherous and completely antithetical to the freedoms we as U.S. citizens value. The sentence imposed today reflects the Department of Justice’s resolve to seek out and punish all violators who would give aid and comfort to international terrorists.”
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Al Hardan a 192-month sentence. He will also be on supervised release for the rest of his life.
At the time of his plea, Al Hardan had admitted he attempted to provide material support – specifically himself – to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Al Hardan entered the United States as a refugee on or about Nov. 2, 2009. Prior to entering the country, Al Hardan was in at least two refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq. After being admitted into the U.S. as an Iraqi refugee, he was granted legal permanent residence status on or about Aug. 22, 2011, and had resided in Houston.
In 2013, federal agents began investigating Al Hardan who had been communicating with a California man whom he understood was associated with the Al-Nusrah Front. In those communications, the individual had told Al Hardan that he had previously traveled to Syria to fight for Al-Nusrah and discussed plans to return to Syria with Al Hardan to fight for Al-Nusrah.
Beginning in June 2014 and continuing through 2015, Al Hardan also developed a relationship with a Confidential Human Source (CHS). During that time, they discussed traveling overseas to support ISIL in fighting jihad and various ways to assist ISIL. Al Hardan also said he wanted to be trained in building remote transmitter/receiver detonators for improvised explosive devices, wanted to learn to use cell phones as the remote detonators and wanted to build remote detonators for ISIL. Al Hardan indicated he taught himself how to make remote detonators by accessing online training videos and other resources he found online and showed the CHS a circuit board he built to be used as a transmitter for a detonator.
On Nov. 5, 2014, Al Hardan took an oath of loyalty to ISIL. Two days later, Al Hardan and the CHS participated in approximately one hour of tactical weapons training with an AK-47 that Al Hardan indicated he wanted.
During the investigation, Al Hardan had also posted many statements on social media in support of ISIL. One of those included a photo of a Humvee with an ISIL flag. Above the photo, Al Hardan posted, “ISIS yesterday in Iraq, today in Syria and Allah willing, tomorrow in Jerusalem.” He also made numerous statements about his plans to travel to Syria and fight alongside ISIL and become a martyr. In one instance he said “I want to blow myself up. I want to travel with the Mujahidin. I want to travel to be with those who are against America. I am against America.”
Upon his arrest in January 2016, investigators discovered training CDs on how to build remote detonators, electronic circuitry components, tools used to build circuitry, multiple cell phones (that had not been activated), a prayer list for committing Jihad and becoming a martyr and the ISIL flag.
Al Hardan has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Imperato, Carolyn Ferko and S. Mark McIntyre prosecuted the case.
Iraqi Refugee Sentenced for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISILRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, the 25-year-old refugee who was born in Iraq and resided in Houston, has been ordered to federal prison for 16 years following his conviction of attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He pleaded guilty Oct. 17, 2016.
Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Division and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston made the announcement.
“Any person who provides material support to a foreign terrorist organization will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Martinez. “Al Hardan’s actions were treacherous and completely antithetical to the freedoms we as U.S. citizens value. The sentence imposed today reflects the Department of Justice’s resolve to seek out and punish all violators who would give aid and comfort to international terrorists.”
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Al Hardan a 192-month sentence. He will also be on supervised release for the rest of his life.
At the time of his plea, Al Hardan had admitted he attempted to provide material support – specifically himself – to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Al Hardan entered the United States as a refugee on or about Nov. 2, 2009. Prior to entering the country, Al Hardan was in at least two refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq. After being admitted into the U.S. as an Iraqi refugee, he was granted legal permanent residence status on or about Aug. 22, 2011, and had resided in Houston.
In 2013, federal agents began investigating Al Hardan who had been communicating with a California man whom he understood was associated with the Al-Nusrah Front. In those communications, the individual had told Al Hardan that he had previously traveled to Syria to fight for Al-Nusrah and discussed plans to return to Syria with Al Hardan to fight for Al-Nusrah.
Beginning in June 2014 and continuing through 2015, Al Hardan also developed a relationship with a Confidential Human Source (CHS). During that time, they discussed traveling overseas to support ISIL in fighting jihad and various ways to assist ISIL. Al Hardan also said he wanted to be trained in building remote transmitter/receiver detonators for improvised explosive devices, wanted to learn to use cell phones as the remote detonators and wanted to build remote detonators for ISIL. Al Hardan indicated he taught himself how to make remote detonators by accessing online training videos and other resources he found online and showed the CHS a circuit board he built to be used as a transmitter for a detonator.
On Nov. 5, 2014, Al Hardan took an oath of loyalty to ISIL. Two days later, Al Hardan and the CHS participated in approximately one hour of tactical weapons training with an AK-47 that Al Hardan indicated he wanted.
During the investigation, Al Hardan had also posted many statements on social media in support of ISIL. One of those included a photo of a Humvee with an ISIL flag. Above the photo, Al Hardan posted, “ISIS yesterday in Iraq, today in Syria and Allah willing, tomorrow in Jerusalem.” He also made numerous statements about his plans to travel to Syria and fight alongside ISIL and become a martyr. In one instance he said “I want to blow myself up. I want to travel with the Mujahidin. I want to travel to be with those who are against America. I am against America.”
Upon his arrest in January 2016, investigators discovered training CDs on how to build remote detonators, electronic circuitry components, tools used to build circuitry, multiple cell phones (that had not been activated), a prayer list for committing Jihad and becoming a martyr and the ISIL flag.
Al Hardan has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Imperato, Carolyn Ferko and S. Mark McIntyre prosecuted the case.
Individual Arrested for Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – On December 14, 2017, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Andie Nikolany-Geigel for interference with commerce by threats or violence, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation.
The indictment alleges that on or about November 25, 2017, in the District of Puerto Rico, Nikolany-Geigel, while carrying and brandishing a firearm, did take approximately 405 dollars from the TO GO Convenience Store, in the presence of employees, against their will by means of actual and threatened force, violence and fear of injury, threatening the employees with a firearm in order to commit the robbery.
“This defendant threatened the lives of defenseless victims while they were working for the hard earned money during these difficult times,” said US Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “Through the hard work of federal and state law enforcement and the US Attorney’s Office prosecutors, this defendant will be brought to justice.”
“The FBI and other federal agencies, along with police departments all across Puerto Rico, are making it a top priority to take violent offenders off the streets. We then work with our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office to see that anyone involved in committing these crimes receives the maximum prison sentences allowed by federal law,” said Douglas A. Leff, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, San Juan Field Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Pérez-Bouret. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 15 years of imprisonment for the robbery charge (Count One), and up to life imprisonment for the firearms charge (Count Two). Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
# # #
Husband and Wife Sentenced in Homeland Security Impersonation Scheme Involving 780 Victims and over $1,000,000Read the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 14, 2017, Manish Patel (age: 26) was sentenced to 38 months imprisonment, and ordered to pay $1,101,901.61 in restitution for committing wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. Additionally, Nikita Shukla (age: 26) was sentenced to one year and one day imprisonment, and ordered to pay $149,531.28 in restitution for committing wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
According to the plea agreements and other court documents, unknown members of the scheme located in India called victims and made material misrepresentations to them, which caused the victims to send a MoneyGram, which is an electronic, interstate transfer of money to a specific location and to a specific, fictitious name. One misrepresentation that the callers made was that they were from the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and that the individuals (legal immigrants) had to pay for new passports or other items in order to avoid being sent to jail or deported. The caller would then instruct the victim to send a MoneyGram for a certain amount of money to a specific location and to a specific, fictitious name. The callers made numerous other misrepresentations to the many victims of this scam.
Manish Patel and others possessed fraudulent driver’s licenses that included the fictitious names of the MoneyGram recipients, but contained a photo of themselves. They used these fraudulent driver’s licenses to pick up MoneyGrams throughout the country. Patel frequently picked up several MoneyGrams a day from various locations using fraudulent driver’s licenses. For at least part of the scheme, Nikita Shukla drove Manish Patel throughout the country, including in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Patel and Shukla were allowed to keep a certain percentage of fraud proceeds, but then deposited the remaining cash into various bank accounts or handed the cash off to unknown individuals.
Using 134 different fraudulent identifications, Patel picked up $1,101,901.61 in fraud proceeds in 1,081 transactions, from 780 victims from September 28, 2016 through May 10, 2017. Shukla aided and abetted by driving Patel to pick up $149,531.28 in fraud proceeds from 100 victims. When they were arrested in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Patel and Shukla possessed 147 fraudulent driver’s licenses with fake names and Patel’s photo in them. Law enforcement also found $21,672 in cash in the car.
The case was investigated by the Greenfield Police Department, the United States Secret Service Financial Crimes Unit, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Digital Forensics and Analysis Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Corey.
The public should be aware that neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Internal Revenue Service (or any other federal government agency) will ever ask you to pay money to them via MoneyGram, RIA, Western Union, or especially iTunes or Steam (online gaming) gift cards.
# # # # #
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig 414-297-1700
Houston Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for East Texas Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A 45-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Christopher Wade Ferrell pleaded guilty on May 18, 2017, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison on Dec. 15, 2017 by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.
According to information presented in court, on Mar. 11, 2016, deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department received information that a large shipment of methamphetamine was to arrive in the Beaumont, Texas area for further distribution. Law enforcement officers followed the suspects when the driver began driving erratically. A traffic stop was attempted at which time the driver of the vehicle, Ferrell, pulled into a parking lot then fled the scene in his vehicle when the officers approached the vehicle. Ferrell continued to evade officers and committed numerous traffic violations while doing so until he crashed into a privacy fence. Ferrell then fled on foot and was apprehended several homes away. The passengers remained in the vehicle and as officers approached the vehicle, they detected the odor of raw marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and located approximately one ounce of marihuana and assorted pills in a passenger’s purse, approximately 10 grams of suspected methamphetamine in a woman’s jacket pocket and approximately 11 other ounces of suspected methamphetamine inside a white plastic grocery bag in the rear seat area. Officers further located $10,500 in cash and assorted drug paraphernalia inside a backpack in the vehicle. Ferrell admitted to transporting one kilogram of methamphetamine to Beaumont earlier that same day and admitted that the money found in the backpack was from the sale of the methamphetamine.
This case is the result of an extensive joint investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Ferrell was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 2, 2016, and charged with drug trafficking violations.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle S. Englade.
Honolulu Man Sentenced to 80 Months for Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States District Court Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi sentenced Beei-Huan Chao, age 62, to 80 months in prison today for transporting child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(1). Chao, who was formerly employed as a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, pled guilty to the offense on May 30, 2017.
Elliot Enoki, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that according to court documents and information presented in court, in February of 2016, Chao was using a file sharing program called Vuze to obtain child pornography over the internet and share it with others. On February 11, 2016, a FBI agent working in an undercover capacity connected with Chao’s computer and downloaded 14 videos from Chao, all of which depicted child pornography. Agents executed a search warrant at Chao’s residence in June of 2016 and found more than 500 images of child pornography on his electronic devices.
At today’s sentencing, Judge Kobayashi commented that Chao’s conduct helped fuel a business that exploits minors and subjects them to humiliation. Judge Kobayashi also noted that the amount and type of child pornography Chao transported was an aggravating factor. In addition to sentencing Chao to 80 months in prison, Judge Kobayashi also imposed a ten-year term of supervised release and ordered Chao to pay a $35,000 fine. Chao must also register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction where he resides.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Nammar.
Honduran national sentenced to 18 months for possession of firearm, ammunition by illegal alienRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Honduran citizen was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
Franklin Reyes, 36, of Honduras, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien illegally present in the United States. According to the September 1, 2017 guilty plea, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s officers responded to a report of shots fired on January 7, 2017 at a Lafayette apartment complex. After arriving, they heard a gunshot come from one of the apartments. Reyes opened the door of an apartment holding a .38 special revolver, which officers knocked from his hand as they arrested him. Officers found bullet holes in the walls and ceiling of the apartment and 11 expended ammunition casings scattered around the apartment. Reyes was previously removed in February of 2003, May of 2007, March of 2012, January of 2013 and December of 2013.
The ATF, Homeland Security Investigations and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel prosecuted the case.