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Friday 15 December 2017
Former School Janitor Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for 2005 Sexual Assault of 12-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mandell L. Whitted, 50, of Capitol Heights, Md., was sentenced today to five years in prison on a felony charge stemming from the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl, which took place in 2005 while he was a janitor at an elementary school in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Whitted pled guilty in August 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of attempted first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of five years in prison. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Whitted will be placed on six years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, Whitted worked in 2005 as a janitor at J.C. Nalle Elementary School, in the 200 block of 50th Street SE. During the summer between her fifth grade at that school and her sixth grade at another school, the 12-year-old girl worked at J.C. Nalle Elementary on a cleaning crew. Then, in the fall of 2005, she returned to the school to work at an after-school program. In the period between May 2005 through November 2005, according to the proffer, Whitted sexually assaulted the girl on numerous occasions at various locations, including the janitor’s office.
Whitted was arrested in February 2017, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Supervisor Dr. Lorraine Chase, Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Former Police Sgt. Sentenced on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A former Attleboro, Mass., police sergeant was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison and ordered remanded immediately into federal custody for attempted receipt of child pornography. Richard F. Woodhead, 54, of South Attleboro, Mass., was arrested in April by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force following a court authorized search of his home and the seizure of digital media storage devices containing child pornography.
Woodhead pleaded guilty on August 18, 2017, to attempted receipt of child pornography.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, is announced by Acting United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; and Michael S. Shea Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations for New England.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Smith also ordered Woodhead to serve 10 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration and imposed special assessments totaling $5,100. 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 46-57 months. The government recommended the Court impose a sentence of 60 months of incarceration.
According to court documents and information presented to the Court, between September 22, 2016, and January 19, 2017, Woodhead posted multiple online advertisements entitled “Perv on your daughter – m4m.” In the advertisement, the defendant requested to see nude pictures of people’s daughters. In January 2017, a Rhode Island State Police detective assigned to the ICAC task force discovered the posting and responded to the advertisement in an undercover capacity, pretending to be the guardian of a young child. He began communicating with Woodhead via email. During these conversations, Woodhead requested a photograph of the child and described in explicit terms the types of sexual relations he wanted to have with the child.
According to court documents and information presented to the Court, in late January 2017, Woodhead agreed to continue the conversations via telephone. An HSI agent, acting in an undercover capacity as the guardian of a child, had three conversations with Woodhead, all of which were recorded by law enforcement. During these telephone calls, the agent and the defendant discussed meeting so that Woodhead might engage in sexual relations with the child. Woodhead requested that the agent send him naked pictures of the child.
On April 6, 2017, HSI agents and ICAC task force members executed a court-authorized search of Woodhead’s residence. During that search, behind a wall in a secret compartment of a closet off the master bedroom, a state police detective located a thumb drive and four discs, nylons, two bottles of acetone, and a picture of a school-aged female. One disc contained a video, which depicted prepubescent boys masturbating and engaging in sexual acts. The thumb drive contained nude photographs of minor teenage girls engaged in the lascivious exhibition of their genitals.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.
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Former Pelham Resident Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Tax Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. - Gary Peter Borak, 50, formerly of the Pelham, New Hampshire area, was sentenced to two years in prison for participating in a tax evasion scheme, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Borak filed a legitimate federal income tax return for 2007 – prepared by his accountant -- that established that he had an outstanding tax debt of more than $50,000. In response to IRS efforts to collect that debt after Borak failed to pay it, Borak engaged in a series of ploys in an attempt to defeat the payment of the tax and the assessment of new income taxes for future tax years.
Among other things, in 2011, Borak filed an amended return for 2007 and an original, but delinquent, tax return for 2008 in which he made bogus claims that he had large amounts of Original Issue Discount (often abbreviated “OID”) income and large amounts of corresponding withholding from a so-called non-existent “straw man” financial account. He claimed that the withholding not only satisfied his outstanding tax debt from 2007, but also qualified him for large tax refunds. To support his false claims, Borak created fake IRS forms purportedly prepared and issued by a particular bank and sent the IRS volumes of correspondence and other documents containing highly unconventional and meritless claims about the tax laws. Borak persisted in pressing his bogus claims even after the IRS and his accountant told him that they were frivolous. He also attempted to satisfy his tax debt by submitting sham financial instruments to the IRS.
Finally, until about two weeks before entering his guilty plea, Borak failed to file any tax returns for tax years 2009 through 2016, even though he earned substantial amounts of income in at least several of those years. Borak’s conduct resulted in an actual tax loss to the U.S. Treasury of about $168,147.
Borak previously had pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion two counts of making false statements on his tax returns. After serving his two-year prison sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay full restitution to the United States Treasury.
“This case shows that there are substantial penalties for those who attempt to use fraudulent techniques to avoid their tax obligations,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “The defendant’s scheme of creating false documents in order to try to mislead the IRS was unlawful and he has been held accountable for his actions.”
“Our voluntary system of self-reported tax liability depends upon people to honestly report their income and timely pay their taxes,” said Joel Garland, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Those who willfully file false tax returns and obstruct the IRS in their collection efforts damage our nation’s system of taxation. Violators will be prosecuted, punished, and obligated to repay their taxes along with applicable penalties and interest, which are substantial.”
This matter was investigated by the Manchester office of Criminal Investigation of the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. They were assisted by the Rockingham County and Hillsborough County Sheriff Departments and the Atkinson, Hudson, Salem, and Pelham police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Aframe and Bill Morse.
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Former Louisville Area Teacher and Athletics Coach Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Violations of Child Exploitation LawsRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville man formerly employed by Kentucky Country Day of Louisville as a physical education teacher and assistant coach with the school’s athletics department was sentenced this week, in United States District Court, by Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell, to 72 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release, for violating child exploitation laws, announced United States Russell M. Coleman.
Matthew Graves, age 40, pleaded guilty to two counts of a federal indictment on September 8, 2017. According to the plea agreement, between the dates of December 8 and 9, of 2014, Graves, while in Kentucky, knowingly used KIK (a social media messaging application) to transport and receive images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct with another KIK user in Maryland.
At the time of sentencing, the United States moved for dismissal of Counts one and Counts two of the Indictment, and agreed that a sentence of 72 months was appropriate.
Graves was arrested by federal authorities on March 21, 2016, and has remained in in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Spencer McKiness and was investigated by the FBI and LMPD.
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This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Former Honduran Congressman and Businessman Sentenced to 36 Months for Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo was sentenced to 36 months in prison for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from drug trafficking offenses. ROSENTHAL pled guilty on July 26, 2017, before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who imposed today’s sentence. During the course of the money laundering scheme, ROSENTHAL was a Honduran congressman between 2010 and 2014, and a candidate for president of Honduras between 2012 and 2013.
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “As he previously admitted in court, Yani Rosenthal was a prominent Honduran politician and businessman who moonlighted as a money launderer for the Cachiros, a violent Honduran drug organization. Now this former presidential candidate has received a prison sentence called for by his crimes committed on behalf of a ruthless criminal syndicate.”
According to the Indictment, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings[1]:
ROSENTHAL and his co-defendants – including Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva, ROSENTHAL’s father and a former vice president and congressman in Honduras – used entities associated with a holding company controlled by the Rosenthal family, Inversiones Continental (Panama), S.A. de C.V. (“Inversiones Continental”), to launder drug proceeds for the Cachiros, a prolific and violent Honduran criminal syndicate that distributed huge quantities of cocaine before being dismantled by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). Through his conduct, which occurred over a period of at least approximately five years, ROSENTHAL provided the Cachiros with sources of funding for their criminal enterprise, a means to launder their narcotics proceeds, and public legitimacy, thereby contributing to an environment of impunity that allowed the Cachiros to thrive in Honduras and to import tons of cocaine into the United States.
ROSENTHAL and his co-defendants helped the Cachiros launder drug money and gain access to the international financial system. ROSENTHAL enriched himself through this conduct by profiting from business transactions with the Cachiros. In 2012, while ROSENTHAL acted as a Honduran congressman and campaigned for the Honduran presidency, he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds from one of the leaders of the Cachiros and another major Honduran drug trafficker who led a separate drug trafficking organization, which were styled as purported campaign contributions. Several aspects of the Cachiros money laundering scheme also received support from Fabio Porfirio Lobo, the son of a former president of Honduras. Lobo was sentenced on September 5, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in United States v. Lobo, No. 15 Cr. 174 (LGS) to 24 years in prison based on his conviction for participating in a conspiracy with members of the Cachiros and others to import cocaine into the United States.
ROSENTHAL’s money laundering conduct involved a trade-based scheme in which the Cachiros used a front company, Ganaderos Agricultores Del Norte S De RL De CV (“Ganaderos”), to purchase cattle with drug proceeds at auctions in Honduras. ROSENTHAL and others used Empacadora Continental, S.A. de C.V. (“Empacadora”), a cattle- and meat-processing firm affiliated with Inversiones Continental, to purchase the narcotics-derived cattle from Ganaderos. Between 2008 and 2013, while Rosenthal acted as the vice president of Empacadora, he caused Empacadora to buy cattle from Ganaderos, knowing that Ganaderos was financed and supported by drug trafficking proceeds of the Cachiros. By knowingly authorizing Empacadora to engage in transactions in criminally derived property, ROSENTHAL used the company in connection with a process that allowed the Cachiros to conceal the criminally derived nature of the Ganaderos assets, and to obtain fresh funds from Empacadora that were used to promote Cachiros drug trafficking activities and purchase other assets. Empacadora, in turn, processed and exported the meat to the United States, among other places, in exchange for payments to Empacadora from U.S.-based companies that totaled approximately $500,000 between 2008 and 2013. Over that same period, Empacadora paid a total of $6.8 million to Ganaderos in connection with the scheme.
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In addition to the prison term, ROSENTHAL, 52, was ordered to forfeit $500,000 and to pay a $2.5 million fine. ROSENTHAL also remains designated as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, along with Rosenthal Oliva, Yankel Antonio Rosenthal Coello (ROSENTHAL’s cousin and co-defendant), Inversiones Continental, Empacadora, and Banco Continental, among other entities, as announced in October 2015 by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”).
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, New York Strike Force, and Tegucigalpa Country Office, as well as OFAC and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emil J. Bove III, Matthew J. Laroche, and Jane Kim are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment against Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva are merely accusations, and Rosenthal Oliva is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] The descriptions set forth below of conduct by co-defendant Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation with respect to Rosenthal Oliva.
Former Homer police officer sentenced to 10 months in prison for conspiring to commit mail fraudRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced today that a former Homer Police officer was sentenced to 10 months in prison for his role in a vehicle fraud theft and insurance scheme.
Donald W. Malray, 52, of Homer, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of mail fraud conspiracy. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $13,610.50 restitution and a $3,500 fine. According to the August 30, 2017 guilty plea, Malray and another individual planned a scheme to fake a vehicle and trailer theft, and then file an insurance claim to collect the money on the value of the property. On August 4, 2015, Malray and the other individual transferred the ATV and trailer to Malray’s possession after they met in Ruston, La. Malray then instructed the other individual to call the Homer Police Department and report the ATV and trailer stolen. The insurance company paid the individual in the conspiracy with Malray approximately $13,000 on September 8, 2015. Law enforcement agents recovered the ATV and trailer on January 31, 2017 in Ruston, La.
The DEA and the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Cowles Jr. prosecuted the case.
Former Florida State Health Care Administration Official Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
A former employee of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for providing confidential information about health care facilities that received Medicare and Medicaid funds.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.
Bertha Blanco, 66, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro of the Southern District of Florida. Judge Ungaro also ordered Blanco to pay $441,000 in restitution and to forfeit $100,000, which represents the gross proceeds traced to Blanco’s commission of the offense. Blanco pleaded guilty on Oct. 13 to one count of bribery concerning a program receiving federal funds.
AHCA’s Division of Health Quality Assurance is responsible for the licensure and regulation of health care facilities in Florida that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living facilities (ALFs) and home health agencies (HHAs). As part of her guilty plea, Blanco, who was employed by AHCA for approximately 30 years, admitted that, from at least 2007 through June 2015, she solicited and received thousands of dollars of cash bribes from Miami-area owners of SNFs, ALFs and HHAs, and intermediaries working with them, in exchange for providing the purchasers with sensitive, nonpublic AHCA reports and information related to their facilities. The information included the schedules of future unannounced inspections by AHCA surveyors and previously undisclosed patient complaints filed with AHCA. Blanco knew that the information she provided in exchange for bribes could ultimately be used to fabricate and falsify medical paperwork and to temporarily remedy deficiencies so that AHCA would not discover lapses in patient care and revoke the licenses of the facilities that had received the information.
The purchasers of information provided by Blanco included Philip Esformes, Isabel Lopez, Gustavo Mustelier, Gabriel Delgado, Guillermo Delgado, and Sila Luis. Esformes is awaiting trial, presently scheduled for March 2018, on numerous charges related to health care fraud, wire fraud, kickbacks, money laundering, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Lopez and Mustelier pleaded guilty in May 2017 to conspiracy to defraud the United States and are awaiting sentencing. Gabriel Delgado pleaded guilty in 2015 to money laundering and was sentenced to 55 months in prison. Guillermo Delgado pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 110 months in prison. Luis pleaded guilty in June 2017 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced to 80 months in prison.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated this case. Trial Attorneys David Snider, Elizabeth Young and Drew Bradylyons of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.
Former Florida State Health Care Administration Official Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
A former employee of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for providing confidential information about health care facilities that received Medicare and Medicaid funds.
Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.
Bertha Blanco, 66, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro of the Southern District of Florida. Judge Ungaro also ordered Blanco to pay $441,000 in restitution and to forfeit $100,000, which represents the gross proceeds traced to Blanco’s commission of the offense. Blanco pleaded guilty on Oct. 13 to one count of bribery concerning a program receiving federal funds.
AHCA’s Division of Health Quality Assurance is responsible for the licensure and regulation of health care facilities in Florida that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living facilities (ALFs) and home health agencies (HHAs). As part of her guilty plea, Blanco, who was employed by AHCA for approximately 30 years, admitted that, from at least 2007 through June 2015, she solicited and received thousands of dollars of cash bribes from Miami-area owners of SNFs, ALFs and HHAs, and intermediaries working with them, in exchange for providing the purchasers with sensitive, nonpublic AHCA reports and information related to their facilities. The information included the schedules of future unannounced inspections by AHCA surveyors and previously undisclosed patient complaints filed with AHCA. Blanco knew that the information she provided in exchange for bribes could ultimately be used to fabricate and falsify medical paperwork and to temporarily remedy deficiencies so that AHCA would not discover lapses in patient care and revoke the licenses of the facilities that had received the information.
The purchasers of information provided by Blanco included Philip Esformes, Isabel Lopez, Gustavo Mustelier, Gabriel Delgado, Guillermo Delgado, and Sila Luis. Esformes is awaiting trial, presently scheduled for March 2018, on numerous charges related to health care fraud, wire fraud, kickbacks, money laundering, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Lopez and Mustelier pleaded guilty in May 2017 to conspiracy to defraud the United States and are awaiting sentencing. Gabriel Delgado pleaded guilty in 2015 to money laundering and was sentenced to 55 months in prison. Guillermo Delgado pleaded guilty in 2015 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 110 months in prison. Luis pleaded guilty in June 2017 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced to 80 months in prison.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated this case. Trial Attorneys David Snider, Elizabeth Young and Drew Bradylyons of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Fargo Priest Extradited to United States from Philippines to Face Sexual Abuse ChargesRead the Press Release
FARGO – United States Attorney Christopher C. Myers announces that on December 15th, 2017, FERNANDO LAUDE SAYASAYA, was extradited to the United States and will face state child sexual abuse charges that were filed in Cass County District Court in December of 2002. The charges allege the offenses took place between July 1995 and June 1997 for one victim and June 1997 through August 1998 for another victim.
A federal indictment was returned on Sayasaya for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution on January 7, 2003, when Sayasaya failed to return to the United States following a visit to the Philippines in 1998.
Sayasaya was ordered extradited by a court in the Philippines on December 28, 2010 and appealed that order. An appellate court in the Philippines upheld the extradition order on February 29, 2012 and a warrant was issued after Sayasaya failed to appear on a summons. After close coordination with Philippines law enforcement, Sayasaya was arrested on November 19, 2017 in the Philippines and was transported to the United States by the United States Marshal’s Service. The United States will dismiss the federal charges to allow Cass County to proceed with their charges.
United States Attorney Myers stated: “This case illustrates the close cooperation at the international, federal, and state and local jurisdictions to locate, apprehend and extradite defendants who seek refuge outside of the United States to thwart justice. This successful extradition is a result of twenty years of relentless police work by Det. Greg Warren of the West Fargo Police Department and Philippine authorities. This case exemplifies the strong partnerships we have developed here in North Dakota and worldwide. We would like to express our gratitude for the cooperation provided by Philippine law enforcement agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police and the Philippines Department of Justice.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshal’s Service, West Fargo Police Department, Cass County State’s Attorney’s office, United States Department of Justice - Office of International Affairs, and law enforcement personnel assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
## The Indictment in this case is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. ##
Former Dentist Sentenced to 16 and 1/2 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Former Patients and EmployeeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bilal Ahmed, 45, a former dentist who practiced in Northwest Washington, was sentenced today to 16 ½ years in prison for sexually assaulting five former dental patients and one former employee and improperly touching another former employee. The victims, all males, were attacked in separate incidents between 2010 and 2014.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Ahmed, of Rockville, Md., pled guilty in May 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to five felony charges, including one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a patient with aggravating circumstances and four counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a patient with aggravating circumstances. He also pled guilty to three misdemeanor charges, including two counts of sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, and one count of simple assault.
Ahmed was sentenced by the Honorable Zoe Bush. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
"Bilal Ahmed used his dental practice and his position of authority to sexually abuse vulnerable victims, some of whom were his own patients and staff,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “His victims included people who came to him for treatment and employment, caught off guard by his outrageous conduct. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for this criminal breach of trust.”
According to the government’s evidence, Ahmed was practicing as a dentist at Universal Smiles DC, in the 2300 block of M Street NW. The practice was originally called Bilal Ahmed DDS PC dba Universal Smiles DC. Ahmed is the owner of these dental practices, which are now closed.
The offenses against the dental patient victims took place at Universal Smiles and followed a typical pattern in which Ahmed would take patients into the procedure room, close the door, administer nitrous oxide through a facemask, and then sexually assault the victims while they were sedated. The attacks on patients took place on April 27, 2010, Aug. 30, 2012, April 24, 2013, April 25, 2013, and May 21, 2014. The incidents involving employees took place in July 2013 and January 2014.
Ahmed’s D.C. dental license was suspended on Nov. 3, 2014, and his Maryland dental license was suspended on April 6, 2016. Ahmed was arrested on Jan. 7, 2016.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Sexual Assault Unit of the MPD and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Miranda and Patricia A. Riley; Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Specialist LaJune Thames; Librarian Lisa Kosow; Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel and Michelle Wicker; Criminal Investigator Nicole Hinson, and Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Marcus-Kurn and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Fargo Man Found Guilty of Threatening a United States SenatorRead the Press Release
FARGO - First Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Reisenauer announced that on December 15, 2017, following a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted Kevin Lee Olson, age 56, Fargo, ND of Threatening Interstate Communications by knowingly transmitting an e-mail, for the purpose of issuing a threat to injure another person, and with knowledge that the communication would be viewed by another person as a threat.
On December 22, 2016, Olson sent an e-mail to United States Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Washington, District of Columbia, which stated: “It’s seems the only consideration one gets these days is when one becomes a criminal. I guess I should find you, you bitch, and shoot you in your red head!”
The sentencing of Olson will be scheduled at a later date, in Fargo, ND.
This case was investigated by US Border Patrol; US Capitol Police; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Fargo Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Chase and AUSA Janice Morley prosecuted the case.
Eagle Butte Woman Sentenced for Criminal ContemptRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman convicted of Criminal Contempt was sentenced on December 12, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Demi Marie Gunville, age 25, was sentenced to 3 days in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, 27 days of home confinement, a fine of $1,000, and a mandatory special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $10.
Ms. Gunville was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 16, 2017. She pled guilty on December 12, 2017.
On January 27, 2017, Ms. Gunville agreed to be a third-party custodian for her brother, so he could be released on bond from federal custody. At the bond hearing, Ms. Gunville testified under oath before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. After the hearing, Ms. Gunville signed the Court’s order and agreed to live with and to supervise her brother at her residence at the family’s ranch outside of Eagle Butte.
In pleading guilty, Ms. Gunville admitted that she willfully and unlawfully disobeyed the Court’s order, because neither she nor her brother lived at the ranch, and she failed to supervise him at that ordered location.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Narcotics Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case.
Ms. Gunville was ordered to self-report to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on January 2, 2018.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national formerly residing in Methuen pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to federal drug charges.
Jorge Luis Nunez Martinez, who used the name William Matos, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and crack. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 15, 2018.
In October 2015, a confidential source reported that an individual named Javier Gonzalez Marcano was operating a large-scale drug trafficking organization in and around Lawrence and Lowell. The subsequent investigation revealed that Martinez was a runner for the Gonzalez Marcano drug trafficking organization. In October 2016, Martinez assumed control over the drug trafficking organization when Gonzalez Marcano returned to the Dominican Republic. Martinez and Juan Rodriguez Castro, another runner for the Gonzalez Marcano drug trafficking organization, were arrested in March 2017.
In June 2017, Rodriguez Castro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and crack. Gonzalez Marcano is presently a fugitive.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. Martinez will face deportation upon completing 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 and Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda Hooker of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
District Teenager Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Armed Robberies of Convenience StoresRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ty’Juan Beynum, 17, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight years in prison for a pair of armed robberies that took place earlier this year at 7-Eleven stores in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Beynum, who was charged as an adult because of the nature of the crimes, pled guilty in September 2017 to two counts of armed robbery. He was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Honorable Anthony C. Epstein. Following his prison term, Beynum will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, the first robbery took place on June 20, 2017. Shortly before 5 a.m., Beynum entered a 7-Eleven store in the 700 block of H Street NE, armed with a semiautomatic handgun. He ordered an employee to open the cash register and hand over money. The employee complied, and Beynum fled with about $250.
The second robbery took place on July 8, 2017, shortly before 4 a.m.at a 7-Eleven store in the 1300 block of Second Street NE. Beynum pointed a handgun at two employees and once again ordered that the cash register be opened. This time, he left with a plastic bag containing about $170. A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) happened to be in a back office at the store to review surveillance footage in an unrelated case. He saw the robbery unfolding on a security monitor and alerted other officers, who apprehended Beynum nearby.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Rizwan Qureshi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Shooting Man in Early Evening Attack in June 2017Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Deangelo Paris Belton, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison on a felony charge stemming from a shooting that occurred in June 2017 near a busy intersection in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Belton pled guilty in October 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of aggravated assault while armed. The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentencing range of five to six years in prison. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced Belton accordingly. Following his prison term, Belton will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 12, 2017, at approximately 6:20 p.m., the victim was walking near the intersection of Nannie Helen Burroughs and Minnesota Avenues NE when he passed Belton and two other males. The victim and Belton knew one another, and the victim is the father of Belton’s cousin’s child. Belton and the victim briefly exchanged words about whether Belton was still mad at the victim for a fistfight they had several months earlier.
During this exchange, Belton pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at the victim, hitting him and causing him to fall in the street. Belton then fired several more shots at the victim before fleeing. The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen and waist that required surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing rehabilitation and treatment.
Following the shooting, Belton fled to Georgia. He was later apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service and brought back to the District of Columbia in August 2017 to face charges.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the work of the U.S. Marshals Service. She 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 Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eugene Shuler, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for a 2016 carjacking in Southeast Washington in which he struck a husband and wife in their head with a firearm in front of their home and drove off with their automobile, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Shuler was found guilty by a jury in September 2017 of one count each of armed carjacking and first-degree theft, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, Shuler will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on July 13, 2016 at about midnight, the victims were in front of their home in Southeast Washington. The husband was sitting in the driver’s seat of the automobile talking to his wife through an open window. Shuler and an unidentified male approached the couple and demanded the wife step away from the car. Shuler then struck her in the head with a firearm, causing her to fall to the ground. Shuler then ordered the husband out of the car at gunpoint, striking him in the head with a firearm as well once he exited the automobile. Shuler fled the scene in the victim's car.
Several MPD officers responded to the scene, promptly obtaining valuable identification evidence, and broadcasting it over police radio channels. The stolen vehicle was spotted approximately 30 minutes later in the area of Eastern Avenue and Southern Avenue on the eastern tip of the District of Columbia. A brief car chase ensued, with Shuler and the other male stopping at a dead end road in Prince George’s County, Md. The other male fled through a wooded area and escaped. Shuler exited the automobile, threw the victim’s cell phone, and ran over an MPD officer while he tried to flee the scene, before ultimately being apprehended in the early morning hours of July 14, 2016.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg and Shehzad Akhtar, who prosecuted and tried the case, and Assistant U.S Attorneys C.B. Buente and Laura Bach, who investigated and supervised the prosecution respectively.
Department of Justice and Department of State Launch Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordinator NetworkRead the Press Release
Recent studies have concluded that the international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods are a multi-billion dollar industry globally that continues to grow. Trademark counterfeiting, copyright piracy and other forms of intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements are found in virtually every industry sector, and in many instances result in significant risks to the health and safety of consumers worldwide as well as harm to the global economy.
In order to combat this international problem, the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division have worked to increase the speed and flexibility with which the U.S. government can develop international capacity, coordination, and partnerships, and provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement counterparts overseas. By placing Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordinators (IPLECs) in critical regions to address the growing transnational intellectual property crime problem, the United States has been able to work globally to increase the protection of intellectual property rights in a carefully tailored and efficient manner.
The IPLEC program was created in 2006, with the first IPLEC stationed in Bangkok, Thailand. The program now has grown to a network of five prosecutors, posted in Abuja, Nigeria; Bucharest, Romania; São Paulo, Brazil; Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong S.A.R. The network is designed to ensure that experienced U.S. prosecutors are located in high-impact regions to enhance the capacity of individual countries to investigate and prosecute IP crimes, and to develop regional networks to more effectively deter and detect IP crimes.
In announcing those efforts, Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Criminal Division said, “Intellectual property rights form the foundation of American innovation and protect the American public from products that pose risks to health and safety. The protection of these rights requires robust international cooperation and coordination. The IPLEC network is dedicated to developing the capacity of our foreign partners to combat intellectual property violations and building relationships critical for that cooperation. Our strategically placed coordinators draw upon their subject matter expertise to help ensure that property holders’ rights are enforced across the globe, and that the American people are protected from harmful products entering the marketplace.”
“Combating intellectual property theft requires unprecedented real time international cooperation,” said Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Richard Glenn. “The IPLEC Network is designed to meet this challenge.”
The Network works to:
- Assess the capacity of law enforcement authorities throughout the region to enforce intellectual property rights;
- Mentor and deliver training to investigators and prosecutors, designed to enhance the capacity of foreign justice sector personnel to enforce IPR;
- Assist in developing or strengthening institutions dedicated to enforcing IPR;
- Monitor regional trends in IPR protection and computer crimes; and
- Provide expert assistance in support of the United States’ IPR policies and initiatives in the region.
The IPLECs already have assisted our international partners in achieving concrete results in critical regions. Just this fall an IPLEC-mentored team of Brazilian law enforcement officials launched a series of significant enforcement actions on a U.S. Trade Representative-designated Notorious Market in São Paulo, seizing approximately 880 tons of counterfeit and contraband goods worth approximately $138 million, which ultimately resulted in the market’s closure.
Within DOJ’s Criminal Division, the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT) have partnered to support this global network of IPR experts whose efforts have helped foreign partners successfully prosecute many key cases, including seizing and forfeiting millions of dollars, and coordinating on numerous transnational investigations with their U.S. counterparts—particularly in some of DOJ’s longest running programs in South America and Eastern Europe. To learn more about CCIPS and OPDAT, please visit https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ccips and https://www.justice.gov/criminal-opdat.
Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Months for Illegally Reentering the United States and Failing to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington today sentenced Isidro Diaz-Sanchez (31), a Mexican national, to 30 months in federal prison for illegally reentering into the United States after deportation, and for failing to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty on September 28, 2017.
According to court documents, Diaz-Sanchez was previously deported from the United States as an aggravated felon on October 8, 2015. At the time of his deportation, he had been convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child in North Carolina, after having engaged in sexual activity and impregnating a minor child. As a result of his conviction, Diaz-Sanchez was required to register as a sex-offender and maintain his sex offender registration for a period of 30 years.
In January 2017, Diaz-Sanchez reentered the United States illegally and was subsequently found in the Hardee County Jail pending charges of resisting without violence and attempting to use the identification of another person. A review of the Florida Sex Offender Registry revealed that Diaz-Sanchez had failed to register as a sex offender.
“This criminal alien was a dangerous threat to our youth and ICE is proud to increase community safety by putting him behind bars,” said Michael W. Meade, acting field office director for the Miami Field Office of ERO.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.
Citrus County Woman Convicted of Federal Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury in Orlando today found Susan J. Gissy (54, Crystal River) guilty of one count of theft of government funds and two counts of concealing a material fact in connection with the receipt of workers compensation benefits. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the theft charge, and up to five years on each of the concealment offenses. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 5, 2017.
A superseding indictment was returned against Gissy on June 14, 2017.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Gissy was employed as a rural mail carrier with the United States Postal Service. In 2011, she filed a federal workers’ compensation disability claim in connection with a lower back injury. In 2014, based in part on her misrepresentations to her treating physician regarding her back injury, Gissy received a permanent disability impairment rating. In 2016, federal agents observed Gissy engaging in strenuous physical activity, including scuba diving, boating, and riding 12-meter-tall waterslides. Further investigation revealed that Gissy had systematically misrepresented the extent of her recovery. As a consequence, she had received over $112,000 in workers’ compensation disability benefits to which she was not entitled. Gissy had also knowingly concealed and covered up her recovery by twice filing false documentation in support of her claim.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service - Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Chico Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment Thursday against Christopher Lawrence, 23, of Chico, charging him with the sex trafficking of a child by force and coercion, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between July and October 2017, Lawrence recruited a 17‑year-old girl, and by force and coercion, caused her to engage in commercial sex acts in various cities within the Eastern District of California.
According to the criminal complaint, on October 12, 2017, law enforcement agents found the victim in a Chico hotel during a multi-agency operation targeting child sex trafficking. Lawrence allegedly forced her to have sex with men in various cities, including Sacramento, Yuba City, Gridley, Oroville, Chico, Corning, Redding, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, and in the Bay Area. Lawrence allegedly supplied the victim with drugs and physically assaulted her.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jill Thomas, Nirav Desai, and Amanda Beck are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Lawrence faces a minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.
Chardon attorney faces tax charges after embezzling $160,000Read the Press Release
A Chardon man was charged with filing false tax returns after embezzling nearly $161,000 from estates he managed, law enforcement officials said.
Donald A. Navastyk, 64, was a licensed attorney from 1980 through 2016, serving as a probate lawyer who served as an executor and administrator of estates established by wills and trusts. In the 2008 tax year, Navastyk diverted money from estates he managed as an executor and put the money in his personal bank account for his own personal use, according to the one-count information.
In filing his 2008 tax return, Navatsyk failed to claim approximately $160,975 as income, resulting in a tax due and owing approximately $35,690, according to the information.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Patton and Suzana Koch following an investigation by the IRS.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Canadian-Iranian Citizen Sentenced in White Plains Federal Court to 32 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Violate Iran SanctionsRead the Press Release
Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York (“FBI”), announced that ALI SOOFI, a Canadian-Iranian dual citizen, was sentenced to 32 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). SOOFI was charged and arrested by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) following a federal investigation. SOOFI pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA on September 7, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed today’s sentence.
According to the Indictment filed against SOOFI, other court documents publicly filed in this case, and statements made in court proceedings, including today’s sentencing:
Between 2014 and December 2016, SOOFI conspired to export military items from the United States to Iran, both directly and through transshipment to intermediary countries, without a license. In particular, SOOFI acted as a broker on behalf of Iranian clients, including a high-ranking official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”), who sought American military technology. Over the course of the conspiracy, SOOFI sought to purchase and ship numerous items, including helicopters, high-tech machine gun parts, tank parts, and military vehicles, from the United States to Iran, all without a license and while knowing that such shipments were illegal under U.S. law. During the multi-year conspiracy, SOOFI worked to fill specific orders for the IRGC by contacting other individuals with access to the requested military items through email, phone, and in-person meetings.
The IRGC consists of an army, navy, and air force, Basij Resistance Force, and Qods Force. Current IRGC forces consist of approximately 150,000 naval, ground, and air fighters, although the number of Qods Force fighters is unknown. The IRGC has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, for its activities in support of the Qods Force, which consistently provides support to terrorist groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Taliban.
One of SOOFI’s customers was a Commander in the IRGC, who acted as a key figure at the Iranian Ministry of Defense responsible for procurement of parts and weapons. Among the weapons SOOFI sought on behalf of the IRGC were dampeners – or shock absorbers – which allow high-tech machine guns to be mounted on helicopters and boats. In addition, SOOFI sought to obtain slewing rings for tanks, military helicopters, target sights, jet engines, and military vehicles such as Humvees for the IRGC. During one meeting in December 2016 during which SOOFI sought to acquire some of these military items, SOOFI explained that the items he sought were “for military for defense” and emphasized that the IRGC specifically wanted American military technology.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, SOOFI, 63, of Canada, was sentenced to one year of supervised release.
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. SOOFI’s arrest is the result of the close cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Maurene Comey is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Elizabeth Cannon from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Barrington Woman Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. - Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that Crystal Watson, 37, of Barrington, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm offenses.
According to documents filed in court and statements made during the sentencing hearing, after an investigation of Watson’s drug trafficking activities, law enforcement officers executed search warrants and arrested Watson at her home in Barrington on April 7, 2015. During the search, officers seized $244,028 in United States currency, 570 grams of heroin, and three firearms.
On February 25, 2016, Watson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, three counts of distribution of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime. As part of her plea agreement, Watson agreed to forfeit the seized cash and firearms, as well as real estate, two log cabin style park trailers, and a vehicle.
“The law enforcement community is united in its effort to identify and prosecute those who are distributing heroin and other deadly drugs in the Granite State,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “Not only are drugs lethal, but those who possess firearms while trafficking in drugs present an added danger to the community. We will continue to do our utmost to prevent the distribution of drugs, reduce the risk of gun violence, and seize assets so that drug traffickers do not profit from their unlawful activities.”
“Those suffering from the disease of opioid addiction need access to treatment and recovery,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson. “But, those responsible for distributing lethal drugs like heroin to the citizens of New Hampshire need to be held accountable for their actions. DEA and its local, state and federal partners are committed to bringing to justice those that distribute this poison.”
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The DEA; the United States Marshals Service; the New Hampshire State Police; the Barrington Police Department; and the Rochester Police Department participated in the investigation of this case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Feith.
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Attorney General Sessions Announces 40 New Assistant United States Attorney Positions and Two New Violent Crime Task ForcesRead the Press Release
Today Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Department of Justice’s new steps in combating violent crime. The Department has selected 27 locations to receive aid in the fight against violent crime. Those locations will receive a total of 40 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and new violent crime task forces will be launched in Charlotte, NC, and Pittsburgh, PA. The new violent crime task forces will focus on the proliferation of violent crime in the counties adjacent to Pittsburgh and Charlotte.
"Led by our 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Neighborhoods(PSN) task forces are hitting the streets across America to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice. I have asked Congress for additional PSN funding next year because I believe nothing will be more effective at reducing violent crime" said Attorney General Sessions. "Under this program, I am asking a great deal of our United States Attorneys. I am both empowering them and holding them accountable for results. To put them in the best position to impact and reduce violent crime, it is my privilege to announce today that through a re-allocation of resources, we will be enlisting and deploying 40 additional violent crime prosecutors across the United States."
More information on the locations of those 40 Assistant United States Attorneys and violent crime task forces is below:AUSA Breakdown by District
Northern District of Alabama - 1
Eastern District of Arkansas - 1
Northern District of California - 2
Southern District of California - 1
District of Connecticut - 1
District of Columbia - 1
Central District of Illinois - 1
Northern District of Illinois - 3
Southern District of Indiana - 1
Eastern District of Louisiana - 1
District of Maryland - 3
Western District of Michigan - 1
Eastern District of Missouri - 2
Western District of Missouri - 1
District of Nevada - 2
District of New Mexico - 1
Eastern District of New York - 2
Western District of New York - 1
Northern District of Ohio - 2
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - 1
Middle District of Tennessee - 2
Western District of Tennessee - 2
Eastern District of Texas - 1
Northern District of Texas - 1
Southern District of Texas - 2
Western District of Texas - 1
Eastern District of Wisconsin - 2Summary of the Charlotte Violent Crime Task Force (CE VCTF) for the Western and Middle Districts of North Carolina
The CE VCTF is focused on the investigation of violent crime in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area, to include Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cleveland, Cabarrus, Union, Stanly, Anson and Montgomery Counties. The Task Force will be assigned to the FBI Charlotte Division Headquarters. The CE VCTF will focus on the significant proliferation of violent crime. Gang-related crime is already being addressed by the FBI’s Charlotte Division Safe Streets Task Force, and the new Task Force will concentrate on other violent criminal activity. Violent crime rates in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Gaston, and Anson County exceed the national average. The CE VCTF will focus on crime exercising a significant impact on these communities. The CE VCTF will be staffed with local law enforcement as well as federal agents.
Summary of the Pittsburgh Violent Crime Task Force (PG VCTF) for the Western District of PennsylvaniaThe PG VCTF will focus on the proliferation of violent crime in the counties including and adjacent to Pittsburgh—Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Lawrence, and Mercer. The Task Force will be assigned to the FBI Pittsburgh Division Headquarters. Pittsburgh’s violent crime rating is significantly higher than the national median. With the exception of the city of Pittsburgh, each of the counties in the area of the proposed Task Force has a violent crime per capita rate that is higher than the city of Philadelphia as calculated based on 2015 FBI crime statistics. Despite the fact that violent crime has declined in several categories, the overall trend reflects a disturbing increase in violent crime. The PG VCTF will focus on violent crimes that impact public safety. The PG VCTF will enable law enforcement to work more strategically and to address violent crime with data-driven strategies. Staffing of the proposed Task Force will include federal law enforcement and representatives from local law enforcement agencies.
Atlanta Georgia Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute OxycodoneRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Yesterday, Stanford Coleman, 49 of Atlanta, Georgia was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone. The jury returned its guilty verdict after 4 days of trial.
The evidence at trial established that, between January 2015 and May 2017, Coleman was supplying large quantities of 30 milligram Oxycodone pills to people in Mt. Sterling and Montgomery County.
United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Stuart Lowery, ATF Louisville, Commissioner Richard Sanders, Kentucky State Police, and Police Chief David Charles, Mt. Sterling Police Department, jointly announced the verdict.
Coleman was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals and is scheduled to be formally sentenced on March 23, 2018. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, the KSP, and the Mt. Sterling Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Roger West.
20 Arrested in Connection with Taylor-Based “Crack” Cocaine and Methamphetamine Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
This week, federal and state authorities in the Austin area arrested 20 individuals, including ringleader Horace Caruther of Round Rock, TX, for their alleged roles in a narcotics distribution ring operating in the Taylor, TX area announced United States Attorney John F. Bash and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Will Glaspy, Houston Division.
Those arrested include:
Name Age Residence
Horace Lee Caruther 42 Round Rock, TX
Trevor Deshaun Hunt 25 Taylor, TX
Gregory Bean Jr. 44 Pflugerville, TX
William Collins (aka “Bugs”) 61 Taylor
James Wilbert McNeal 70 Round Rock
Robert Carl White 38 Temple, TX
Daniel Sanchez-Benitez 38 Pflugerville
Angel Amado Rodriguez 23 Austin
Kenneth Xavier Garza 22 Pflugerville
Salomon Orozco-Benitez (aka “Viejito”) 33 Austin
David Ibarra 25 Broadway, NC
Esmeralda Rodriguez 22 Austin
Jesus Parra-Martinez (aka “Chuy”) 23 Austin
Jose Parra-Martinez 35 Austin
Sandra Parra-Velez (aka “La Coyota”) 33 Austin
Elias Montiel 26 Sandford, NC
Federico Alvarez-Mendoza 36 Cameron, NC
Maria Bustamante 52 Laredo, TX
Ana Gonzalez 47 Laredo
Adriana Deleza 42 Laredo
On November 21, 2017, a federal grand jury in Austin indicted the defendants charging them with one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The grand jury also charged defendants Orozco, Montiel, Alvarez, Ibarra, Sanchez, Parra-Velez, Jesus Parra-Martinez, Deleza and Gonzalez with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Authorities allege that from July 2016 to October 2017, this organization was responsible for the distribution of large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and diverted pharmaceutical narcotics. The narcotics would be transported to areas across the United States, including North Carolina, for further distribution. Defendants would also collect, transport and launder cash proceeds derived from the sale of narcotics.
To date the investigation has resulted in the arrests of 26 defendants; and, the seizure of $161,020, six kilograms of cocaine, two ounces of “crack” cocaine, 42 pounds of marijuana and, three guns.
All of the defendants remain in federal custody pending detention hearings expected to occur in U.S. Magistrate Court in Austin beginning next week. On the drug conspiracy charge, defendants face a mandatory ten years to life imprisonment upon conviction. The defendants face up to 20 years imprisonment upon conviction on the money laundering conspiracy charge.
The DEA Austin High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force investigated this case. Participating agencies in the Task Force include the: Austin Police Department; Cedar Park Police Department; Georgetown Police Department; Lakeway Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety; Williamson County Sheriff Office; Travis County Sheriff’s Office; Hays County Sheriff’s Office; Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The principal mission of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering operations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Thursday 14 December 2017
Youngstown men indicted for conspiring to order fentanyl from China to be sold in the Youngstown areaRead the Press Release
Two Youngstown men were indicted on charges of conspiring to order fentanyl from China to be distributed in the Youngstown area, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman.
Dainon L. Jones, 37, and Michael B. Lawrence, 43, were both indicted for drug trafficking violations.
Jones and Lawrence conspired to possess with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl in November 2017. It was part of the conspiracy that Jones ordered fentanyl to be sent through the U.S. mail from China to Ohio. It was further part of the conspiracy that Lawrence wired money from Ohio to China to pay for the fentanyl, according to the indictment.
Homeland Security Investigations special agents became aware on Nov. 20 of a suspicious package shipped by Wei Zhu of Shanghai, China, to an Erik Fields at 731 Judson Ave. in Youngstown. Previous packages shipped by Zhu have contained large amounts fentanyl seized in Seattle, New York and Detroit, according to court documents.
The package shipped to Youngstown was labeled as containing “pants zipper”. Law enforcement examined the parcel a discovered a white powder consistent with fentanyl. A forensic test revealed the contents to be approximately 273 grams of methoxyacetyl fentanyl, according to court documents.
A search of law enforcement databases revealed no Erik Fields living at 731 Judson Ave. Undercover agents made a controlled delivery at 731 Judson Ave. on Nov. 29. Jones arrived at the address approximately two minutes later in a silver Mercedes, made contact with the resident, retrieved the package and drove away with it, according to court documents.
Jones drove to 3311 Idlewood in Youngstown, where he picked up Lawrence. They drove to a nearby gas station, where Lawrence exited the Mercedes with the package. He took a bus to downtown Youngstown, where Jones again picked him up in his Mercedes. They then drove together to 57 East Wilson in Girard and entered the front door, according to court documents.
Both Jones and Lawrence took off running as law enforcement approached the home in Girard. Both eventually were arrested, according to court documents.
“The amount of fentanyl these defendants are accused of bringing to downtown Youngstown from China could have killed hundreds of people,” said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. “Aggressive enforcement, combined with increased prevention and education efforts, is our best chance to turn the tide on this epidemic.”
“The opioid crisis touches almost every American community,” said Steve Francis, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Detroit office. “HSI and our partners are proud to be at the tip of the spear, using our broad authorities to combat the groups and individuals allegedly involved in this deadly trade.”
This case was investigated by HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, the TAG Drug Task Force and the DEA. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Toeper.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Youngstown man charged wtih firearms offenses and trafficking heroin and crack cocaineRead the Press Release
A 20-count indictment was filed charging a Youngstown man with drug trafficking and firearms crimes, law enforcement officials said.
Antonio D. Young, 22, distributed heroin and crack cocaine from January 2016 through March 2017, according to the indictment.
Young also maintained place on Kendis Circle in Youngstown for the purpose of distributing drugs, according to the indictment.
Young possessed a Ruger, .40 caliber handgun, model SR-40, to further his drug trafficking crimes on March 10, 2017, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Yakima, Washington Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Sex Crimes Committed Against Nine ChildrenRead the Press Release
Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Eric J. Perez was sentenced today after having previously pleaded guilty in September, 2017, to Production of Child Pornography, Attempted Production of Child Pornography, Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity, Child Sex Trafficking, Attempted Child Sex Trafficking, and Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. sentenced Perez to a twenty-five-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of supervised release upon release from federal prison.
According to court records, Perez contacted eight girls, all between 12 and 16 years old, by Facebook message and coerced them to engage in sex and, in some cases, to produce pornographic images of themselves. He fathered two children with the ninth victim, of whom he also produced child pornography. Perez caused one victim, a thirteen-year-old, to engage in commercial sex with his stepbrother, Albert Castro, Jr., of Quincy, Washington. Castro was sentenced on December 1, 2017 to a seven-year term of imprisonment that criminal conduct. See 16-CR-0063-SMJ-2 (EDWA).
The two brothers’ crimes were discovered after a sister of one of the child-victims informed a school counselor that she was concerned about her sister’s Facebook contacts with Perez. The counselor immediately informed the Quincy, Washington Police Department. The Quincy Police Department, together with the FBI, discovered that Perez’s Facebook account contained multiple conversations between Perez and several young girls.
Joseph H. Harrington said, “This egregious case is another example of the superb work that can be accomplished when state and federal law enforcement officers work together. The impact of Perez’s crimes on his victims cannot be overstated. I commend the officers and agents for a job very well done.” Harrington went on to add, “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute aggressively child pornography and child sex trafficking crimes that occur in the Eastern District of Washington.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
• Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
• Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
• Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
• Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
• Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” The Quincy Washington Police Department and the FBI conducted the investigation of this matter. Scott T. Jones, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, prosecuted the case.
Windham Man Sentenced to a Year and a Day for PerjuryRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Jason McGoldrick, 36, of Windham, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for perjury. McGoldrick pleaded guilty on July 27, 2017.
Court records reveal that on November 10, 2016, McGoldrick was involved in an altercation in Portland’s Old Port District during which an individual fired three shots from a handgun at McGoldrick and a companion. During the ensuing investigation, agents sought to identify McGoldrick’s companion -- the other intended target. On December 1, 2016, McGoldrick lied to federal agents about the identity of his companion, giving the name of a deceased friend, instead. On December 13, 2016, McGoldrick repeated the lie when testifying before a federal grand jury investigating the shooting. On February 2, 2017, after being confronted by agents, McGoldrick admitted the true identity of his companion and said he lied in order to protect his friend.
U.S. Attorney Frank said: “Our judicial system depends on people testifying truthfully to a grand jury. It is a fundamental duty of citizenship. As this case demonstrates, the failure to do so can lead to very serious consequences.”
On November 21, 2017, Noor Mohammed, 26, of Roxbury Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to federal firearm charges arising out of the November 10, 2016 shooting and awaits sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Portland Police Department.
Violent Drug Trafficking Organization Dismantled, Sentenced to Total of 119 Years of ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced that yesterday in federal court, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced the three remaining members of the Maurio Mitchell Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), responsible for shipping and distributing large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana within the Eastern District of North Carolina. Several of the members of this DTO are also members of the United Blood Nation’s Omega Line, a violent street gang operating within the Triangle area.
The members of this violent drug trafficking organization received the following sentences:
Yesterday, Maurio Tajara Mitchell, 34, of Durham, was sentenced to 35 years (420 months) of imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine, one (1) kilogram or more of heroin and a quantity of marijuana; Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Distribution and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Marijuana.
Yesterday, Mark Anthony Daye, 47 of Durham, was sentenced to 30 years (362 months) of imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine, one (1) kilogram or more of heroin and a quantity of marijuana; and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments.
Yesterday, Sandy Darnell Ledbetter, Jr., 27, of Durham, was sentenced to 20 years (240 months) of imprisonment after being found guilty at trial of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
On October 12, 2017, Keith Lamont Tutt, 40, of Durham, was sentenced to sixteen (16) years (192 months) of imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Five(5) Kilograms or More of Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
On April 5, 2017, Brian Jarrell Scott, 31, of Durham, was sentenced to ten (10) years (120 months) of imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
On November 3, 2017, Demarcus Allen Medley, 26, of Durham, was sentenced to five years (60 months) of imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments.
On September 12, 2017, NIRILLA ALLEN-KEARNEY, 49, was sentenced to two years (24 months) of imprisonment for Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments in relation to this drug trafficking organization.
On December 15, 2016, Keijuane Mantese Mack, 22, of Durham, was sentenced to five (5) months’ imprisonment for Conspiracy to distribute Marijuana.
On December 8, 2016, Rashad Jackson, 25, of Durham, was sentenced to nine (9) months’ imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Marijuana.
Beginning in January of 2016, the Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force of the FBI conducted a Title III Wiretap investigation into the Maurio Mitchell Drug Trafficking Organization (“Mitchell DTO”). The investigation revealed that the Mitchell DTO is responsible for shipping and receiving large quantities of powder cocaine in the Triangle area, provided by cartel members in Los Angeles, California. This powder cocaine was further broken down and distributed to mid-level and street-level dealers in the Durham, North Carolina, and surrounding areas. This organization was supported and protected by the members of the Omega Line of the United Blood Nation, active on the south side of Durham. This violent street gang is responsible for a large portion of the gang violence that Durham has seen over the past several years. The members of the DTO were primarily supplied by MITCHELL, who, along with DAYE, had the connection to the Los Angeles cartel members.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Raleigh/Durham Safe Streets Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations; the Durham Police Department; and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Leslie Cooley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation within the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Vigo County School Corporation official found guilty in federal courtRead the Press Release
Stole more than $110,000 from Vigo County taxpayers
PRESS RELEASE
Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh Minkler announced today that a former Vigo County School Corporation official, Franklin V. Fennell, 49, Terre Haute, was found guilty in federal court on fraud, bribery and false statement charges following a three-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
“Public officials are supposed to serve the public, not the other way around,” said Minkler. “When greed becomes more important than serving the public, there are consequences and my office will hold offenders accountable.”
Fennell was the facilities director at the Vigo County School Corporation (VCSC). His duties included the maintenance and service at all VCSC locations and facilities, including schools. Fennell routinely submitted requisitions to the VCSC business office which in turn created purchase orders that were sent to vendors authorizing work. The vendor would then be paid after the work was completed.
From April 2014 through October 2016, Fennell and co-defendant, Frank Shahadey instructed a Terre Haute area businessman to submit false and fraudulent invoices for work performed for the VCSC by either inflating the cost of the work or seeking payment for work that was either not performed, or was done by another business. Once paid by the VCSC based on the false and fraudulent invoices, the businessman kicked back a portion of the ill-gotten gains to Fennell and Shahadey and retained a portion for his personal benefit.
As a result of this fraud scheme, Fennell and Shahadey received kickbacks of more than $110,000. When confronted by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding this fraudulent scheme, Fennell made various false statements in a futile effort to exculpate himself.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"This conviction affirms that the FBI has zero tolerance for public corruption and considers it a top criminal priority," said W. Jay Abbott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Indianapolis Division. "We are dedicated to eradicating public corruption at all levels of government and our agents will continue to work diligently to pursue those public officials whose greed erodes the confidence and trust of taxpayers."
Fennell’s co-defendant, Frank Shahadey, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment in October 2017, after pleading guilty to wire fraud and theft charges based on his involvement in this scheme.
According to Assistant United States Attorneys Tiffany Preston and Nicholas Linder who prosecuted this case for the government, Fennell could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
No sentencing date has been set.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution sentencing demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to detect and prosecute matters involving public corruption, (See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan, Section 5.3)
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Van Buren Man Sentenced to over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Fort Smith, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Marco Deandre Smith, age 41, of Van Buren, was sentenced today to 135 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, namely methamphetamine, with Intent to Distribute. The Honorable Chief United States District Court Judge P. K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in Fort Smith.
According to court records, on February 17, 2017, Officer’s with the Fort Smith Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Smith for a traffic violation. After speaking with Smith, the officer had him step out of the vehicle, handcuffed him for officer safety and had Smith sit down by the vehicles. A search of Smith’s vehicle resulted in the officer locating marijuana. As the officer went back to speak with Smith, the officer saw Smith flee on foot. The officer caught Smith and escorted him back to the vehicle. Once back at the vehicle, the officer resumed the search of Smith’s vehicle. The Officer found multiple bricks of marijuana and four large bags of (445.4 grams) actual methamphetamine inside Smith’s vehicle.
Smith was indicted in the Western District of Arkansas in March, 2017 and plead guilty on May 9, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Fort Smith Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Candace Taylor prosecuted the case for the United States.
Utica Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. - Peeno Davis, 23, of Utica, Mississippi, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On May 3, 2015, the Utica Chief of Police responded to calls from the community about a blue and silver pickup riding through downtown Utica, with two men on the back of the truck and two men inside the truck who were brandishing guns while riding on Main Street. The truck was located at the Pit Stop convenience store in Utica where Peeno Davis was found to be in possession of a sawed-off shotgun. He was previously convicted in the Second Judicial District of Hinds County for house burglary.
Davis will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate on February 21, 2018, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Utica Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda R. Haynes.
Utah Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—Robert David Lund, a 53-year old resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan P. Watters issued the sentence.
During an investigation into a group of individuals responsible for the distribution of multiple pounds of methamphetamine in the Billings area, agents were led to Salt Lake City, Utah in search of the group’s supplier of methamphetamine. On June 7, 2016, they seized approximately one pound of methamphetamine from a coconspirator and identified Lund’s residence as the source of that methamphetamine. Later in the day, agents executed a search warrant on Lund’s residence. There, they discovered 3,333.5 grams of actual methamphetamine along with 957.2 grams of marijuana, a Winchester shotgun within arm’s reach of the methamphetamine, and $14,731 in United States Currency.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Sullivan and investigated by the FBI Transnational Organized Crime Western Task Force and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement to identify those responsible for significant violent crime in Montana. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a recently reinvigorated Department of Justice program that has proven to be successful in reducing violent crime. Today’s sentencing is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges Suburban Mortgage Brokers with Fraud for Allegedly Controlling Property Appraisals in Scheme to Defraud LendersRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago has charged two suburban mortgage brokers with fraudulently operating a purportedly independent appraisal management company to control property valuations, and brokering fraudulent loans to finance real estate transactions between themselves and nominees.
STEVEN L. GARCIA and his brother, MICHAEL R. GARCIA, operated American Financial Mortgage Services Inc., a licensed mortgage brokerage in Schaumburg. According to a criminal information filed Wednesday in federal court in Chicago, the brothers fraudulently caused lenders to make mortgage loans brokered by American Financial by falsely representing that the supporting property appraisals were performed by independent appraisers, when, in fact, the Garcias and American Financial employees selected the appraisers, managed the appraisal process, influenced property valuation and paid the appraisers.
Steven Garcia, 45, of Schaumburg, and Michael Garcia, 43, of Streamwood, are each charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Brad Geary, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Federal Housing Administration regulations prohibit mortgage brokers from having substantive communications with appraisers relating to valuation of properties, including ordering or managing an appraisal assignment, and from paying appraisers. Lenders rely on independent appraisals conducted within FHA regulations.
According to the charges, the Garcias bypassed FHA regulations by controlling a purportedly independent appraisal firm – Residential Appraisal Management Company Inc. – through a nominee. The Garcias fraudulently used RAMCI to steer appraisals to hand-picked appraisers, including a relative of the Garcias, who would provide an appraised value sufficient to support a proposed loan, while falsely representing to lenders that RAMCI selected appraisers based on experience and skill, the information states.
The Garcias also fraudulently caused lenders to make mortgage loans to finance fraudulent real estate transactions in which the Garcias and their nominees purchased and re-sold residences at inflated prices to unqualified nominees who then defaulted on the loans, the information states. The Garcias furnished lenders with false employment and income information to support the nominees’ loan applications, and then provided the nominees with the money to make the purchases, the information states. The Garcias fraudulently obtained approximately $1.9 million that was disbursed at the closings of the fraudulent real estate transactions, and another $274,000 in commissions from those deals, the information states.
The public is reminded that an information is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each count in the information is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Netols and Matthew Ebert.
Two Stockton Men Plead Guilty in Ongoing Investigation into Issuance of Commercial Licenses to Unqualified DriversRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stockton residents Donald Earl Freeman Jr., 25, and Juan Arturo Arroyo Gomez, 30, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bribery, identity fraud, and unauthorized access to a computer, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Freeman was an employee of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) at the Tracy branch office and was responsible for, among other things, processing applications for California commercial driver licenses (CDLs). Such CDLs permit the license holders to operate tractor-trailer trucks on California and interstate highways, including, in some cases, hauling hazardous materials.
In exchange for the payment of money from Arroyo, Freeman accessed the DMV’s database in Sacramento to alter the records of applicants to fraudulently show that the applicants had passed the required written tests when, in truth, the applicants had not passed the tests or, at times, even taken the written tests. In so doing, this caused the DMV to issue permits to those drivers, as well as completed CDLs upon the applicants’ passing the behind-the-wheel driving tests.
Based upon evidence obtained through the investigation, it was determined that Freeman caused no less than 123 fraudulent permits to be issued, including at least 13 at the request of, and in exchange for payment from, Arroyo.
This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd A. Pickles and Rosanne L. Rust are prosecuting the case.
This investigation is ongoing. Freeman is the fourth DMV employee to plead guilty this year in the Eastern District of California in relation to the fraudulent issuance of commercial driver’s licenses. Related cases include United States v. Scattaglia, et al., 2:17-cr-187 GEB, and United States v. Gilliam, 2:17-cr-200 GEB.
Freeman and Arroyo face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.
Two Maryland Residents Sentenced to Total of 10 Years in Prison for Bank Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Baltimore, Maryland – United States District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Robin Summers-Grace, age 50, of Baltimore, Maryland to 42 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Summers-Grace’s co-conspirator, Joseph Pauling, age 40, of Essex, Maryland, was previously sentenced to 6 years in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. Judge Hollander ordered both defendants to pay more than $139,000 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Caruso of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to both plea agreements, beginning September 1, 2015 and continuing through June 30, 2016, Pauling and Summers-Grace defrauded banks and retailers by opening up fraudulent lines of credit in the names of other individuals.
Pauling would obtain the personal identifying information, including social security numbers, addresses, and names of actual individuals. Pauling would use this information to produce false identification, including counterfeit driver’s licenses, with the picture of Summers-Grace. Pauling also used special electronic equipment to create fraudulent credit cards under names matching the driver’s license.
According to court documents, Pauling provided the false identification as well as the credit histories of the individuals to Summers-Grace. Pauling and Summers-Grace would travel to retailers throughout Maryland, as well as other states, and Summers-Grace would apply for a store credit card using the false information provided by Pauling, and then would purchase the items. Pauling would sell the stolen items to “customers” on the street. On many occasions, Pauling would take “orders” from individuals for particular items in advance of the thefts.
The items stolen and sold in the course of the scheme included iPhones, iPads, flat-screen televisions, laptop computers, kitchen ovens, refrigerators, washer/dryer units, wood flooring, furniture, shoes, handbags, and designer watches.
In the course of the scheme, Pauling and Summers-Grace possessed the personal identifying information of over 200 real individuals, and defrauded dozens of banks and numerous retailers. The total intended loss amount from the scheme exceeded $250,000.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised the U.S. Secret Service and Baltimore County Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Maddox and Aaron Zelinsky, who prosecuted the cases.
Two California Residents Charged with Defrauding Thousands in Nationwide Telemarketing Real Estate ScamRead the Press Release
Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that on Tuesday, a grand jury in East St. Louis, IL, returned an indictment charging two California residents for their participation in a nationwide telemarketing real estate scam. Michael S. Davenport, 49, of Santa Barbara, CA, and Cynthia L. Rawlinson, 51, also of Santa Barbara, CA, were both charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud. The indictment arises from Davenport’s and Rawlinson’s participation in a Santa Barbara based telemarketing business. The business changed names several times, but was known at various times as MDSQ Productions, LLC, Housing Standard, LLC, Anchor House Financial, American Standard, American Standard Online, and Your American Standard (for ease of reference hereafter "American Standard").
According to the indictment, American Standard placed ads on Craigslist stating that certain houses were available for sale or rent at very favorable prices. When individuals called in response to these ads, American Standard salespersons told them they would have to purchase American Standard’s list of houses in order to get more information about the property in the Craigslist ad. The salespersons also said that the houses on the American Standard list were in
"pre-foreclosure," that the customers could purchase the houses by simply taking over the homeowners’ mortgage payments, and the deeds to these homes would then be transferred into the customers’ names. The salespersons told the customers that there was a $199 fee for access to the list, but claimed that this $199 fee would cover title searches and deed transfers. In addition, regardless of what area of the country the customers lived in, the salespersons told them that the list contained numerous pre-foreclosure properties that were available in their area.
The indictment further alleges that, after the customers paid the $199 fee, they learned that the houses on American Standard’s list were not available to be purchased. Instead, the customers found that a substantial number of the addresses contained on the list were fictional and/or no houses existed at those locations. In numerous other cases, the customers learned that the houses were not in pre-foreclosure or financial distress, and were not available to be purchased at below market prices. If the customers asked for more information about the houses they had seen on Craigslist, American Standard’s Customer Service Department informed them that the houses were no longer available.
The indictment charges that Davenport was the owner of American Standard and oversaw the operations of the company. It is alleged that Rawlinson started out as a salesperson, but was promoted to the position of Sales Manager for American Standard’s Santa Barbara office. American Standard also had a sales room located in Lompoc, CA.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy and scheme to defraud operated from approximately January 2009 through at least October 5, 2016. During this period, American Standard victimized over 100,000 people and defrauded these individuals out of more than $27,000,000. The victims were located in all fifty of the United States and the District of Columbia. At least 104 victims of the scam were located in twenty-two counties within the Southern District of Illinois, with multiple victims in both St. Clair and Madison Counties. In
addition, the indictment charges that American Standard’s list included 534 houses located in Southern Illinois.
Davenport and Rawlinson are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on January 17, 2018, at the Federal Courthouse in East St. Louis, IL.
Under the SCAMS Act, because it is alleged that the crimes took place in connection with telemarketing, and victimized ten or more persons over the age of 55, the maximum penalty for the conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud charge is 30 years of imprisonment. Each of the individual mail and wire fraud counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The defendants can also be ordered to serve up to five years of supervised release after any term of imprisonment, can be fined up to $250,000 per count, and can be ordered to pay restitution to the victims. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of $853,210.11 that was seized from Davenport’s Merchant Processing accounts, and $104,000 in cash that was seized from Davenport at the Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas.
This case is part of an ongoing investigation by the St. Louis Field Office of the Chicago Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service. The Office of the Honorable Joyce E. Dudley, District Attorney for Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Maria Office of the FBI have provided substantial assistance in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, that charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Turlock Resident Indicted for Aiming Laser Pointer at Sheriff and Emergency Medical HelicoptersRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Roger Shane John, 31, of Turlock, charging him with aiming the beam of a laser pointer at two helicopters, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on the evening of October 22, 2017, John allegedly struck a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department helicopter, Air 101, five to six times with a powerful green laser, causing visual interference and disrupting an air support response to a domestic violence call. Around the same time, and in the general vicinity of the strikes to Air 101, John struck CalStar 12, an emergency medical helicopter, three to four times. Both aircraft were flying in close proximity to the Modesto Airport at the time of the laser strikes. The laser strikes occurred within the FAA-designated laser-free zone, which encompasses all flight operations at 2,000 feet and below.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, and Modesto Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
John is scheduled for an arraignment on the indictment on December 15, 2017, in federal court in Fresno.
If convicted, John faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Tonawanda Man Arrested, Charged with Possession and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Dakar Young, 23, of Tonawanda, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession and distribution of child pornography. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Lamarque, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was arrested on December 13, 2017, following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. According to the criminal complaint, in May 2017, Young uploaded eight image files of child pornography onto a social networking site. Images of child pornography were also found on Young’s cell phone.
The defendant made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. Young was ordered detained pending trial.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police ICAC Task Force, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy, and Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Three Galivants Ferry Men Sentenced in Federal Court for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Ephifanio Castillo-Pacheco, age 44, Isidro Camacho-Castillo, age 20, and Samuel Zepeda-Gonzalez, age 60, all of Galivants Ferry, SC, were sentenced today in federal court in Florence, South Carolina. United States District Judge Bryan Harwell sentenced Castillo-Pacheco to 74 months imprisonment, Camacho-Castillo to 108 months imprisonment, and Zepeda-Gonzalez to 51 months. Judge Harwell also ordered the forfeiture to the government of $177,989.00 seized from the defendants.
The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on March 8, 2017, during the execution of a federal search warrant, agents seized cocaine, multiple firearms, and a large amount of cash from a residence in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina. During the search, Camacho-Castillo was in one of the bedrooms along with a loaded Glock .380 caliber pistol, a loaded Kassnar Imports 9mm pistol, and approximately 45 grams of cocaine. In the bedroom belonging to Castillo-Pacheco, agents found approximately 14 grams of cocaine, 9mm and .380 caliber ammunition. Castillo-Pacheco and Zepeda-Gonzalez were both located in the living room where they were counting $177,989.00 in cash. Agents learned that Zepeda-Gonzalez had been paid to transport the cash to an unknown individual in McAllen, Texas.
The case was investigated by agents of ICE-Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the Horry County Police Department, the South Carolina Highway Patrol and SLED. Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office handled the case.
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Ten Bakersfield Gang Members and Associates IndictedRead the Press Release
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Ten defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury today following a multi-agency operation in Bakersfield on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
After a 10-month investigation that began in March 2017, more than 35 members and associates of the West Side Crips (WSC), a local criminal street gang, were arrested this week on federal and state charges including burglary, illegal gun possession, drug sales, and murder. State and federal law enforcement teams also executed more than 30 residential search warrants.
The alleged crimes presented in the federal and state cases include weapons violations, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, money laundering, methamphetamine sales, crack cocaine sales, opiate sales, attempted murder and murder. The affidavit supporting the criminal complaint also details WSC members’ plan to shoot into a crowd of approximately 200 people, including rival gang members, at a local park in early October 2017. Their plan was thwarted by law enforcement as a result of this investigation.
These Bakersfield residents were indicted today: Tommie Thomas, 35, charged with distribution of methamphetamine; William Thomas, 35, charged with distribution of crack cocaine; Danny Willis, 33, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; Gary Pierson, 36, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; Ladaireus Jones, 24, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; Bernard Warren, 18, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; Manuel Cruz III, 37, charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence; Luis Fernandez, 26, charged with distribution of methamphetamine; Myron Dewberry, 44, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm; and Bryshanique Allen, 21, charged with money laundering.
U.S. Attorney Talbert stated: “This operation is another example of how my office has worked closely with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners to combat violent criminal street gangs and their associates. As part of our Project Safe Neighborhood initiative, we are committed to collaborating with these partners to hold accountable those who make our communities unsafe.”
Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin stated, “This gang has victimized our city through a system of murder and intimidation. We are using the resources of our city, county, state and federal authorities to stop senseless acts of gun violence that are traumatizing and killing our city’s children. This is the enforcement piece to the department’s community-wide approach to addressing gang violence.”
“Violent gangs threaten the safety and well-being of entire communities, blighting the neighborhoods they dwell in and placing lives of innocent bystanders at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle gangs to protect the public. We also rely on our community relationships in the effort to remove violent gangs from neighborhoods to ensure our region and families have an opportunity to thrive.”
“My office remains dedicated to working with all law enforcement agencies to successfully solve and prosecute the perpetrators of these violent crimes,” said Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green.
“This violent gang has killed innocent people and escalated violence in our Bakersfield neighborhoods. The successful takedown shows that when local, state and federal law enforcement authorities work together to combat violence, we can improve our communities. We are committed to making our neighborhoods safer by prosecuting street gangs to the fullest extent of the law,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Bakersfield Police Department, and Kern County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Scott and Vincenza Rabenn are prosecuting the case.
More than 300 law enforcement personnel from over 20 law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. In addition to the investigating agencies, the following agencies participated in the arrests and searches: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Marshals Service, U.S. National Guard, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms, Fresno Methamphetamine Task Force (FMTF), Merced Area Gang Narcotic Enforcement Team (MAGNET), Madera Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET), Tulare Area Regional Gang Enforcement Team (TARGET), Kern County Probation Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Department, Kings County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, and Coalinga Police Department.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
If convicted of distribution of methamphetamine, the defendants face a statutory sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. The maximum statutory penalty for distribution of crack cocaine is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum statutory penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to commit money laundering is 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Syracuse Postal Employee Sentenced for Stealing from MailRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brian T. Hanlon, age 36, of Syracuse, New York, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to serve a two-year term of probation and pay a $2,500 fine for willfully obstructing the passage of the mail by stealing money from mailed letters, announced Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Eileen Neff, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
Hanlon, who had been employed at the United States Postal Service (USPS) since 2003, admitted as part of his guilty plea that while working at a Postal Facility in Syracuse, he opened between 20 and 30 pieces of mail that were not addressed to him over approximately two weeks in April 2017. He further admitted that after opening these mail items, he stole approximately $100 in cash from them. USPS OIG agents caught Hanlon stealing $11 from a piece of mail at the Syracuse USPS facility on April 21, 2017, after which he confessed to the other thefts. Hanlon is no longer employed by the U.S. Postal Service.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Stowe Man Charged with Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Hakeem James Hughes, age 28, of Stowe, Pennsylvania, was indicted on December 13, 2017, by a federal grand jury for offenses involving the exploitation of a minor.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that Hughes coerced and enticed a minor to engage in sex acts for the purpose of making visual images of those acts in February and April 2014. The two-count indictment charges Hughes with production of child pornography on separate dates.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcrment’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney James T. Clancy is prosecuting the case.
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."
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the production of child pornography offenses is 30 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. Those charges carry mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment of 15 years. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Springfield Resident Sentenced for Bank Robberies in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, and SpringfieldRead the Press Release
Adrianna C. Frye-Williamson, 21, of Springfield, Illinois, received a 51-month sentence and three years of supervised release from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, for bank robberies committed between January 12 and February 9, 2017, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced. The District Court also ordered Frye-Williamson to pay restitution to the victim banks and a special assessment of $300.
According to the evidence of record, on January 20, 2017, Frye-Williamson approached a teller at the National Bank in Edwardsville, Illinois, with a note: "This is a robbery. I have a gun. BIG BILLS ONLY." The teller complied with the demand and gave Frye-Williamson the money from her teller drawer, and Frye-Williamson left the bank.
On February 9, 2017, Frye-Williamson approached a teller at the U.S. Bank in Glen Carbon, Illinois, with a note stating that she had a gun and demanding money. The teller complied with the demand and gave Frye-Williamson the money from his teller drawer. Witnesses saw Frye-Williamson leave the bank, get on a bicycle, and ride away from the U.S. Bank.
Law enforcement soon thereafter located the abandoned bicycle in a residential neighborhood. Law enforcement determined Frye-Williamson purchased the bicycle at a pawnshop in Springfield, Illinois, earlier in the day. Law enforcement obtained the pawnshop’s security camera images and determined they matched the images of the robber from the U.S. Bank, the National Bank in Edwardsville, and the Illini Bank in Springfield, Illinois, occurring on January 12, 2017. In the Illini bank robbery, Frye-Williamson approached a teller and handed her a note indicating that she had a bomb strapped to her body and demanding money.
Law enforcement located and arrested Frye-Williamson in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2017. Law enforcement recovered some of the stolen money from Frye-Williamson’s car on the day of her arrest, and recovered some additional stolen money at her home. She has remained in custody since her arrest.
The Central District of Illinois transferred the case involving the Illini Bank robbery to the Southern District of Illinois for plea and sentencing.
Law enforcement agencies providing information leading to the charges against Frye-Williamson included the FBI and the Glen Carbon, Edwardsville and Springfield Police Departments.
Springfield Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Springfield, Mo., man has been indicted on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor.
Ryan Lee Christoph, 25, of Springfield, was charged in three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017.
The federal indictment alleges that Christoph used a minor, identified as “Jane Doe” (born in 2003), to produce child pornography from April 29 to Aug. 15, 2017. The indictment also alleges that Christoph used the internet and a cell phone to induce Jane Doe to engage in illicit sexual activity. Christoph is also charged with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
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 Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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."
Springfield Man Indicted for Attempting to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Springfield, Mo., man who used fake online identities has been indicted by a federal grand jury for attempting to produce child pornography.
Genard Alonzo Toney, 36, of Springfield, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Toney was arrested yesterday and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017.
The federal indictment alleges that Toney attempted to use a minor, identified as John Doe, to produce child pornography. The indictment also alleges that Toney received and distributed child pornography from May 9, 2016, to March 31, 2017.
According to court documents, Toney engaged in a pattern of soliciting images of child pornography through the Internet. Toney pretended to be a female seeking a female relationship on a dating website, then began texting with women he met on the dating website. Toney used a cell phone application, which provided him with a fake, anonymous cell phone number, cloaking his own number from identification. A forensic examination on devices seized from Toney by law enforcement officers revealed 283 separate conversations, consisting of 13,676 messages, and images of child pornography.
Toney also engaged in conversations where he pretended to be a woman with a 5-year-old daughter, according to court documents. Toney sent images of female children to others and solicited images of the other users’ children. In other conversations, Toney pretended to have a 4-to-6-year-old son and sent images of a child to other users, asking them to also send him pictures of their sons.
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 Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department 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."
Sentencings for December 7 - December 13, 2017Read the Press Release
Dalton Shae Self, 26, of Douglas, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on December 13, 2017, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Self was arrested in Douglas, Wyoming. He received 21 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Zachary Montague Boyce, 31, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Boyce was arrested in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He received 77 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Darcy Gene Akin, 61, of Green River, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Akin was arrested in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. He received 37 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Jonathan Wesley Mortimer, 35, of Green River, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Mortimer was arrested in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. He received 36 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Martina Caspari, 41, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Caspari was arrested in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. She received 46 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment
and $250.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Zachariah Newton Strange, 44, of Green River, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Strange was arrested in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. He received 41 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Randolfo Librado Chavez, Jr., 25, of Loveland, Colorado, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for distribution of methamphetamine. Chavez was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He received 95 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment and $400.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Darrell Joe Irla, 50, of Salem, Iowa, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 13, 2017, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Irla was arrested in Carbon County, Wyoming. He received 135 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and $500.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Mark Edward Collins, 42, of Gillette, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 8, 2017, for being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. Collins was arrested in Gillette, Wyoming. He received 63 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and $500.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Christopher Lamar Williams, 32, of Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 8, 2017, for possession with intent to distribute heroin and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal drug trafficking crime. Williams was arrested in Evanston, Wyoming. He received 78 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment and $500.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Edwin Moses Jacobs, 29, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 8, 2017, for being a felon in possession of firearms. Jacobs was arrested in Sheridan, Wyoming. He received 43 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Evan Aubrey Armstrong, 36, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 8, 2017, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Armstrong was arrested in Casper, Wyoming. He received 46 months of imprisonment, to be
followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Darrell Peter Gilson, 44, of Green River, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on December 7, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Gilson was arrested in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. He received 66 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and $500.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.
Savannah Drug Dealer Convicted by a Federal Jury of Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: NATHANIEL THOMAS PUGH, III, 35, of Savannah, Georgia, was convicted on December 12, 2017 by a federal jury after a two-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. Pugh was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon, possession of ethylone, commonly referred to as "Molly," with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Pugh was involved in a shooting in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Savannah on November 4, 2015. After sustaining a gunshot wound, Pugh drove his bullet riddled car to the hospital. Savannah Chatham-Metro Police recovered a Glock firearm, loaded with a 30-round extended magazine in the glove compartment, which had Pugh’s DNA on it. Also in the car, officers recovered a treasure trove of drug paraphernalia, including almost an ounce of “Molly,” cocaine, pills, baggies and a scale. Text messages recovered from Pugh’s cell phone revealed that Pugh had engaged in several drug transactions prior to the shooting incident, and also revealed photographs of Pugh holding the firearm that was ultimately recovered from Pugh’s car.
Pugh’s criminal history dates back almost two decades and includes prior convictions for Driving Under the Influence, Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of Controlled Substances, Terroristic Threats, Simple Battery and Willful Obstruction of Law Enforcement.
For possessing a firearm as a felon, Pugh faces a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Additionally, Pugh may be sentenced up to 20 years on the drug trafficking offense, and also faces a consecutive sentence of 5 years to life imprisonment, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. There is no parole in the federal system. Pugh’s sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine said, “The number one priority of this office is to keep our citizens safe, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Carlton Bourne are doing just that with this trial victory. The Department of Justice and this United States Attorney’s Office will continue to partner with our local and federal agencies to work tirelessly to track down, apprehend, and bring to justice those who commit violent crimes, or threaten to commit violent crimes in this district.”
Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Carlton Bourne prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact Appellate Chief R. Brian Tanner at (912) 652-4422.