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Friday 27 October 2017
Member of Foreign Military Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison for U.S. Passport FraudRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – This week, Jared Mark Caros, 32, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Judge Neil V. Wake to ten months in prison with one year of supervised release to follow. Caros was previously found guilty after a jury trial in June. Then in September, Caros admitted his guilt in open court. In 2010, Caros made false statements in an application for a U.S. Passport. In that application, he falsely claimed the identity of a man from Payson, Ariz. The U.S. Department of State discovered Caros’s fraud in 2016 when the Payson man applied for a U.S. Passport. Caros, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Diplomatic Security agents upon his return to the U.S. from service in a foreign military.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The prosecution was handled by Brandon Brown and Jonathan R. Hornok, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-984-PHX-NVW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-107_Caros
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Manteca Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Possession of Mdma with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason Matecki, 46, of Manteca, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. to six years and three months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute MDMA, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
MDMA, more commonly known as “Ecstasy,” is a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance. According to the plea agreement, in March and April 2015, law enforcement seized two packages of MDMA destined for Matecki’s residence in Manteca, as well as one package of MDMA sent to Matecki’s condominium in Las Vegas. On April 21, 2015, federal agents searched both of Mateki’s residences. At his residence in Manteca, agents found a variety of drugs, including 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, 608 grams of MDMA and lesser amounts of marijuana, bath salts, steroids, methamphetamine, adrenaline, and prescription pills. A search of the Las Vegas residence resulted in the seizure of additional quantities of drugs, including MDMA. Matecki admitted to importing the MDMA from overseas and using the “dark web” to sell MDMA and cocaine. Mateki’s sentence was based, in part, on his possession of both MDMA and cocaine.
This case was the product of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southern Nevada Heroin Task Force (SNHTF), and Manteca Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian prosecuted the case.
On March 31, 2017, Matecki’s co-defendant Catalin Kifan, 26, was sentenced to over eight years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing MDMA with intent to distribute.
This was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case. 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.
Man Who Impersonated FBI Agents to Steal from Area Businesses Charged with Federal CrimesRead the Press Release
A Lake Stevens, Washington man who used fake credentials in the names of fictional characters or famous fraudsters to commit crimes was charged with seven federal felonies today, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. STEVEN W. FISHER, 43, was transferred from the King County Jail to federal custody and will appear today at 2:00 p.m. in U. S. District Court in Seattle, charged with one count of robbery, five counts of impersonation of a federal officer, and one count of attempted robbery. Law enforcement is still investigating this string of crimes and is asking anyone who may have been victimized to contact Seattle Police at 206 684-5540.
According to the criminal complaint, on January 25, 2017, FISHER gained access to the secure area of a small money transmitting business in Seattle’s Central District by claiming he was an FBI agent investigating a suspicious transaction. FISHER flashed a badge, and handed the owner a ‘search warrant’ signed by ‘Frank Abagnale’ -- a famous serial fraudster portrayed in the movie “Catch me if you can.” The warrant was purchased off of the website Legalfakes.com. FISHER then pulled a gun on the owner and demanded he open the safe. FISHER left with a large amount of cash and took the computer equipment which contained any surveillance photographs from the security system.
FISHER was identified as the suspect following a series of incidents in July and August, 2017 at a different money transmitting business in the Rainer Valley. In that incident, FISHER used the name “Jack Ryan,” a character in Tom Clancy novels. FISHER asked the manager of the money transmitting business to meet him at a nearby parking lot to discuss information that someone was planning on robbing his business. FISHER tried to get the manager to describe the surveillance cameras at the business and suggested he remove cash from the business. The manager instead called 9-1-1 and reported the suspicious conduct to police. One month later, when FISHER showed up at the money transmitting business, again claiming to be an FBI Agent, the manager hit the panic alarm and Seattle Police officers arrived to question FISHER. FISHER was taken into custody and court authorized searches of his car, storage locker, and briefcase turned up fake federal credentials, a realistic appearing airsoft pistol with silencer, and paperwork tying him to the earlier robbery.
Other possible crimes tied to this suspect remain under investigation, including the burglary of a SeaTac small business which offers money transmitting services. In June 2017, a man later identified as FISHER visited the business and identified himself as an FBI agent. The ‘agent’ claimed he was looking for surveillance footage because of a crime in the area. Because the store owner was suspicious about whether FISHER was actually an FBI agent, he simply said the surveillance cameras were not working. In the early morning hours following that encounter the store was burglarized and cash, checks and phones were stolen.
Law enforcement is seeking to identify any other business that may have been targeted by FISHER posing as an FBI agent. Anyone with suspicious encounters is asked to contact 206 684-5540.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Cohen.
MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty to RICO Conspiracy Involving Attempted Murder and Conspiracy to MurderRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An MS-13 member pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with a 2014 shooting in Chelsea and a 2015 conspiracy to kill a suspected cooperating witness.
David Lopez, a/k/a “Cilindro,” a/k/a “Villano,” 22, a Salvadoran national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Jan. 30, 2018.
Lopez was a member of MS-13’s Enfermos Criminales Salvatrucha (ECS) clique, which operated in Chelsea and other parts of Massachusetts. On May 29, 2014, Lopez and co-defendant Daniel Menjivar, a/k/a “Roca,” approached a victim near the Washington Avenue bus stop in Chelsea. Menjivar repeatedly stabbed the victim, and as he was struggling for his life, Lopez approached and shot at the victim. The victim suffered significant life threatening injuries, but survived following emergency surgery. Menjivar pleaded guilty in September 2017.
The investigation revealed that in March 2015, members of the ECS clique decided to kill a fellow MS-13 member who they incorrectly believed was cooperating with law enforcement at the time. Law enforcement intervened and convinced the individual to become a cooperating witness. A subsequent investigation uncovered evidence that the ECS clique sent someone to New Jersey to pick up Lopez, who had fled Massachusetts after the May 2014 attack, so that he could come back to Massachusetts to help kill the suspected cooperating witness.
Lopez is the 23rd defendant to plead guilty in this case.
Lopez faces no greater than 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Lopez will be subject to deportation upon the completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli; Somerville Police Chief David Fallon; and Herndon (VA) Police Chief Maggie A. DeBoard made the announcement.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Local Woman Sentenced for Harboring a FugitiveRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Sarah Elaine Braden, 34, of Saraland, was sentenced this week in federal court on one count of harboring a fugitive. Testimony from the sentencing hearing on Tuesday established that Braden harbored the father of her child when United States marshals were seeking to arrest him on methamphetamine charges. Braden pled guilty to the charge in July of 2017.
United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Braden to 37 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Braden will undergo treatment for drug abuse while in prison and as a condition of her supervised release. No fine was imposed, but the judge ordered that Braden pay the $100 special mandatory assessment.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, and the Saraland Police Department. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao/als/Leader of Drug Gang That Operated in the Lackawanna Housing Project Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.—Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jeffrey Graham, 32 of Lackawanna, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Felicetta, who is handling the case, stated that between early 2014, and December 5, 2014, Graham conspired with several co-defendants to purchase and sell various amounts of crack cocaine from and to one another and to further distribute the crack cocaine on to various customers of theirs. Many of the transactions among the defendant, several co-defendants, and their customers occurred at or within 1,000 feet of the Gates Housing Projects in Lackawanna, NY owned by the Lackawanna Municipal Housing Authority. Graham maintained a premises to distribute crack cocaine in the housing projects.
In addition, on November 28, 2014, the defendant obtained 149 grams of crack cocaine, which was discovered later that day by Buffalo Police during a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Graham was a passenger. The cocaine base was discovered in the glove compartment directly in front of where the defendant had been sitting.
A total of 18 defendants were charged in this case, 11 have been convicted.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Street’s Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 31, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Skretny.
Last Defendant Sentenced in Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Cynthia Stiger, 52, of Dallas, Texas, who was convicted in April 2016 of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 120 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $23,630,777.26 in restitution, joint and several with all codefendants to Medicare and Medicaid, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Judge Lindsay ordered Stiger to report to the Bureau of Prisons on November 28, 2017.
“This office will continue to use the most sophisticated techniques available to aggressively prosecute those who, through their fraud, drive up the costs of health care to consumers and tax payers alike,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “I applaud the tremendous cooperation among the investigative agencies that brought us to this point.”
The following defendants have also been sentenced for their role in the health care fraud scheme:
Jacques Roy, 420 months and $268,147,699.15 in restitution
Wilbert James Veasey, Jr., 120 months and $23 million in restitution
Cyprian Akamnonu, 120 months and $25 million in restitution
Patricia Akamnonu, 120 months and $25 million in restitution
Charity Eleda, 48 months and $397,294.51 in restitution
Teri Sivils, 3 years probation and $885,714.05 in restitution
The government presented evidence at trial that Dr. Roy, Stiger, Veasey and Eleda engaged in a large-scale, sophisticated health care fraud scheme in which they conspired together and with others to defraud Medicare and Medicaid through companies they owned/controlled: Medistat Group Associates, P.A., Apple of Your Eye Health Care Services, Inc., Ultimate Care Home Health Services and Charry Home Care Services.
As part of the conspiracy, Stiger, Veasey and Eleda, along with others, improperly recruited individuals with Medicare coverage to sign up for Medicare home health care services. Eleda recruited patients from The Bridge homeless shelter in Dallas, sometimes paying recruiters $50 per beneficiary they found and directed to her vehicle parked outside the shelter’s gates. Eleda and other nurses would falsify medical documents to make it appear as though those beneficiaries qualified for home health care services that were not medically necessary. Eleda and the nurses prepared Plans of Care (POC), also known as 485’s, which were not medically necessary, and these POCs were delivered to Dr. Roy’s office and not properly reviewed by any physician.
Dr. Roy instructed his staff to certify these POCs, which indicated to Medicare and Medicaid that a doctor, typically Dr. Roy, had reviewed the treatment plan and deemed it medically necessary. That certifying doctor, typically Dr. Roy, certified that the patient required home health services, which were only permitted to be provided to those individuals who were homebound and required, among other things, skilled nursing. This process was repeated for thousands of POCs, and, in fact, Medistat’s office included a “485 Department,” essentially a “boiler room” to affix fraudulent signatures and certifications.
Once an individual was certified for home health care services, Eleda, nurses who worked for Stiger and Veasey, and other nurses falsified visit notes to make it appear as though skilled nursing services were being provided and continued to be necessary. Dr. Roy would also visit the patients, perform unnecessary home visits, and then order unnecessary medical services for the recruited beneficiaries. Then, at Dr. Roy’s instruction, Medistat employees would submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for the certification and recertification of unnecessary home health care services and other unnecessary medical services.
The government presented further evidence at trial that the scope of Dr. Roy’s fraud was massive; Medistat processed and approved POCs for 11,000 unique Medicare beneficiaries from more than 500 different home health agencies. Dr. Roy entered into formal and informal fraudulent arrangements with Apple, Charry, Ultimate and other home health agencies to ensure his fraudulent business model worked and that he maintained a steady stream of Medicare beneficiaries.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force supervised by the Criminal Division Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and Nicole Dana and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham prosecuted the case.
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Laguna Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault by Strangulation ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Howard Francis, 53, an enrolled member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, N.M., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault by strangulation charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Francis will be sentenced within the range of 27 to 30 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Francis was arrested on Oct. 18, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault of an intimate partner by strangulation. According to the complaint, Francis assaulted the victim, a Navajo woman, on Oct. 11, 2016, in the Laguna Pueblo within Cibola County, N.M., by grabbing the victim’s hair, and hitting her in the face with a closed fist. It also alleged that Francis used his forearm to pin the victim by the neck to the bed, making it difficult for the victim to breathe, and placed a pillow over the victim’s face while attempting to suffocate her.
Francis was indicted on Nov. 1, 2016, and was charged with assault of an intimate partner by strangulation or suffocating and attempting to assault an intimate partner by suffocating.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Francis pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment, which charged him with assaulting an intimate partner by strangulation. In entering the guilty plea, Francis admitted that on Oct. 11, 2016, he grabbed the victim by the hair and hit her in the face while demanding the victim’s cellular phone. Francis further admitted that as the victim attempted to leave the room, he grabbed her by the hair, dragged her back to the bed, and placed his forearms across her neck and applying pressure to her throat. As the result of the assault, the victim sustained injuries to her face, throat and body, including bruising and red petechiae. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Laguna/Acoma Agency of the BIA Office of Justice Services and the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez is prosecuting the case pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Kuna Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
BOISE – Amanda Huckins, 32, of Kuna, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday to making false statements, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Huckins was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boise in March 2017.
According to court records, Huckins made misrepresentations to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW). As a result of her misrepresentations from October 2010 through July 2015, she was overpaid $24,570.61 in Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) benefits and a separate amount in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
In 2013, the IDHW registered a daycare that was purportedly owned and operated by Huckins’ husband. On February 5, 2015, Huckins willfully and deliberately represented herself as her spouse on an application to allow the daycare to receive benefits funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. As a result of her signature on agreements, benefits were paid to the daycare.
The charge of making false statement is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for January 30, 2018, in front of Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
SNAP is a United States Department of Agriculture food assistance program that is administered by the IDHW. ICCP is funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to provide child care assistance and it is also administered by the IDHW.
Jury Convicts Former Richmond Resident on Federal Stalking ChargeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – In a first for this district, a 44-year-old former Richmond man has been found guilty for systematically torturing a former girlfriend by sending horrific images and threatening email messages, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. The jury returned its verdict just a short time ago against Heriberto Latigo following five days of trial and less than two hours of deliberations.
This is the first case tried in the Southern District of Texas in which a defendant used the Internet to cause substantial emotional distress. In the last 10 years, less than 100 defendants have been convicted using this federal stalking statute.
Latigo began a romantic relationship with the victim in 2013. As it progressed, Latigo’s conduct became controlling and demanding to include forcing her to send him naked images of her. The relationship eventually devolved into physical altercations to include an alleged rape. The victim testified that she was and is afraid of Latigo.
In June 2014, she discovered she was pregnant. She testified that Latigo was so controlling and crazy during this time that she decided to end the pregnancy. Latigo found out and created a Facebook page titled “Magdelana Aborted” where he pretended to be the aborted fetus, sent the link to her and said “Your abortion video will now be posted you whore.” She was so upset that she overdosed on tranquilizers in an attempt to take her own life.
From March 2014 to April 2015, Latigo used threats and blackmail tactics to force the victim to do things against her will. Latigo had used the naked images she had previously sent during their relationship to compel her to do a variety of things, including complying with his sexual demands. If she refused, he would post the images online until she acquiesced. On many occasions, she had to contact Google to have naked pictures of her removed. Latigo also sent the images to her sister, her sister’s boss and male co-workers in an effort to control and harass her.
Latigo used his own email address to send messages to the woman in which he berated her and demanded she do things. He even created a Gmail account and Google+ page with the victim’s name and used a naked photograph of her as the profile picture.
Latigo’s actions caused the victim to move. She even changed jobs. She closed her Facebook account and got offline. However, he ultimately found her again, went to her new job and continued to harass her.
The jury also heard from another witness that placed Latigo at the victim’s daughter’s school indicating he was physically stalking her. A computer forensic expert also testified that Latigo accessed multiple Facebook accounts and the victim’s email from his own computer and attempted to cover his trail in the process.
Latigo represented himself during the trial and attempted to convince the jury that this entire case was about the victim wanting to hurt him. He claimed she created the accounts used to harass her. However, she actually broke down in tears on the stand when she learned her naked images had been sent in response to a Craigslist ad she supposedly created. No evidence was presented to the jury that demonstrated the victim ever had control of either of these accounts. In fact, Latigo’s own xpert witness testified that the email address at issue was created on one of Latigo’s computers seized by the FBI during a search of his home.
The jury ultimately did not believe Latigo’s claims and found he intentionally harassed the victim and caused her substantial emotional distress. He was convicted as charged.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt presided over the trial and has sentencing for Jan. 8, 2017. At that time, Latigo faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. Following a detention hearing held in June 2015, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson ordered Latigo into custody, finding his “alleged conduct to be so egregious and threatening to the victim, that detention is warranted.” She further noted he presented a danger to the victim. He will remain in custody pending his sentencing hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri Zack and Steve Schammel are prosecuting the case.
Illegal Alien Gets Max for Assaulting a Border Patrol AgentRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 55-year-old Mexican National has been ordered to prison following his conviction of assaulting a federal agent, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. A federal jury sitting in Laredo convicted Miguel Cabrera-Rangel on June 29, 2017, following a two-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña ordered Cabrera-Rangel to serve the statutory maximum of 96 months. At the hearing, the court heard from the victim who provided an update of continuing issues he is having with his eye. He had a pre-existing condition that made him more likely to suffer from a detached retina and his ophthalmologist provided a written statement indicating that the blow to the agent likely precipitated the issue. The detached retina was repaired but then he developed cataracts. He is having another surgery tomorrow. Not a U.S. citizen, Cabrera-Rangel is expected to face deportation proceedings following his prison sentence.
During trial, the jury heard testimony from a Border Patrol (BP) agent who was investigating a report of possible undocumented aliens on a ranch near Hebbronville. He came upon a group of aliens and attempted to apprehend them. Cabrera-Rangel was one of them and engaged in a struggle with the agent, ultimately gaining control of his service flashlight. Cabrera-Rangel then punched the agent in the face and struck him with the flashlight, causing a bilateral fracture of the nose along with lacerations and contusions. Cabrera-Rangel fled, but was later apprehended on a fishing boat in Copano Bay off Corpus Christi.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI investigated the case in conjunction with BP. Assistant U.S Attorneys Michael Bukiewicz and Christopher Coker prosecuted the case.
Heroin and Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to over Nineteen Years ConfinementRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Felix Alfredo Rivas was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Callie V. Granade to 235 months confinement for heroin and methamphetamine trafficking.
On October 3, 2016, Rivas was stopped on Interstate 65 by a City of Saraland police officer for a traffic infraction. During the course of the traffic stop a City of Saraland dedicated canine, “Chico”, alerted for the presence of drugs in the vehicle, a Ford F-150 truck. A later search of the vehicle revealed 128.6 grams of methamphetamine secreted in one of the two gas tanks installed on the vehicle. Further investigation revealed that Rivas was from Houston, Texas and that he crossed the U.S/Mexican border at Laredo, Texas in the same truck on September 30, 2016, approximately 72 hours prior to the traffic stop in Saraland.
Department of Homeland Security Investigators and officers from the United States Customs and Border Protection agency continued to investigate Rivas and his connection to drug trafficking. The investigation and trial evidence revealed that Rivas purchased insurance for yet another Ford truck that was stopped crossing the U./S./Mexican border, also at Laredo, three days prior to Rivas crossing the border with the methamphetamine. A search of that vehicle revealed almost 9 kilograms of heroin hidden in two batteries for the vehicle. The evidence revealed that Rivas had previously flown from Houston to Chicago to purchase insurance for the heroin laden vehicle and then he drove the vehicle back to Houston to be used for the drug run. Rivas was convicted of the offenses after a three day jury trial in July, 2017. Rivas is a native of El Salvador. He is a non U.S. citizen but was legally present in the United States at the time of the criminal activity.
The case was jointly investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the City of Saraland Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys George F. May and Lawrence J. Bullard prosecuted the case.
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore stated: “Our office partnered with federal investigators and the City of Saraland Police Department to do what the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been doing for years……..making our community and the communities in other States safer by interdicting drug traffickers”. Moore added: “People may be surprised to learn that heroin and opioid overdoses have overtaken traffic accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. This is the kind of problem that our Attorney General Jeff Sessions has directed federal agents and federal prosecutors to aggressively attack. We intend to do our part in the Southern District of Alabama.”
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao/als/
Former United States Merchant Marine Academy Employee Sentenced to 36 Months’ Imprisonment for Receiving BribesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, John C. McCormick, a former Planner/Estimator for the Department of Public Works of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, located in Kings Point, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Arthur D. Spatt to 36 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for receiving a bribe as a public official. The Court also imposed a $10,000 fine and a forfeiture order of $78,000 for funds illegally received by McCormick as part of the scheme. McCormick pleaded guilty on January 20, 2017 in connection with his participation in a scheme to defraud the United States by steering maintenance and repair contracts to favored contractors in exchange for bribes.
Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Douglas Shoemaker, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General (DOT-OIG), and James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.
Between 2000 and 2014 while McCormick was employed in the Department of Public Works of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, he solicited and submitted fake bids on contracts he supervised in order to steer the awarding of maintenance and repair contracts to favored contractors who paid him bribes. McCormick, using his position, arranged, supervised or effected a majority of construction contracts at the Academy. He became known among contractors as “Ten Percent McCormick,” in reference to the amount of bribe payments required to do business at the Academy. McCormick accepted more than $150,000 in bribes, according to court filings.
“McCormick abused his position of trust by putting government contracts up for sale in order to line his pockets with bribe money,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rohde. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who engage in public corruption that threatens the integrity of the contract procuring process.”
“The sentence of Mr. John McCormick for bribery at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is a clear signal that those entrusted with the stewardship of taxpayer dollars will be held responsible for maintaining the highest level of integrity,” stated DOT-OIG Regional Special Agent-in-Charge Shoemaker. “Accountability is a priority of the Secretary and OIG, and working with our law enforcement peers and prosecutorial colleagues, we will continue our vigorous efforts to protect the taxpayers’ investment in our nation’s transportation system from fraud, waste, abuse and violations of law.”
“The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the most elite institutions in the country responsible for training our young leaders of tomorrow,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Robnett. “Today’s sentence today should deter other public servants from engaging in such misdeeds. IRS-CI is proud to lend our financial expertise to an investigation where the crimes harm all U.S. citizens.”
The government's case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Burton T. Ryan, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Madeline O’Connor of the Office’s Civil Division.
The Defendant:
JOHN C. McCORMICK
Age: 60
Residence: Atlantic Beach, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-490 (ADS)
Former New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Making A False Statement to Commit Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Arthur Nunes, III, 41, formerly of Dover, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty today in federal court to making a false statement in order to obtain Social Security benefits, announced Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley.
According to court documents and statements made at today’s hearing, in February of 2012, Nunes submitted an application for Child’s Insurance Benefits to the Social Security Administration on behalf of his two children based on the earnings record of their mother, who had passed away in January of 2012. On the application, he indicated that the children resided with him. The application was approved and Nunes, as the children’s representative payee, began receiving monthly benefits in March of 2012. As their representative payee, Nunes was responsible for using the benefits he received on behalf of his children for their current needs, such as food, clothing, housing, and medical care. In a 2014 report filed with the Social Security Administration, Nunes maintained that the children resided with him and that he used the benefits for the children’s care and support.
An investigation revealed that the children had lived with a relative after their mother passed away and the children had not lived with Nunes at any time after their mother’s death. The investigation also showed that Nunes had not used any of the benefits to support the children. The defendant’s concealment of the true residency of the children and his failure to use the benefits for their needs caused him to get $36,526 in Child’s Insurance Benefits payments that he was not entitled to receive.
Nunes is scheduled to be sentenced on February 2, 2018.
The case was investigated by the by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
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Former Las Vegas Strip Club Owner Sentenced to Prison for Evading More Than $1.7 Million in Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
The former owner of a Las Vegas strip club was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for evading payment of more than $1.7 million in employment taxes, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada.
Frederick John Rizzolo, of Las Vegas, the former owner of The Crazy Horse Too, pleaded guilty in June, to attempt to evade and defeat the payment of employment taxes that he owed for 2000 through 2002.
According to documents filed with the court, Rizzolo paid The Crazy Horse Too’s floormen, bouncers, bartenders and shift managers in cash, but failed to provide accurate records of these payments to the Club’s bookkeepers. As a result, Rizzolo caused false employment tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which underreported wages paid and thus the taxes due. In 2006, Rizzolo admitted this conduct and pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States. Following his plea, however, Rizzolo took affirmative steps to conceal his assets and income to thwart the IRS from collecting the delinquent taxes that he owed. For example, Rizzolo directed $900,000 that he received from the sale of The Crazy Horse Club, in Philadelphia, to an offshore bank account in the Cook Islands. He also withdrew $50,000 from a bank account, writing a check to a third party, who in turn provided the money back to Rizzolo, thereby avoiding an IRS levy and seizure of the funds. Additionally, Rizzolo falsely stated to the IRS that he had no income or assets and no ability to pay the taxes owed.
In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, U.S. District Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro ordered Rizzolo to serve six months of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $2,637,290 to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Myhre thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith Jr. and Trial Attorney Rebecca J. Sable of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Former Las Vegas Strip Club Owner Sentenced to Prison for Evading More Than $1.7 Million in Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, NEV. – The former owner of a Las Vegas strip club was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for evading payment of more than $1.7 million in employment taxes, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada.
Frederick John Rizzolo, of Las Vegas, the former owner of The Crazy Horse Too, pleaded guilty in June, to attempt to evade and defeat the payment of employment taxes that he owed for 2000 through 2002.
According to documents filed with the court, Rizzolo paid The Crazy Horse Too’s floormen, bouncers, bartenders and shift managers in cash, but failed to provide accurate records of these payments to the Club’s bookkeepers. As a result, Rizzolo caused false employment tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which underreported wages paid and thus the taxes due. In 2006, Rizzolo admitted this conduct and pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States. Following his plea, however, Rizzolo took affirmative steps to conceal his assets and income to thwart the IRS from collecting the delinquent taxes that he owed. For example, Rizzolo directed $900,000 that he received from the sale of The Crazy Horse Club, in Philadelphia, to an offshore bank account in the Cook Islands. He also withdrew $50,000 from a bank account, writing a check to a third party, who in turn provided the money back to Rizzolo, thereby avoiding an IRS levy and seizure of the funds. Additionally, Rizzolo falsely stated to the IRS that he had no income or assets and no ability to pay the taxes owed.
In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, U.S. District Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro ordered Rizzolo to serve six months of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $2,637,290 to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Myhre thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith Jr. and Trial Attorney Rebecca J. Sable of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
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Former CFO of Not-For-Profit Organization Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud and Making a False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
Earlier today, United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie sentenced defendant Paul Cronin to 24 months’ imprisonment at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York. In May 2017, Cronin pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with one count of wire fraud and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return, in connection with his conduct as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of United States Council for International Business (USCIB), a not-for-profit organization that advocates for international business and trade. As part of the sentence imposed by the Court, Cronin was ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution to USCIB and $229,364 in outstanding taxes.
Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.
“The defendant abused his position as Chief Financial Officer of a not-for-profit by misappropriating the very funds he was charged with managing,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rohde. “Together with our law enforcement partners, this Office will prosecute individuals like the defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Cronin didn’t serve his organization with honor; he instead engaged in criminal activity to the detriment of its cause,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “Today’s sentence should send a message that this type of behavior won’t be tolerated, especially when those in positions of trust break the law.”
“Stolen money is taxable in the United States,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Robnett. “Stealing money from an international business advocacy group and not paying tax on such income not only harms the citizens here at home, but has worldwide economic impact. Today Mr. Cronin has been held accountable, and the IRS is proud to share its financial expertise to such a far reaching investigation.”
As detailed in court filings, Cronin abused his position as the CFO of USCIB to misappropriate more than $1.3 million in funds to pay for personal expenses. Cronin perpetrated this scheme to defraud in several ways, specifically by using company funds to pay his personal credit card debts, writing checks from USCIB to himself, and making purchases on USCIB credit cards for personal purposes. In order to conceal his illegal scheme, the defendant falsified entries in USCIB bookkeeping records. Cronin further sought to conceal his criminal conduct by failing to report the embezzled funds as income to the Internal Revenue Service.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Solomon is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
PAUL CRONIN
Age: 55
Daniel Island, South Carolina
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-190 (RJD)
Florida Resident Sentenced to Prison for Obstructing the IRS and Stealing Government RefundsRead the Press Release
A Boynton Beach, Florida, resident was sentenced to 30 months in prison today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the due administration of the internal revenue laws and theft of government funds, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to documents filed with the court, from 2010 to 2015, David R. Andre, 41, filed fraudulent personal tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that sought more than $5.6 million in refunds to which he was not entitled. As a result of these returns, which falsely reported income earned and income tax withheld, the IRS paid Andre more than $485,000 in refunds. He used the funds to purchase his residence and multiple vehicles, including a Jaguar and Mercedes Benz. In late 2012, the IRS began trying to collect the taxes Andre owed and placed a lien on his residence. Days after the lien was recorded, Andre filed a form with the IRS that falsely claimed he was making a substantial payment, and the IRS released the lien. After Andre did not make the payment, the IRS revoked its release and re-filed the lien. In 2015, Andre also made false statements to IRS agents and told them that he purchased his residence with money he inherited, did not recall receiving any large refunds from the IRS, and had not filed a tax return since 2008.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra also sentenced Andre to serve three years of supervised release, forfeit $137,582.70 to the United States and pay $485,298.96 in restitution to the IRS. In June, Andre pleaded guilty to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the due administration of the internal revenue laws and theft of government money.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Daniel McGraw and Charles Edgar, Jr. of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Florida Man Sentenced on Marijuana ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Travis Beckley, 63, of Miami, FL, who was convicted of attempt to possess with intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who handled the case, stated that on August 10, 2016, the defendant attempted to receive a shipment of approximately 145 pounds of high-grade marijuana. The marijuana was in individual bags, each weighing approximately one pound, all of which were packed into four barrels in three wooden crates. These crates were shipped from the State of Nevada to a storage locker located in Erie County, NY. Beckley traveled from Miami to Western New York, signed for the marijuana load, and was immediately arrested by law enforcement officers.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the Hamburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gregory Wickett.
Felon from Laguna Pueblo Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Shane Riley, 45, an enrolled member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to violating the federal firearms laws by unlawfully possessing a firearm. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Riley will be sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Riley was arrested on Jan. 23, 2017, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on May 30, 2016, in Cibola County, N.M. According to the indictment, Riley was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
During today’s change of plea hearing, Riley pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on May 30, 2016, he possessed a firearm while on the Pueblo of Laguna in Cibola County. Riley acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he previously had been convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in 2002.
Riley has been in custody since his arrest and remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Laguna Pueblo Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson is prosecuting the case.
Felon Who Attempted to Rob Home Depot in Golden Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
DENVER – Aaron Carson Cheek, age 27, of Golden, was sentenced yesterday to serve 84 months in federal prison for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence by U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and ATF Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Debora Livingston announced. Cheek was in custody prior to the sentencing hearing, and was remanded following the sentencing hearing.
Cheek was first charged by Criminal Complaint on June 6, 2016. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on June 23, 2016. He pled guilty to the federal gun crime on July 27, 2017. He was sentenced today, Thursday, October 26, 2017.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the defendant’s plea agreement, on May 31, 2016, Cheek entered a Home Depot store located on West Colfax in Golden, Colorado. He caught the attention of Home Depot employees because of the length of time he was in the store, as well as his unusual behavior. When an employee tried to make contact with Cheek he brandished a 9mm handgun and stated, “Don’t say anything and we won’t have a problem.” He exited the store only to be again confronted by other Home Depot employees. After a brief physical altercation Cheek again pulled his weapon, stating “Do you want to make this real?” He then fled the scene in a truck, but not before the Home Depot employees were able to get his license plate number.
Golden Police officers responded to the area to look for Cheek’s vehicle. The Golden Police officers had earlier in the day received a call from Cheek about an alleged assault. While they looked near that address, the located his vehicle. An officer blocked the truck in a parking space, ordering the defendant to follow his instructions. Cheek did not follow the officer’s instruction, which ultimately led to the officer tackling Cheek, taking him into custody. An inventory of the vehicle after the arrest uncovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, two boxes of ammunition, and a suspected destructive device.
On November 4, 2010, the defendant was convicted and sentenced to 180 days imprisonment for possession of a controlled substance, a felony, in the 362nd District Court in Denton County, Texas. This conviction meant that Cheek was not legally allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.
"We and the ATF focus our enforcement especially on people like this defendant who are prohibited from having guns yet using them to endanger others. Store security, the Golden Police Department, ATF, and our prosecutor did a fantastic job getting Mr. Cheek where he belongs."
“Offenders like Cheek are why ATF exists,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Debora Livingston. “People who use violence to further their criminal agenda are the most dangerous criminals out there. Working with our local partners, ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office can put these criminals away for a long time.”
This case was investigated by the ATF and the Golden Police Department. The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason St. Julien.
Federal Jury Finds Orlando Woman Guilty of Aiding in the Preparation of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury has found Tammie McConico, a/k/a “Tammie Brown,” (56, Orlando) guilty of aiding the preparation of false tax returns. She faces a maximum penalty of 51 years in federal prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2018.
McConico was indicted on April 12, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, between at least 2010 and 2014, McConico held herself out as a tax preparation expert who offered assistance with federal income tax returns as part of her “ministry” to the community. Her customers would bring her their W-2’s, charitable giving receipts, and other tax documents and she would prepare their tax returns for a fee of $500-$1,000 per return, which McConico would deduct from the customers’ refunds. These returns resulted in significant tax refunds for her customers, which McConico attributed to her vast experience in the tax industry, her attendance at tax seminars, and her previous employment with the Internal Revenue Service. McConico claimed that she spent extra time with each tax return, and that she knew about “hidden” tax deductions that other tax preparers did not get for their customers. In actuality, McConico had never worked in the tax industry, had little tax training, and had never worked for the IRS. She obtained refunds for her customers by putting false information on their returns, without their knowledge, including false losses, income from fake businesses, false family member exemptions, and false higher education expenses. Many of her customers discovered the false information after they were audited by the IRS, and required to pay back their refunds plus interest and penalties. As part of her scheme, McConico collected over $467,687 in tax preparation fees between 2011 and 2012.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vincent S. Chiu.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Prepares for Prescription Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN –U.S. Attorney, D. Michael Dunavant, Western District of Tennessee, will join the Drug Enforcement Administration on October 28, 2017 for its 14th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The biannual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at thousands of collection sites around the country, including here at Kroger, 7615 Highway 70 Bartlett, TN. This one-day event will make it convenient for the public to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds, more than 4,050 tons, of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
"Our office is pleased to partner with DEA for this important cause. DEA is to be commended for its efforts to provide citizens across the country the opportunity to dispose of unused prescription painkillers. With the opioid epidemic at an all-time high, we must take advantage of every opportunity to rid our communities of drugs that destroy the lives of our fellow citizens," said D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney, Western District of Tennessee.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov where you can search by zip code, city or state.
Drug Dealer Sentenced on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Joe Len Boman, 47, of Quitman, Mississippi, was sentenced this week in federal court for his participation in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy and for possession of stolen guns. Court documents reflects that Boman was involved in the methamphetamine distribution operation headed in Mobile by co-conspirator Ryan Scott Burkhardt, who was charged and convicted in federal court on numerous charges, including his shooting of a Mobile police officer in March of 2016. Burkhardt committed suicide while in custody earlier this year. Boman pled guilty to the two federal charges in July of 2017.
United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Boman to 70 months’ imprisonment on each count, and ordered that the sentences run concurrently. He also ordered that upon Boman’s release from custody, Boman will serve a four-year term of supervised release. Boman will undergo treatment for drug abuse while in prison and as a condition of his supervised release. No fine was imposed, but the judge ordered that Boman pay $200 in special mandatory assessments.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Street Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao/als/Drug Cartel Leader ArrestedRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Sutton
and Adam L. Braverman (619) 546-8941 and (619) 546-6717
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 27, 2017
SAN DIEGO – Major Mexican drug cartel leader Sajid Emilio Quintero Navidad, aka Cadete, was arraigned in federal court on October 11, 2017, following his arrest by United States law enforcement at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on charges arising out of the Southern District of California. Quintero Navidad is the cousin of fugitive Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero and the associate of high-ranking Mexican cartel leader Ismael Zambada-Garcia, aka Mayo. He is believed to be one of the highest-ranking Mexican cartel leaders to be arrested in the United States.
In August 2014, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Quintero Navidad as a “Special Designated Narcotics Trafficker,” pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. As part of that designation, OFAC identified Quintero Navidad as a Mexico-based narcotics trafficker who coordinated the transportation of ton quantities of cocaine from South America through Mexico and onto the United States.
A federal grand jury in San Diego returned an indictment on September 22, 2017, charging Quintero Navidad with Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Intended for Importation, Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments. That same day, the Clerk of the Court issued a sealed warrant for his arrest. On October 11, 2017, Quintero Navidad was arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, and on that same day, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jan M. Adler arraigned Quintero Navidad on these charges and unsealed the indictment against him.
The unsealed indictment marks the conclusion of the initial phase of a multi-year investigation. This joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation targeted the leadership elements, lieutenants, associates, and money launderers connected with the Rafael Caro-Quintero (RCQ) DTO and Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO).
“Today is yet another reminder that there is no place to hide, because the Southern District of California, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue and prosecute international drug kingpins who for years profited from the shipment and sale of illegal drugs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson. “With this action, one of the most significant drug traffickers in Mexico will be brought to justice.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Robinson also praised the outstanding work of the federal team from HSI Calexico / DEA Imperial County in the culmination of this investigation. Acting U.S. Attorney Robinson also thanked Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, and the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for their ongoing assistance in this investigation.
“The arrest of Sajid Emilio Quintero Navidad is a result of outstanding investigative work by HSI special agents in Calexico, in collaboration with our federal, state, local and international law enforcement partners,” said Dave Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of HSI in San Diego. “HSI agents worked tirelessly to identify and arrest Mr. Quintero Navidad, underscoring our resolve to ensure he is brought to justice.”
“The arrest of Sajid Quintero-Navidad illustrates the great work that DEA and its law enforcement partners do every day,” said DEA San Diego Special Agent in Charge William Sherman. “This high level target will no longer be able to smuggle deadly drugs across our border.”
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
DEFENDANT Case Number 17CR2976-CAB
Sajid Emilio Quintero Navidad, aka Cadete Age: 36 Mexico City, Mexico
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances for Purpose of Unlawful Importation, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 959, 960 and 963; Term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine and 5 years supervised release.
Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960 and 963. Term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine and 5 years supervised release.
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1956. Term of custody up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and 5 years of supervised release.
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Drug Enforcement Administration
Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations
United States Marshals Service
Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control
Customs and Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations
El Centro Police Department
Brawley Police Department
Imperial County District Attorney’s Office
Imperial Valley, Law Enforcement Coordination Center
*An indictment or complaint is not evidence that the defendants committed the crimes charged. The defendants are presumed innocent until the Government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Dominican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Jose Mejia Ruiz, 40, was charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
According to the indictment, on Oct. 3, 2017, law enforcement in Boston encountered Jose Mejia Ruiz and determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States having previously been deported on Jan. 12, 2011.
Ruiz faces a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dominican National Charged with Fentanyl-Related CrimesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national was charged on Wed., Oct. 25, 2017, with drug crimes related to his role in a wide-ranging operation that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout Boston and Cape Cod.
Kelvin Chalas, a/k/a Jose Solivan, a/k/a “Keco,” 40, a Dominican national residing in Dorchester, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of 40 grams or more of fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Chalas was arrested on Aug. 22, 2017, and charged by criminal complaint along with three co-conspirators.
Chalas and his co-conspirators, James Ramirez and Alex and Kevin Fraga, shipped large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin from Boston to Cape Cod, where it was redistributed. It is alleged that Chalas helped run a drug stash house for Ramirez, who would collect the narcotics and take them to Cape Cod for distribution.
The conspiracy charge provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The possession charge provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years to life of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. Chalas will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe made the announcement today. The investigation was led by the DEA Cape Cod Resident Office and the Massachusetts State Police - Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the Brewster, Harwich, Sandwich, Mashpee, Chatham, Yarmouth, and Barnstable Police Departments and the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen of Weinreb’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
District Man Sentenced to More Than 33 Years in Prison for Kidnapping and Raping His WifeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 49-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 33 years and four months in prison for severely beating his wife while holding her captive in a small U-Haul storage unit, and for raping her two days later in a motel room, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, was found guilty by a jury in June 2017 of kidnapping while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, first-degree sexual abuse, and assault. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release. Also, upon his release from prison, he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant and his wife – both homeless – spent the night of Jan. 12, 2017 in a small storage locker that she was renting at a facility in the 2200 block of Fifth Street NE. Once the facility closed, the defendant began accusing her of cheating on him. He took what the victim described as a wooden pole, with metal on each end, and brutally beat her with it. He kept her locked in the unit the rest of the night and, when she needed to use the restroom, he ordered her not to let anyone see her injuries and he accompanied her to the restroom and back.
The next evening, the defendant called his father, who agreed to pay for a hotel room for the defendant and the victim. At the defendant’s order, the victim hid her face from her father-in-law as they got into his car in the dark. On Sunday, Jan. 15, after a day of relative peace, the defendant again became enraged and raped his wife at the hotel, which is in the 1600 block of New York Avenue NE. He then hit her in the head with the TV remote until he broke it. When the defendant went to the hotel’s front office to replace the remote, the victim escaped from the hotel room wearing nothing but panties, shoes and a winter coat. As she fled, she sought help from people she encountered, but no one would help her.
Finally, she arrived on foot at the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Fifth District Station, where she received help from officers there. Veteran police officers, one of whom had patrolled the streets for over two decades, were shocked at the degree of the victim’s injuries: her eyes were extremely bloodshot and swollen almost shut, her nose was broken, and her body was badly bruised.
Later that night, the defendant was arrested in the same hotel room in which he had raped his wife earlier in the day.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of officers from MPD’s Fifth District and from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit, as well as the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and other medical personnel at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. She also expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, which performed DNA analysis of evidence recovered in the case, and to Nicole Stahlmann, Clinical Manager of the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners.
She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorney Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Paralegal Specialists Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie, Brenda C. Williams and Donhue Troy Griffith; Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris and Tracey Hawkins; Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez, and Interns Kate Sullivan, Layla Kousari and Jonah Panikar. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa S. West and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
District Man Sentenced to 31 Years in Prison for 2015 Slaying in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Eugene Burns, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 31 years in prison for killing a man in a Southeast Washington apartment, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Burns was found guilty by a jury in July 2017 of first-degree murder while armed and related weapons offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo. Following the prison term, Burns will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Burns had been in a drug-related dispute with the victim, Onyekachi Emmanuel Osuchukwu III, of Woodland Hills, Calif., and began planning to kill him. On Nov. 14, 2015, Mr. Osuchukwu flew into the Washington, D.C. area. That day, Burns lured Mr. Osuchukwu to Burns’s mother’s apartment in the 2900 block of Second Street SE. He confronted Mr. Osuchukwu and shot and killed him before fleeing the scene.
The next day, the defendant, along with two relatives, returned to the apartment and Burns supposedly “discovered” that his best friend had been killed. After a call to 911, Mr. Osuchuwku, 24, was found on the living room floor with multiple gunshot wounds. An investigation led to Burns’s arrest in December 2015, and he has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives, officers, and mobile crime technicians who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Lashone Samuels; Diana Lim, David Foster; M. Laverne Perry, Tanya Via and Debra Cannon, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, and William Henderson; former Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia; Forensic Operations/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Computer Forensics Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Law Clerk Alexandra Maher.
Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Willoughby, Jr. and Kevin Flynn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Woman in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darnell Franklin, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for groping a stranger after pushing her into the back seat of a car, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Franklin pled guilty in August 2017 to a charge of third-degree sexual abuse. He entered the plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia under what is known as the Alford doctrine. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction. He was sentenced by the Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo. Once released from prison, Franklin will be required to register as a sex offender for a 10-year period and will be on supervised release for three years.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 22, 2017, at about 7 p.m., Franklin approached the victim – a total stranger – inside a store at 35th and Clay Streets NE, where he tried to engage her in small talk and told her that she was pretty. The victim told Franklin that she had a boyfriend, concluded her business in the store, and left.
Franklin then followed the victim outside, to a car-for-hire that was waiting to drive her home. As the victim was getting into the back seat of that car, Franklin pushed her in, got in beside her and began fondling her as she tried to fight him off. The driver saw what was going on and got out of the car to come to the victim’s aid. As the driver neared the back door of his car, Franklin fled down the street. The driver and the victim saw some nearby officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and told them what had happened.
The MPD officers spotted Franklin, and with other officers, chased and caught him.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of officers from MPD’s Sixth District and from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan. Finally, she commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
Defendant on Probation Arrested on More Drug Charges; Law Enforcement Officers Seize Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, NY—Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that John Kidd, 34, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Tokash, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant was on federal supervised release since April 25, 2017, after serving 70 months in prison for his February 2013 conviction on charges of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine and crack cocaine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Suspecting that Kidd was involved once again in drug trafficking activities, on October 24, 2017, U.S. Probation Officers and the Drug Enforcement Administration searched the defendant’s residence and found multiple violations of Kidd’s conditions of release. Probation officers recovered two pounds of marijuana, three ounces of cocaine, a digital scale, drug packaging materials, and other drug paraphernalia. Officers and agents also found over $402,000.00 in US currency from drug proceeds, the amount of which reflects over 11 kilograms of cocaine. In addition, shotgun shells were also found in the residence.
Kidd made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was ordered detained.
The defendant has a violation of supervised release hearing before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara on November 22, 2017, at 9:00 a.m.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the U.S. Probation, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Anthony San Giacomo.
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.DEA Taking Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs at Locations Around New Mexico on SaturdayRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney’s Office and UNM’s Health and Sciences Center are encouraging the public to participate in DEA’s 14th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm as part of the prevention and education component of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative.
During the last National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in April 2017, Americans turned in 900,386 pounds – 450 tons – of prescription drugs at 5,498 sites staffed by DEA and more than 4,000 of its state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Here in New Mexico, DEA and nearly 50 law enforcement partners collected more than 6,000 pounds of medication at 74 collection sites throughout the state.
“Prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest growing drug problem. More people die each year from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin, cocaine or any other illegal drug,” said Karen I. Flowers, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration-El Paso Division. “By continuing to offer safe and secure options for our citizens to dispose of their unwanted prescription drugs, we are reducing the threat that these drugs pose to public health.”
“Properly disposing of unused prescription drugs is a simple and easy way for all of us to help fight this deadly epidemic that’s killing too many people and the problem is getting worse,” said Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Tierney. “Protect our families by properly disposing of your unused, unwanted and expired medicine.”
DEA’s National Take Back Initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Unused medicines in the home are a problem because the majority of the 6.4 million Americans who abused prescription drugs in 2015, including almost 4 million who abused prescription painkillers, say they obtained those drugs from friends and family, including from a home medicine cabinet, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health released last month. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers. Almost 30,000 people – 78 a day – died from overdosing on these painkillers or heroin in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Members of the public can find a nearby Prescription Drug Take-Back collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the “Got Drugs?” icon, and entering their zip code into the search window, or they can call 800-882-9539. Only pills and other solids, like patches, will be accepted at DEA Drug Take Back collection sites – the public should not bring liquids, needles or other sharp items to take back sites. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
DEA Prepares for Prescription Drug Take Back DayRead the Press Release
Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, will join the DEA on October 28th for its 14th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The biannual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at thousands of collection sites around the country, including 19 here in the Southern District of Florida. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg stated, “Prescription drugs that serve no medical purpose should not be in our homes. They are subject to misuse and abuse. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative addresses this public safety and health issue by allowing everyone to dispose of prescription drugs safely and anonymously. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this bi-annual event to rid your homes of unused, unnecessary and outdated prescription drugs.”
Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.
Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city, or state.
DEA Prepares for Prescription Drug Takeback Day on Saturday, October 28, 2017Read the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Acting U.S. Attorney Grant Jaquith encourages all to take advantage of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration 14th National Prescription Drug Takeback Day on October 28th. The biannual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at thousands of collection sites around the country, including many here in the Northern District of New York. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
“The opioid and heroin epidemic is devastating families and communities, causing overdose deaths, increasing property crimes, and encouraging drug gangs to compete for customers. The DEA Prescription Drug Takeback Day provides a safe and anonymous way to get unused prescription drugs out of our homes and away from potential drug abusers without harming the environment, and we encourage all to take advantage of this opportunity.” said Acting United States Attorney Grant Jaquith.
DEA Special Agent in Charge James Hunt stated, “New Yorkers have been the targets of opioid traffickers pushing diverted medication, heroin and fentanyl onto our streets. Abusing prescription medication has turned Americans into addicts and is the cause of tens of thousands of overdose deaths. This Saturday, you can remove threats that lurk in your medicine cabinet and dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medication at any of our collection sites.”
Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.) Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash poses potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city, or state.
DEA Prepares for Prescription Drug Takeback DayRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania will join DEA on October 28, 2017, for its 14th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The biannual event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at thousands of collection sites around the country, including here in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
“The death toll from prescription painkillers has tripled in the past decade and the problem is getting worse, said U.S. Attorney Brandler.” “Over 16,000 people die every year from prescription painkiller overdoses – that’s more than the number of overdoses from heroin, cocaine, or any other illegal drug.”
“Disposing of leftover painkillers or other addictive medicines in the house is one of the best ways to prevent a member of your family from becoming a victim of the opioid epidemic,” said Gary Tuggle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division. “More people start down the path of addiction and overdose death with opioid prescription drugs than any other substance. The abuse of these drugs is our nation’s biggest drug problem.”
Last April Americans turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills. The disposal service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. (The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches.)
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Some painkiller abusers move on to heroin: Four out of five new heroin users started with painkillers.
Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash pose potential safety and health hazards. This initiative addresses the public safety and public health issues that surround medications languishing in home cabinets, becoming highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
For more information or to locate a collection site near you, go the DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day web site at https://takebackday.dea.gov/#collection-locator where you can search by zip code, city, or state.
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DEA Joins Local Law Enforcement Partners in Nationwide Take Back of Opioids and Other Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
The Drug Enforcement Administration will join forces tomorrow with more than 4,000 local, tribal, and community partners at more than 5,000 collection sites to collect potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The effort will help prevent these drugs, including opioids, from falling into the wrong hands and contributing to a lethal drug abuse epidemic in the United States.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time, individuals can take pills and other solid forms of medication at nearby collection sites (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps), which can be located at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The DEA action comes just days after President Donald J. Trump announced the mobilization of his entire Administration to address drug addiction and opioid abuse by directing the declaration of a Nationwide Public Health Emergency to address the opioids crisis.
“Today the United States is facing the worst drug crisis in our history, as more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than ever before,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “We lose one American life to drugs every nine minutes. This crisis affects every American, as it is filling up our emergency rooms, our foster homes, and our cemeteries.
“President Trump is right to make this issue a top priority for his administration, and his plan will make a difference for millions of Americans. It will help those suffering from addiction get the treatment they need and prevent many new addictions from starting in the first place. I commend him for recognizing the public health emergency that this is.”
“This Department of Justice is committed to doing its part to turn the tide. This year we have conducted the largest opioid-related health care fraud takedown in American history, charging some 120 defendants with opioid-related crimes. Since then I have taken additional steps to stop opioid-related fraud, creating a new data analytics team that can find evidence of overprescribing, and appointing 12 prosecutors to focus solely on this issue. I firmly believe that these steps will prevent drug abuse and addiction and save American lives.
“We will continue to do our part in this effort, prosecuting drug traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable people suffering from addiction, so that every American can be safe and live out their God-given potential."
On Oct. 17, the Justice Department announced the indictments of two Chinese nationals and their North American based traffickers and distributors for separate conspiracies to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and other opiate substances in the United States. In July, the department announced the seizure of the largest criminal marketplace on the Internet, AlphaBay, which operated for over two years on the dark web and was used to sell deadly illegal drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl, throughout the world. The international operation was led by the United States and involved cooperation with law enforcement authorities around the world.
In addition, DEA this week announced the formation of six new heroin enforcement teams in hard hit areas such as West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, New York and Massachusetts.
The Take-Back initiative by the DEA addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. DEA launched its prescription drug take back program when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.
“Disposing of leftover painkillers or other addictive medicines in the house is one of the best ways to prevent a member of your family from becoming a victim of the opioid epidemic,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. “More people start down the path of addiction through the misuse of opioid prescription drugs than any other substance. The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has led to the largest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen.”
Last April the public turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.DEA Joins Local Law Enforcement Partners in Nationwide Take Back of Opioids and Other Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration will join forces tomorrow with more than 4,000 local, tribal, and community partners at more than 5,000 collection sites to collect potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The effort will help prevent these drugs, including opioids, from falling into the wrong hands and contributing to a lethal drug abuse epidemic in the United States.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time, individuals can take pills and other solid forms of medication at nearby collection sites (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps), which can be located at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The DEA action comes just days after President Donald J. Trump announced the mobilization of his entire Administration to address drug addiction and opioid abuse by directing the declaration of a Nationwide Public Health Emergency to address the opioids crisis.
"Today the United States is facing the worst drug crisis in our history, as more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than ever before," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "We lose one American life to drugs every nine minutes. This crisis affects every American, as it is filling up our emergency rooms, our foster homes, and our cemeteries.
"President Trump is right to make this issue a top priority for his administration, and his plan will make a difference for millions of Americans. It will help those suffering from addiction get the treatment they need and prevent many new addictions from starting in the first place. I commend him for recognizing the public health emergency that this is."
"This Department of Justice is committed to doing its part to turn the tide. This year we have conducted the largest opioid-related health care fraud takedown in American history, charging some 120 defendants with opioid-related crimes. Since then I have taken additional steps to stop opioid-related fraud, creating a new data analytics team that can find evidence of overprescribing, and appointing 12 prosecutors to focus solely on this issue. I firmly believe that these steps will prevent drug abuse and addiction and save American lives.
"We will continue to do our part in this effort, prosecuting drug traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable people suffering from addiction, so that every American can be safe and live out their God-given potential."
On Oct. 17, the Justice Department announced the indictments of two Chinese nationals and their North American based traffickers and distributors for separate conspiracies to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and other opiate substances in the United States. In July, the department announced the seizure of the largest criminal marketplace on the Internet, AlphaBay, which operated for over two years on the dark web and was used to sell deadly illegal drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl, throughout the world. The international operation was led by the United States and involved cooperation with law enforcement authorities around the world.
In addition, DEA this week announced the formation of six new heroin enforcement teams in hard hit areas such as West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, New York and Massachusetts.
The Take-Back initiative by the DEA addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. DEA launched its prescription drug take back program when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.
"Disposing of leftover painkillers or other addictive medicines in the house is one of the best ways to prevent a member of your family from becoming a victim of the opioid epidemic," said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. "More people start down the path of addiction through the misuse of opioid prescription drugs than any other substance. The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has led to the largest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen."
Last April the public turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.
DEA Joins Local Law Enforcement Partners in Nationwide Take Back of Opioids and Other Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration will join forces tomorrow with more than 4,000 local, tribal, and community partners at more than 5,000 collection sites to collect potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The effort will help prevent these drugs, including opioids, from falling into the wrong hands and contributing to a lethal drug abuse epidemic in the United States.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time, individuals can take pills and other solid forms of medication at nearby collection sites (DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps), which can be located at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
The DEA action comes just days after President Donald J. Trump announced the mobilization of his entire Administration to address drug addiction and opioid abuse by directing the declaration of a Nationwide Public Health Emergency to address the opioids crisis.
“Today the United States is facing the worst drug crisis in our history, as more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than ever before,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “We lose one American life to drugs every nine minutes. This crisis affects every American, as it is filling up our emergency rooms, our foster homes, and our cemeteries.
“President Trump is right to make this issue a top priority for his administration, and his plan will make a difference for millions of Americans. It will help those suffering from addiction get the treatment they need and prevent many new addictions from starting in the first place. I commend him for recognizing the public health emergency that this is.”
“This Department of Justice is committed to doing its part to turn the tide. This year we have conducted the largest opioid-related health care fraud takedown in American history, charging some 120 defendants with opioid-related crimes. Since then I have taken additional steps to stop opioid-related fraud, creating a new data analytics team that can find evidence of overprescribing, and appointing 12 prosecutors to focus solely on this issue. I firmly believe that these steps will prevent drug abuse and addiction and save American lives.
“We will continue to do our part in this effort, prosecuting drug traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable people suffering from addiction, so that every American can be safe and live out their God-given potential."
On Oct. 17, the Justice Department announced the indictments of two Chinese nationals and their North American based traffickers and distributors for separate conspiracies to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and other opiate substances in the United States. In July, the department announced the seizure of the largest criminal marketplace on the Internet, AlphaBay, which operated for over two years on the dark web and was used to sell deadly illegal drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl, throughout the world. The international operation was led by the United States and involved cooperation with law enforcement authorities around the world.
In addition, DEA this week announced the formation of six new heroin enforcement teams in hard hit areas such as West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, New York and Massachusetts.
The Take-Back initiative by the DEA addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. DEA launched its prescription drug take back program when both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration advised the public that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—posed potential safety and health hazards.
“Disposing of leftover painkillers or other addictive medicines in the house is one of the best ways to prevent a member of your family from becoming a victim of the opioid epidemic,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. “More people start down the path of addiction through the misuse of opioid prescription drugs than any other substance. The abuse of these prescription drugs has fueled the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has led to the largest rate of overdose deaths this country has ever seen.”
Last April the public turned in 450 tons (900,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 13 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 8.1 million pounds—more than 4,050 tons—of pills.Council Bluffs Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Robert C. Stuart announced that on October 27, 2017, William J. Allen, a/k/a Billy Allen, 32, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced to 135 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Following the prison term, Allen will serve five years on supervised release.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated that Allen was responsible for the distribution of at least five kilograms (11 pounds) of methamphetamine in the Lincoln and Omaha areas between January of 2013 and August of 2016. In August of 2016, a confidential informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) purchased approximately one ounce of nearly pure methamphetamine from Allen.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Gun and Drug Charges in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Justin Dewayne Barr, age 32, of Scranton, SC, pled guilty in federal court in Florence to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Cocaine Base, and Marijuana. United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on February 28, 2017, a deputy with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle make an improper turn and then proceed through a red light. The deputy initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. Upon making contact with the driver of the vehicle, Justin Barr, the deputy smelled the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and asked Barr to step out of the vehicle. After Barr exited the vehicle, Barr ran, and a foot chase ensued. At one point during the chase, Barr fought with the deputy and turned the deputy’s wrist, turning the taser into the deputy’s inner thigh while it was cycling, causing the deputy to be briefly incapacitated. Barr was taken in custody shortly thereafter.
A subsequent search of Barr’s person revealed two bags of marijuana and just over $1,000 in cash. A search of the vehicle revealed a bag of cocaine, a bag of cocaine base, a set of digital scales, and a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with eleven rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. The evidence presented also established that prior to his possession of the firearm, Barr had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
Ms. Drake stated the defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lake City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel of the Florence office handled the case.
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Connecticut Resident Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report Foreign Financial AccountsRead the Press Release
A Greenwich, Connecticut man pleaded guilty yesterday to failing to report funds he maintained in foreign bank accounts to the Department of Treasury, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Chief Don Fort, IRS Criminal Investigation.
According to court documents and information provided in court, Hyung Kwon Kim, a citizen of South Korea and, since 1998, a legal permanent resident of the United States, resided in Massachusetts and later in Connecticut. Around 1998, Kim traveled to Switzerland to identify financial institutions at which to open accounts for the purpose of receiving transfers of funds from another individual in Hong Kong. Over the next few years, Kim opened accounts at several banks, including Credit Suisse, UBS, Bank Leu, Clariden Leu, and Bank Hofmann. In 2004, the value of the funds in Kim’s accounts exceeded $28 million.
U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and permanent legal residents with a foreign financial interest in or signatory authority over a foreign financial account worth more than $10,000 are required to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, commonly known as an FBAR, disclosing the account.
Kim conspired with several bankers, including Dr. Edgar H. Paltzer, to conceal the funds from U.S. authorities. Paltzer, who was convicted in 2013 in the Southern District of New York for conspiring to defraud the United States, and the other bankers assisted Kim in opening accounts in the names of sham entities organized in Liechtenstein, Panama and the British Virgin Islands. Paltzer and the other bankers facilitated financial transactions for Kim, so that Kim could use the funds in the United States. For example, between 2003 and 2004, Kim directed Paltzer and another banker to issue nearly $3 million in checks payable to third parties in the United States for the purchase of a residence in Greenwich, Connecticut. In 2005, Kim created a nominee entity to hold title for the purchase of another home on Stage Harbor in Chatham, Massachusetts, for nearly $5 million. Kim and Paltzer communicated about the purchase in a manner that created the appearance that Kim was renting the property from a fictitious owner.
Between 2000 and 2008, Kim took multiple trips to Zurich, Switzerland and withdrew more than $600,000 in cash during these visits. He also brought his offshore assets back to the United States by purchasing millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry and loose gems. For example, in 2008, Kim purchased an 8.6 carat ruby ring from a jeweler in Greenwich, Connecticut, which he financed by causing Bank Leu to issue three checks totaling $2.2 million to the jeweler.
In 2008, during a trip to Zurich, Kim’s banker at Clariden Leu informed Kim that due to ongoing investigations in the United States, Kim could either disclose the accounts to the U.S. government, spend the funds, or move the funds to another institution. Kim moved the funds into nominee accounts at another bank. In 2011, Kim liquidated the accounts by, among other things, withdrawing tens of thousands of dollars in cash and purchasing three loose diamonds for about $1.7 million from the Greenwich jeweler.
Kim also admitted that from 2000 through 2011, he filed false income tax returns for 1999 through 2010, on which he failed to report income from the assets held in the foreign financial accounts that he owned and controlled in Switzerland.
As part of his plea agreement, Kim will pay a civil penalty of over $14 million dollars to the United States Treasury for failing to file, and filing false, FBARs, which is separate from any restitution the Court may order.
“For more than a decade Hyung Kim concealed his wealth in secret offshore accounts, evading reporting requirements and the payment of income taxes due,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg. “With his guilty plea, he is now held to account for his criminal conduct. Offshore tax evasion is a top priority for the Tax Division, and we will continue to work with our partners at IRS to follow the money and actively pursue those who persist in thinking that they can safely hide their income and assets offshore.”
“Mr. Kim’s plea is another example of what happens to those who dodge their tax obligations by utilizing offshore tax havens,” said Chief Don Fort, IRS Criminal Investigation. “We owe it to the vast majority of honest U.S. taxpayers to tirelessly search for and prosecute those who avoid paying their fair share, regardless of how they may try to disguise their income.”
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2018 before U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III. Kim faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties, in addition to the FBAR penalty.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg, U.S. Attorney Boente and Chief Don Fort commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Senior Litigation Counsel Mark F. Daly and Trial Attorney Robert J. Boudreau of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle of the Eastern District of Virginia, who are prosecuting this case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Chelsea Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An East Side Money Gang (ESMG) member, known as “Superbad,” was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for racketeering and drug trafficking charges.
Josue Rodriguez, a/k/a “SB,” a/k/a “Superbad,” 20, of Chelsea, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. In June 2017, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, commonly known as RICO, and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base.
Rodriguez is a member of the ESMG, a Chelsea-based street gang, which uses violence to further its criminal activities and enforce its internal rules. Specifically, ESMG uses violence to protect its members/associates, target rival gang members/associates and intimidate potential witnesses.
Rodriguez admitted that on July 5, 2015, he ambushed a rival gang member who was walking down the street, shooting at him with a semi-automatic pistol, but did not hit him. On March 29, 2016, Rodriguez and another ESMG member agreed to provide a .22 caliber revolver to a third ESMG member so he could “spank” with it – meaning that he could use it against rivals of ESMG. On April 3, 2016, the third gang member used the revolver to attempt to murder two men believed to be members/associates of a rival gang. One of the targets was shot but not killed.
On May 26, 2016, Rodriguez attempted to hide the .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver used in a shooting, as well as spent and live shells, after another ESMG member/associate attempted to shoot a rival gang member.
The East Side Money gang was also involved in drug trafficking, including cocaine, cocaine base (crack) and heroin. Rodriguez conspired with other gang members and associates to distribute at least one kilogram of cocaine base. Rodriguez further admitted that he stored drugs at, and distributed drugs from, his home in Chelsea, and that the gang maintained at least one firearm at the location.
Rodriguez is one of 53 defendants indicted in June 2016 on federal firearms and drug charges following an investigation into a network of street gangs that had created alliances to traffic weapons and drugs throughout Massachusetts and to generate violence against rival gang members. According to court documents, the defendants, who are leaders, members, and associates of the 18th Street Gang, East Side Money Gang and the Boylston Gang, were responsible for fueling a gun and drug pipeline across a number of cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts. During the course of the investigation, over 70 firearms were seized.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Maura Healey, Attorney General of Massachusetts; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes; and Brockton Police Chief John Crowley made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also acknowledges the assistance of the Suffolk and Middlesex County Sheriff Departments and the Malden, Revere and Everett Police Departments. Weinreb’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Central NY Military Contractor Pays $150,460 to Resolve False Claims Act ExposureRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – JGB Enterprises, Inc. (JGB) paid $150,460 today to resolve claims that it improperly billed the United States Army for repair kits for the Army’s tank recovery vehicle because the kits included parts from unapproved sources, announced Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith.
JGB had a firm-fixed price agreement with the government to provide engine overhaul kits for the Army’s Recovery Vehicle, M51/M74/M88 (the “Contract”). The Contract contains a source-controlled provision. That provision requires that certain parts be obtained from specified manufacturers who have approved quality-control plans concerning the manufacture of their parts.
JGB obtained some source-controlled parts from third-party vendors. In several instances, these parts were not adequately traceable back to an approved source and at least two of the parts delivered by JGB were inconsistent with required specifications. For example, source-controlled bolts included within the kit delivered by JGB did not fit on the Army’s Recovery Vehicle, rendering a component of the kit unusable until replacements could be obtained.
Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith said: “Contractors for the government need to ensure that they turn square corners, an obligation that is especially important when they are providing goods or services used by our nation’s warfighters. We will continue to utilize the False Claims Act where appropriate to hold contractors to account when they submit false claims to the government. We do appreciate that JGB worked cooperatively to resolve this matter outside litigation and understand that it has implemented changes to help ensure that something like this does not occur going forward.”
“The settlement agreement announced today is the successful resolution of this joint investigation conducted by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York,” stated Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent-in-Charge, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “The integrity of the DoD supply chain is of vital importance to America’s national security and DCIS is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals and companies do not profit by providing non-conforming products to the U.S. military.”
“This settlement further demonstrates the resolve of USACIDC’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit and our law enforcement partners to protect and defend the assets of the United States Army,” stated Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland, of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Mid-Atlantic Fraud Field Office.
The investigation and settlement were the result of a coordinated effort among the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
Central Kentucky Pharmacist Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Central Kentucky pharmacist, who owned and operated Hometown Pharmacy of Georgetown, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by two years of home incarceration as a term of his supervised release, for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and Money Laundering.
Chief United States District Judge Karen K. Caldwell formally sentenced Michael Ingram, 37, of Cynthiana, Ky., earlier today. Ingram must serve 85 percent of his sentence. Ingram has also forfeited in excess of $450,000 stemming from his criminal conduct.
In his July 2017 guilty plea, Ingram admitted that, while operating Hometown Pharmacy of Georgetown, he illegally distributed and dispensed oxycodone, by filling forged prescriptions from outside Kentucky. Ingram also admitted that his distribution and dispensation of these pills was outside the scope of pharmaceutical professional practice and was not for a legitimate medical purpose. Ingram further admitted that he used the proceeds of those illegal oxycodone sales to purchase the property now housing an additional business, Hometown Pharmacy of Cynthiana.
“We continue to see corrupt medical professionals choose profit over medical judgment and callously fuel an opioid epidemic that has decimated our state,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This despicable conduct does enormous damage, both to individuals struggling with addiction and to our communities as a whole. Combatting this epidemic requires that we be clear: these egregious breaches of professional trust are criminal conduct that will be prosecuted.”
Acting United States Attorney Shier; Mark McCormack, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations; Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration; and Tracey D. Montaño, Special Agent in Charge, IRS, Criminal Investigation, jointly announced the sentence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew Smith and Cynthia Rieker
Catholic Health to Pay $6,000,000 to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that the Catholic Health System, Inc. has agreed to pay $6,000,000 to resolve allegations that its subsidiary, Home & Community Based Care (formerly known as "Continuing Care"), violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to government health care programs.Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen A. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2014, Catholic Health submitted or caused to be submitted, false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services. The services were provided by Catholic Health at long and short-term skilled nursing care and post-acute care facilities including Father Baker Manor, St. Francis Williamsville, and the McAuley Residence.
The services were administered to beneficiaries at levels that were unreasonable, not medically necessary, and unsupported by the medical records. Specifically, Catholic Health submitted false claims for payment related to Ultra High Resource Utilization Group (“RUG”) levels during the relevant time at these facilities.
“A healthcare system that is infected with dishonesty is susceptible to one of the worst afflictions known to mankind—human greed,” said Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our unwavering commitment to eradicating this cancer from our federal health care programs.”
“When health care companies charge federal government health programs for medically unnecessary services just to boost profits, taxpayers are victimized and the health care industry’s reputation takes a hit,” said Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations Special Agent-in-Charge Scott J. Lampert. “Our agency will continue to hold companies accountable for such greed-fueled schemes.”
Catholic Health System, Inc. was named as a defendant in a qui tam, or whistleblower, lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act, which permits private citizens to bring lawsuits on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the proceeds of any settlement or judgment awarded against a defendant.
As part of the False Claims Act settlement agreement and in exchange for a release of OIG’s permissive exclusion authority, Catholic Health has agreed to enter into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with OIG.
The settlement is the result of an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Scott Lampert.
The claims resolved by these settlements are allegations only, and there have been no determinations of liability.
Canadian Man Sentenced to 96 Months for Possessing 290 Pounds of CocaineRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sylvain Desjardins, 48, of Maribel, Canada, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 96 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing 290 pounds of cocaine in a plane that went down near Athens, Ohio on March 29.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.
Law enforcement and other agencies involved in this case include: Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Ohio University Police Department, the Ohio University Airport, Athens County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Program, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Attaché Office Montreal, Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency and Service de Police del la Ville de Montreal.
Desjardins and David Ayotte, 46, also of Maribel, Canada, pleaded guilty in May to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Ayotte was sentenced to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release on October 12.
According to the Statement of Facts filed in this case, on March 29, 2017, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations center official in Riverside, Calif. detected an aircraft that departed from the Bahamas and was traveling to Windsor, Ontario, Canada but had diverted to Gordon K. Bush Airport at Ohio University.
The official contacted the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, who, along with agents from HSI, executed a search warrant on the plane upon arrival. While doing so, investigators discovered approximately 132 kilograms or 290 pounds of cocaine.
Desjardins was the pilot and Ayotte was his passenger. The two men intended on flying the cocaine to Canada to then distribute, but discovered that the plane was having mechanical issues.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation of this case by law enforcement, as well as Deputy Criminal Chief Michael J. Hunter, who is representing the United States in this case.
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Buffalo Man Sentenced on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. announced today that Donte Lee, 44, of Buffalo, N.Y., who was convicted by a federal jury of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana, was sentenced to 54 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler and Paul C. Parisi, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that on November 3, 2015, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force turned onto Sherman Street off Genesee Street to execute an arrest warrant when they observed a large group of people scattering in all directions. Following a chase first on foot and then in a vehicle, Lee eventually attempted to drive through a vacant lot between Sherman Street and Fox Street where his vehicle crashed into a fence. The defendant got out of his vehicle and attempted to escape again on foot before he was ultimately arrested. Subsequently, officers recovered a 9mm pistol loaded with approximately 18 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Since 1992, the defendant has been convicted of three separate felonies in state and local courts and is prohibited from legally possessing a gun.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict.
Buffalo Man Arrested for Selling Illegal OpioidsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jeremy Jorge, 21, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, fentanyl, butyryl fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, and U-47700. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, between December 2016 and October 2017, the defendant sold opioids on multiple occasions in the Buffalo area during controlled purchases by the Drug Enforcement Administration. In total, the DEA obtained several thousand dollars worth of opioids from Jorge. Variations of the drugs contained combinations of heroin, fentanyl, butyryl fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, and U-47700.
The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held pending a detention hearing on October 31, 2017.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
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.
Broward County Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A Broward county man pled guilty today to production and possession of child pornography.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Timothy R. Langan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Rick Maglione, Chief, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, made the announcement.
Juan Sebastian Chavez, 26, of Ft. Lauderdale, pled guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B), and one count of production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a) and 2251(e).
Sentencing is scheduled for February 9, 2018 before United States District Judge Kenneth Marra. Chavez is facing a possible minimum statutory sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum statutory sentence of 30 years’.
According to court documents, beginning in April 2014 through September 2014, Chavez persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a minor female child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct using the camera on his cellular telephone. These sexually explicit images of a minor child were uncovered by law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant and search of Chavez’s cellular telephone. Law enforcement also searched other computers where Chavez possessed more images and videos of child pornography.
Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the ICE-HSI, FBI and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jodi L. Anton and Francis Viamontes.
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.
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, a citizen of Uzbekistan and resident of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz, II, to 15 years’ imprisonment for conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). The U.S. government intends to seek his removal to Uzbekistan upon completion of his sentence of imprisonment.
Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Dana Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence.
According to previous court filings, in August 2014, Juraboev posted a threat on an Uzbek-language website to kill President Obama in an act of martyrdom on behalf of ISIS. In subsequent interviews by federal agents, Juraboev stated his belief in ISIS’s terrorist agenda, including the establishment by force of an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Juraboev stated that he wanted to travel to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIS but lacked the means to travel. He added that, if he were unable to travel, he would engage in an act of martyrdom on U.S. soil if ordered to do so by ISIS, such as killing the President or planting a bomb on Coney Island. During the next several months, Juraboev and a co-conspirator discussed plans to travel to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIS, culminating in Juraboev’s purchase on December 27, 2014, of a ticket to travel from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, to Istanbul, Turkey, departing on March 29, 2015.
“Today’s sentence holds Juraboev to account for his plans to join ISIS and engage in violent jihad overseas or carry out a terrorist attack in the United States if he was unable to travel to Syria,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rohde. “This Office will continue to work tirelessly in collaboration with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York to protect our city from terrorist attacks and prevent extremists from travelling abroad to join foreign terrorist organizations.”
“The defendant had a clear desire to wage violence on behalf of ISIS, and was determined to do so, whether on U.S. soil or abroad,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Boente. “Thanks to the efforts of law enforcement, the defendant was stopped at JFK International Airport before his plans came to fruition, and with this sentence he will be held accountable. Stemming the flow of foreign fighters and defending our nation against the threat of terrorism remains the highest priority of the National Security Division.”
“As a Brooklyn resident, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev posted comments on an ISIS website in August 2014 about his desire to be a martyr and his willingness to kill President Obama,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “Over the next few months, Juraboev and his co-conspirators continued to ramp up their allegiance to the terrorist group by discussing travel to Syria and proposals to wage violent jihad here in the United States. Juraboev ultimately purchased a plane ticket to travel to Syria, an act in furtherance of his terrorist plans and intentions. Those plans were thwarted and ended with today’s sentence, resulting in serious prison time.”
“The defendant in this case lived in Brooklyn while making plans to travel to Syria to support a designed terrorist organization,” stated NYPD Commissioner O’Neill. “If that was not successful, the defendant schemed of bombing Coney Island or killing the President of the United States. My thanks to the detectives, agents, prosecutors and federal judge whose work resulted in today’s sentence.”
The government’s case was handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander Solomon, Douglas M. Pravda, Peter W. Baldwin, and David K. Kessler of the Eastern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Steven Ward of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The Defendant:
ABDURASUL HASANOVICH JURABOEV
Age: 27
Residence: Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15 CR 95 (WFK)