Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
14 November 2017
Fort Dodge Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Violating Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
A man who failed to comply with conditions of federal supervised release was sentenced November 14, 2017, to two years in federal prison.
Sterling Lee Clark, 27, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was originally sentenced in federal district court for the Northern District of Iowa, on April 9, 2012, to 57 months’ in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon. Clark was released on three years’ of federal supervised release on June 10, 2016. At his revocation hearing, Clark admitted violations which included four separate deliveries of cocaine in August/September 2016, to which he pled guilty in Webster County, Iowa District Court and for which he was sentenced to 10 years’ in state prison in November 2016. Clark was released on state parole in October 2017, and transferred to federal custody for disposition of his federal supervised release violations.
On November 14, 2017, The Honorable Mark W. Bennett, federal district court judge, revoked Clark’s federal supervised release and sentenced Clark to 24 months’ imprisonment with an additional 12 months’ of supervised release to follow his term of imprisonment. Clark is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by U.S. Probation Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 11-3034.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former Whitman Police Sergeant Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling Funds from Disabled VeteransRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Whitman, Mass. police sergeant was sentenced today in connection with misappropriating funds from the accounts of disabled veterans while he was a fiduciary appointed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and for preparing false income tax returns for clients of his tax preparation business.
Glenn P. Pearson, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Chief Judge Saris also ordered Pearson to pay $252,992 in restitution to the VA, and $826,865 in restitution to the IRS. In May 2017, Pearson pleaded guilty to wire fraud, misappropriation by a federal fiduciary, preparation of fraudulent tax returns, and obstruction of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
From 2007 to 2012, Pearson was appointed as a VA fiduciary for eight disabled veterans. Pearson took advantage of that position by misappropriating and embezzling VA-issued benefit money out of the accounts of several veterans for whom he served as fiduciary. Pearson used the embezzled funds for, among other things, paying down the mortgage on his house.
Beginning in 2012, Pearson operated a tax preparation business called FTS Tax Services, through which he prepared personal income tax returns, and amended returns, for clients. From 2012 to 2016, Pearson prepared numerous returns that included false credits and fictitious deductions in an effort to get his clients larger refunds than they were entitled to receive. When Pearson’s clients were audited by the IRS, Pearson took steps to obstruct the IRS – including making false statements to the IRS and preparing false documents for his clients to submit to the IRS during the audits. Pearson also filed his own false income tax returns with the IRS that underreported his income.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division Stuart M. Goldberg; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Donna L. Neves, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vassili Thomadakis of Weinreb’s Criminal Divison and Karen E. Kelly, Assistant Chief at the Tax Division, prosecuted the case.
Former Treasurer of Local Labor Union Pleads Guilty to EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth woman pleaded guilty today to an embezzlement scheme that nearly wiped out an account used to assist sick or distressed members of a local labor union.
According to court documents, Tamika Bullock, 39, was appointed in September 2015 to serve as the Secretary-Treasurer of International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 684. The union maintains a “sick and distressed” account, which is funded entirely by voluntary contributions and is solely used to assist union members who are sick or otherwise out of work. Between January 2016 and October 2016, Bullock embezzled $24,600 from the union, with over $21,400 being stolen from the “sick and distressed” account. As Secretary-Treasurer, Bullock provided financial reports at the monthly meeting of the union membership and made false statements about the balance in the account in order to conceal her embezzlement, reporting balances up to $15,000 higher than the actual balance. She used the $24,600 she embezzled for her own personal benefit, including paying for a cruise.
Bullock pleaded guilty to embezzlement of funds from a labor organization and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 15, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Mark Wheeler, District Director of the Washington District Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:17-cr-97.
Former President and CEO of Farmer's Exchange Bank Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 9, 2017, Judge J.P. Stadtmueller, sentenced former Neshkoro banker Geffrey Sawtelle, (age: 64), to two years in prison following his conviction on three counts of bank fraud, in violation of Title 18 United States Code section 1344; one count of false bank entry, in violation of Title 18 United States Code section 1005, and one count of false statement to federal bank examiners, in violation of Title 18 United States Code section 1001. The court also imposed a $20,000 fine, $500 in special assessments, and ordered Sawtelle to pay $338,000 in restitution. Following his prison sentence, Sawtelle will also serve two years of supervised release. Sawtelle pled guilty on July 19, 2017, to the five counts of conviction and acknowledged that the court would consider counts that were dismissed pursuant to the plea agreement as relevant conduct for sentencing purposes.
The former president and CEO of Farmer’s Exchange Bank, and a shareholder in the bank holding company, Sawtelle had been charged in a 45-count indictment, which alleged that over a ten-year period, he devised and executed a scheme to obtain bank funds for his personal use. Sawtelle used many of the funds to support his hobby of auto sports racing, and he created false bank entries and made false statements to federal bank examiners in order to hide his theft and misapplication of the bank funds. In addition, the indictment alleged that Sawtelle took unauthorized salary bonuses and created nominee loans for his own benefit, and that upon the sale of the bank in 2015, he attempted to defraud his holding company partners through a wire fraud scheme that resulted in multiple money laundering counts. Farmer’s Exchange Bank was sold to Hometown Bank in November 2015.
Sawtelle’s conduct was initially discovered during a routine bank examination by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Banking. He was removed from the bank in May 2014, after a more in depth investigation by regulators from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
In sentencing Sawtelle, Stadtmueller noted that the two-year prison sentence was fair, just, reasonable, and appropriate because the core facts of the defendant’s conduct were inconsistent with the level of trust that had been placed in him. Stadtmueller noted that it should also serve as a message to the community.
“Bank executives who intentionally falsify bank records to deceive regulators must be brought to justice for their actions,” said Mark Bialek, Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “Such actions impact the safety and soundness of financial institutions. I commend our agents and their federal law enforcement partners for their hard work and persistence, which ultimately led to this conviction.”
The criminal case was investigated by agents from the Office of Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carol L. Kraft and Rebecca Taibleson.
# # # # #
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig, (414) 297-1700
Former Massachusetts Police Sergeant Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling Funds from Disabled Veterans and Running Fraudulent Tax Preparation BusinessRead the Press Release
A former Whitman, Massachusetts, police sergeant was sentenced to 48 months in prison today for preparing false income tax returns for clients of his tax preparation business, obstructing the internal revenue laws, and misappropriating funds from the accounts of disabled veterans while he was a fiduciary appointed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb for the District of Massachusetts.
According to documents filed with the Court, from 2007 to 2012, Glenn P. Pearson, 61, was appointed a VA fiduciary for eight disabled veterans of the U.S. armed forces. A veteran, who has been awarded VA benefits but is unable to manage his or her funds due to injury, disease, mental incompetence or infirmities of advanced age, can have a fiduciary appointed by the VA to receive funds on the veteran’s behalf and to manage those funds for the benefit of the veteran. Pearson used his position as a fiduciary to embezzle more than $250,000 in VA-issued benefit money from the accounts of several veterans.
Moreover, beginning in 2012, Pearson operated FTS Tax Services, a tax preparation business through which he prepared false tax returns for clients for a fee. From 2012 through 2015, Pearson prepared numerous tax returns that included false credits and fictitious deductions in an effort to obtain bigger refunds for his clients than they were entitled to receive. When Pearson’s clients were audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Pearson took steps to obstruct the IRS—including making false statements to the IRS and preparing false documents for his clients to submit to the IRS during the audits. Pearson also falsely underreported his own income on his personal federal income tax returns. Pearson admitted to causing a total tax loss of more than $1.5 million.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, Chief United States District Judge Patti B. Saris ordered Pearson to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the VA in the amount of $252,992 and restitution to the IRS in the amount of $826,865. Pearson pleaded guilty in May to wire fraud, misappropriation by a federal fiduciary, preparation of fraudulent tax returns and obstructing the internal revenue laws.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Weinreb thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI and VA–OIG, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vassili Thomadakis and Assistant Chief Karen Kelly 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 Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison for Engaging in Sexual Conduct with an InmateRead the Press Release
Former Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Damon Coleman was sentenced to prison today for engaging in sexual conduct with an inmate under his custodial authority while Coleman was working at the Federal Detention Center (“FDC”) in downtown Miami.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Robert Bourbon, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Coleman previously pled guilty to sexual abuse of a ward, specifically, a Federal inmate in custody at the FDC-Miami, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2243(b). United States District Court Judge Robert N. Scola sentenced Coleman to 8 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release, which will include 8 months of home detention in addition to the term of incarceration.
According to the court record and statements made in open court at the change of plea and sentencing hearings, in June 2016, Coleman engaged in sexual conduct with a female Federal prisoner held at the FDC while awaiting her sentencing. Coleman, and the inmate who was under his custodial authority, engaged in sexual intercourse, violating Section 2243(b), which prohibits any sexual-type conduct between prison officials and inmates.
Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Breezye Telfair and Senior Litigation Counsel Edward Stamm.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Cox Communications Vice President pleads guilty to conspiring to embezzle millions of dollarsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Janet West, a former Cox Communications vice president, has pleaded guilty to her part in an embezzlement scheme that cost the company millions of dollars.
“West defrauded a company that trusted her judgment as a vice president,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “The temptation to steal via a credit card may be appealing. This defendant wishes she had thought twice about the potential outcome.”
“This case should be an example that no matter your position, you cannot profit illegally or take advantage of your status in the company you were entrusted to work for,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to making cases like this a strong deterrent to greed’s temptation.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: West was Cox Communications’ Vice President in charge of Nationwide Field Marketing for the company’s plan to bring Gigabit speed connections to markets throughout the United States. Beginning in 2011, West began directing her assistant to make payments on the assistant’s corporate credit card to a third party company for supposed marketing services. In reality, a significant portion of these services never actually occurred and the majority of these funds were actually secretly being transferred back to the defendant. West repeatedly signed false conflict of interest certifications with Cox Communications that failed to disclose the payments she was making to herself.
West caused Cox to make payments totaling $2.4 million to this third party, most of which was then sent back to her. The defendant then used the embezzled funds for her own personal benefit, including making payments on two houses she owned in Arizona. Pursuant to the plea agreement in this case, West agreed to forfeit her interests in both of these houses.
Sentencing for Janet West, 47, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, is scheduled for March 12, 2018, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Krepp and Kelly K. Connors are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former City of Vallejo Employee Sentenced for Accepting a BribeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Donald Burton, 51, of Vallejo, was sentenced today to a year in prison and a $10,000 fine for his part in a bribery scheme involving city contracts, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
“When public officials take bribes, they put their greed ahead of the interests of the people they serve,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Donald Burton abused his position as a landscape manager in the City of Vallejo by seeking kickbacks in exchange for steering contacts to a private company. The FBI is committed to investigating public corruption. With the help of private citizens who take a stand against corrupt behavior, the FBI will continue to protect the integrity of government at all levels.”
Burton pleaded guilty on August 1, 2017. According to court documents, Burton was previously employed in the Public Works Engineering Division of the City of Vallejo as the landscape manager. In that position, Burton regularly contracted with local landscape companies to provide services for Vallejo. The City of Vallejo received substantial federal funding, including over $500,000 in Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In the Spring of 2017, Burton solicited a bribe from the owner of a company that provides maintenance services, requesting a 10 percent kickback in exchange for steering contracts to that company. The business owner complained to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and assisted in the investigation by meeting with Burton in an undercover capacity. During those meetings, Burton directed that additional days of work be added to contracted jobs so that Burton and the owner could divide up the profit. Burton stated that the excess amount in the contracts would generally add up to $5,000, and that Burton would take $2,000.
According to the plea agreement, the business owner provided the written contracts that inflated the number of days required to do a job from 10 days to 15, and Burton approved and signed the contracts. On June 7, 2017, the business owner met with Burton and gave him the $2,000 bribe payment. Burton was arrested after taking the payment.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Dolan prosecuted the case.
Former Bank Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzling Nearly $300,000Read the Press Release
A woman who embezzled bank funds was sentenced November 14, 2017, to six months of incarceration.
Cindy Harris, 51, currently from Missoula, Montana, received the prison term after a June 22, 2017, guilty plea to one count of bank theft, embezzlement and misapplication of funds.
At the guilty plea, Harris admitted that from about 2002 and continuing through about July 2013, when she was an employee of the Emmet County State Bank, she willfully embezzled approximately $299,327.50, in cash and coin from the bank vault without the permission of the bank and with the intent to defraud the bank.
Harris was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Harris was sentenced to three months in federal prison, to be followed by three months of electronically monitored home confinement. A special assessment of $100 was imposed, and she was ordered to make restitution in the amount of, $299,327. Harris must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-3022. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Admits Mortgage Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, woman today admitted her role in a more than $200,000 mortgage fraud conspiracy involving a property she purchased in Mays Landing, New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Betsy Borges, 38, of Mays Landing, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle in Camden federal court to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Borges was originally charged by complaint in May 2017 with Iraida Fuentes, 35, of Pleasantville, New Jersey.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In December 2002, Borges purchased 4957 Cardigan Court in Mays Landing. Despite failing to make mortgage payments to Wachovia and its successor, Wells Fargo, Borges collected rental income from tenants living in the property and concealed that income from the banks. Borges also falsely represented to Wells Fargo, on multiple occasions, that she could not make the mortgage payments for the property.
Borges subsequently arranged with Wells Fargo for Fuentez to purchase the property through a short sale. Not only did Borges and Fuentez conceal their familial relationship from Wells Fargo, they also concealed the fact that Borges and another conspirator provided Fuentez the funds to purchase the property.
On Sept. 20, 2012, Fuentez purchased the property at a price well below its actual value. On Nov. 22, 2016, B&B Properties – a company owned in part by Borges – purchased the property from Fuentez for $25,000. On Feb. 3, 2017, Borges then individually purchased the property from B&B Properties for a dollar.
The bank fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of her plea agreement, Borges must forfeit $206,450 in criminal proceeds from the scheme. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2018.
Fuentes previously pleaded guilty on Nov. 6, 2017 to making a false declaration in the grand jury in relation to this matter and awaits sentencing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Damon Tyner, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline M. Carle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.Defense counsel: Louis M. Barbone Esq., Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Florida Man Sentenced to over Three Years for Credit Card Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Yaisder Herrera Gargallo, 24, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. He pleaded guilty on June 19, 2017.
Court records show that between about November 2015 and June 2016, the defendant and others used stolen credit and debit card numbers to purchase merchandise. In June 2016, as part of the conspiracy, the defendant and others traveled to Maine. On June 14, 2016, the defendant purchased over $400 worth of merchandise at a Portland Walgreens using a stolen card number belonging to a victim from New Gloucester, Maine. The next day, after the defendant made another fraudulent purchase using a different card number at another Portland Walgreens, store personnel notified the police and provided a license plate number.
On June 18, 2016, a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped the vehicle in which the defendant and three other men were traveling. The stop led to their arrest and the discovery of merchandise, numerous fraudulent credit cards and a laptop computer. The laptop computer was later found to contain credit card numbers and related data, including the stolen card number the defendant had used to make the fraudulent purchase on June 14, 2016.
The defendant’s three co-defendants—Jose Castillo Febles, Juan Carlos Febles and Meylisi Rueda—have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Portland Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
Florida CPA Convicted by Federal Jury in Boston of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Florida man was convicted today by a federal jury in Boston of multiple counts of tax fraud and obstructing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Greg Takesian, 53, of Miami, Fla., was convicted following a five-day jury trial of four counts of filing false tax returns and one count of attempting to obstruct and impede the IRS. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Feb. 3, 2018.
Takesian, a certified public accountant (CPA), worked for Takesian & Company, a tax consulting firm owned by his father. Although Takesian ran the day-to-day business, he did not have an ownership stake in the company. Between 2008 and 2011, Takesian & Company received more than $2 million for tax and consulting services from At Home VNA, a home health company located in Waltham.
Takesian spent more than $991,000, taken from Takesian & Company’s bank account, on personal expenses, including cash and check payments to his wife and his girlfriend. In total, Takesian gave his wife more than $500,000 from the company bank account and his girlfriend over $200,000 of company funds. He also spent the money on Caribbean cruises, expensive clothing and nightclubs. After learning of the federal investigation, Takesian also filed false corporate and personal amended returns in an effort to cover up the nearly $1 million of unreported income.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than three years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $100,000 on each count. 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; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil J. Gallagher and Rachel Y. Hemani of Weinreb’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Florence Woman Sentenced in Federal Court on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Crystal Lynn Norris, age 27, of Florence, SC, was sentenced today in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for Conspiracy to Manufacture and Pass Forged and Counterfeited Securities, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 371. United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, sentenced Norris to 16 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that during the period from November through December of 2016, Norris was involved in a conspiracy to manufacture and pass forged and counterfeited securities (checks) of organizations. Norris and another person stole mail from mailboxes at various residences in Florence and Darlington Counties, looking for checks within the mail. Norris would then either alter or forge the stolen checks by substituting herself as the payee or would use genuine bank account and routing numbers from the stolen checks to make counterfeit checks. Norris then went to banks in Florence and Easley to present the forged and counterfeited checks for payment.
The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with the assistance of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the Florence Police Department, and the Easley Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office prosecuted the case.
#####
Felon from Roswell Sentenced to Prison for Violating Federal Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Gilbert Dutchover, 58, of Roswell, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to an 18-month term of imprisonment for violating the federal firearms laws. Dutchover will be on supervised release for two years after completing his prison sentence.
Dutchover was arrested on May 5, 2017, on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Aug. 18, 2014, in Chaves County, N.M. According to the indictment, Dutchover previously was convicted of unlawful carrying of a firearm into a licensed liquor establishment, being a felon in possession of a firearm or destructive device, receiving stolen property, and cocaine trafficking.
On July 10, 2017, Dutchover pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on Aug. 18, 2014, law enforcement officers found a pistol and ammunition in his garage while executing a search warrant at his residence. Dutchover further admitted that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office and the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luis A. Martinez and Selesia L. Winston of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.
The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department and Artesia Police Department and is part of the HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Federal Grand Jury IndictmentsRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina----United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Charleston, South Carolina, returned Indictment(s) against the following:
Former Town of Kiawah Officials Indicted for Wire Fraud. Tumiko Rucker, age 42, of Johns Island, S.C., and Harrison Kenneth Gunnells, age 59, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., were charged in a 1-count Indictment with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1349 and 1344. The maximum penalty that Rucker and Gunnells could receive is 20 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office for prosecution.
Georgia Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Possession of a Gun by a Convicted Felon. Mariel Watson, age 28, of Columbus, Georgia, was charged in a 2-count Indictment with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2250 and 922. The maximum penalty that Watson could receive is 10 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office for prosecution.
Man Indicted for Immigration Offense. Luis Rivera-Perez, age 34, of Mexico, was charged with the Illegal Reentry of a Felon, a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326. The maximum penalty that Rivera-Perez could receive is 10 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by agents of the ICE - Homeland Security Investigations and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office for prosecution.
Man Indicted for Immigration Offense. Cesar Antonio Zepahua-Rodriguez, age 33, of Mexico, was charged with the Illegal Reentry of a Felon, a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326. The maximum penalty that Zepahua-Rodriguez could receive is 10 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by agents of the ICE - Homeland Security Investigations and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office for prosecution.
The United States Attorney stated that all charges in indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
#####
Erie Woman Charged with Providing a False Document to Obtain Government BenefitsRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on a charge of false writing or document to the government, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The one-count indictment named Lana Talisha Thillet, 36, of Erie, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment presented to the court, on or about August 26, 2016, Thillet knowingly used a false document that contained a fraudulent statement to represent that a minor child receiving Social Security Income (SSI) and auxiliary insurance benefits was residing with the defendant and that all of the $8,976.00 in SSI and auxiliary insurance benefits were used for the care and support of the minor child. Ms. Thillet well knew that the minor child did not reside with her and the $8,796.00 was not used for the care and support of the minor child.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Marshall J. Piccinini is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
DuBois Man Charged with Possessing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – On November 8, 2017, a resident of DuBois, Pa. was indicted by a federal grand jury in Johnstown on charges of distribution and possession of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The indictment named Darren J. Salgado, 32, of DuBois, Pa., as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment presented to the court, on October 17, 2016, Salgado knowingly distributed pictures and videos in individual computer graphic files depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment further alleges that on June 28, 2017, Salgado possessed images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which were produced using prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The computer graphic files were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Doctor and Four Executives Plead Guilty in $30 Million Scheme to Defraud Medicare and MedicaidRead the Press Release
Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that five defendants have pleaded guilty in the past week to participating in a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid through the operation of eight medical clinics and related health care providers in Brooklyn. The defendants pleading guilty are Dr. MUSTAK Y. VAID, medical supply company president MARINA BURMAN, clinic executives ASHER OLEG KATAEV, a/k/a “Oleg Kataev,” and ALLA TSIRLIN, and IVAN VOYCHAK, who helped run two of the fraudulent clinics and a related ambulette company. The defendants were charged with participating in a $30 million health care fraud scheme. As part of the scheme, the defendants or their co-conspirators paid cash kickbacks to elderly patients (the “Paid Patients”) insured by Medicare and/or Medicaid, and then billed Medicare and Medicaid for unnecessary medical services, tests, and supplies.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “These five defendants bilked Medicare and Medicaid out of millions of dollars for unjustified medications, procedures, and supplies. Medicare and Medicaid were established to assist the elderly and economically disadvantaged, not to serve as cash cows for corrupt professionals.”
Five additional defendants remain under indictment in the case, which is scheduled to go to trial before United States District Judge Lorna G. Schofield on April 23, 2018. Those remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
As alleged in the Indictment and in court papers and proceedings in the case: Aleksandr Burman, an individual with no medical license, established eight medical clinics in Brooklyn (the “Related Clinics”), which operated between 2007 and 2013. For each clinic, Aleksandr Burman hired a doctor, one of whom was VAID, as the nominal owner of the clinic, since New York State law requires that such clinics be owned by a medical professional. In fact, however, VAID was hired by Aleksandr Burman simply to pose as the owner of one of the clinics, and to sign medical charts falsely stating that he had examined a number of Paid Patients, and to provide prescriptions and referrals for medically unnecessary supplies.
In pleading guilty, the five defendants have admitted to various specific roles in operating several of the clinics and two related businesses.
VAID, 44, a physician, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman on November 8, 2017 to charges of falsely holding himself out as the owner of one medical clinic, and falsely signing medical documents stating that he had provided medical services that he had not.
BURMAN, 54, is a resident of Manhattan whose former husband, Aleksandr Burman, previously pleaded guilty in a related indictment and was sentenced in May 2017 to 10 years in prison. BURMAN pled guilty before Judge Schofield on November 14, 2017 to charges that, as the registered president and owner of Universal Supply Depot, she fraudulently billed Medicaid more than $3 million for medical equipment, particularly including large amounts of adult diapers, that were in fact not dispensed. BURMAN was also charged with arranging for Paid Patients to exchange their diaper prescriptions for valuable merchandise, such as bed linens, tablecloths, dishes, kitchen appliances, and other housewares.
KATAEV, 49, and TSIRLIN, 47, who are siblings, pled guilty to charges of helping operate two of the fraudulent clinics, where they participated in bribing patients and causing fraudulent bills to be submitted to Medicare and Medicaid. KATAEV pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Barbara C. Moses on November 6, 2017. TSIRLIN pled guilty before Judge Pitman on November 9, 2017.
VOYCHAK, 37, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox on November 13, 2017 to charges that he helped operate a medical ambulette company that fraudulently billed Medicaid for transportation services that were not medically necessary, and participated a scheme to pay kickbacks to patients at the fraudulent medical clinics.
Each of the defendants pled guilty to Counts One and Two of the indictment. Count One charges the defendants with conspiring to commit health care fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud; while Count Two charges each defendant with health care fraud. Count One carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while Count Two carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as the appropriate sentences will be determined by the Judge.
Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the New York FBI’s Health Care Fraud Task Force and the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (“OMIG”).
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raymond Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.
Chinese Citizen Charged in Connection with Taking Graduate Record Exam for OthersRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chinese national was arrested yesterday and charged in federal court in Boston in connection with taking the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and TOEFL exam for other Chinese citizens.
Yinyan Wang, 25, a Chinese national studying in Pennsylvania, was charged with one count of visa fraud and one count of passport fraud. Wang was arrested in Pennsylvania, where she made an appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Philadelphia yesterday. She is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Boston later this week.
According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, Wang took the GRE in Boston on Oct. 20, 2017, for another Chinese citizen. At the testing site, Wang presented a counterfeit Chinese passport containing a counterfeit nonimmigrant visa purportedly issued by the United States in the identity of the other student. The affidavit further alleges that on five prior occasions between July 2017 and August 2107, Wang took either the GRE or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam under assumed names for other people.
Each charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Child Pornography Charges Filed Against Two Rhode Island WomenRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – Two women have made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Providence on child pornography charges.
Samantha York, 29, of Warwick and Pawtucket, has been ordered detained in federal custody on a criminal complaint charging her with production and distribution of child pornography. York made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond on November 9, 2017, charged with one count each of production of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.
According to information presented to the Court, it is alleged that in March 2014, York produced a video depicting child pornography involving a female toddler. It is alleged that the video was distributed to at least two other individuals.
In a separate federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court, Karissa A. Cave, 21, of Coventry and Newport, is charged with one count each of receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography. Cave was released on $10,000 unsecured bond following an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond on November 9, 2017.
According to information presented to the Court, it is alleged that Cave received and possessed child pornography involving a female toddler allegedly produced and distributed by Samantha York.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch, Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, Michael S. Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations for New England, and Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Oates announce the filing of federal criminal complaints in these matters.
These matters continue to be investigated by the the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and the Woonsocket Police Department.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General for their ongoing assistance investigating these matters.
###
Chicopee Man Charged with Selling HeroinRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Chicopee man was arrested today and charged in federal court in Springfield with distributing heroin.
Steven Brown, 27, was indicted on one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin. He appeared in federal court in Springfield this afternoon.
According to the indictment, Brown possessed and distributed heroin on June 30, 2016.
The charge provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. 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 Office; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri, and Holyoke Police Chief James M. Neiswanger made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of Weinreb’s Springfield Branch Office 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.
Charlotte pain pill dealer pleads guilty to federal drug chargeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A Charlotte drug dealer pleaded guilty today to a federal hydromorphone crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Timothy Fields, 39, entered his guilty plea to distribution of hydromorphone.
Fields admitted that on January 18, 2017, he sold hydromorphone to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. The drug deal took place in Bluefield. Fields further admitted to all the drug trafficking activity charged in the indictment, including that he sold hydromorphone on two other occasions, that he sold crack on two occasions, and that he manufactured crack.
Fields faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on March 20, 2018.
The Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney John L. File is responsible for the prosecution. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the plea hearing.
This case is being prosecuted under the Bluefield Pill Initiative, part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
- Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews
Captain of Drug Smuggling Vessel Sentenced to 104 MonthsRead the Press Release
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Fitzwater (619) 546-8756 and Assistant U. S. Attorney Connie Wu (619) 546-8592
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 14, 2017
SAN DIEGO – Jesus Armando Portocarrero-Angulo was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez to 104 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute over 1,370 pounds of cocaine while onboard a vessel.
On October 4, 2016, defendant Portocarrero-Angulo was acting as the captain of the go-fast vessel “Pez Sierra,” which was traveling in international waters. While on routine patrol, a maritime patrol aircraft observed the occupants of the vessel throwing bales of suspected contraband overboard into the ocean.
A helicopter launched from the United States Coast Guard Cutter Waesche approached the defendant’s vessel, which was traveling in the Eastern Pacific Ocean about 175 nautical miles northeast of the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. The helicopter signaled the defendant’s vessel to stop, but it refused to do so. The helicopter used warning shots, and then precision fire to disable the vessel. The Coast Guard recovered approximately 21 bales of cocaine previously thrown overboard from the defendant’s vessel.
Portocarrero-Angulo pleaded guilty in August. Two additional crewmembers who were onboard the go-fast vessel have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing before Judge Benitez on January 8, 2018.
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 16cr2555
Jesus Armando Portocarrero-Angulo Age: 33 Ecuador
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute on Board a Vessel – Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503
Maximum penalty: 40 years in prison and $5,000,000 fine
AGENCY
Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Coast Guard
California Resident Sentenced to Prison for Filing Fraudulent Tax Returns Using Stolen IDs of Homeless and Unemployed IndividualsRead the Press Release
A California resident was sentenced to 54 months in prison today for conspiring to file false claims for tax refunds, submitting false claims for tax refunds, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch for the Northern District of California.
According to documents and information provided to the court, Diep Vo aka Nancy Vo, 71, conspired with codefendant Trong Nguyen aka John Nguyen, to use the IDs of homeless and unemployed individuals in the San Jose, California area to file fraudulent claims for refunds with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Vo went to homeless shelters and halfway houses and falsely represented to individuals that she could get them money from a government program designed to assist people who had not worked in previous years. Vo convinced people to write down their names and social security numbers and to sign blank income tax returns. Vo and Nguyen then falsified the signed returns by including bogus income and income tax withheld amounts, and seeking fraudulent tax refunds totaling approximately $3.4 million. Vo and Nguyen directed the refund checks to private mailboxes they controlled.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman ordered Vo to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $700,816 in restitution to the IRS. Nguyen previously pleaded guilty to submitting and conspiring to submit false claims for refund and was sentenced in September to 25 months in prison.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Stretch thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber Rosen and former Trial Attorney Gregory Bernstein of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. - Taheem Mungo, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced in federal court to seven years in prison for drug trafficking, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, New Hampshire State Police Troopers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Mungo was a passenger on September 1, 2016. The stop occurred on Interstate 95 around Hampton, New Hampshire. Police arrested Mungo after learning that he had an active arrest warrant out of New York. Mungo then consented to a search of his luggage, which resulted in the seizure of controlled substances, including approximately 172 grams of crack cocaine and 10 grams of heroin.
Mungo pleaded guilty to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute on July 26, 2017. He will serve three years of supervised release following his release from federal prison.
“Drug trafficking continues to pose a significant danger to the health and welfare of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “I commend the efforts of the State Police in this matter. Their investigative work prevented these drugs from being distributed in the Granite State.”
This matter was investigated by the New Hampshire State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane Bullitt Kelbley.
###
Barkhamsted Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution Charge Stemming from Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that GARRETT GOMEZ, 27, of Barkhamsted, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to one count of distribution of fentanyl. This prosecution is part of an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 20, 2016, Torrington Police and emergency medical personnel responded to a residence in Torrington and found a deceased 30-year-old male lying on his bed. At the scene, investigators collected six wax paper folds and three torn wax paper folds found on a bedside table. They also found a hypodermic needle at the feet of the victim.
Subsequent laboratory testing of the contents of the wax folds confirmed the presence of fentanyl, and the State of Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the victim died from acute fentanyl intoxication.
The investigation, which included analysis of text messages contained on the victim’s cell phone, revealed that in the evening of May 19, 2016, the victim agreed to meet with GOMEZ to purchase “9 for 60.” In the victim’s automobile, investigators found an ATM receipt showing a $60 withdrawal.
GOMEZ was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 23, 2016.
The charge of distribution of fentanyl carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for February 7, 2018.
GOMEZ is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the Torrington Police Department. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Runowicz.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appoints Members to U.S. Attorney Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of nine new U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC). The AGAC was created in 1973 and reports to the Attorney General through the Deputy Attorney General. AGAC represents the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys.
The new appointees include: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Richard Moore; U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah John W. Huber; U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Justin E. Herdman; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Robert Higdon; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma Robert Trent Shores; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Joshua Minkler; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Jeff Jensen; and Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Bryan Schroder.
U.S. Attorney Richard Moore will serve as the Chair of AGAC, and U.S. Attorney John W. Huber will serve as the Vice Chair.
“I am pleased to announce the first members of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee under this administration. These U.S. Attorneys will play an important role in carrying out the Department of Justice’s mission to reduce violent crime, combat transnational criminal organizations, secure our southern border, end the devastating opioid crisis, and return to the rule of law,” said Attorney General Sessions.
A brief bio on each nominee is below:
Richard Moore (Chair)
The Senate confirmed Richard Moore’s appointment as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in September 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Moore served as the Inspector General for the Tennessee Valley Authority. From May 2009 to March 2011, Mr. Moore was the Chairman of the Investigations Committee for the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Prior to this position, Mr. Moore served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1985 to 2003. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Moore was an Atlantic Fellow in Public Policy at Oxford University in England. Mr. Moore received his B.S., summa cum laude, from Spring Hill College and his J.D. from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law.
John W. Huber (Vice Chair)
Since June 2015, John Huber has served as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah, and in August 2017, the Senate again confirmed his appointment. Prior to being United States Attorney, Mr. Huber served as an Assistant United States Attorney for thirteen years. Mr. Huber began his prosecutorial career in the Weber County (Utah) Attorney’s Office, and later served as the Chief Prosecutor for West Valley City, Utah, before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in 2002. Mr. Huber received his B.A. from the University of Utah and his J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law.
Justin E. Herdman
The Senate confirmed Justin Herdman’s appointment as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in August 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Herdman was a partner at Jones Day and an Assistant United States Attorney in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Herdman previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City from 2001 to 2005 and as an associate at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP. He is currently a Judge Advocate General in the United States Air Force Reserve. Mr. Herdman received his B.A. from Ohio University, his Master of Philosophy from the University of Glasgow and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Robert Higdon
The Senate confirmed Robert Higdon to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina in October 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Higdon was a partner at the law firm of Williams Mullen. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Western and Eastern Districts of North Carolina. In the Eastern District U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Higdon served as Chief of the Criminal Division for more than 11 years. Mr. Higdon also served as senior trial counsel in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice. He received his B.A., cum laude, from Wake Forest University and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Jeff Jensen
The Senate confirmed Jeff Jensen to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri in October 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Jensen was a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri starting in 1999, and was Executive United States Attorney from 2005 to 2009. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Jensen was an FBI Special Agent from 1989 to 1999. While working at the FBI, Mr. Jensen attended St. Louis University School of Law at night, graduating magna cum laude. He also received his B.A., cum laude, from Indiana University School of Business.
Jessie K. Liu
The Senate confirmed Jessie Liu to be United States Attorney for the District of Columbia in September 2017. Ms. Liu was previously Deputy General Counsel for the United States Department of the Treasury and a partner at the law firms of Morrison & Foerster LLP and Jenner & Block LLP. In addition, she has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia and in several senior positions in the United States Department of Justice, including as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division, counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, and deputy chief of staff for the National Security Division. Ms. Liu clerked for then-Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She received her A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard University and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
Joshua Minkler
The Senate confirmed Joshua Minkler to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana in October 2017. Since June 2015, Mr. Minkler had served as the interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Prior to that position, he served for 21 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Indiana. Before he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Minkler served for five years as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Kent County Michigan Prosecuting Attorney. Mr. Minkler received his B.A. from Wabash College, and his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Bryan Schroder
Bryan Schroder’s nomination to be United States Attorney for the District of Alaska is pending in the Senate. Mr. Schroder is currently the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, and previously served as the First Assistant United States Attorney and Criminal Chief. Mr. Schroder has served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for more than 11 years. Mr. Schroder is a retired Captain in the U.S. Coast Guard, having served for 24 years. Mr. Schroder graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of Washington School of Law.
Robert Trent Shores
The Senate confirmed Robert Trent Shores to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma in September 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Shores was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Oklahoma. Mr. Shores previously served as First Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma and deputy director for the Department of Justice’s Office of Tribal Justice, where he developed initiatives to promote public safety in Indian Country. Mr. Shores received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Impede or Injure A Federal Officer During 2014 Armed Standoff in BunkervilleRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – An Arizona man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer during a federal impoundment operation of Cliven Bundy’s trespassing cattle in the Bunkerville, Nevada area in 2014.
Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI’s Las Vegas Division, and Director William Woody for the Bureau of Land Management’s Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.
Micah L. McGuire, 32, of Chandler, Ariz., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2018. McGuire faces the statutory maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the plea agreement, McGuire knew that Cliven Bundy and his sons, Ryan, Ammon, Dave, and Mel, Ryan Payne, and others associated with them, planned to thwart, impede and interfere with the impoundment operations. He knowingly entered into a conspiracy with his co-defendants and others to impede federal law enforcement officers through a show of force and intimidation in order to prevent the officers from performing their duties in relation to the impoundment and to induce them to leave the area. McGuire furthered the conspiracy by serving on a personal security detail for Cliven Bundy; and entering the Toquop wash, a closed area where law enforcement officers were conducting their duties, with a firearm on April 12, 2014.
The case was investigated by the FBI and BLM. The case was prosecuted by Acting U.S. Attorney Steven W. Myhre, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadia J. Ahmed and Daniel R. Schiess, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin M. Creegan.
###
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Downloading Child Sex Abuse VideosRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Christopher Jaye Boykin (34, Lisman, Alabama) has pleaded guilty to four charges of receiving child pornography over the Internet. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison on each count.
According to court documents, in February 2014, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations determined that a host computer in Jacksonville, where Boykin was residing, was offering child pornography on a file sharing network. Boykin later pawned that computer at a shop in Jacksonville, and it was seized by law enforcement. On November 14, 2014, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Boykin’s home and seized another computer that he had used to download at least 49 videos depicting sexual abuse of young children. During an interview, Boykin admitted that both computers contained child pornography for his own “viewing pleasure.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
* Supplemental Release * Fentanyl Overdose Case SentencedRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – This supplemental release to the previously distributed November 8, 2017, release, “Fentanyl Overdose Case Sentenced,” seeks to clarify the charges upon which each defendant has been sentenced.
Charles Jesse Beuterbaugh, 30, of Pottawattamie County, Dustin C. Sullivan, 27, of Council Bluffs, and, Cody Lanus, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, were each convicted of conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl, a Schedule I controlled substance, which resulted in the reasonably foreseeable death of a 20-year-old male and serious bodily injury to another male.
Michael David Redmond, Jr., 22, of Council Bluffs, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl, a Schedule I controlled substance.
All defendants charged in this case have entered guilty pleas. To date, United States Senior District Court Judge James E. Gritzner has sentenced Beuterbaugh to 240 months in prison; Sullivan to 162 months in prison; Lanus to 144 months in prison; and, Redmond, Jr. to 120 months in prison. Amanda N. Pandis and Walter John O’Donohue, III are scheduled to be sentenced in February of 2018.
-END-
Learn more about this release by calling Kevin E. VanderSchel at 515-473-9300, or by emailing him at [email protected] (link sends e-mail).
13 November 2017
West Haven Heroin Dealer Sentenced to 2 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS ROBLES, 27, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a heroin trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that members of the organization regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors, including ROBLES, on the streets of New Haven.
The investigation has resulted in federal charges against 23 individuals.
On August 21, 2017, ROBLES pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.
The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Greenwich, Hamden, Milford, New Haven, Shelton, Vernon and Wilton Police Departments. The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick F. Caruso.
Valencia County Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – William Douglas Warwick, 53, of San Clemente, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to violating federal drug trafficking and firearms laws. Warwick entered the guilty plea under a conditional plea agreement under which he reserved the right to appeal from the court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence, and with the understanding that if he prevails on his appeal, he will be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea.
Warwick was arrested on Nov. 7, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Aug. 3, 2016, in Valencia County, N.M. According to the complaint, FBI agents located two rifles, multiple rounds of ammunition and methamphetamine in Warwick’s residence during the execution of a search warrant.
Warwick was charged in a two-count indictment filed on Dec. 7, 2016, with being an addict and a convicted felon in possession of firearms. The indictment was superseded on March 28, 2017, and charged Warwick with being an addict and convicted felon in possession of firearms on Aug. 3, 2016 and Nov. 7, 2016, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Nov. 7, 2016. According to the superseding indictment, Warwick committed the crimes in Valencia County. Warwick was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine and tampering with evidence.
During today’s proceedings, Warwick entered a guilty plea under a conditional plea agreement to Counts 1 and 3 of the superseding indictment charging him with being an addict and felon in possession of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine. In entering the guilty plea, Warwick admitted that on Aug. 3, 2016, he was an unlawful user of controlled substances and a convicted felon while in possession of a rifle. Warwick further admitted that on Nov. 7, 2016, law enforcement agents located approximately 45.7 grams of pure methamphetamine on his person during the execution of a search warrant.
At sentencing, Warwick faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Matthew Beck and Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Undocumented Alien Gets 25 Years for Trafficking MethRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Mexican citizen who illegally resided in Houston was ordered to federal prison for his conviction of trafficking nearly six kilograms of methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Jesus Ortiz-Flores pleaded guilty Aug. 12, 2016.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced Ortiz-Flores to 300 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following his prison term.
At the time of his plea, Ortiz-Flores admitted to playing a key role in attempting to deliver methamphetamine in the Houston area.
On June 13, 2014, a confidential source mistakenly received several bundles which contained approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine from two unknown male couriers working for him. The couriers had approached him and mistakenly threw a bag in his car containing six bundles of methamphetamine. The source quickly realized the bundles contained drugs and contacted federal agents who advised him to contact Ortiz-Flores. At that time, Ortiz-Flores advised him that drugs were supposed to go to another person who was then supposed to divide it up and provide to others.
Ortiz-Flores told him he could just sell the drugs. The source later told Ortiz-Flores he sold two kilograms of methamphetamine. Upon the direction of Ortiz-Flores, the source then delivered the remaining four kilograms to another man for him to sell. The drugs were hidden inside a spare tire and delivered as instructed.
Officers then conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle the man was driving and seized the methamphetamine. All six of the bundles of methamphetamine were subsequently sent for further analysis, which demonstrated a net weight of 5.924 kilograms and 100% purity.
The drugs had been imported from Mexico.
The evidence in the case also revealed Ortiz-Flores was involved in other methamphetamine trafficking transactions totaling more than 17 kilograms for which he was held accountable at the hearing today.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arthur R. Jones is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman appointed to Attorney General's Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of nine new U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC). The AGAC was created in 1973 and reports to the Attorney General through the Deputy Attorney General. AGAC represents the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys.
The new appointees include: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Richard Moore; U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah John W. Huber; U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Justin E. Herdman; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Robert Higdon; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma Robert Trent Shores; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Joshua Minkler; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Jeff Jensen; and Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Bryan Schroder.
U.S. Attorney Richard Moore will serve as the Chair of AGAC, and U.S. Attorney John W. Huber will serve as the Vice Chair.
“I am pleased to announce the first members of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee under this administration. These U.S. Attorneys will play an important role in carrying out the Department of Justice’s mission to reduce violent crime, combat transnational criminal organizations, secure our southern border, end the devastating opioid crisis, and return to the rule of law,” said Attorney General Sessions.
“I am honored to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and believe that our office’s experience dealing with the threats posed by violent crime, the opioid epidemic, national security and other priority issues will be valuable to our Justice Department leadership,” Herdman said.
A brief bio on each nominee is below:
Richard Moore (Chair)
The Senate confirmed Richard Moore’s appointment as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in September 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Moore served as the Inspector General for the Tennessee Valley Authority. From May 2009 to March 2011, Mr. Moore was the Chairman of the Investigations Committee for the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Prior to this position, Mr. Moore served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1985 to 2003. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. Moore was an Atlantic Fellow in Public Policy at Oxford University in England. Mr. Moore received his B.S., summa cum laude, from Spring Hill College and his J.D. from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law.
John W. Huber (Vice Chair)
Since June 2015, John Huber has served as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah, and in August 2017, the Senate again confirmed his appointment. Prior to being United States Attorney, Mr. Huber served as an Assistant United States Attorney for thirteen years. Mr. Huber began his prosecutorial career in the Weber County (Utah) Attorney’s Office, and later served as the Chief Prosecutor for West Valley City, Utah, before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in 2002. Mr. Huber received his B.A. from the University of Utah and his J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law.
Justin E. Herdman
The Senate confirmed Justin Herdman’s appointment as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in August 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Herdman was a partner at Jones Day and an Assistant United States Attorney in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Herdman previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City from 2001 to 2005 and as an associate at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP. He is currently a Judge Advocate General in the United States Air Force Reserve. Mr. Herdman received his B.A. from Ohio University, his Master of Philosophy from the University of Glasgow and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Robert Higdon
The Senate confirmed Robert Higdon to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina in October 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Higdon was a partner at the law firm of Williams Mullen. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Western and Eastern Districts of North Carolina. In the Eastern District U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Higdon served as Chief of the Criminal Division for more than 11 years. Mr. Higdon also served as senior trial counsel in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice. He received his B.A., cum laude, from Wake Forest University and his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Jeff Jensen
The Senate confirmed Jeff Jensen to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri in October 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Jensen was a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri starting in 1999, and was Executive United States Attorney from 2005 to 2009. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Jensen was an FBI Special Agent from 1989 to 1999. While working at the FBI, Mr. Jensen attended St. Louis University School of Law at night, graduating magna cum laude. He also received his B.A., cum laude, from Indiana University School of Business.
Jessie K. Liu
The Senate confirmed Jessie Liu to be United States Attorney for the District of Columbia in September 2017. Ms. Liu was previously Deputy General Counsel for the United States Department of the Treasury and a partner at the law firms of Morrison & Foerster LLP and Jenner & Block LLP. In addition, she has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia and in several senior positions in the United States Department of Justice, including as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division, counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, and deputy chief of staff for the National Security Division. Ms. Liu clerked for then-Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She received her A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard University and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
Joshua Minkler
The Senate confirmed Joshua Minkler to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana in October 2017. Since June 2015, Mr. Minkler had served as the interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Prior to that position, he served for 21 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Indiana. Before he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Minkler served for five years as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Kent County Michigan Prosecuting Attorney. Mr. Minkler received his B.A. from Wabash College, and his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Bryan Schroder
Bryan Schroder’s nomination to be United States Attorney for the District of Alaska is pending in the Senate. Mr. Schroder is currently the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, and previously served as the First Assistant United States Attorney and Criminal Chief. Mr. Schroder has served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for more than 11 years. Mr. Schroder is a retired Captain in the U.S. Coast Guard, having served for 24 years. Mr. Schroder graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of Washington School of Law.
Robert Trent Shores
The Senate confirmed Robert Trent Shores to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma in September 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Shores was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Oklahoma. Mr. Shores previously served as First Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma and deputy director for the Department of Justice’s Office of Tribal Justice, where he developed initiatives to promote public safety in Indian Country. Mr. Shores received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Two charged in federal court for attempted armed robbery of Willoughby credit unionRead the Press Release
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Willoughby Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office announce the arrest of two individuals responsible for the October 11 robbery of the Willoughby Eastlake Credit Union.
Arvis Williams, Jr., 22, and Melvin Hill, IV, 21, were placed in federal custody this morning. Williams and Hill are charged attempted bank robbery and brandishing a weapon during a crime of violence. A third suspect identified as a juvenile is not being charged federally.
On October 11, at approximately 9:55a.m., an off-duty uniformed Willoughby Police Officer was working as security at the Willoughby Eastlake Credit Union, located at 38024 Second Street in Willoughby. The off-duty police officer reported an attempted bank robbery by two male suspects wearing hoodies that entered the credit union. The suspects observed the uniformed officer, dropped their loaded Smith and Wesson MP-15 assault rifle at the credit union entrance and fled.
Additional marked and unmarked units responded to the area to assist in locating the suspects. Two suspects were apprehended, Arvis Williams, Jr. and the second suspect was identified as a juvenile.
A short time later a patrol officer observed a possible additional suspect, after questioning, this individual was identified as Melvin Hill, the getaway driver.
The suspects were taken into custody and charged locally. Today, Williams and Hill were transported to federal custody.
Additional federal charges are anticipated as these two are suspected of being responsible for several credit union robberies.
Two Women Indicted and Arrested on Charges of Embezzling from Molokai Federal Credit UnionRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Allennie Naeole, 55, a resident of Kaunakakai, Hawaii, and Janell Purdy, 40, a resident of Wailuku, Maui, were arrested on November 13, 2017, as a result of a federal indictment charging them with embezzling more than $1 million from a Molokai federal credit union over a seven year period of time.
Elliot Enoki, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that a federal grand jury returned a fifteen-count indictment against Naeole and Purdy on November 8, 2017. The indictment charged both individuals with conspiring to embezzle, and embezzling, funds belonging to the First Hawaiian Homes Credit Union ("First Hawaiian Homes") on Molokai between 2008 and 2015. According to the indictment, Naeole and Purdy were the only two permanent employees of First Hawaiian Homes, and were responsible for conducting all of its banking transactions and maintaining its books and records. The indictment alleges that the two individuals issued checks from First Hawaiian Homes’ accounts to pay personal expenses for Naeole and her family members, including credit card bills and car payments. Naeole and Purdy also withdrew more money than was on deposit in their own bank accounts and those belonging to their family members, and used the money to pay personal expenses. The withdrawals created negative balances in the accounts, which Naeole and Purdy concealed by making fictitious entries in First Hawaiian Homes’ records.
The indictment also alleges that Naeole took steps to conceal the embezzlements from First Hawaiian Homes’ board of directors and the National Credit Union Administration ("NCUA"), which insured its assets. According to the indictment, Naeole falsified records, created a letter bearing a forged signature and falsely claiming that First Hawaiian Homes had assets at another bank, and created a fictitious email account to communicate with the NCUA.
The indictment charges both individuals with one count of conspiracy and six counts of embezzlement, and Naeole with one count of making a false document and one count of aggravated identity theft. An indictment is merely an accusation, and Naeole and Purdy are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face up to thirty years’ of imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000, as to each of the embezzlement charges, and up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 for the conspiracy charge. Naeole separately faces up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 for the false document charge, and a mandatory two-year term of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 for the aggravated identity theft charge.
Naeole was arrested on Molokai, and Purdy was arrested on Maui. Purdy was brought to federal court, where she pled not guilty to all charges and was released on bail. Trial was set for January 9, 2018 before United States District Judge Derrick K. Watson. Naeole will be arraigned on the charges on November 14, 2017.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Treasury Department, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Maui County Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca A. Perlmutter.
Three Individuals Charged with Conspiracy and ArsonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jodarin Marquis Whitfield (27, Sarasota), Herbert Adelphus Pinckney (39, Avon Park), and Rashica Shaguana Ford (39, Sarasota) with conspiracy and arson. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on March 11, 2015, Whitfield, Pinckney, and Ford set fire to a residential dwelling in Bradenton. At the time of the arson, three adults and five children occupied the home.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the State Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations, the Bradenton Police Department, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Sonoyta Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison for Fourth Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Bernardo Romo-Ramos, 35, of Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico, and a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 200 months of imprisonment. Bernardo Romo-Ramos had previously pleaded guilty to importation of more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. This was Romo-Ramos’s fourth drug trafficking conviction.
On Aug. 23, 2016, Romo-Ramos entered the United States from Mexico through the Papago Gate on the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation. He was driving a 2001 Chevrolet truck that was later found to be loaded with 22 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1.2 kilograms of heroin. The forty-seven packages of narcotics were located in after-market compartments under the floorboards of the truck.
The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Securities Investigations’ Native American Targeted Investigation of Violent Enterprises Task Force. The prosecution was handled by Sarah B. Houston and Susanna Martinez, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Tucson.
CASE NUMBER: CR-17-432-TUC-RCC-BGM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-111_ Romo_Ramos
# # #
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.
Rosebud Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on November 13, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Anthony Edward Farmer, age 33, was sentenced to 18 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Farmer was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 11, 2017. He pled guilty on September 18, 2017.
The conviction stems from Farmer failing to register as a sex offender as required by federal law between May 22, 2017, and June 16, 2017. Farmer had previously been convicted of a sex offense in federal court, which requires him to register for the rest of his life.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case. Farmer was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rochester Brother and Sister Plead Guilty to Harboring Undocumented Restaurant WorkersRead 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 J. Guadalupe Hernandez, 33, and his sister, Felisita Hernandez, 32, both of Farmington, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring an illegal alien, and pattern and practice before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that between February 2014 and December 2015, the defendants conspired to conceal aliens working at El Jimador Mexican Restaurant in Farmington, NY, and Molcajetes Mexican Grill, in Greece, NY, in violation of the immigration laws of the United States. El Jimador was owned by defendant Guadalupe Hernandez while Molcajetes was owned by Felisita Hernandez.
In furtherance of the conspiracy, the defendants provided apartment housing in Farmington and Geneva for some of the undocumented workers. In addition to providing housing, Guadalupe and Felisita Hernandez paid the aliens in cash in order further to conceal their employment.
The pleas are the culmination of an investigation on the part of Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sentencing is set for January 19, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Larimer.
Production Company Registers Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act as Agent for the Russian Government Entity Responsible for Broadcasting RTRead the Press Release
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana J. Boente announced today that T&R Productions, LLC (T&R), a Washington, D.C., corporation, registered today with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as an agent for ANO TV-Novosti, the Russian government entity responsible for the worldwide broadcasts of the RT Network (RT). The National Security Division’s FARA Registration Unit is reviewing T&R’s filings for sufficiency.
“Americans have a right to know who is acting in the United States to influence the U.S. government or public on behalf of foreign principals,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Boente. “The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing FARA and expects compliance with the law by all entities engaged in specified activities on behalf of any foreign principal, regardless of its nationality.”
FARA does not inhibit freedom of expression, does not restrict the content of information disseminated, does not restrict an agent’s lobbying or publication of information or advocacy and applies neutrally to all foreign countries. It requires public disclosure of certain activities and relationships through registration by “agents of foreign principals” with the Justice Department. FARA does not limit publishing of materials or viewpoints; it requires only registration, labeling of informational materials and broadcasts, and recordkeeping.
Congress passed FARA in 1938, intending to ensure that the American public and our lawmakers know the source of information that is provided at the behest of a foreign principal, where that information may be intended to influence U.S. public opinion, policy and laws. The law does not restrict registrants from operating, however. Other U.S. agents of foreign media entities are currently registered under FARA and continue to operate freely in the United States.
Since August 2014, T&R has operated studios for RT, hired and paid all U.S.-based RT employees, and produced English-language programming for RT, which is both shown on cable networks across the United States and available on RT’s website. T&R’s filings are available to the public at www.fara.gov.
Prison Guard Convicted for Bribery and Smuggling ContrabandRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 28-year-old man from Houston has entered a guilty plea to bribery of a federal employee, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez along with Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI.
Jacoby Derrell Randall first came to the attention of law enforcement in early 2017. At that time, authorities had received numerous reports that prison guards were smuggling contraband into the Joe Corley Detention Facility which houses federal inmates. The investigation revealed that Randall was smuggling various contraband into the prison, including food, various electronic devices and marijuana.
During the plea today, Randall admitted he smuggled various contraband in exchange for bribes in violation of his official duties.
“The FBI is dedicated to investigating allegations of public corruption at any level,” said Turner. “Public corruption erodes the public’s confidence in our democracy and will not be tolerated.”
Sentencing has been set for Feb. 12, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes. At that time, Randall faces up to 15 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Julie N. Searle is prosecuting the case.
Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to 27 Months for New Fraud Scheme, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN VOLOSHIN, 61, formerly of New Haven and Woodbridge, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a fraud scheme and for violating a condition of his federal supervised release from a prior conviction.
On May 17, 2012, Judge Chatigny sentenced VOLOSHIN to 33 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for operating multiple fraud schemes that caused losses of more than $1.5 million to individuals and lenders. As part of the schemes, VOLOSHIN forged signatures and used fabricated bank account statements, tax returns, mortgage releases and loan applications. VOLOSHIN was released from prison on May 16, 2014, and began serving a three-year term of supervised release.
Shortly after his release from prison, in an attempt to gain permission from the U.S. Probation Office to travel to London, VOLOSHIN repeatedly lied to and misled his supervising probation officer by concocting a bogus job for a real estate concern in London. On November 7, 2014, Judge Chatigny sentenced VOLOSHIN to an additional nine months of imprisonment and 27 months of supervised release for violating the terms and conditions of his federal supervised release.
VOLOSHIN was released from prison on June 8, 2015, and began serving his 27-month term of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in the fall of 2015, VOLOSHIN engaged in another fraud scheme by soliciting money from individuals and representing that the money would be fully invested to generate very high returns. Although VOLOSHIN did invest some of the victims’ money, he used substantial portions of the victims’ money for personal expenses, including a $20,000 payment toward a luxury apartment in Manhattan, and for plastic surgery, fine dining, retail shopping and alcohol.
Judge Chatigny ordered VOLOSHIN to pay $275,000 in restitution. VOLOSHIN also has a substantial restitution obligation from his prior conviction.
VOLOSHIN has been detained since his arrest on May 26, 2016. On January 4, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, and admitted to a violation of the terms and conditions of his federal supervised release.
Judge Chatigny sentenced VOLOSHIN to 21 months of imprisonment on the wire fraud conviction, and a consecutive six months of imprisonment on the supervised release violation.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc H. Silverman and David T. Huang.
Phenix City Resident Convicted in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Schemes that Sought $26 MillionRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama –A Phenix City, Alabama resident was convicted Thursday by a federal jury for his part in two stolen identity refund fraud schemes, announced U.S. Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr. for the Middle District of Alabama and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
William Anthony Gosha III, a/k/a Boo Boo, was convicted of one count of conspiracy, 22 counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and 25 counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to the evidence presented at trial, between November 2010 and December 2013, Gosha ran a large-scale identity theft ring with his co-conspirators, Tracy Mitchell, Keshia Lanier, and Tamika Floyd, who were all previously convicted and sentenced to prison. Together they filed over 8,800 tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that sought more than $22 million in fraudulent refunds of which the IRS paid out approximately $9 million.
In November 2010, Gosha stole IDs of inmates from the Alabama Department of Corrections and provided the IDs to Lanier who used the information to seek fraudulent tax refunds. Gosha and Lanier agreed to split the proceeds. Gosha also stole employee records from a company previously located in Columbus, Georgia. In 2012, Lanier needed an additional source of stolen IDs and approached Floyd, who worked at two Alabama state agencies in Opelika, Alabama: the Department of Public Health and the Department of Human Resources. In both positions, Floyd had access to the personal identifying information of individuals, including teenagers. Lanier requested that Floyd primarily provide her with identities that belonged to sixteen and seventeen year-olds. Floyd agreed and provided thousands of names to Lanier and others at Lanier’s direction.
After receiving the additional stolen IDs, Gosha recruited Mitchell and her family to help file the fraudulent returns. Mitchell worked at a hospital located at Fort Benning, Georgia, where she had access to the personal identification information of military personnel, including soldiers who were deployed to Afghanistan. She stole soldiers’ IDs and used their information to file fraudulent returns.
In order to electronically file the fraudulent returns, Gosha, Lanier, and their co-conspirators applied for several Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFIN) with the IRS in the names of sham tax preparation businesses. Gosha, Lanier, and their co-conspirators then used these EFINs to file the returns and obtain tax refund related bank products from various financial institutions, which provided them with blank check stock. Gosha and his co-conspirators initially printed out the fraudulently obtained refund checks using the blank check stock.
However, the financial institutions halted Gosha’s and his co-conspirators’ ability to print checks, and as a result they recruited U.S. Postal employees who provided Gosha and others with addresses on their routes to which the fraudulent refund checks could be mailed. In exchange for cash, these postal employees collected the refund checks and provided them to Gosha, Lanier, Mitchell and others. Gosha also directed tax refunds to prepaid debit cards and had them sent to addresses he controlled. Gosha used the prepaid cards to withdraw the refunds.
In addition, between January 2010 and December 2013, Gosha participated in a separate stolen identity refund fraud scheme with Pamela Smith and others, in which Gosha sold the IDs that he had stolen from the Alabama Department of Corrections to Smith and others. Smith and others used the IDs to file returns that sought approximately $4.8 million in fraudulent refunds of which the IRS paid out approximately $1.85 million. Smith was previously convicted and sentenced to prison.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Watkins did not set a date for sentencing. Gosha faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy to file false claims, a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire and mail fraud and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft. The defendant also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, forfeiture and monetary penalties. He was remanded into custody.
U.S. Attorney Franklin and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Michael C. Boteler and Gregory P. Bailey of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross of the Middle District of Alabama, who are prosecuting the case.
Pharmaceutical Employee Admits Health Care Fraud Conspiracy Targeting State Health Benefits ProgramsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Galloway, New Jersey, man today admitted defrauding New Jersey state health benefits programs and other insurers out of nearly $500,000 by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary prescriptions, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick and New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced.
Andrew Gerstel, 39, a pharmaceutical sales representative, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2015 through April 2016, Gerstel recruited individuals in New Jersey to obtain very expensive and medically unnecessary compounded medications from an out-of-state pharmacy, identified in the information as the “Compounding Pharmacy.” The conspirators learned that certain compound medication prescriptions – including pain, scar, antifungal, and libido creams, as well as vitamin combinations – were reimbursed for thousands of dollars for a one-month supply.
The conspirators also learned that some New Jersey state and local government and education employees, including teachers, firefighters, municipal police officers, and state troopers, had insurance coverage for these particular compound medications. An entity referred to in the information as the “Pharmacy Benefits Administrator” provided pharmacy benefit management services for the State Health Benefits Program, which covers qualified state and local government employees, retirees, and eligible dependents, and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, which covers qualified local education employees, retirees, and eligible dependents. The Pharmacy Benefits Administrator would pay prescription drug claims and then bill the State of New Jersey for the amounts paid.
Gerstel recruited public employees and other individuals covered by the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator to fraudulently obtain compounded medications that were reimbursed for the highest amounts, without regard to their medical necessity. The prescriptions were then faxed to Compounding Pharmacy, which filled the prescriptions and billed the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator.
The pharmacy paid one of Gerstel’s conspirators a percentage of each prescription filled and paid by the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator, which was then distributed to Gerstel and other members of the conspiracy. Gerstel paid recruiters under him and individuals with insurance coverage to reward them for obtaining the prescriptions.
According to the information, the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator paid Compounding Pharmacy over $50 million for compounded medications mailed to individuals in New Jersey.
As part of his plea agreement, Gerstel must forfeit $184,389.05 in criminal proceeds he received for his role in the scheme and pay restitution of at least $483,946.72.
Gerstel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2018.
Ten other conspirators – Matthew Tedesco, Robert Bessey, Michael Pepper, Thomas Hodnett, Steven Urbanski, John Gaffney, Judd Holt, George Gavras, Richard Zappala, and Michael Neopolitan – have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and await sentencing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen in Newark, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael C. Mikulka in New York, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the Division of Pensions and Financial Transactions in the State Attorney General’s Office, under the direction of Attorney General Porrino and Division Chief Eileen Schlindwein Den Bleyker, for its assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. David Walk, Jr. and Jacqueline M. Carle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Defense counsel: Ralph A. Paolone Esq., GallowayParkersburg woman sentenced to federal prison for drug crimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg woman who was caught with heroin and methamphetamine in January 2017 was sentenced today to a year and a half in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Megan Kerns, 29, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine.
On January 12, 2017, agents with the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force arrested Kerns in Parkersburg. In a search incident to arrest, agents discovered in her possession approximately 30 grams of heroin, 50 grams of methamphetamine, and a Taurus .380 caliber pistol. She also had in her possession a box of sandwich bags, a set of digital scales, and two cell phones. Kerns further admitted to all the drug trafficking activity charged in the indictment, including that she distributed heroin and methamphetamine in Parkersburg during the months of March 2016 and January 2017.
The Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is handling the prosecution. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., imposed the sentence.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of illegal drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.
- Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews
North Carolina Resident Pleads Guilty to Preparing Fraudulent Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
A Winston-Salem, North Carolina resident, who is also licensed as an attorney in Georgia, pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to documents and information provided to the court, between 2006 and 2016, Shannon DeWayne Patterson was an attorney licensed to practice in Georgia. Between January and May 2015, Patterson co-owned and operated tax preparation businesses named “Fast Tax” in the cities of Salisbury and Kannapolis, North Carolina. Patterson employed several individuals to prepare clients’ tax returns. Patterson instructed his employees to fabricate information on their clients’ tax returns to maximize their refunds. Patterson admitted to aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns that sought more than $60,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
Patterson also admitted filing false personal tax returns for 2014 and 2015, on which he underreported his income.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 12, 2018 before U.S. District Court Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. Patterson faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Hairston thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Robert J. Boudreau of the Tax Division and Criminal Division Chief Clifton T. Barrett of the Middle District of North Carolina, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
North Carolina Resident Pleads Guilty to Preparing Fraudulent Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Winston-Salem, North Carolina resident, who is also licensed as an attorney in Georgia, pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a fraudulent tax return, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to documents and information provided to the court, between 2006 and 2016, Shannon DeWayne Patterson was an attorney licensed to practice in Georgia. Between January and May 2015, Patterson co-owned and operated tax preparation businesses named “Fast Tax” in the cities of Salisbury and Kannapolis, North Carolina. Patterson employed several individuals to prepare clients’ tax returns. Patterson instructed his employees to fabricate information on their clients’ tax returns to maximize their refunds. Patterson admitted to aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns that sought more than $60,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
Patterson also admitted filing false personal tax returns for 2014 and 2015, on which he underreported his income.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 12, 2018 before U.S. District Court Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. Patterson faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Hairston thanked special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Robert J. Boudreau of the Tax Division and Criminal Division Chief Clifton T. Barrett of the Middle District of North Carolina, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
# # #
Non-Indian Man from Albuquerque Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federally Commissioned Tribal OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Vincent P. Luciani, 26, a non-Indian man from Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to assaulting a federal officer. Luciani’s plea agreement recommends a six-month term of imprisonment followed by a period of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Luciani was arrested on July 3, 2017, and was charged by criminal complaint with assaulting an officer of the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department, who is commissioned as a Special Law Enforcement Officer by the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. According to the complaint, Luciani assaulted the officer by threatening the officer following a routine traffic stop. Luciani committed the offense on June 30, 2017, on Laguna Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M.
Luciani was subsequently indicted on July 27, 2017, and charged with assault on a federal officer with a deadly and dangerous weapon on June 30, 2017, in Cibola County.
During today’s proceedings, Luciani pled guilty to a misdemeanor information charging him with assault on a federal officer. In entering the guilty plea, Luciani admitted that on June 30, 2017, he was stopped by a Laguna Police officer who was commissioned as a Special Law Enforcement Officer by the BIA because he was driving his vehicle recklessly and at a high rate of speed. Luciani further admitted that when the officer pulled him to the side of the road, Luciani exited his vehicle with a black object in his hand, threatened to injure the officer if the officer approached him and continued to threaten and yell at the officer until his arrest. Luciani acknowledged that officers located a firearm in plain view in his vehicle during a search incident to Luciani’s arrest. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.
Newport News Man Convicted of a False Distress Call and ThreatsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Newport News man today for making a false distress call to the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Justin P. Stahmer, 39, made a false distress call on June 20, 2016, while several miles northeast of Cape Henry. Stahmer used the International Distress Frequency, VHF Channel 16, to call “man overboard,” despite being alone on his boat and knowing no one had fallen in the water. For over 45 minutes the Coast Guard sought more information from Stahmer over the radio and launched a full search for a person in the water, including deploying a 45-foot patrol boat, an 87-foot cutter, and a search and rescue helicopter. Once he was found, Stahmer initially denied making any distress call to the Coast Guard and then indicated he called the Coast Guard because he ran out of gas. As the Coast Guard Boarding Officers inspected Stahmer’s vessel, he became belligerent and angry. Ultimately, the Virginia Marine Resource Commission Police arrived and arrested Stahmer for boating under the influence of alcohol. While being transported back to shore, Stahmer began to kick and threaten one of the Coast Guard Boarding Officers, stating that Stahmer would “take him out” if he ever saw the Boarding Officer again.
Stahmer faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 20, 2018. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Marty J. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Chesapeake Region, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Gavin are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-123.