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13 September 2017
U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Convicted in Stolen Identity Tax Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal jury sitting in Columbus, Georgia returned a guilty verdict today against a U.S. postal worker for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney G. F. Peterman III for the Middle District of Georgia.
According to evidence presented at trial, Harold Coley, 52, worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and his postal route was in Columbus, Georgia. In 2012, Coley was recruited by Keshia Lanier to participate in stolen identity tax refund conspiracy. Coley collected addresses on his route, including many that did not exist or related to vacant buildings, and provided them to Lanier and others for the purpose of filing fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Lanier obtained many of the stolen identities from Tamika Floyd who worked for the Alabama Department of Public Health. The stolen identities primarily belonged to 16 and 17 year-olds.
Lanier and others directed the IRS to mail the tax refund checks to the addresses Coley provided. In exchange for cash, Coley intercepted the fraudulently obtained refund checks and provided them to Lanier and others. In total, Coley’s co-conspirators directed over 1,600 refund checks claiming more than $2.5 million to addresses on his postal route. Lanier and Floyd were previously sentenced to 15 years and more than seven years in prison for their roles in the scheme.
U.S. District Court Judge Clay D. Land scheduled sentencing for Dec. 19. Coley faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy count, 20 years in prison for each count of mail fraud and 5 years in prison for each count of embezzlement of the mail. Coley also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, forfeiture and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Peterman commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Michael C. Boteler and William Montague of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
U.S. Attorney Establishes Middle District of Florida Disaster Fraud Task Force and Urges Floridians to Be Vigilant in Reporting Suspected FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow has established a Disaster Fraud Task Force within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (MDFL). The MDFL encompasses 35 of Florida’s 67 counties, has offices in Jacksonville, Orlando, Ocala, Tampa, and Ft. Myers, and serves over 11.5 million citizens in Florida. Acting U.S. Attorney Muldrow also urges all Florida residents and businesses to immediately report suspected fraudulent activity relating to recovery and cleanup operations, fake charities claiming to be providing relief for victims, and individuals submitting false claims for disaster relief.
In anticipation of fraudulent activity in connection with federal disaster relief following Hurricane Irma, the newly created MDFL Task Force will be headed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg, one of the MDFL’s Criminal Chiefs who has extensive experience investigating and prosecuting these types of fraud schemes. The Task Force will be staffed by experienced prosecutors throughout the MDFL and will work closely with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to protect the benefits destined for citizens who are victims of this disaster.
The Task Force will also work closely with the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), which was established to investigate, prosecute, and deter fraud in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when billions of dollars in federal disaster relief poured into the Gulf Coast region. Its mission has expanded to include suspected fraud from any natural or manmade disaster. More than 30 federal, state, and local agencies participate in the NCDF, which allows the center to act as a centralized clearinghouse of information related to disaster relief fraud.
“We will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who seeks to defraud or exploit the federal assistance programs established to help individuals, families, or businesses that have lost so much as a result of Hurricane Irma,” said Acting U.S Attorney Muldrow. “Our Office will continue to protect the rights of our honest citizens affected by this disaster and ensure that they receive the necessary public and charitable assistance they deserve. If you suspect any fraud, we urge you to call the NCDF Hotline. Our efforts to combat fraud associated with Hurricane Irma will supplement the outstanding and ongoing efforts by the State of Florida and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.”
Florida residents should continue to report fraud, price gouging, and other fraudulent schemes to the agencies and hotlines established by the State of Florida. The public is reminded to be extremely cautious before providing personal identifying information or account data to anyone, especially those who may contact you. Residents should also remember to perform due diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations or individuals offering to provide assistance to those affected by the hurricane.
Members of the public who suspect fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, or believe they have been the victim of fraud from a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of disaster victims, should contact the National Disaster Fraud Hotline toll free at (866) 720-5721. The telephone line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also fax information to the Center at (225) 334-4707, or email it to [email protected]. You may also visit www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl.
Two Hartford-Area Men Charged with Heroin Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment yesterday charging JOSE CARRASQUILLO, also known as “Pete,” 31, of Wethersfield, and DWAYNE THOMPSON, 32, of West Hartford, with heroin trafficking offenses. The indictment also charges THOMPSON with illegally possessing a firearm.
As alleged in court documents, in July 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force received information that CARRASQUILLO was interested in acquiring heroin to distribute. In August, CARRASQUILLO agreed to purchase three kilograms of heroin from an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a heroin supplier. On August 22, CARRASQUILLO and THOMPSON, arriving in separate vehicles, met in South Windsor with an individual working with law enforcement to complete the transaction. THOMPSON was arrested on that date after he was found in possession of a firearm and $126,200 in cash. CARRASQUILLO, who fled at a high rate of speed and was able to elude capture, surrendered to law enforcement on August 24.
The indictment charges CARRASQUILLO and THOMPSON with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and one count of attempt to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. Both of these charges carry a maximum term of imprisonment of life. The indictment also charges THOMPSON with one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of the cash and firearm seized at the time of THOMPSON’s arrest.
CARRASQUILLO and THOMPSON are released on bonds in the amounts of $150,000 and $100,000, respectively.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford 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.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
Turlock Attorney Sentenced for Importing SteroidsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Erik Harald Moje, 40, a California-licensed attorney and resident of Turlock, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to nine months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release for importing raw anabolic steroids from China, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Anabolic steroids are synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male hormone testosterone. They are regulated under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as a Schedule III controlled substance and may not be possessed lawfully in the United States without a prescription. Importing anabolic steroids by a person who is not a Drug Enforcement Administration registrant, such as a physician or a pharmacy, is unlawful and a violation of the CSA.
On February 6, 2017, Moje pleaded guilty to unlawfully importing anabolic steroids. According to court documents, between December 1, 2013, and September 1, 2015, Moje, a licensed attorney and professional bodybuilder, unlawfully purchased and obtained anabolic steroids from a supplier in China. Encrypted emails documented shipments and indicated that the purchase money would be deposited into the bank account for the Law Office of Eric Moje. He routed shipments of steroids through a mail-forwarding service in New York, as well as private citizens in other parts of the country.
In May 2015, agents intercepted a parcel containing one kilogram of steroids, which equates to 40,000 dosage units. In September 2015, agents executed a search warrant at Moje’s residence. Behind a false wall in the garage, they found 538 10‑milliliter vials containing liquid anabolic steroids, which equates to 10,760 dosage units, and 17,700 steroid capsules.
In sentencing Moje, Judge Drozd ordered the forfeiture of Moje’s residence. Also forfeited were: $29,925 in cash found during the search of the residence, a 2011 BMW 750Li, and 11 firearms.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Turlock Police Department and Modesto Police Department. The case was also part of Operation Cyber Juice, a nationwide initiative targeting domestic and international steroid trafficking organizations. Assistant United States Attorney Karen A. Escobar prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin C. Khasigian handled the asset forfeiture proceedings.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Trafford Man Charged with Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Trafford, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of theft of government property, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The one-count indictment, returned yesterday, named Warren Robb, age 57, of Trafford, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, between November 2015 and July 2017, Warren Robb received and converted approximately $57,821.68 in U.S. Railroad Retirement Board disability benefits to which he knew he was not entitled.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 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 Adam N. Hallowell is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Railroad Retirement Board, 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.
Topeka Woman Indicted for Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Topeka, Kan., woman was indicted by a federal grand jury today alongside an Independence, Mo., man who was previously indicted on charges related to the sexual exploitation of six child victims.
Cynthia Ann Holman, 44, of Topeka, was charged in a 12-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s superseding indictment replaces a June 2, 2017, indictment that charged only Travis Howard White, 25, of Independence.
The superseding indictment alleges that, between Sept. 1, 2016, and March 1, 2017, Holman and White conspired to transport a minor (identified as Minor Victim 1) across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Today’s indictment also contains the original 11 counts against White. White is charged with enticing Minor Victim 1 to engage in illicit sexual activity from Feb. 5, 2016, to March 1, 2017. The indictment also charges White with two counts of using Minor Victim 1 to produce child pornography. White also is charged with two counts of transferring obscene material to Minor Victim 1, including numerous images depicting horses and dogs engaged in sexual activity with humans.
The indictment also charges White with one count of receiving child pornography over the Internet and five counts of transferring obscene material to a minor under the age of 16, which occurred from August 2016 to January 2017. These charges are related to five additional child victims.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the investigation began when law enforcement agents learned Minor Victim 1 was living with White. She told investigators that she met White online in January 2016, when she was 13 years old and living in Kansas. They began “sexting” and exchanging sexually explicit nude photographs, she said. When she arrived in Kansas City, Mo., in September 2016, she stayed at a hotel for a few days before moving in to live with White. The victim was recovered by the FBI and placed in emergency police protective custody on March 1, 2017.
Investigators found numerous Facebook messages between White and the victim. Their conversations were of a sexual nature, the affidavit says, including instructions from White to the victim about what sorts of pictures to take and what sort of activity to engage in. The victim allegedly sent White several sexually explicit images of herself, the affidavit says, and White in turn sent her a nude image of himself. White also sent the victim approximately three dozen images depicting horses and dogs engaged in the sexually explicit abuse of females of varying and indeterminate age, according to the affidavit.
White told investigators he engaged in sexual activity with the victim at numerous locations in the metropolitan area, the affidavit says. White said he engaged in similar sexual discussions with approximately “50 to 100” other females, a number of whom were underage, via Facebook and other means.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Three Nurses Sentenced for Healthcare FraudRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SUPRENIA WASHINGTON, age 61, ERICA EDWARDS, age 32, both of New Orleans, and JEFF KOON, age 44, of Lockport, were sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to healthcare fraud.
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced WASHINGTON, EDWARDS, and KOON each to two years probation. Additionally, each defendant was ordered to pay restitution as follows: WASHINGTON, $2,324.19; EDWARDS, $2,199.28; and KOON, $2,135.
On March 12, 2015, WASHINGTON was indicted along with 20 other defendants in a 26-count Indictment charging approximately $30,052,295 in Medicare fraud.
On April 21, 2016, EDWARDS and KOON were charged along with 12 other defendants in a 31-count Superseding Indictment charging approximately $30,252,906 in Medicare fraud.
According to court documents, WASHINGTON was a Registered Nurse (RN) at ABIDE HOME CARE SERVICES, a home health company operated by owner LISA CRINEL. WASHINGTON’S guilty plea involved her care for Medicare beneficiaries, falsification of documents and failure to notify officials of the ongoing health care fraud at ABIDE.
On September 8, 2016, WASHINGTON pled guilty to one count of healthcare fraud.
According to court documents, EDWARDS and KOON worked as RNs for ABIDE. Their duties included assessing the status of patients, initiating a plan of care, evaluating patient needs, providing comprehensive nursing care, among other things. KOON and EDWARDS pleaded guilty to fraudulently recertifying patients for home health by recording false changes in medications and exacerbations in medication conditions that did not occur and falsely documented that patients were homebound.
On July 20, 2016, EDWARDS and KOON each pled guilty to a one count of healthcare fraud.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrice Harris Sullivan, Hayden M. Brockett, Sharan Lieberman and Maria Carboni were in charge of the prosecution.
Three Customs and Border Protection Officers Charged with Assaulting Fellow Officers at Newark AirportRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Three Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were arrested this morning and charged with assaulting two fellow officers at Newark Liberty International Airport, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Tito Catota, 38, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, Parmenio I. Perez, 40, of Hawthorne, New Jersey, and Michael A. Papagni, 32, of Staten Island, New York, are charged by complaint with forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with two men identified in the complaint as “Victim One” and “Victim Two” while the victims were engaged in their duties as CBP officers. The three defendants are scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.
“The defendants, who were members of a unit responsible for identifying dangerous contraband and threats to national security, allegedly subjected their own colleagues to senseless physical abuse, all while on duty at Newark Liberty International Airport,” Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick said. “This behavior would be abhorrent in any environment, especially one serving a critical law enforcement function. The hard working men and women who protect our borders deserve better.”
“DHS employees pledge to maintain the highest standards of conduct and the OIG ensures those employees are held accountable when they violate that obligation,” Special Agent in Charge Mark Tasky of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, New York Resident Office, said. “DHS OIG takes very seriously allegations such as those in today’s complaint and works tirelessly to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.”
According to the complaint:
Catota, Perez, and Papagni were employed as CBP officers at Newark Liberty International Airport and were assigned to the Passenger Enforcement Rover Team (PERT). PERT was a CBP specialized unit that was involved in the identification and interception of passengers attempting to bring contraband into the United States or who might be associated with terrorist activities. PERT maintained an office on the second floor of Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Victim One was assigned to PERT in October 2016. Within the first two weeks that Victim One worked in PERT, Papagni allegedly advised Victim One that the PERT office table was known as the “rape table” and threatened the victim that he would get him on it.
On Jan. 10, 2017, Victim One was asked to retrieve and forward a document related to a prior drug seizure. While Victim One and an individual identified in the complaint as “CBPO 1” were trying to scan the document, Papagni allegedly warned Victim One that he had five minutes to get out of the office or Papagni would teach him “what this team is about.”
Moments later, an individual identified in the complaint as “CBPO 2” shut off the lights in the PERT office. Papagni, Catota, and another officer identified in the complaint as “CBPO 3” then allegedly grabbed Victim One’s arms and legs and threw him on top of the PERT office table. While Papagni, Catota, and CBPO 3 held him down, Perez got on top of Victim One’s mid-section and grinded his body up and down against Victim One’s genitals through the victim’s clothing in a motion simulating a sex act. Victim One unsuccessfully attempted to push Perez off his body. When Perez eventually got off of Victim One, Papagni, Catota, and CBPO 3 released him.
On Nov. 30, 2016, Victim Two, who was assigned to the Port Director staff, went to the PERT office to speak to CBPO 1. A few minutes later, Victim Two saw an officer identified as “CBPO 4” lock one of the doors to the office. Victim Two started to walk towards the other door to the PERT office but it was closed. Catota, Papagni, and Perez then grabbed Victim Two and threw him on his side on the PERT office table. While two of the defendants held Victim Two down on top of the table, the other defendant got on top of Victim Two and moved his genitals up and down on Victim Two’s leg in simulation of a sex act. Victim Two struggled to get free until Catota, Papagni, and Perez eventually released him.
Both counts in the complaint carry a maximum potential penalty of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, New York Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark Tasky and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, New York Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Vance Kuhner, with the investigation leading to today’s arrests.
The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Leslie Faye Schwartz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel:
Catota: Alan Zegas Esq., Chatham, New Jersey
Papagni: Chad Seigel Esq., New York
Perez: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Verona, New JerseyThree Albuquerque Residents Sentenced to Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft ConvictionsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Three Albuquerque, N.M., residents were sentenced this afternoon in federal court for their convictions on aggravated identity theft charges. Amelia Cordova, 35, Bridget Jessica Sanchez, 35, and Kenneth Webb, 50, were each sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.
Cordova, Sanchez and Webb were charged in a five-count indictment filed on Oct. 25, 2016, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and receipt of stolen mail. The indictment was superseded on April 26, 2017, and charged the three defendants with participating in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud from Jan. 2015 through Feb. 2016. The superseding indictment also charged each of the three defendants with committing aggravated identity theft on the following dates: Cordova on Feb. 13, 2016; Sanchez on Jan. 19, 2015; and Webb on June 2, 2015. It also charged Cordova and Sanchez with theft or receipt of stolen mail on July 20, 2015. According to the superseding indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Bernalillo County, N.M.
On June 15, 2017, Cordova and Sanchez each pled guilty to an aggravated identity theft charge. In their plea agreements, Cordova and Sanchez admitted that they conspired to defraud financial institutions, including First Financial Credit Union, Kirtland Federal Credit Union, Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union, Bank of America and Bank of the West. They also admitted that in furtherance of that conspiracy, they possessed mail and other information, including bank account, debit card and credit card numbers belonging to others, that had been stolen from a post office, mail receptacle, or mail carrier. Cordova and Sanchez admitted using the numbers for the bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards to make purchases, and forging signatures of others in making those purchases. Cordova and Sanchez also admitted using bank account numbers and bank routing numbers contained in the stolen mail to make counterfeit personal checks, which they used to make purchases.
In entering her guilty plea, Cordova admitted that between Feb. 13 and 21, 2016, she used credit card number information from two different people to commit bank fraud.
In entering her guilty plea, Sanchez admitted that on Jan. 19, 2015 and between June 15 and 24, 2015, she used bank account information belonging to another person to commit bank fraud. Sanchez also admitted using credit card number information of another person on Feb. 10, 20, and 21, 2016.
On June 19, 2017, Webb pled guilty to an aggravated identity theft charge and admitted that he conspired with his codefendants to defraud the financial institutions. In entering the guilty plea, Webb further admitted that between June 2, 2015 and June 19, 2015, he possessed and used bank account information of other individuals. Webb also admitted that on July 20, 2015, he possessed counterfeit checks, counterfeit New Mexico state identification cards and other identification that belonged to other individuals.
This case was investigated the U.S. Postal Service and the Albuquerque Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George C. Kraehe.
Texas Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Damaging Health Care System’s ComputersRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Houston, Texas, was sentenced in federal court to 27 months in prison on his convictions of intentional damage to a protected computer and wire fraud, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
Chief United States District Court Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Brandon A. Coughlin, age 29, of Houston TX.
According to the information presented to the court, the Court was advised that Coughlin intentionally hacked and damaged 13 servers operated by a health care facility known as Centerville Clinic, Inc. (CCI) and engaged in a scheme to defraud that healthcare facility by using its purchase card to order merchandise from Staples. On January 16, 2013, Coughlin was hired by CCI as an in-house computer systems administrator.
On February 4, 2013, he resigned from that position at the request of the management of CCI. Using the administrative passwords he knew from his employment, Coughlin on September 18, 2013 hacked the computer network of CCI. He disabled all administrative accounts needed to control any and all of the computer servers of CCI, and deleted users’ network shares, business data, and patient health information and data, including patient medical records. He caused a financial loss of approximately $60,000. He caused CCI facility to cease its medical treatment of patients until its system was restored.
Coughlin also admitted committing wire fraud when he attempted fraudulently to purchase online iPad Air tablets on the Staples account of CCI. As part of the fraud, Coughlin breached the email server of CCI. He directed that email server to delete email from Staples before it was routed to the purchasing supervisor who handled the Staples account for CCI.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul E. Hull prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Song commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the successful investigation leading to the prosecution of Brandon A. Coughlin.
Taxicab Driver Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges for Sexually Assaulting PassengerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Yared Mekonnen, a taxicab driver from Silver Spring, Md., pled guilty today to sexually assaulting a passenger he picked up last spring in the U Street area of Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Mekonnen, 24, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of second-degree sexual abuse and attempted kidnapping. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo scheduled sentencing for Dec. 1, 2017. Under the Court’s Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Mekonnen faces a likely sentence of between 42 and 108 months. Following his prison term, Mekonnen will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of May 28, 2017, Mekonnen was driving his taxicab and picked up the victim and her boyfriend in the vicinity of U Street NW. Both the victim and her boyfriend were intoxicated. At some point, the boyfriend exited the taxicab. Once Mekonnen was alone in the taxicab with the victim, he sexually assaulted her. She tried to get out of the taxicab, but he prevented it. She screamed as he continued driving. There was a struggle, and while attempting to convince the victim not to call for help, Mekonnen grabbed her cellphone and it fell out of the window.
Finally, another driver pulled in front of the taxicab, forcing it to stop in the 4900 block of 16th Street NW. Shortly afterward, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived on the scene and Mekonnen was arrested. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen and Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
St. Albans man sentenced to federal prison for methamphetamine crimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A St. Albans man was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for a drug charge, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Christopher Carte, 44, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
On February 9, 2017, Carte was stopped by law enforcement conducting surveillance of suspected drug activity when officers saw him leaving a room at the Super 8 motel in Dunbar. After Carte consented to a search, officers found approximately one ounce of crystal methamphetamine in his jacket pocket. Carte admitted that he had gotten the methamphetamine from someone in the motel room, and that he intended sell the drugs and pay that individual with the proceeds.
The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Eric Bacaj and Haley Bunn are responsible for the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin 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, including methamphetamine. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.
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Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Alex Germaine, 30, of Springfield, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Springfield to possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Dec. 19, 2017.
Germaine accessed a Russian child pornography website and possessed multiple images of child pornography on his cell phone, including an image involving a sex act perpetrated by an adult male against a prepubescent female. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on July 26, 2016, and seized Germaine’s cell phone, which revealed the images. A subsequent search warrant was executed on Nov. 10, 2016, at Germaine’s residence in Springfield, where law enforcement seized computer discs containing child pornography.
If the Court accepts the plea agreement, Germaine will be sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex J. Grant of Weinreb's Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Somerville Man Sentenced for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Somerville man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for failing to register as a sex offender.
James Mercer, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 27 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In June 2017, Mercer pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender.
Mercer was required to register as a Level 2 sex offender in Massachusetts after being convicted in 1992 and 1996 on state charges. He has previously been convicted twice for failing to register: in Florida state court in 2007, and in federal court in Boston in 2015.
Following his release from custody in relation to the 2015 federal conviction in Boston, Mercer left Massachusetts without reporting to authorities, as required by law. Mercer was located in California, where he was arrested for failing to update his sex offender registration.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and U.S. Marshal John Gibbons for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Weinreb’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Six South Texas Residents Get Hefty Sentences in Conspiracy to Manufacture Military-Style GrenadesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A total of six individuals have been ordered to federal prison for the illegal receipt, possession and manufacture of destructive devices that were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Noe Gonzalez, 19, of San Juan, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully transferring destructive devices and one count of making destructive devices that had not been registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Each of the other defendants - Anthony Ozuna, 20, Alfredo Rivera, 24, and Pedro Vega-Genova, 40, all of Edinburg; Celin Javier Montoya-Rodriguez, 23, a lawful permanent resident in Edinburg; and Jonathan Sanchez-Torres, 20, a Mexican undocumented alien who was residing in Pharr - pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully transferring destructive devices.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Vega-Genova to a term of 240 months in federal prison. Gonzalez was ordered to serve a 196-month-term, while Montoya-Rodriguez, Rivera and Sanchez-Torres will each serve 120 months. Ozuna was ordered to serve 100 months of imprisonment. With the exception of Sanchez-Torres and Montoya-Rodriguez, who are expected to face deportation proceedings following their release from prison, all will also serve three years of supervised release after completion of their sentences.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a lengthy investigation which included undercover operations that exposed a conspiracy to manufacture military-style grenades that were intended to be sold and exported to Mexico.
ATF and HSI agents discovered that over a six-month-period, Gonzalez acquired all of the components necessary to construct more than 150 improvised hand grenades, including grenade hulls, spring kits, fuses and black powder, from a combination of online merchants and local stores. He assembled the grenades in a workshop located behind his home. As the grenades were completed, Sanchez-Torres delivered batches of the “live” hand grenades to Vega-Genova for distribution.
Vega-Genova worked with Montoya-Rodriguez, Ozuna and Rivera to sell the grenades. On four separate occasions between Nov. 5, 2016, and Nov. 9, 2016, agents purchased approximately 45 grenades directly from Vega, Montoya-Rodriguez, Ozuna and Rivera at a cost of $400 -$450 per grenade. ATF and HSI agents subsequently conducted surveillance and undercover operations that led to the discovery of the identity and location of the grenade manufacturer - Gonzalez.
Authorities learned that prior to the start of the investigation, the defendants had manufactured and sold approximately 50 grenades to other unknown individuals who were exporting the grenades to Mexico. At the time of his arrest, Gonzalez was in the process of acquiring components to manufacture an additional 200 grenades. Agents were able to intercept some of the component parts that were being shipped to Gonzalez’s residence.
All of the defendants have been in custody since their arrests on Dec. 6, 2016, where they will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
ATF and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety, police departments in McAllen and Mission, Customs and Border Protection and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Paxton is prosecuting the case.
Six Members of the “Rollin’ 30s” Crips Street Gang Charged with Racketeering, Narcotics, and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York City (“HSI”), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging WALSTON OWEN, a/k/a “Purpose,” RICHARD FELIZ, a/k/a “Dirt,” SHAQUILLE BAILEY, a/k/a “Shaq,” a/k/a “Jefe,” MIGUEL CABA, a/k/a “Miggs,” and NATHANIAL RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Cook,” with various crimes relating to racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses, including charges against FELIZ for the March 26, 2015, murder of Victor Chafla, an innocent bystander. The defendants are charged as a result of their membership in the “Rollin’ 30s,” a subset of the nationwide Crips street gang. Another individual, LEWIS TURNBULL, a/k/a “Lew,” was charged solely with a narcotics offense. OWEN and COOK were arrested on these charges yesterday; FELIZ, BAILEY, TURNBULL, and CABA were already in federal custody on other charges. OWEN and COOK will be presented in Manhattan federal court today before Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah Freeman. The case is before United States District Judge Victor Marrero, and the defendants will be arraigned before Judge Marrero on September 14.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “As alleged in the superseding indictment, these defendants brought drugs and violence to the streets of our community, including the tragic murder of an innocent bystander, Victor Chafla. We commend the extraordinary efforts of our law enforcement partners to bring these defendants to justice, and express our hope that Mr. Chafla’s family and friends find some measure of justice in today’s charges.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez said: “These gang members are purported to have committed acts of violence, including murder and robbery, just to fund and protect its criminal enterprise, with one crew member alleged to have shot and killed an innocent bystander. These street gangs plague our community and HSI, with its longstanding partnership with the NYPD, will continue its efforts to rid our neighborhoods of such tormenters and ensure it’s known that they are not welcome.”
NYPD Commissioner O’Neill said: “These alleged members of a Crips crew have been indicted on racketeering, narcotics and firearms-related charges. One of the defendants is accused of shooting and killing an innocent bystander during a dispute with a rival gangmember in the Soundview section of the Bronx. These are serious offenses, and the type of violence we remain focused on that has led to significant reductions in crime. I want to thank the members of the NYPD, the Southern District, and Homeland Security Investigations who have been working on this case.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment[1] and other documents in the public record, and statements made in court:
From 2013 to 2017, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, WALSTON OWEN, RICHARD FELIZ, SHAQUILLE BAILEY, MIGUEL CABA, and NATHANIAL RODRIGUEZ were members or associates of a racketeering enterprise known as the “Rollin’ 30s.” In order to fund the enterprise, protect and expand its interests, and promote its standing, members and associates of the Rollin’ 30s committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence, including murder and robbery; they conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics; and they obtained, possessed, and used firearms, including by brandishing and discharging them. LEWIS TURNBULL also conspired with certain members of the Rollin’ 30s to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and marijuana.
During a dispute with a member of an opposing crew, on March 26, 2015, FELIZ fired a gun in an attempt to kill that individual. FELIZ instead hit an innocent bystander, Victor Chafla. Chafla died from his wounds a few days later.
* * *
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided in the attached table for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants will be determined by a judge
Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the NYPD and HSI.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Fender and Max Nicholas are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Count
Charges
Defendants
Maximum Penalties
1
Racketeering Conspiracy
WALSTON OWEN,
RICHARD FELIZ, SHAQUILLE BAILEY, MIGUEL CABA, and NATHANIAL RODRIGUEZ
Life in prison (all defendants except FELIZ)
Life in prison or death (FELIZ)
2
Conspiracy To Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering
RICHARD FELIZ
Life in prison
3
Murder in Aid of Racketeering
RICHARD FELIZ
Life in prison or death
4
Use of a Firearm Resulting in Death
RICHARD FELIZ
Life in prison or death
5
Using, Carrying, Possessing, Brandishing, and Discharging Firearms
WALSTON OWEN,
RICHARD FELIZ, SHAQUILLE BAILEY, MIGUEL CABA, and NATHANIAL RODRIGUEZ
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
6
Narcotics Conspiracy
WALSTON OWEN,
RICHARD FELIZ, SHAQUILLE BAILEY, and LEWIS TURNBULL
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Traveling to Connecticut to Engage in Sex with a MinorRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NICHOLAS MURPHY, 27, of Exeter, R.I., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for traveling to Connecticut to engage in sex with a minor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, MURPHY communicated with a minor victim through online platforms including Facebook. The victim told MURPHY that she was 16 years old when, in fact, she was 14.
In May and June 2015, MURPHY travelled from Rhode Island to Connecticut to meet the victim. On at least one occasion during this time, MURPHY engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the minor victim in his truck.
On the evening of September 16, 2015, after communicating on Facebook, MURPHY drove from Rhode Island to Connecticut to meet the victim. MURPHY knew that the victim was sneaking out of her home without her parents’ knowledge to meet him. MURPHY picked up the victim in his truck and then drove to a secluded area where he and the victim engaged in illicit sexual conduct.
MURPHY was arrested on related state charges on May 9, 2016. On June 5, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of traveling to engage in illegal sexual activity with a minor. He has been detained since that date.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Plainfield Police Department, Rhode Island State Police and the U.S. Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
Repeat Methamphetamine Dealer, Armed with Sawed-Off Shotgun, Sentenced to over Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a Kenai man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for trafficking methamphetamine and possession of an illegal firearm while being a felon.
Richard Paul Morrison, 37, of Kenai, Alaska, was yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to serve 63 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonas Walker, Morrison was previously convicted of felony forgery in Oregon in 2000, and of a methamphetamine-related offense in Nebraska in 2004. In January 2016, a confidential informant bought methamphetamine from Morrison three times. Morrison was operating out of his garage in Kenai, where he kept a 12 gauge shotgun with its barrel sawed-off to be less than 18 inches long. Morrison admitted he kept it to protect the methamphetamine.
Morrison is also charged in state court with causing the death of a Soldotna man in December 2015 by unlawfully giving him methadone. The Kenai District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting Morrison regarding the methadone-related death. According to the plea agreement in the federal case, which was coordinated with the Kenai District Attorney’s Office, Morrison will plead guilty in the state case to criminally negligent homicide and receive a sentence of four years, which will be consecutive to his sentence in the federal case. According to Courtview, that case, 3KN-16-843CR, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on Oct. 12, 2017.
Judge Burgess commented that Morrison committed a “very serious offense” and was a former drug dealer who “got back into it with a bang.” The court found that Morrison was “an absolute danger” to the community and that protecting the public was the most important sentencing factor.
This was a joint state and federal case. Morrison’s crimes were investigated by the Alaska State Troopers (AST), Alaska Bureau of Investigation and Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The State of Alaska and the U.S. Attorney’s Office coordinated the joint prosecutions.
Acting U.S. Attorney Schroder thanks the Alaska Department of Public Safety and the Kenai District Attorney’s Office for their cooperation in this case.
Raleigh Man Sentenced to 20 Years as an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, John Stuart Bruce, announced that yesterday in federal court, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced RICKIE MARKIECE ATKINSON, 35, of Raleigh, to 240 months of imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.
On February 6, 2017, ATKINSON pled guilty to one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
On September 10, 2015, officers with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) were conducting surveillance in an effort to locate ATKINSON, who was wanted for charges stemming from a shooting which occurred on September 1, 2015. Officers observed ATKINSON leaving the residence of his girlfriend and get into a vehicle; they arrested him shortly thereafter. Officers located five rounds of .38 caliber hollow-point ammunition in ATKINSON’S vehicle and a .38 caliber revolver, loaded with the same .38 caliber ammunition , under the mattress in the master bedroom of his girlfriend’s residence. On February 12, 2016, ATKINSON contacted his girlfriend from jail and asked her to “take responsibility” for the firearm, which she declined to do.
On November 14, 2015, RPD officers, again looking for ATKINSON, responded to a gas station on Person Street in Raleigh. They observed ATKINSON hunched over in the back seat of a vehicle and arrested him. Officers located a loaded .45 caliber handgun in the seat back directly in front of where ATKINSON had been sitting. The firearm had an obliterated serial number. Officers recovered an additional magazine containing .45 caliber ammunition in ATKINSON’S pants pocket. Further investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen on November 7, 2015. A serial number restoration was later completed on the firearm which revealed the number to confirm that weapon was the one reported stolen.
Several threatening Facebook posts were later discovered by investigators on ATKINSON’S Facebook page. His Facebook page included a picture of ATKINSON holding a shotgun on September 30, 2015, and a picture of a handgun, which was posted on October 10, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Blondel and Ellie Morales prosecuted the case for the government.
Philadelphia Man Charged with Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
Shi Luang Peng, 68, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by Information with one count of theft of government funds, announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. According to the Information[1], the defendant received retirement benefits intended for his mother, after his mother’s death in July 2008 until March 2016. The defendant’s alleged actions resulted in a loss to the government of approximately $94,606.51.
If convicted, the defendant faces a term of imprisonment, a 3‑year period of supervised release, restitution to the government of $94,606.51, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher E. Parisi.
[1] An Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pee Dee Reentry Job Fair & ExpoRead the Press Release
Florence, South Carolina – The United States Attorney’s Office, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; SC Works; SC Vocational Rehabilitation; SC Department of Social Services; and the US Probation Office are continuing their statewide partnership to help individuals with prior criminal backgrounds secure employment.
The Second Annual Pee Dee Reentry Job Fair & Expo is being held Wednesday, September 27, 2017, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Vocational Rehabilitation Office, 1947 West Darlington Street, Florence.
This fair, which targets the Pee Dee region, is part of an annual series of fairs, including the Low Country, the Upstate, and the Midlands. The partner organizations structure these expos for South Carolinians with a criminal record in order to provide some focused support to these motivated job seekers.
“Studies have demonstrated the transformative impact a job has on individuals. Our state partners have tremendous expertise in hosting these resource fairs and we welcome the opportunity to work with them with a goal of full employment for all South, including specifically individuals with a criminal history,” said U.S. Attorney Beth Drake. “We are excited to connect those who attend with employment opportunities and other critical resources and help.”
The fair and expo will include area employers and other organizations that support the employment process to include the Alston Wilkes Society and the Greater Employment Advocacy Association. Probationers, parolees, or any individual with challenges in their background are encouraged to attend. Employers from varied industry will be present, including construction, manufacturing, and food services. Employers will be receiving resumes and available to discuss job opportunities at their places of business. The event will also feature workshops on how to seek expungements and pardons of prior criminal convictions.
Professional dress is required. Discounted SLED criminal background checks will be available on site.
Any interested employers or vendors should inquire with Diana Goldwire at (864) 315-9751 or [email protected] or Vickie Tyner at [email protected].
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Parmelee Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting a Federal Officer was sentenced on September 11, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Richard Wolf Guts, age 32, was sentenced to 27 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Wolf Guts was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 12, 2017. He pled guilty on July 17, 2017.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred at the Rosebud Adult Correctional Facility, in Rosebud, South Dakota, on April 2, 2017, where Wolf Guts was serving a sentence for a tribal conviction. Wolf Guts began yelling and pouring water all over the floor of his cell, and he ignored verbal commands to stop. Corrections officers subsequently removed him from his cell and placed him in a restraint chair. As he was being secured in the restraint chair, Wolf Guts continued to be combative, spitting in the face of one corrections officer, kicking a second corrections officer in the leg, and biting the hand of a third corrections officer.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Wolf Guts was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Parmelee Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact was sentenced on September 12, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Mark Felix Clairmont, age 42, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Clairmont was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 9, 2016. He pled guilty on June 26, 2017.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on June 20, 2015, at a house near Mission, South Dakota. On that date, Clairmont was drinking and socializing with a group of individuals that included the victim. The victim became intoxicated and fell asleep on a couch that evening. She subsequently awoke to discover Clairmont was sexually assaulting her.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Clairmont was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pacific Architects and Engineers, LLC to Pay $5 Million in False Claims Act SettlementRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Pacific Architects and Engineers, LLC (“PAE”) has agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly failed to follow vetting requirements for personnel working in Afghanistan under a State Department contract for labor services. PAE is a Virginia-based contractor that provides personnel and other support to various federal government agencies.
The settlement was announced today by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Steve A. Linick, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State.
The agreement resolves claims relating to PAE’s Civilian Police “CIVPOL” contract in support of State Department missions in Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, South Sudan, and elsewhere. In 2007, the State Department awarded PAE a task order under the CIVPOL contract to provide training and mentoring personnel to counter-narcotics and drug interdiction police and investigators in Afghanistan. The task order required PAE to conduct extensive background checks on U.S. personnel that were in high risk or armed positions, including independently developed reference checks. For local, national, and third party national employees working on the task order, PAE was obligated to submit their names to the State Department’s Regional Security Office in Afghanistan for additional security clearance. According to the government’s evidence, PAE was aware of these contractual requirements but did not comply with them for extended periods. The United States asserts that invoices PAE submitted to the State Department for the labor services of improperly vetted personnel were false.
“This settlement affirms our commitment to hold government contractors accountable for properly screening employees, particularly those who work alongside our government’s personnel in fragile areas of the world,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “In this particular matter, it is alleged that PAE failed to conduct the appropriate vetting for personnel working in Afghanistan under a State Department contract for labor services for which invoices were later submitted. Our Office will continue to investigate and seek appropriate recoveries from contractors who do not meet their obligations.”
“The OIG special agents and staff assigned to this case should be commended for their excellent investigative work,” said Inspector General Linick. “Rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse is at the heart of any OIG mission, as is ensuring that contractors are accountable for every taxpayer dollar they receive.”
The settlement also resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by former PAE manager Robert J. Palombo under the qui tam, or whistleblower provisions, of the False Claims Act. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens may bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government. Mr. Palombo will receive $875,000 as his share of the government’s recovery. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Robert J. Palombo v. PAE, Inc., et al.
The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
This settlement was the result of an investigation into Mr. Palombo’s allegations by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of State, Office of Inspector General.
Operator of Hospitals in Queens, NY, Agrees to Pay $4 Million to Settle Alleged False Claims Act Violations Arising from Improper Payments to PhysiciansRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – MediSys Health Network, Inc., which owns and operates Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center, two hospitals in Queens, New York, has agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians, the Department of Justice announced today.
The settlement was announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), New York Region.
The government’s investigation revealed that defendants submitted false claims to the Medicare Program for services rendered to patients referred by physicians with whom defendants had improper financial relationships. These relationships took the form of compensation and office lease arrangements that did not comply with the requirements of the Stark Law, which restricts the financial relationships that hospitals may have with doctors who refer patients to them. The allegations were brought to the government’s attention through the filing of a complaint pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery.
“Health care providers who enter into improper financial relations with referring physicians compromise the referral process and encourage over-utilization of services, to the potential detriment of both patients and taxpayers. We will hold health care providers accountable for their violations of federal law,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rohde. Ms. Rohde thanked DOJ’s Civil Division and HHS-OIG for their assistance in the investigation.
“This recovery should help to deter other health care providers from entering into improper financial relationships with physicians that can taint the physicians’ medical judgment, to the detriment of patients and taxpayers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“When hospital operators provide financial incentives to doctors for patient referrals, individuals rightfully wonder whose best interests are being served,” said HHS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Lampert. “We will continue to investigate such entities who fraudulently bill government health programs.”
The United States’ case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Abell of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, with assistance from Senior Trial Counsel David T. Cohen from DOJ’s Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and Associate Counsel David Fuchs from HHS-OIG.
North Floridians Reminded to Report Disaster Related FraudRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova is urging North Florida residents and businesses to be aware of and report suspected fraudulent activity related to hurricane relief operations and federal funding for victims of Hurricane Irma.
If you believe you have been a victim of fraud from a person or an organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of flood victims, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud toll free at (866) 720-5721. You can also fax information to (225) 334-4707 or e-mail it to [email protected]. The telephone line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We do not tolerate fraud,” said United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova. “Individuals, families, and businesses have suffered, and will continue to suffer, tremendous losses. Emergency funds are needed to help them get back on their feet. Dozens of agencies, investigators, and prosecutors are ready to respond to credible allegations of fraud and abuse. If you are aware of fraud, we urge you to call the National Disaster Fraud Hotline.”
In anticipation of unprecedented fraud in connection with federal disaster relief following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, a Joint Command Center was established in Baton Rouge, LA, to coordinate reports of fraud. The Command Center, now known as the National Center for Disaster Fraud, has since expanded its mission to include suspected fraud from any natural or manmade disaster. More than 20 federal agencies participate in the center, allowing it to act as a centralized clearinghouse of information. To date, the National Center for Disaster Fraud has received and screened more than 70,000 complaints involving 40 different disasters, resulting in 50,000 referrals to law enforcement agencies. In connection with Hurricane Katrina alone, there were 1,370 federal disaster fraud prosecutions involving 1,463 defendants in 49 different federal districts.
Members of the public are reminded to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before giving contributions or personal identifying information to anyone soliciting donations on behalf of hurricane victims. Solicitations can originate from e-mails, websites, door-to-door collections, mailings and telephone calls, and similar methods. Please also be sure to undertake necessary inquiries before giving contributions to anyone soliciting contributions on behalf of disaster victims.
Please report any suspicions of fraud to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (toll free at (866) 720-5721, (225) 334-4707 fax, or [email protected]). Fraud may also be reported directly to the United States Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee by contacting Assistant US Attorney Michael Harwin at (850) 942-8430 or [email protected].
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
New York Hospital Operator Agrees to Pay $4 Million to Settle Alleged False Claims Act Violations Arising from Improper Payments to PhysiciansRead the Press Release
MediSys Health Network Inc., which owns and operates Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital and Medical Center, two hospitals in Queens, New York, has agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians, the Justice Department announced today.
The settlement resolves allegations that the defendants submitted false claims to the Medicare program for services rendered to patients referred by physicians with whom the defendants had improper financial relationships. These relationships took the form of compensation and office lease arrangements that did not comply with the requirements of the Stark Law, which restricts the financial relationships that hospitals may have with doctors who refer patients to them.
“This recovery should help to deter other health care providers from entering into improper financial relationships with physicians that can taint the physicians’ medical judgment, to the detriment of patients and taxpayers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
The lawsuit was filed by Dr. Satish Deshpande under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. Dr. Deshpande will receive $600,000 as his share of the recovery.
“Health care providers who enter into improper financial relations with referring physicians compromise the referral process and encourage over-utilization of services, to the potential detriment of both patients and taxpayers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Rohde for the Eastern District of New York. “We will hold health care providers accountable for their violations of federal law.”
“When hospital operators provide financial incentives to doctors for patient referrals, individuals rightfully wonder whose best interests are being served,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to investigate such entities who fraudulently bill government health programs.”
The case, United States ex rel. Deshpande, et al. v. The Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, et al., Case No. 13-cv-4030 (E.D.N.Y.), was handled by Senior Trial Counsel David T. Cohen of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Abell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and Associate Counsel David Fuchs from HHS-OIG. The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
New Orleans CPA Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Federal Income Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BRENDEL DEEMER, age 49, a New Orleans Certified Public Account (CPA), pled guilty yesterday to one count of willfully filing a false tax return for herself.
DEEMER was charged in June 2017 with filing a false 2010 individual income tax return that excluded income and inflated expenses for businesses under her control. According to court documents, DEEMER operated Deemer CPA & Consulting Services LLC since at least 2009. From 1999 through 2005, she also operated Building Blocks Academy, a day care center. DEEMER ceased operating Building Blocks Academy after Hurricane Katrina and did not resume operating the business. As DEEMER admitted pursuant to her guilty plea, for tax years 2009 and 2010, she filed individual income tax returns that falsely reported her Schedule C business income from Deemer CPA and Consulting Services, LLC, and her expenses for Building Blocks Academy.
DEEMER faces a maximum penalty of three years of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release. She also faces potential fines and other monetary penalties. As part of her plea agreement, DEEMER agreed to pay $88,651.22 in restitution to the IRS. U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey set sentencing for December 12, 2017.
Acting U. S. Attorney Evans commended the work of IRS-Criminal Investigations for investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hayden Brockett is in charge of the prosecution.
New London Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Ammunition in Connection with ShootingRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WEST ROBERTSON, also known as “Po,” 34, of New London, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing ammunition in connection with a shooting in New London. Judge Bryant also ordered ROBERTSON to perform 200 hours of community service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 29, 2014, in the vicinity of Maple Avenue in New London, ROBERTSON became involved in an altercation with another individual and shot the victim several times. ROBERTSON then fled the scene.
The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Eyewitness accounts identified ROBERTSON as the shooter, and a video surveillance camera captured his girlfriend’s car fleeing the scene of the shooting. Police also recovered ammunition shell casings in the Maple Avenue area.
ROBERTSON was arrested on June 6, 2014. The firearm he used in the shooting was later recovered.
ROBERTSON has multiple state felony convictions including those for robbery, kidnapping and possession of narcotics. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
On December 1, 2014, ROBERTSON pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
ROBERTSON has been detained since his arrest.
This matter was investigated by the New London Police Department with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police, New London State’s Attorney’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Karwan.
Nauti-Block Associate Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Trafficking HeroinRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Hyannis man associated with the Nauti-Block gang was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in trafficking large quantities of heroin throughout Cape Cod.
Oliver Hamilton, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 66 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In May 2017, Hamilton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and possession of heroin with the intent to distribute.
Hamilton was charged as part of the federal investigation into the Nauti-Block gang led by Denzel Chisholm, Christian Chapman, and Christopher Wilkins on Cape Cod that led to the indictment of 19 individuals. Chisholm and Chapman obtained heroin in New Bedford, and from other suppliers, and distributed the heroin to numerous drug dealers on Cape Cod, including Hamilton. Hamilton accepted responsibility for distributing between 100 and 400 grams of heroin.
Chapman pleaded guilty to heroin trafficking and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Wilkins pleaded guilty to multiple federal drug trafficking charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18, 2017. In June 2017, a federal jury convicted Chisholm of 11 counts of drug trafficking, including possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 15, 2017.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe; and Barnstable Police Chief Paul MacDonald made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen and Miranda Hooker of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
Mission Man Sentenced for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 27-year-old Mission man has been ordered to prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Bryon Olivera pleaded guilty March 3, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Olivera to 100 months in federal custody to be followed by three years of supervised release.
On Nov. 3, 2015, law enforcement were responding to a residence in Mission and found Olivera outside in possession of a pistol. They searched the house and a vehicle on the property and found two additional pistols, two shotguns, two assault rifles, multiple rounds of ammunition and approximately 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Olivera admitted the firearms and ammunition were destined for Mexico, while the methamphetamine was to be distributed further in the United States.
Previously released on bond, Olivera was taken into custody following the sentencing today pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mission Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
A 40-year-old Vancouver, Washington resident was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 80 months in prison for drug and gun crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. IGNACIO MAGANA MONTES, aka SOSTENES MONTOYA SANCHEZ, aka “Nacho,” pleaded guilty in April 2017, to Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. MAGANA MONTES is a Mexican national who likely will be deported following his prison term. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle noted that the large amount of drugs and cash seized at MAGANA MONTES’ home demonstrated that he had been a sizable dealer for some time, and had contributed to the opioid epidemic gripping our state and nation.
According to records filed in the case, in September 2015, the Vancouver Police Department executed a search warrant on MAGANA MONTES’s home in the 2300 block of Neals Lane, in Vancouver. Inside a locked closet in the master bedroom, law enforcement seized a Jennings .22 caliber pistol, a Llama .45 caliber pistol, about a dozen cell phones, over $112,000 in cash, and an ounce of heroin. In the garage of the home officers recovered three pounds of heroin (one pound was packaged for distribution), and in a lock box buried just outside the garage they found another two pounds of heroin. In all, law enforcement seized more than five pounds of heroin and $128,000 from the house.
In their sentencing memo prosecutors noted that MAGANA MONTES is a large-scale dealer, given the amount of money and drugs in the home. The five pounds of heroin could provide upwards of 20,000 individual doses of heroin. Law enforcement searched the house and discovered the drug trafficking operation after family members were involved in a nearby drive-by shooting incident in Vancouver, and thereafter returned to the family home. It is unclear whether that shooting was drug related.
The case was investigated by the Vancouver Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory A. Gruber.
Member of PCP Distribution Conspiracy Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Greenbelt, Maryland – On September 12, 2017, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Reginald Cecil Duckett, age 49, of Washington, D.C., to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute phencyclidine (PCP).
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Gordon Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County Sheriff Melvin C. High; and Chief Peter Newsham of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, Duckett purchased PCP from co-conspirators and then redistributed the PCP to others. Duckett discussed particular transactions via telephone, including the distribution of multiple ounces of PCP. Duckett’s telephone calls were intercepted pursuant to a court order.
Duckett is one of nine co-conspirators charged in the case. Four co-defendants have so far pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later: Alexander Patton, Jr., Mitchell Brooks, Jermaine Washington, and Robert Beasley.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended the FBI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin who is prosecuting the case.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today that Matthew Adey, 47, of Malden, Massachusetts pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of producing child pornography.
According to statements in court and court documents, on February 26, 2017, the defendant met a 14-year-old boy in an online local interest chat group. The defendant, aware of the child’s age, requested a photograph of the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which the child took and sent to the defendant. The defendant continued to communicate with the child over the Internet. On March 4, 2017, the defendant traveled from Massachusetts to the child’s residence in New Hampshire. On March 4 and March 5, 2017, the defendant engaged in sexual intercourse with the child multiple times. A subsequent forensic analysis of the defendant’s computers indicated that he possessed various images and videos containing additional child pornography.
The defendant’s plea agreement includes a binding stipulated sentence of 204 months’ imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for December 21, 2017.
The investigation in this case was led by the Londonderry, New Hampshire Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police Computer Crimes Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Massachusetts Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Georgiana L. Konesky.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Marion County man sentenced for mail fraudRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Clarksburg, West Virginia man was sentenced today to 18 months incarceration for mail fraud, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.
Eric Warner, age 35, pled guilty to one count of “Mail Fraud” in June 2017. Warner admitted to taking part in a staged vehicular accident in January 2012 in Harrison County. He also admitted to faking injuries from said accident and filing a false insurance claim, from which he, and others, received insurance settlements of approximately $101,500. Warner also admitted his role in procuring an insurance settlement check in someone else’s name in the amount of $46,500.
Warner was also ordered to pay $152,603.64 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The West Virginia Insurance Commission Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Marion County man sentenced for mail fraudRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Fairmont, West Virginia man was sentenced today 33 months incarceration for mail fraud, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.
Michael Sine, age 34, pled guilty to one count of “Mail Fraud” in June 2017. Sine admitted to participating in a staged vehicle accident, faking injuries from said accident, and filing false insurance claims resulting in a $41,000 settlement. The crime happened between May 2013 and October 2013 in Marion County.
Sine was also ordered to pay $74,653.42 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The West Virginia Insurance Commission Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty today to child pornography crimes including enticing minor victims to produce child sexual abuse images online.
According to court documents, Larry Anthony Radebaugh, 40, established chat-based relationships with multiple children in which he persuaded them to send him nude images and videos of themselves. Posing as a teenage boy, Radebaugh used applications such as Kik and TextNow to befriend his victims. Radebaugh enticed the minors to strike sexual poses and perform sexual acts and then transmit the images over the internet. With one victim, he used Skype to engage in “phone sex,” while his own camera was disabled. For some of his victims, this conduct lasted approximately 1 1/2 years. Radebaugh stored many of these images in an online storage service and possessed other images on his cell phone.
Radebaugh pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 18, 2017. 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 Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Stoker is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.
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-86.
Legal Permanent Resident Sentenced to Prison for Importing MethRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 56-year-old legal permanent resident alien who resided in Matamoros has been ordered to prison following his conviction of methamphetamine trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. A federal jury convicted Martin Araiza-Jacobo on June 14, 2017, for conspiracy to possess and possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver as well as conspiracy to import and importation of methamphetamine following a two-day trial and approximately two hours of deliberation.
Today, U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera handed Araiza-Jacobo a 120-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, Araiza-Jacobo is expected to face loss of his legal status in the U.S. and deportation proceedings following his release from prison.
On Jan. 19, 2017, Araiza-Jacobo attempted to enter the United States through a pedestrian lane at the Gateway International Bridge, at which time he declared that he was bringing in sandwiches and two bags of candies from Mexico.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer inspected the bags and immediately noticed the candies inside the bag did not match with the candy images displayed on the bag. The contents also felt harder than expected. Authorities conducted an X-ray examination which revealed anomalies in both bags. Officers then opened the bags and discovered 83 packages containing 5.19 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Araiza-Jacobo stated he worked as a “cruzador” or a person who helps people cross groceries from the United States to Mexico. He claimed he had crossed into Mexico earlier that day to buy a sandwich for a lady and met an unknown man there who asked him to cross the bags of candy. The man was supposed to call Araiza-Jacobo once back in the U.S. and would give him the name and description of the person to whom he would deliver the candy. Araiza-Jacobo denied ever seeing or talking to the unknown man before.
However, the jury heard evidence that Araiza-Jacobo had been in contact with this man since Jan. 16, 2017. Further, Araiza-Jacobo had actually initiated the contact. Testimony revealed that Araiza-Jacobo had overheard part of a conversation in which a man was looking for someone willing to cross a piñata and a box of candy into the U.S. and ship it to Atlanta, Georgia. Araiza-Jacobo got the man’s number and called him. Less than an hour later, Araiza-Jacobo commented that the trip was set.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Israel Cano III and Jason Corley are prosecuting the case.
Lee's Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Thousands of Fake Driver's LicensesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today after police officers found thousands of fake driver’s licenses during a search of his residence.
Tracy Allan Ford, 27, of Lee’s Summit, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to a federal information that charges him with one count of producing fraudulent identification documents.
Lee’s Summit police officers executed a search warrant at Ford’s residence on Sept. 29, 2015, after receiving an anonymous tip. Among the items seized from the residence were over 2,300 copies of counterfeit Missouri driver’s licenses (in various stages of production), counterfeit driver’s license producing hardware (such as milling machines and laminators), printers, flash drives and several computers.
Ford told investigators that he had been producing fraudulent Missouri driver’s licenses for profit for the past three years. Ford used specialized materials that he ordered online, including sheets of holograms from a company in China. Lee’s Summit detectives earlier had located a FedEx package, addressed to Ford, which contained multiple sheets of lamination with “Missouri” printed on them. The package was re-sealed and allowed to be delivered to Ford’s address.
The investigation of Ford began on Jan. 26, 2015, when a Lee’s Summit police officer observed an apparently underage female purchase two bottles of rum at Discount Smokes and Liquor. The officer checked with the store clerk and learned that the woman had presented a Missouri driver’s license that indicated her birth year was 1991, thus making it legal for her to purchase alcohol. Because the officer did not believe she was 21 years old, he began an investigation.
When the officer interviewed the woman, he learned that she was only 19 years old and had used a professionally made, fraudulent Missouri driver’s license that she ordered from Ford via e-mail. She paid Ford for the driver’s license by placing money on a “green dot” card and providing the account numbers to Ford via e-mail.
Under federal statutes, Ford is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department and the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Leader of Wilmington Bloods Gang Sentenced to Nearly 30 YearsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that KEJUAN TIZOM SHABAZZ SMITH, 24, of Wilmington, North Carolina, was sentenced in federal court to 327 months imprisonment after having been convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm by convicted felon.
An investigation by federal and state law enforcement agencies revealed that SMITH was a leader of the Nine Trey Gangsters, a Wilmington-based subset of the United Blood Nation “UBN” street gang. During the months of July and August of 2016, law enforcement conducted a federal Title III wiretap on a cell phone used by SMITH. SMITH was intercepted communicating with subordinate gang members on a daily basis in furtherance of heroin distribution and gang-related crimes.
On August 4, 2016, SMITH stockpiled firearms and ammunition at a Wilmington residence in anticipation of traveling to Goldsboro the following day with subordinate gang members for the purpose of carrying out a hit on a rival gang member. That evening, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence, resulting in the seizure of 13 firearms, assorted ammunition, and a military grade ballistic vest.
Multiple co-defendants were charged and have already been sentenced in federal court in connection with this prosecution:
KHALIL DJOUR TRUESDALE was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to 78 months imprisonment. THEODORE PIERCE was convicted of heroin distribution and firearms offenses and sentenced to 102 months imprisonment. THEODORE HARDY was convicted of heroin distribution and sentenced to 84 months imprisonment. DAENZAL MURPHY was convicted of heroin distribution and sentenced to 14 months imprisonment. ALICIA RASHAWN JOHNSON was convicted of heroin distribution and sentenced to 13 months imprisonment. DARRELL TYKWAN ATKINSON was convicted of heroin distribution and sentenced to 14 months imprisonment. Co-defendants TAKEEM LEINARD COLLINS and KASHIF ARDE RHODES have entered guilty pleas and will be sentenced at a later date.
This case was brought as a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation investigating narcotics distribution and gang activity.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Wilmington Safe Streets Task Force consisting of the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Police Department.
Las Vegas Travel Agent Charged in White Plains Federal Court with Defrauding Westechester Youth in Connection with Travel to World Youth Day 2016 in PolandRead the Press Release
Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Phillip R. Bartlett, the Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging VINCENT MAFFUCCI with mail fraud. The charge arises from an alleged fraudulent scheme whereby MAFFUCCI, a Las Vegas-based travel agent, collected over $240,000 from various parishes, including numerous parishes in and around Westchester County, New York, in connection with a tour he had organized to Europe for the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day in July and August 2016. Rather than use the money to pay for trip-related expenses, however, MAFFUCCI used more than $220,000 of the funds for his own personal expenses. MAFFUCCI was arrested this morning, and will be presented today before a United States Magistrate Judge, in the United States Courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said: “Vincent Maffucci, a travel agent, allegedly collected over $240,000 from Westchester parishes, purportedly to organize a young people’s church tour to Europe. Instead of arranging the trip, Maffucci allegedly pocketed nearly all of the money and spent it on himself. Now Maffucci will face justice in federal court.”
USPIS Inspector in Charge Phillip R. Bartlett said: “Mr. Maffucci allegedly capitalized on the trust these organizations placed with him to get their youth to this faith-filled world event. He betrayed the trust of the faith community when he allegedly spent money to satisfy his personal needs, then lied about their refunds. Mr. Maffucci, however, got his first taste of karma when Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners uncovered his alleged faithless crimes, placed him under arrest and brought him before a Federal Magistrate Judge to answer to fraud charges.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today in White Plains federal court[1]:
Every approximately two to three years, the Catholic Church organizes World Youth Day, an event for young people. Each World Youth Day is held in a different global location and attended by young people from around the world, including many people from Westchester County. World Youth Day (“WYD”) 2016 was held in Krakow, Poland.
Several parishes in and around Westchester County, New York, used a travel agency known as ITC Tours to organize their parishes’ WYD 2016 trips. VINCENT MAFFUCCI, the defendant, was the owner of ITC Tours and the person with whom the parishes dealt. In connection with the trip, MAFFUCCI provided a printed brochure, including an itinerary and a list of the various services provided in connection with the tour. Among other things, the tour was to include: “[r]ound trip airfare from JFK to Berlin returning from Budapest”; “Good 3 star hotels for 11 nights”; “Continental breakfast daily and 10 three course dinners”; “Entrance fees during sightseeing tours”; and “WYD and Solidarity fees estimated at $175.00 per person.” The brochure lists the “[c]ost per person” as “Triple $2919 Twin $3072 Single $3515.”
From in or about March 2014 until in or about June 2016, numerous parishes, including several in Westchester County, New York, sent, via Federal Express and United States mail, checks totaling approximately $240,000 to MAFFUCCI in Las Vegas, Nevada, as payment for their respective parishes’ tour participants.
Of the more than $240,000 MAFFUCCI collected for the WYD 2016 trip, he spent only $11,226 on the trip. MAFFUCCI used the remaining funds for his own personal expenses. Specifically, during the time period MAFFUCCI was soliciting and receiving checks for WYD 2016, he spent approximately $43,000 of the funds on dining, fuel, and clothing. In addition, MAFFUCCI withdrew over $94,000 in cash, and made transfers totaling over $83,000 to other bank accounts that he controlled.
In June 2016, the month before the WYD 2016 trip was to take place, MAFFUCCI cancelled the tour, citing, among other reasons, concerns about terrorism. MAFFUCCI promised full refunds to those who had already paid. To date, most of the tour participants have not received refunds from MAFFUCCI.
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MAFFUCCI was arrested this morning and will be presented in federal court in Las Vegas before United States Magistrate Judge Carl W. Hoffman.
MAFFUCCI, 77, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is charged with one count of mail fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Office’s criminal investigators. He also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Martin is in charge of the prosecution.
[1]As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Las Cruces Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alma Delia Perez, 29, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to a heroin trafficking charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Perez was arrested in June 2017, on a criminal complaint charging her with possessing approximately .57 kilograms of heroin on June 13, 2017, in Dona Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, Perez was arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Las Cruces seized two packages of black tar heroin weighing approximately 570 grams that was concealed in the backseat of the vehicle in which Perez was traveling.
During today’s proceedings, Perez pled guilty to a felony information charging her with conspiracy and possession of heroin with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Perez admitted that on June 13, 2017, she entered the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25 in a vehicle containing approximately 570 grams of heroin concealed in a hallowed out portion of the backseat. Perez further admitted that she had conspired with others to deliver the heroin to individuals within the United States in exchange for money.
At sentencing, Perez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Perez remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and the U.S. Border Patrol. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Clara Cobos of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Kevin Darnell Williams Sentenced for Robbery, Drug, and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Williams shot victim at drug deal in Ames, Iowa
DES MOINES, IA – On September 12, 2017, Kevin Darnell Williams, also known as “Splash,” 24, was sentenced to 270 months in federal prison for the crimes of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, robbery, discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence, and felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Sentence was imposed by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey. Williams was convicted of these crimes by a jury on April 20, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, Williams set up a marijuana deal with the victim in Ames. Once the two met, on August 9, 2016, the drug deal turned into a robbery, and Williams shot the victim four times. Williams was apprehended by law enforcement in Chicago several days after the shooting.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Central Iowa Gang Task Force, the Ames Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Learn more about this release by calling Jason T. Griess at 515-473-9300, or by emailing him at [email protected].
Kayenta Man Sentenced to More Than 27 Years for Kidnapping and Violent AssaultRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – This week, Eli Sloan, 45, of Kayenta, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 330 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Last year, Sloan was convicted of six offenses following a jury trial, including kidnapping, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse, assault with intent to commit aggravated sexual abuse, assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to an intimate partner, and assault by strangling an intimate partner.
On Oct. 4, 2015, Sloan kidnapped the victim and held her overnight in a rural area near Kayenta, Ariz. Eventually, he took her to a trailer, where he held her until the next day. Both Sloan and the victim are members of the Navajo Nation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Samuels and Sharon Sexton, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-15-8232-PCT-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-085_Sloan
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Kansas City, Kan., Man Sentenced to 11.5 Years on Federal Drug, Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City, Kan., man who sold methamphetamine and guns to undercover investigators was sentenced Wednesday to 11.5 years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Eric Castillo, 28, who is citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of unlawful possession of firearms by a person who is not in the United States legally. In a series of transactions monitored by investigators, Castillo sold methamphetamine for about $500 an ounce. Along with the drugs, he sold guns including rifles and handguns made by Beretta, Browning and Smith & Wesson. One of the handguns was a .380 pistol with a built-in laser. The first transaction took place at a McDonald’s restaurant in Kansas City, Kan. Castillo offered guns for sale by asking undercover investigators if they were interested in buying some “toys.”
Beall commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead for their work on the case.
Jury Convicts Sex Offender of Prostituting Two Minor VictimsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Dumfries man was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of sex trafficking of minors.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Michael Edward Gunn, 40, a previously convicted sex offender, was a pimp who sex trafficked two minor victims from July 2013 to July 2015. Gunn lured the two minor victims into his prostitution ring and kept them there by providing drugs, telling the victims the ring was a family that took care of each other, providing the victims a place to stay, and by engaging in sexual relationships with both minor victims.
According to evidence presented at trial, Gunn helped create online advertisements, drove them to prostitution appointments, and collected and controlled the money. Evidence also showed that Gunn knew both minor victims were underage. For example, around the time one of the victims was 14 years old, Gunn saw a missing persons poster with the girl’s photo and her actual date of birth.
Gunn’s two co-conspirators, adult prostitutes who assisted him in running the prostitution ring, testified at trial as to Gunn’s role in leading the conspiracy.
Gunn faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on December 22. 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, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, M. Jay Farr, Arlington County Chief of Police, Barry M. Barnard, Chief of Prince William County Police, and Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Cain and Kimberly R. Pedersen are prosecuting the case.
The Dumfries Police Department provided significant assistance with this investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-137.
Indictment Unsealed InRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced the unsealing of the Superseding Indictment of LOUIS AGE, JR., age 68, LOUIS AGE, III, aka “BIG LOU,” age 47, STANTON GUILLORY, aka “NAN NAN,” age 23, KENDRICK JOHNSON, age 40, and RONALD WILSON, aka “TANK,” age 43.
All five men were indicted in an 11-count Superseding Indictment that charged them with various offenses related to the murder of Milton Womack, AGE JR.’S former employee in a healthcare company that was engaged in healthcare fraud. LOUIS AGE, JR., and others were indicted and convicted of healthcare fraud in the Middle District of Louisiana in 2013. Womack was murdered on July 27, 2012, days after it was announced that he would be pleading guilty to healthcare fraud. An outline of the charges and potential penalties are listed below.
COUNT
CHARGE
DEFENDANT(S)
POTENTIAL SENTENCE
1
Conspiracy to participate in the murder-for-hire of Milton Womack
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
GUILLORY
JOHNSON
WILSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
2
Murder-for-hire of Milton Womack
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
GUILLORY
JOHNSON
WILSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessmen
3
Conspiracy to murder Milton Womack to prevent him from testifying or providing information about a federal crime
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
GUILLORY
JOHNSON
WILSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
4
Murder of Milton Womack to prevent him from testifying about a federal crime
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
GUILLORY
JOHNSON
WILSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
5
Murder of Milton Womack to prevent him from providing information about a federal crime
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
6
Conspiracy to murder Milton Womack in retaliation for disclosing information about a federal crime
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
GUILLORY
JOHNSON
WILSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
7
Murder of Milton Womack in retaliation for disclosing information about a federal crime
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
GUILLORY
JOHNSON
WILSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
8
Conspiracy to intimidate, threaten, and corruptly persuade witnesses
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
JOHNSON
20 Years Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 3 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
9
Conspiracy to retaliate against witnesses
AGE, JR.
AGE, III
JOHNSON
10 Years Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 3 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
10
Conspiracy to participate in the murder-for-hire of Milton Womack
JOHNSON
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
11
Conspiracy to participate in the murder-for-hire of Milton Womack
AGE, III
Death or Life Imprisonment; $250,000 fine; 5 years supervised release; $100 mandatory special assessment
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the Superseding Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was assisted by the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry McSherry, James Baehr, and Myles Ranier are in charge of the prosecution.
Houston Man Sentenced to 77 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Armed Robberies and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
In Austin today, a federal judge sentenced 40–year-old Austin and Houston resident Marvin Lewis (aka “Beau Louis”), to 77 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for a series of robberies and attempted robberies in Texas in 2014 and 2015 as well as one robbery in Ohio in 2015.
United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr.; Austin Police Chief Brian Manley; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge William Cotter; and, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo made today’s announcement.
In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Lee Yeakel ordered that Lewis pay $1,596,873 restitution and a $2,400 special assessment. Judge Yeakel also ordered that Lewis forfeit to the government a 2010 Porsche Panamera, approximately $25,000 in U.S. Currency, as well as various pieces of gold and diamond jewelry recovered by authorities.
On June 16, 2017, jurors found Lewis guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with Commerce by threats or violence; seven substantive counts of interference with Commerce by threats or violence; twelve counts of money laundering; four counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jurors acquitted Lewis of two money laundering charges.
Evidence presented during trial revealed that over a two-year period beginning in November 18, 2014, Lewis, who represented himself at trial, was responsible for 13 robberies/attempted robberies and one theft including: 11.18.14 (theft) – Costco in Katy, TX – diamond ring valued at approximately $24,600; 11.28.14 – Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Austin – 19 diamonds valued at approximately $176,600; 11.28.14 – C. Kirk Root Designs in Austin – 40 rings valued at approximately $9,700; 12.1.14 – Marc Robinson Jewelers in Austin – 6 Rolex watches valued at approximately $83,000; 1.7.15 – Exotic Diamonds in Houston – 25 pieces of jewelry valued at approximately $346,890; 1.7.15 – Deutsch and Deutsch Jewelers in Houston – attempted robbery; 1.22.15 – Wright Pawn & Jewelry Co. in Houston – 18 watches & 13 rings valued at approx. $219,280; 6.25.15 – Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Strongsville, OH – 48 diamonds valued at approx. $548,000; 11.5.15 – Tiffany and Co. in Austin – attempted robbery; 11.5.15 – Ben Bridge Jewelers in Austin – attempted robbery; 11.5.15 – Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Austin – 26 diamonds & 14 rings valued at approx. $196,950; 11.5.15 – Costco in Katy, TX – 10 diamond jewelry items valued at approximately $20,800; 11.5.15 – Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Houston – attempted robbery; and, 11.6.15 – Ben Bridge Jewelers in Austin – attempted robbery.
Jurors also found, based upon the evidence presented, that Lewis structured cash deposits under $10,000 in his bank accounts in order to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements; and, on two occasions, Lewis engaged in financial transactions to conceal the nature of the illegal proceeds by purchasing the 2010 Porsche Panamera and by gambling at a casino in Louisiana.
“With more than 30 prior felony convictions, federal prison is an ideal location for Marvin Lewis to call a permanent home. No longer will Lewis be able to live a lavish lifestyle and a have nothing but complete disregard for others’ personal property,” stated United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr.
Testimony also revealed that authorities in Austin arrested the man Lewis hired to commit the Texas robberies, 38-year-old Brandon Grubbs of Houston, following the attempted robbery of Ben Bridge Jewelers on November 6, 2015. At the time of his arrest, Grubbs was in possession of a pistol that testimony revealed was given to him by Lewis.
On February 8, 2017, Grubbs pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with Commerce by threats or violence and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Yesterday, Judge Yeakel sentenced Grubbs to 184 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Yeakel also ordered that Grubbs pay, jointly and severally with Lewis, $1,047,924 restitution in this case.
“Today's sentencing of Marvin Lewis sends a clear message to those who attempt to hide their ill-gotten gains,” said William J. Cotter, Special Agent in Charge San Antonio Field Office. “All financial transactions leave a trail and IRS CI Special Agents followed the money that proved Lewis lived a lifestyle he could not legitimately afford.”The Austin Police Department, FBI, IRS-CI, and the Houston Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Strongsville (Ohio) Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Galdo, Matt Harding and Daniel Castillo prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Hearing Set for Brandon Michael Council in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina-------United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today that Brandon Michael Council, age 32, of Wilson, North Carolina, will make his initial appearance in a South Carolina courtroom at a hearing set for Thursday afternoon, September 14, 2017, at 2:30 P.M. at the McMillan Federal Building in Florence, South Carolina, 401 West Evans Street, Florence, South Carolina, 29501.
Council has been charged in a criminal complaint with Armed Bank Robbery with a Deadly Weapon Resulting in Death and with Use, Carry, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence and appeared in federal court on August 24, 2017, for a hearing in Greenville, North Carolina, shortly after his arrest. Council remains in federal custody.
The case is being investigated by Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Conway Police Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Horry County Police Department, Horry County Sheriff’s Office, Myrtle Beach Police Department, Wilson North Carolina Police Department, Greenville North Carolina Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and the United States Marshal’s Service.
The United States Attorney stated that all charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Hazelwood Man Charged with Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – One resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal drug trafficking and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The three-count indictment, returned yesterday, named James Weldon Johnson, age 32, of the Hazelwood neighborhood in Pittsburgh, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on January 2, 2017, Johnson possessed with intent to distribute quantities of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, as well as possessed a firearm as a convicted felon. Also according to the indictment, he possessed with intent to distribute, and distributed, fentanyl on December 30, 2016.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $2,250,000, 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 of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Rachael L. Dizard is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, along with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 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.