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6 July 2017
Franklin, N.C. Man Sentenced to Five Years for Setting Forest FiresRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Keith Eugene Mann, 50, of Franklin, N.C. was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger to five years in prison for destroying real property of the United States by means of fire, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Mann was also ordered to serve three years under court supervision.
“Mann set forest fires which damaged natural resources and potentially put many lives at risk, because he ‘wanted to see something burn.’ Thanks to the swift and thorough investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners, Mann was quickly apprehended and he will be punished for his selfish and irresponsible actions,” said U.S. Attorney Rose.
According to today’s sentencing hearing and court documents filed in the case, on October 27, 2016, a wildfire was reported on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Road 388, commonly referred to as Board Tree Road, which is in Macon Co., and within the Nantahala National Forest. Court documents indicate that the fire had been set intentionally. According to court documents, five other fires had been set in close proximity to the fire on Board Tree Road but appeared to have gone out on their own. Over the course of the investigation of these small fires, law enforcement located several wooden stem matches which helped to establish that the fires were intentionally set.
According to court documents, on November 22, 2016, a wildfire was reported at the end of U.S. Forest Service Road 763, commonly referred to as Jones Creek Road, by an individual who identified himself as “Keith Mann.” USFS firefighters responded to the fire and took immediate suppression action. The following day, on November 23, 2016, law enforcement returned to the fire site, where they observed a small cardboard box located at the origin of the fire, with numerous burned wooden stemmed matches next to the box. Following up on the Macon County 911 call, investigators spoke with Keith Mann who admitted to setting the fires both on Board Tree Road and on Jones Creek Road.
Mann pleaded guilty to the federal arson charge in March 2017. Mann is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Rose thanked the U.S. Forest Service and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Richard Edwards, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.
Former Teller at Maryland Check Cashing Business Indicted for Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Stealing Government FundsRead the Press Release
A grand jury in the District of Maryland returned an indictment, unsealed today, charging a former teller at a check cashing business in Maryland with theft of public money and conspiring to defraud the United States, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen M. Schenning for the District of Maryland.
According to the indictment, from approximately 2011 through 2013, Krystal Proctor conspired with others to negotiate refund checks that were fraudulently obtained by co-conspirators who filed tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using stolen IDs. Proctor is alleged to have used her position as a teller at a check-cashing business to negotiate and facilitate the negotiation of the refund checks. The indictment charges that Proctor entered false information into the check cashing business’s database, including processing the checks under the names of existing customers rather than the names of the individuals listed on the checks. The indictment further alleges that Proctor recruited another teller to join the scheme, and orchestrated the negotiation of additional fraudulent tax refund checks through that teller. According to the indictment, between 2011 and 2013, Proctor and the teller she recruited, negotiated more than 100 tax refund checks totaling more than $500,000.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted, Proctor faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and 10 years in prison for each count of theft of public money. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Schenning commended special agents of the Treasury Department’s Office of the Inspector General and IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Packard and Trial Attorneys Kimberly Ang, William Guappone and Tom Koelbl of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Former Teller at Maryland Check Cashing Business Indicted for Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Stealing Government FundsRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Greenbelt, Maryland –A grand jury in the District of Maryland returned an indictment, unsealed today, charging a former teller at a check cashing business in Maryland with theft of public money and conspiring to defraud the United States. The indictment was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the indictment, from approximately 2011 through 2013, Krystal Proctor conspired with others to negotiate refund checks that were fraudulently obtained by co-conspirators who filed tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using stolen IDs. Proctor is alleged to have used her position as a teller at a check-cashing business to negotiate and facilitate the negotiation of the refund checks. The indictment charges that Proctor entered false information into the check cashing business’s database, including processing the checks under the names of existing customers rather than the names of the individuals listed on the checks. The indictment further alleges that Proctor recruited another teller to join the scheme, and orchestrated the negotiation of additional fraudulent tax refund checks through that teller. According to the indictment, between 2011 and 2013, Proctor and the teller she recruited, negotiated more than 100 tax refund checks totaling more than $500,000.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted, Proctor faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and 10 years in prison for each count of theft of public money. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting U.S. Attorney Schenning and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of the Treasury Department’s Office of the Inspector General and IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation. Schenning also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Packard and Trial Attorneys Kimberly Ang, William Guappone and Tom Koelbl of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Former Social Security Administration Employee Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Authorizing More Than $1.9 Million in Fraudulent BenefitsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former benefits authorizer at the Social Security Administration in Chicago was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for authorizing more than $1.9 million in fraudulent benefits.
JAYSON CRUZ, 41, who worked at the SSA’s Great Lakes Program Service Center in Chicago, authorized the fraudulent payments from 2009 to 2013 to more than 150 recipients. In exchange, the recipients kicked back approximately half of the fraudulent payments to Cruz or to others whom Cruz had recruited into the scheme. As a result of his fraud scheme, Cruz caused the SSA to pay approximately $1,908,290 in fraudulent benefits.
Cruz used the proceeds of the fraud to, among other things, purchase his home in the South Chicago neighborhood of Chicago, shop at Gucci, Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, and travel to the National Basketball Association’s All-Star Game and the Black Entertainment Television awards show.
Cruz pleaded guilty last year to one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall imposed the 60-month sentence in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Tracey Thanos, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
“Defendant abused a position of public trust,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Glad argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The 165 million people who pay into the system expect that their hard-earned tax dollars are appropriately allocated.”
“This investigation was one of the most egregious employee cases we have ever investigated,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Thanos. “This type of dishonesty and deceit from government employees cannot be tolerated. I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in prosecuting this case.”
According to the charges, Cruz and his co-schemers recruited recipients of Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits to receive additional payments on top of what they were legitimately owed. Cruz authorized the fraudulent payments by entering false codes into the SSA’s electronic system. Cruz made sure that each of the fraudulent payments was for slightly less than $6,000 in order to avoid triggering the need for his supervisor’s approval.
Including Cruz, all five defendants charged in the federal investigation have been convicted.
Former Parma insurance salesman sentenced to more than three years in prison for tax fraudRead the Press Release
A former Parma insurance salesman was sentenced to more than three years in prison for failing to file income tax returns and failing to pay taxes, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja for the Northern District of Ohio.
According to documents and information provided to the court, John Christopher Raschella, 57, now of Estero, Florida, failed to pay more than $1 million in income taxes, interest and penalties that he owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for 1995, 1996, and 1998 through 2012. During those years, Raschella sold insurance, and earned additional income working for other insurance salesmen.
Between 1989 and 2012, Raschella failed to timely file income tax returns with the IRS. For several years, Raschella filed delinquent returns, reporting that he owed taxes, but failed to make the required payments. For other years, the IRS assessed Raschella’s taxes and sent him letters notifying him of the amount he owed, but Raschella still did not pay.
Raschella used a series of nominee entities to prevent the IRS from collecting his unpaid taxes. For example, Raschella formed two companies, Resource One, Corporation and Legacy Foundation International and deposited his insurance commissions into bank accounts that he opened in their names. He assigned his insurance commissions to Resource One and as a result, the company reported to the IRS that the income had been paid to the company instead of to Raschella individually. The insurance company revoked the assignment after learning that Raschella had concealed from a county government agency the fact that Resource One was his company. Raschella also caused a phony levy release to be sent to the insurance company that purported to be issued by the IRS. In response, the insurance company substantially reduced the amount of Raschella’s insurance commissions that it paid over to the IRS in response to the levy.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Raschella was ordered to serve one year of supervised release and to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $573,157.13.
“For more than two decades, John Raschella tried to thwart the IRS’s ability to assess and collect the taxes he owed,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg. “Everyone has a legal obligation to pay their fair share and today’s sentence makes clear that those who willfully violate this duty face significant consequences including prosecution and jail.”
“Failing to file or pay taxes due are abuses of the federal tax system that affect us all,” said Chief Don Fort of IRS Criminal Investigation (CI). “Today’s sentencing reaffirms that if you participate in these types of abusive tax schemes, you may go to jail. The American tax system is designed to provide vital government services to our people. It is not a pick-and-choose yearly decision as to whether you will obey the law and pay your owed taxes. IRS-CI and the Department of Justice will remain vigilant in ferreting out such schemes that cheat both the federal government and honest taxpayers.”
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Sierleja thanked special agents of IRS-CI, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind and Jeffrey A. McLellan of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case. They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Patton of the Northern District of Ohio, who provided substantial assistance in this prosecution.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Former Employee of Realty Company Sentenced for $250K FraudRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A former accounting manager at a Hampton Roads realty company was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for embezzling over $255,000 from her employer.
Lindsay Kneff, 37, of Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty on January 17 to wire fraud and engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property. According to a statement of facts filed with the court, Kneff was employed in a managerial position for the Virginia Beach office of Rose & Womble Realty Company, where she was responsible for overseeing the processing of commissions and accounts payable. Over an 18-month period from January 2014 to August 2015, Kneff wrote checks on the Rose & Womble operating account to pay her personal expenses, including electricity and utility bills. Kneff also made unauthorized wire transfers of company funds into her own bank accounts, and she fraudulently altered approximately 284 Rose & Womble money orders by writing in her own name as the payee.
Kneff attempted to conceal her fraud by creating fictitious vendors in the company’s accounting software to make it appear that the vendors had received wire transfers of company funds. Kneff’s conduct resulted in a loss to the company of $255,147.20, and she was ordered by the court to pay restitution in that amount.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and George D. Purefoy, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Norfolk Resident Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-139.
Former Correctional Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempting to Traffick DrugsRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA – Akeiran Lawson, a former federal correctional officer from Lumber City, Georgia, was sentenced earlier this week to 46 months in prison by Senior U. S. District Judge William T. Moore, Jr., for attempting to traffick cocaine for a federal prisoner. After serving his prison sentence, Lawson will be on federal supervised release for 3 years. There is no parole in the federal system.
Evidence presented at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings revealed that Lawson, while working at the McRae Federal Correctional Facility in McRae, Georgia, approached an inmate and offered to transport cocaine for an unknown drug organization in exchange for money. The inmate contacted other law enforcement officials to let them know of Lawson’s offer. In a sting operation, undercover agents communicated with Lawson, who agreed to transport a kilogram of cocaine from Savannah to Atlanta for $2,000. On November 3, 2016, shortly after Lawson received from undercover agents fake cocaine and half of his anticipated payment, Lawson was arrested without incident.
Acting United States Attorney James D. Durham said, “This officer was willing to sell his badge for personal payoffs from supposed drug dealers. Not only did he betray the institution he was sworn to protect, he also betrayed the ideals that honest, hard-working correctional officers uphold every day.”
"We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the U. S. Attorney’s Office, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, and the New York City DEA Task Force in this investigation, which helped bring this correctional officer’s corrupt conduct to light and ensured that he would be held accountable,” stated Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Bourbon of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General’s Miami Field Office.
The case was investigated by special agents of the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team and the New York City Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force. Assistant U. S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.
Former California Man Sentenced to 360 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA - On July 6, 2017, Jonathan Leroy Homedewheather Jean Reekr, age 43, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 360 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Homedew will be required to serve a ten-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.
On February 22, 2017, a jury found Homedew guilty of the drug trafficking charge following a trial before Chief Judge Jarvey.
On September 8, 2016, law enforcement arrested Homedew after he arrived at the Des Moines International Airport. Police seized several U.S. Postal Service shipping receipts from Homedew that indicated eight parcels had been shipped from Southern California and were to arrive in the Des Moines area on September 9. The eight parcels were located at Des Moines area postal facilities and searched pursuant to warrants; the parcels contained over 10 kilograms of ice methamphetamine.
At trial, testimony and supporting evidence showed that Homedew had been traveling between Iowa and California repeatedly during the summer of 2016 to buy multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine in California that Homedew then shipped to the Des Moines area. Homedew coordinated the further distribution of the methamphetamine to customers in Iowa.
Homedew’s three co-defendants each pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking charges: Michael Patrick Carr was sentenced to 190 months in prison, Sonya Rae Tucker received 90 months in prison, and Amber Marie Shipp is awaiting sentencing.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, Des Moines Police Department – Narcotics Control Section, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. This 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 Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at [email protected].
Former Audi Manager Charged in Connection with Conspiracy to Cheat U.S. Emissions TestsRead the Press Release
A former Audi manager has been charged via criminal complaint for his role in the long-running conspiracy to defraud U.S. regulators and customers by implementing software specifically designed to cheat U.S. emissions tests in thousands of Audi “clean diesel” vehicles.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch of the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.
Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, is charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud, and violation of the Clean Air Act. Pamio was formerly head of Thermodynamics within Audi’s Diesel Engine Development Department in Neckarsulm, Germany. According to the complaint, from in or about 2006 until in or about November 2015, Pamio led a team of engineers responsible for designing emissions control systems to meet emissions standards, including for nitrogen oxides (“NOx”), for diesel vehicles in the U.S.
According to the complaint, after Pamio and coconspirators realized that it was impossible to calibrate a diesel engine that would meet NOx emissions standards within the design constraints imposed by other departments at the company, Pamio directed Audi employees to design and implement software functions to cheat the standard U.S. emissions tests. Pamio and coconspirators deliberately failed to disclose the software functions, and they knowingly misrepresented that the vehicles complied with U.S. NOx emissions standards, the complaint alleges.
Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen AG (VW), previously pleaded guilty to three felony counts connected to cheating U.S. emissions standards. The company was ordered to pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine at its sentencing on April 21, 2017.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI and EPA-CID investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Securities and Financial Fraud Chief Benjamin D. Singer and Trial Attorneys David Fuhr and Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Blackwell and Trial Attorney Joel La Bissonniere of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crime Section, and White Collar Crime Unit Chief John K. Neal and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Wyse of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also assisted in the case.
Former Audi Manager Charged in Connection with Conspiracy to Cheat U.S. Emissions TestsRead the Press Release
A former Audi manager has been charged via criminal complaint for his role in the long-running conspiracy to defraud U.S. regulators and customers by implementing software specifically designed to cheat U.S. emissions tests in thousands of Audi “clean diesel” vehicles.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch of the Eastern District of Michigan made the announcement.
Giovanni Pamio, 60, an Italian citizen, is charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud, and violation of the Clean Air Act. Pamio was formerly head of Thermodynamics within Audi’s Diesel Engine Development Department in Neckarsulm, Germany. According to the complaint, from in or about 2006 until in or about November 2015, Pamio led a team of engineers responsible for designing emissions control systems to meet emissions standards, including for nitrogen oxides (“NOx”), for diesel vehicles in the U.S.
According to the complaint, after Pamio and coconspirators realized that it was impossible to calibrate a diesel engine that would meet NOx emissions standards within the design constraints imposed by other departments at the company, Pamio directed Audi employees to design and implement software functions to cheat the standard U.S. emissions tests. Pamio and coconspirators deliberately failed to disclose the software functions, and they knowingly misrepresented that the vehicles complied with U.S. NOx emissions standards, the complaint alleges.
Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen AG (VW), previously pleaded guilty to three felony counts connected to cheating U.S. emissions standards. The company was ordered to pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine at its sentencing on April 21, 2017.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI and EPA-CID investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Securities and Financial Fraud Chief Benjamin D. Singer and Trial Attorneys David Fuhr and Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Blackwell and Trial Attorney Joel La Bissonniere of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crime Section, and White Collar Crime Unit Chief John K. Neal and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Wyse of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also assisted in the case.
Five “Gangster Disciples” Violent Gang Members Sentenced to A Total of 1,334 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – The "Gangster Disciples" Chief of Security involved in the violent shooting that occurred at Hillview Apartments was sentenced to 263 months in federal prison. Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
As Chief of Security, Edwin Carvin aka "Ren," was responsible for ensuring the security of fellow gang members and providing protection from law enforcement or rival gangs. The Gangster Disciples are a violent criminal gang which began in the Chicago, Illinois area. In the 1970’s, the leaders of two different Chicago-based gangs, the Black Disciples and the Supreme Gangsters, aligned their respective groups and created the Gangster Disciples.
Once united, the Gangster Disciples began recruiting heavily in Chicago, within Illinois jails and prisons, and throughout the United States. By the mid-1980’s, the group had spread throughout the Midwestern and Eastern United States. The Gangster Disciples are active in approximately 35 states including Tennessee.
According to information presented at sentencing, on June 21, 2014, Florence Anthony, a member of the Gangster Disciples, got into an altercation with a group of individuals at the Hillview Apartments located in Memphis, Tennessee. Anthony reported the confrontation to her Gangster Disciples chain-of-command. Based on Anthony’s report, the Gangster Disciples chain-of-command issued orders to retaliate against those responsible for the attack on Anthony and her children.
At approximately 10:30 p.m., Carvin and four other members of the Gangster Disciples returned to the Hillview Apartments to retaliate against what were identified as rival gang members. Each individual was armed with firearms and proceeded on foot through the
apartments shooting four juveniles and one adult male. All five victims survived, but some sustained serious bodily injuries.
The defendants and their respective sentences:
- Florence Anthony, aka "Nikki," 135 months;
- Edwin Carvin, aka "Ren," 263 months;
- Robert Mallory, aka "Rambo," 292 months;
- Brandon Milton, aka "Lil Folk," 262 months;
- Erik Reese, aka "E," 382 months
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, Police Departments for Memphis, Bartlett and Germantown; Sheriff’s Offices for Tipton, Desoto and Shelby; and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen, Michelle Kimbril-Parks, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.
Federal Jury Finds Pennsylvania Man Guilty of Attempting to Exploit Nine-Year-Old BoyRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Pennsylvania man was convicted today following a seven-day jury trial in federal court in Boston of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a nine-year-old boy he met via online PlayStation games.
Robert Rang, 28, of Coaldale, Penn., was found guilty of one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Sept. 28, 2017. Rang was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 29, 2014.
On Oct. 29, 2014, a Massachusetts woman contacted her local police department to report that her nine-year-old grandchild, with whom she lived, had been in contact with an adult male via Sony PlayStation and text message. The woman discovered the illicit contact when she observed sexually explicit messages from Rang on her grandchild’s iPod.
Further investigation revealed that Rang had been communicating with the child for months via PlayStation, telephone, and Facebook. During that time, Rang sent the child gift cards to make PlayStation-related purchases. Over the course of several months, Rang asked the child to masturbate with him and send him naked pictures; the child refused Rang’s requests.
When law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Rang’s Coaldale home on Dec. 29, 2014, they found several images of child pornography on Rang’s cell phone, as well as evidence of his sexually explicit communications with other minors, and confirmation that Rang had made plans to visit the child in Massachusetts. Rang has a prior conviction for corruption of minors in Schuylkill County, Penn.
The charge provides for a minimum of 10 years to life in prison, supervised release for a minimum of five years to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Plymouth County Sherriff Joseph D. McDonald Jr., and Plymouth Police Chief Michael E. Botieri made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Anne Paruti of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Federal Judge Sentences Guatemalan National to Two Years in Prison for Illegal Reentry After Deportation and Harboring Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced today Omar Abisai Ramirez-Ramos, 34, of Guatemala, to two years in prison and three years of supervised release on illegal reentry after deportation and harboring illegal aliens charges, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Ramirez-Ramos pleaded guilty to the offenses in December 2016.
U.S. Attorney Rose is joined by Nick Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas and Sheriff Donald J. Hill of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
According to today’s sentencing hearing and court documents filed in the case, on October 9, 2016, a Polk County deputy conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Ramirez-Ramos was driving. Over the course of the traffic stop, law enforcement determined that Ramirez-Ramos was an illegal alien who had been previously deported three times from the United States. Law enforcement also determined that eight passengers of the vehicle were also illegal aliens. Court records indicate that Ramirez-Ramos told law enforcement that he was being paid $1,000 to transport the eight individuals from Phoenix, Arizona to Charlotte, N.C., and that he did not know their countries of origin.
Ramirez-Ramos is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. The defendant will also be subject to deportation proceedings upon the completion of his federal sentence.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Rose thanked ICE-HSI and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of this case.
Assistant United States Attorney John Pritchard, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.
Eleventh and Final Defendant Sentenced in Large Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOISE — John Matthew Caviness, Jr., 35, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for his role in helping to distribute methamphetamine and other drugs throughout the Treasure Valley, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez announced. Caviness and ten others were indicted on December 8, 2015, by a federal grand jury in Boise. On February 23, 2017, Caviness pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute controlled substances. Caviness’ sentencing brings the case to a close as the other ten defendants were already sentenced.
The case began in January 2015 when Elizabeth Gaytan sold methamphetamine to undercover police officers on numerous occasions. Investigators later learned that Stacy Duane Wilfong was Gaytan’s source of supply and the leader of a larger group of individuals who distributed drugs throughout the Treasure Valley. Investigators applied for and received a court order that authorized the interception of Wilfong’s telephone communications. During the course of approximately twenty days, Wilfong made hundreds of calls to his co-conspirators related to the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, pills including oxycodone and hydromorphone, and a synthetic controlled substance Alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone, known as "a-PVP."
The other ten defendants who already pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise are:
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Stacy Duane Wilfong, 40, of Nampa, leader of the conspiracy, sentenced on October 4, 2016, to 220 months in prison;
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Elizabeth Ann Gaytan, 37, Nampa, sentenced on July 28, 2016, to 100 months in prison;
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Jason Lee Burgess, 44, of Garden City, sentenced on February 22, 2017, to 84 months in prison;
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Adam William Dillon, 28, Nampa, sentenced on March 8, 2017, to 74 months in prison;
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Anthony “Tony” Kitchen, from Nampa, sentenced on October 5, 2016, to 71 months in prison;
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David Anthony Wales, 31, Boise, sentenced on June 14, 2017, to 60 months in prison;
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Isela F. Garza, 36, Nampa, sentenced on November 10, 2016, to 48 months in prison;
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Regina Wade, 50, Boise, sentenced on August 9, 2016, to 41 months in prison;
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Jocelin Jessica Gonzalez, 19, Nampa, sentenced on July 28, 2016, to 40 months in prison; and
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Breeannyn Nicole Pederson, 25, Parma, sentenced on November 15, 2016, to 18 months in prison.
This case was the result of a joint investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole. The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), includes the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
The case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.
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Easton Man Involved in Steroid Distribution Ring is SentencedRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that RAYMOND J. MARTIN, 50, of Easton, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport to three years of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 for his role in a steroid distribution ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, a long-term investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations revealed that Steven Santucci, a former Newtown Police sergeant, and others were receiving shipments of steroid ingredients from China and manufacturing and distributing wholesale quantities of steroids. Certain members of the conspiracy also distributed prescription pills, including oxycodone, as well as cocaine.
During the investigation, MARTIN was intercepted on a court-authorized wiretap ordering anabolic steroids and offering to sell oxycodone pills. At the time, MARTIN served as police commissioner for the Town of Easton.
MARTIN was arrested on July 14, 2015. On March 30, 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Santucci pleaded guilty and, on August 25, 2016, was sentenced to 16 months of imprisonment, six months of home confinement, 120 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Robert M. Spector.
Doctors Hospital Agrees to Settle Claim Alleging Failure to Provide Effective Communication Services to Deaf IndividualsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Ltd. (DHR) has agreed to a settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure it provides appropriate auxiliary aids and services to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing when providing medical services, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
The investigation began following a lawsuit a local deaf couple had filed, alleging DHR violated the ADA by failing to provide sign language interpretive services to ensure effective communication regarding their daughter’s treatment for cancer. The deaf parents alleged that starting in 2011, they were unable to effectively communicate with DHR’s doctors and medical personnel at various times during their daughter’s treatment. The lawsuit further alleged the mother was forced to use a family member to translate what the doctors and medical personnel at DHR were saying.
“This settlement exemplifies our commitment to protect the rights of the hearing impaired and to ensure that they are able to communicate with health care professionals, especially when patients have critical and complex interactions with medical providers,” said Martinez.
The settlement agreement requires DHR to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including qualified interpreters. DHR must also appoint an ADA administrator, provide training to the hospital’s staff on the requirements of the ADA and to adopt specific policies and procedures to ensure patients and companions who are deaf or hard of hearing promptly receive auxiliary aids and services. The settlement agreement also provides for continued monitoring by the Southern District of Texas to ensure DHR is meeting its obligations under the ADA.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paxton Warner handled the matter on behalf of the Southern District of Texas.
This case is a part of the Department of Justice’s Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, which seeks to enforce the ADA’s prohibition of discrimination against individuals with disabilities by health care providers. Through the Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the nation and the Department of Justice - Civil Rights Division target their enforcement efforts on a critical area for individuals with disabilities—access to medical services and facilities. The Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative is a multi-phase initiative that includes effective communication for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, physical access to medical care for people with mobility disabilities and equal access to treatment for people who have HIV/AIDS.
The Department of Justice has a number of publications available to assist entities to comply with the ADA, including a Business Brief on Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings. Visit the ADA for more information and to access these publications. ADA Complaints may be filed Department of Justice or within the Southern District of Texas.
Department of Justice Reviewing Letters from Ten Potential Sanctuary JurisdictionsRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice provided an update on the ten jurisdictions identified in a May 2016 report by the Department’s Inspector General as having policies that potentially violate 8 U.S.C. 1373. Each of the ten jurisdictions were required to submit their legal analysis of how they are in compliance with 8 U.S.C. 1373 by June 30, 2017.
The Justice Department received alleged compliance information from each of the ten jurisdictions by the deadline, is in the process of reviewing them, and looks forward to making a determination as to whether those jurisdictions are in compliance with federal law. Some of these jurisdictions have boldly asserted they will not comply with requests from federal immigration authorities, and this would potentially violate 8 U.S.C. 1373.
“It is not enough to assert compliance, the jurisdictions must actually be in compliance,” Attorney General Sessions said. "Sanctuary cities put the lives and well-being of their residents at risk by shielding criminal illegal aliens from federal immigration authorities. These policies give sanctuary to criminals, not to law-abiding Americans. The Trump Administration is determined to keep every American neighborhood safe and that is why we have asked these cities to comply with federal law, specifically 8 U.S.C. 1373. The Department of Justice has now received letters from ten jurisdictions across the United States claiming that they are in compliance with what federal law requires of them, and we will examine these claims carefully. Residents have a right to expect basic compliance with federal law from their local and state governments."
Defunct Philly Hospice’s Owners/Operators to Pay Millions to Settle Civil False Claims SuitRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen announced today that Matthew Kolodesh, Alex Pugman, Svetlana Ganetsky, and Malvina Yakobashvili have agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle False Claims Act allegations that they and their now-defunct company, Home Care Hospice, Inc. (HCH), falsely claimed and received taxpayer dollars for hospice services that were either unnecessary or never provided. Previously, a federal jury found Kolodesh guilty on, and Pugman and Ganetsky pleaded guilty to, related criminal charges.
Kolodesh was HCH’s de facto co-owner; Pugman was HCH’s Executive Director and co-owner; Ganetsky was HCH’s Development Executive; and Yakobashvili was HCH’s CEO and President. Kolodesh and Yakobashvili are husband and wife, as are Pugman and Ganetsky.
The civil settlements with Kolodesh, Pugman, and Ganetsky specifically resolve False Claims Act allegations that HCH and they, between January 2003 and September 2008: knowingly submitted false claims and records (including fabricated records) to Medicare for purported hospice care for patients who were not terminally ill and thus not eligible for the Medicare hospice benefit; and/or knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims and records (including fabricated records) to Medicare for crisis care services that were not necessary or not actually provided; and, as a result of this conduct, violated the False Claims Act and cost the Medicare Program millions of dollars. The settlements with these defendants, as well as Yakobashvili, also resolve federal common law allegations that all five defendants were unjustly enriched as a result of such conduct.
As part of the settlements, the United States will retain the full value of multiple financial accounts that were restrained in a related civil injunction action filed by the United States in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The estimated current value of those interests is approximately $8.8 million. The defendants have further agreed: (1) to make cash payments to the government ($400,000 from Pugman and Ganetsky, and $425,000 from Kolodesh and Yakobashvili); and (2) to transfer to the United States various assets, including Pugman’s and Kolodesh’s interests in condominium properties that they co-own.
Under qui tam (whistleblower) provisions of the federal False Claims Act, certain private citizens may bring civil actions on behalf of the United States and may share in any recovery. This suit was originally filed on behalf of the United States by Maureen Fox and Cathy Gonzales, former HCH employees who discovered the alleged fraud. The settlements announced today include False Claims Act whistleblower awards for Ms. Gonzales and for the Estate of Ms. Fox, who passed away after filing suit.
As the result of the United States’ related criminal investigation, 22 persons employed by or associated with HCH were criminally convicted in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“The Medicare hospice benefit is intended to provide patients nearing the end of life with pain management and other palliative care to make them as comfortable as possible,” Lappen said. “Too often, however, we hear reports of companies that abuse this critical service by enrolling patients who do not qualify for the hospice benefit, do not provide claimed services, or who push patients into services they don’t need in order to get higher government reimbursements. The Department of Justice, including this office, will take swift action to protect the public welfare and taxpayer dollars and to make sure that Medicare benefits are available to those truly in need.”
"Medicare, a crucial component of our nation's health care system, draws from a finite pool of funds," said Michael Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "The defendants siphoned money earmarked for dying patients' hospice care, and built their bank accounts on taxpayers' backs. The FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those defrauding the U.S. government."
"Today's settlement returns over $8 million to our nation's Medicare program. This money was wrongfully paid as a result of fraudulent billings and part of a massive criminal conspiracy that preyed on a program that comforts beneficiaries at the end of their lives," said Nick DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge of the Inspector General's Office of the United Stated Department of Health and Human Services in Philadelphia. "In addition to this civil settlement, this investigation resulted in the criminal prosecution of 22 individuals for health care fraud or other charges. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the dedicated federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to use every available tool to jail those who steal from federal health care programs and recoup cash and assets illegally acquired."
The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Organized Crime Section of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The civil case was handled at the U.S. Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric D. Gill, Gerald B. Sullivan, and Colin C. Cherico. Assistance was provided by the HHS Office of Counsel to the Inspector General and the Commercial Litigation Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division.
The civil claims asserted against HCH, Kolodesh, Pugman, Ganetsky, and Yakobashvili are allegations only, and there has been no determination of civil liability. The civil qui tam suit is docketed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as U.S.A. et al. ex rel. Fox and Gonzales v. Home Care Hospice, Inc, et al., No. 06-cv-4679.
The Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of 10 federal districts that formed an Elder Justice Task Force as a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative. (The office announced its task force here in March 2016, and maintains a publicly accessible website here.) The task force seeks to enhance government protection of vulnerable, elderly Pennsylvanians from harm and to ensure the integrity of government health care spending.
Corpus Christi Man Convicted on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 46-year-old local man has entered a guilty plea to distribution of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Ronald Eugene Lowrey Jr. came to the attention of law enforcement when the Texas Attorney General’s Office conducted an investigation into a peer-to-peer file sharing network in 2014. Through that investigation, authorities identified a specific computer with suspected child pornography. Authorities later downloaded a total of eight such files that were being distributed via that device. The computer was later linked to Lowrey Jr. in Corpus Christi.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence, at which time he admitted to using the file sharing program and to viewing child pornography.
A forensic examination of the items seized during execution of the search warrant revealed approximately 37 images and 246 videos of child pornography, including those that authorities had previously downloaded.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos accepted the guilty plea today and set sentencing for Oct. 19, 2017. At that time, Lowrey faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Upon completion of any prison term imposed, Lowrey also faces a maximum of life on supervised released during which the court can impose a number of special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the Internet.
Lowrey was arrested on the federal charges in April 28, 2017, and has been in federal custody since that time where he will remain pending his sentencing hearing.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office, Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI conducted the investigation.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elsa Salinas, 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."
Columbus Man Sentenced for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Robert C. Stuart announced that Michael W. Kruse, 69, of Columbus, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 4 years in prison by United States Senior District Judge Richard G. Kopf, for possession of child pornography. In addition to his prison term, Kruse will be required to serve 5 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender.
In October of 2015, an investigator with the Columbus Police Department received information from an investigator with the Nebraska State Attorney General’s Office that they were monitoring an IP address that was assigned to a residence in Columbus, Nebraska. This IP address reflected that a computer using the address had files available for sharing and downloading that were considered child pornography. The investigator from the Attorney General’s Office was able to download numerous video files which contained child pornography. The Columbus Police Department issued a subpoena to the IP provider and determined that it was assigned to Kruse at his residence in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska.
A search warrant was executed at Kruse’s residence and officers made contact with Kruse who admitted to using a file sharing program to download child pornography. Later forensic investigation of the computers and storage media uncovered over 600 videos and still images of child pornography, including videos of victims known by law enforcement from previous investigations outside the state of Nebraska.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Columbus Police Department and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
Columbus Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Aaron Travis Daniels, 20, aka Harun Muhammad, aka Abu Yusef of Columbus pled guilty in U.S. District Court to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B. Daniels faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and agencies participating in the Columbus Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) announced the plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.
JTTF agents arrested Daniels on November 7, 2106, as he attempted to leave Columbus with the intent to join ISIS in Libya. A federal grand jury indicted him on November 10, 2016 Daniels has been in custody since his arrest.
“This case demonstrates how terrorist activities abroad can reach into our local communities,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Our office and agencies in the JTTF will continue to cooperate as we work to protect our national security.”
The Columbus JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Columbus Division of Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, The Ohio State University Police Department, the Ohio Investigative Unit, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the John Glenn International Airport Police Department, Westerville Police Department and Columbus Division of Fire.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gibson with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s Office, and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Citizen of Guatemala Sentenced for Illegal Re-entryRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Elder Alexander Ajin-Surek, age 25, and a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced today to time served (66 days in jail) for illegally re-entering the United States.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Chief Patrol Agent John C. Pfeifer, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.
As part of his guilty plea, Anjin-Surek admitted that he is a citizen of Guatemala, and that he illegally returned to the United States after he was removed from the United States to Guatemala on August 9, 2012.
May 3, 2017, Anjin-Surek was arrested by Border Patrol Agents in Lewis, New York, in Essex County.
Following his sentencing, Anjin-Surek was placed into the custody of the Department of Homeland Security, for removal proceedings.
This case was investigated by United States Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
A convicted felon who possessed a gun and ammunition and discharged the gun inside a Cedar Rapids apartment building was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison.
Brian Lee Brown, age 39, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 2, 2017, guilty plea to one count of being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. While imposing the sentence, the Court noted that Brown had an extensive criminal history going back to age 18 and that he had a history of violence. The Court also noted that Brown possessed a rifle and live ammunition and that he discharged the rifle in his apartment. The round went through his apartment wall and into an adjacent apartment. A woman and two children were in that apartment, but no one was injured.
Brown was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Brown was sentenced to eighty-seven months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Brown is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshal Service, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 16-CR-96.
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California Payment Processing Company President and Part-Owner Sentenced to Prison for Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Santa Ana, California man was sentenced today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for his role in processing unauthorized withdrawals of millions of dollars from consumer bank accounts, the Justice Department announced.
Neil Godfrey, 79, was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release by Judge Eduardo Robreno in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Robreno also ordered Godfrey to pay a $50,000 fine and entered a $100,000 forfeiture money judgment against the defendant. Godfrey pleaded guilty in July 2015 to a one-count Information charging him with wire fraud. The Information described how Godfrey, working as a payment processor, knowingly enabled fraudulent merchants to withdraw money from consumers’ bank accounts without the consumers’ knowledge or consent.
“Payment processors who knowingly facilitate consumer fraud commit a federal offense,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to protecting consumers from unknown withdrawals from their bank accounts, and we will prosecute any individual who knowingly assist these fraud schemes.”
Godfrey used a Santa Ana processing company named Check Site Inc. to assist at least two fraudulent merchants. The merchants operated or worked with websites that purportedly offered subscriptions, clubs, sweepstakes or payday loans. But in many cases, the websites were a ruse to harvest consumers’ bank account information. Instead of providing consumers with payday loans or other services advertised, the merchants operating the websites used the bank information provided by the consumers to withdraw money from the consumers’ bank accounts. Using Check Site, Godfrey knowingly processed the merchants’ fraudulent withdrawals and provided the merchants with access to the banking system.
As part of the criminal case, Godfrey admitted to using payment devices called remotely created checks (RCCs) to facilitate fraud schemes. Once the fraudulent merchants had obtained consumer names and bank account information, the merchants created RCCs, which Check Site submitted through the banking system to the consumers’ banks. Unlike an ordinary check, an RCC is generally honored without the signature of the account holder. When the RCCs were processed, Check Site kept a fee and transferred the remainder of the withdrawals to the merchants.
According to charging documents, Godfrey used banks that were willing to facilitate these transactions and ignore the red flags raised by these transactions. The charges also alleged that Godfrey helped the fraudulent merchants stay off the radar of bank employees and regulators so that the fraud could continue. For example, Godfrey advised merchants how to change the names of their companies and set up the facade of a legitimate company to defeat banks’ attempts at due diligence.
In an email message quoted in the charging documents, Godfrey advised a fraudulent merchant that “the lesson we have learned is that we must trick the [bank] folk. It means you need to set up some type of website front. What we need to do is set up a legitimate website selling anything you can think of – that is what you get approved on. It is irrelevant if anything is ever sold there – just so it exists. . . . In the mean time we set up false credit card approval etcetera. It is this we use to run the transactions. Yes, there will be a lot of returns, but what we do is send through transactions over the next few weeks that don’t have high returns. They stop looking and then we can run the regular stuff. . . . [A]fter several months we junk that company and go to another company.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler thanked the Federal Trade Commission for providing Attorney Michelle Chua to serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney on the case, and commended the FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General for their thorough investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Murray of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Kathleen Konopka of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Eastern District of Pennsylvania, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa.
Bowie County Man Sentenced for Federal ViolationsRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, Texas – A 46-year-old Bogata, Texas man has been sentenced for federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
John Purviance pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2017 to unlawful use of a pesticide and unlawful taking of migratory birds and was sentenced to two years of federal probation today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline M. Craven.
According to information presented in court, on April 9, 2016, Purviance mixed a restricted-use pesticide with corn syrup and then spread the mixture along a tree line of a ranch in Bowie County with the intent to poison and kill feral hogs. Although feral hogs were among the animals that died from consuming the poison, other animals also died, including blackbirds, cardinals, and at least one vulture, which are all migratory birds and protected by federal statute. Purviance was also fined $2,375 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,198.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Criminal Investigation Division, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Texas Department of Agriculture and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.
Bloomfield man indicted for selling drugs that resulted in fatal overdose of Ashtabula County motherRead the Press Release
A Bloomfield man was indicted in federal court for selling drugs that resulted in the death of an Ashtabula County woman last year, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja.
Shawn Ray Smith, 29, was named in a seven-count indictment. The charges include distribution of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine that resulted in the death of an Ashtabula County woman on Feb. 5, 2016.
The woman's mother told investigators that she was awakened by her grandchildren crying, saying, “Mommy won’t get up.” The woman's mother checked on her daughter and found her unresponsive, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
Additional counts include distribution of heroin and fentanyl, distribution of cocaine, distribution of heroin and distribution of methamphetamine. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of firearms.
Smith possessed three firearms, as well as ammunition, despite prior felony convictions that prohibited him from having firearms, including convictions for burglary (Ashtabula County) and aggravated drug trafficking (Geauga County), according to the indictment.
“This is another heartbreaking example of the devastating impact drugs are having on our community,” Sierleja said. “We will continue to seek long prison sentences for those who profit from other people’s misery.”
The charge related to the death of Knight carries a potential sentencing enhancement that would result in a mandatory sentence of at least 20 years in prison if convicted. If so, the the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Seabury Gould and Marisa T. Darden following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Alien Indicted on Illegal Reentry ChargeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – John Stuart Bruce, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announces that a federal grand jury in Raleigh has returned an indictment charging ELY OSCAR MORENO-PONCE, age 41, of Mexico, with Illegal Reentry of a Deported Alien.
MORENO-PONCE is alleged to have been previously deported subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction (possession with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell marijuana). Therefore, if convicted, he would face a maximum imprisonment term of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
84-Month Prison Sentence for Dayton Man Who Jumped Bank Counters, Used Pepper Spray to Steal CashRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Michael Stathas, 33, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison for robbing two banks in Montgomery County in December 2016.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.
Stathas pleaded guilty on April 3, 2017 to two counts of robbery. According to the Statement of Facts filed with his plea agreement, Stathas jumped the teller counter at a Fifth Third Bank in Kettering, Ohio on December 23, pepper-sprayed the teller and stole the teller’s station money. On December 29, Stathas vaulted a bank counter at Key Bank in Centerville, Ohio. Once on the other side of the counter, he stole cash from the teller’s station.
Stathas fled the second robbery in his vehicle. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives in marked vehicles attempted to stop him, but rather than complying with their demands, he fled at a high rate of speed, ultimately crashing his car near Moraine, Ohio.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation of this case by the FBI, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Kettering Police Department, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi, who represented the United States in this case.
5 July 2017
Windham Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Matthew Miller, 51, of Windham, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to accessing with intent to view material containing images of child pornography.
According to court records, in September 2016, investigators from Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit were investigating the exchange of child pornography over the internet. As part of the investigation, agents downloaded child pornography files from a computer that was making the files available. The computer was later determined to be at Miller’s residence in Windham. Investigators executed a search warrant at the residence, and found that Miller had been searching for and downloading child pornography to his computer using a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.
Miller faces a sentence of up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces a term of supervised release following his release from prison of no less than five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the United States Probation Office.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.
United States Files Civil Action to Forfeit Thousands of Ancient Iraqi Artifacts Imported by Hobby LobbyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, the United States filed a civil complaint to forfeit thousands of cuneiform tablets and clay bullae. As alleged in the complaint, these ancient clay artifacts originated in the area of modern-day Iraq and were smuggled into the United States through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, contrary to federal law. Packages containing the artifacts were shipped to Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (“Hobby Lobby”), a nationwide arts-and-crafts retailer based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and two of Hobby Lobby’s corporate affiliates. The shipping labels on these packages falsely described cuneiform tablets as tile “samples.”
The government also filed a stipulation of settlement with Hobby Lobby, in which Hobby Lobby consented to the forfeiture of the artifacts in the complaint, approximately 144 cylinder seals and an additional sum of $3 million, resolving the civil action. Hobby Lobby further agreed to adopt internal policies and procedures governing its importation and purchase of cultural property, provide appropriate training to its personnel, hire qualified outside customs counsel and customs brokers, and submit quarterly reports to the government on any cultural property acquisitions for the next eighteen months.
The complaint and stipulation of settlement were announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York.
“American collectors and importers must ensure compliance with laws and regulations that require truthful declarations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, so that Customs officers are able to scrutinize cultural property crossing our borders and prevent the inappropriate entry of such property,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “If they do not, and shippers use false declarations to try to clandestinely enter property into the United States, this Office and our law enforcement partners will discover the deceit and seize the property.” Ms. Rohde thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection for its role in intercepting shipments and safeguarding the seized antiquities.
“The protection of cultural heritage is a mission that HSI and its partner U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) take very seriously as we recognize that while some may put a price on these artifacts, the people of Iraq consider them priceless,” stated Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez.
According to the complaint and stipulated statement of facts filed with the court, in or around 2009, Hobby Lobby began to assemble a collection of historically significant manuscripts, antiquities and other cultural materials. In connection with this effort, Hobby Lobby’s president and a consultant traveled to the UAE in July 2010 to inspect a large number of cuneiform tablets and other antiquities being offered for sale (the “Artifacts”). Cuneiform is an ancient system of writing on clay tablets that was used in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago.
In October 2010, an expert on cultural property law retained by Hobby Lobby warned the company that the acquisition of cultural property likely from Iraq, including cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, carries a risk that such objects may have been looted from archaeological sites in Iraq. The expert also advised Hobby Lobby to review its collection of antiquities for any objects of Iraqi origin and to verify that their country of origin was properly declared at the time of importation into the United States. The expert warned Hobby Lobby that an improper declaration of country of origin for cultural property could lead to seizure and forfeiture of the artifacts by CBP.
Notwithstanding these warnings, in December 2010, Hobby Lobby executed an agreement to purchase over 5,500 Artifacts, comprised of cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals, for $1.6 million. The acquisition of the Artifacts was fraught with red flags. For example, Hobby Lobby received conflicting information where the Artifacts had been stored prior to the inspection in the UAE. Further, when the Artifacts were presented for inspection to Hobby Lobby’s president and consultant in July 2010, they were displayed informally. In addition, Hobby Lobby representatives had not met or communicated with the dealer who purportedly owned the Artifacts, nor did they pay him for the Artifacts. Rather, following instructions from another dealer, Hobby Lobby wired payment for the Artifacts to seven personal bank accounts held in the names of other individuals.
With Hobby Lobby’s consent, a UAE-based dealer shipped packages containing the Artifacts to three different corporate addresses in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Between one and three shipments arrived at a time, without the required customs entry documentation being filed with CBP, and bore shipping labels that falsely and misleadingly described their contents as “ceramic tiles” or “clay tiles (sample).” . After approximately 10 packages shipped in this manner were received by Hobby Lobby and its affiliates, CBP intercepted five shipments. All of the intercepted packages bore shipping labels that falsely declared that the Artifacts’ country of origin was Turkey. No further shipments were received until September 2011, when a package containing approximately 1,000 clay bullae from the same purchase was received by Hobby Lobby. It was shipped by an Israeli dealer and accompanied by a false declaration stating that the bullae’s country of origin was Israel.
In executing the stipulation of settlement, Hobby Lobby has accepted responsibility for its past conduct and agreed to take steps to remedy the deficiencies that resulted in its unlawful importation of the Artifacts. Hobby Lobby has agreed to the forfeiture of all of the Artifacts shipped to the United States.
The government’s case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Karin Orenstein and Ameet B. Kabrawala.
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CV-3980 (LDH) (VMS)
Exhibit A
Sample Images of the Defendants in RemCuneiform Tablet
Cuneiform Tablets
Clay Bullae
U.S. Reaches $8.3 Million Civil Settlement with Reliant Care Group and Reliant Affiliated EntitiesRead the Press Release
St. Louis, Missouri: The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced today that the United States, Reliant Care Group, Reliant Care Management Company, Reliant Care Rehabilitative Services, and a number of Reliant affiliated skilled nursing facilities (Reliant) reached a civil settlement that will resolve the United States' claims against Reliant under the False Claims Act for knowingly submitting false claims to Medicare for providing unnecessary physical, speech, and occupational therapy to nursing home residents.
According to the United States’ allegations, from January of 2008 through April of 2014, Reliant provided unnecessary physical, speech and occupational therapy to nursing home residents who had a relatively high level of independence and who were residing in a skilled nursing facility primarily because of a psychiatric condition. The United States alleged that Reliant provided the unnecessary therapy and then sought the inflated reimbursement from Medicare influenced by its own financial considerations. The United States further alleged that some Reliant Care Rehabilitative Services management pressured therapists to provide therapy to residents even when the therapists believed that the therapy was not medically necessary.
As part of the settlement, Reliant will repay the United States $8,368,878.
Reliant has also entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). Pursuant to the terms of the Corporate Integrity Agreement, Reliant must comply with a number of reporting obligations to ensure that Reliant remains compliant with Federal health care program requirements.
Today's settlement sends a message to those who seek to take advantage of the Medicare program. "Health care fraud is a major and increasingly serious problem that costs taxpayers millions in lost and wasted dollars while depriving vulnerable beneficiaries of the care and support they need," said Special Agent in Charge Steven Hanson from HHS-OIG. "Every dollar that we save or recover allows us to better serve those who really need and deserve our help. We will continue to aggressively investigate these cases in an effort to eliminate the corruption in our health care system."
This civil settlement is part of ongoing efforts by the Department of Justice and the United States Department of Health and Human Services to recover funds diverted from the Medicare Trust Account and is the result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney=s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, HHS-OIG, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Taylor County man sentenced for illegal possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Rollie C. Poynter, Jr., 51, of Grafton, West Virginia, was sentenced today in federal court to 105 months, 11 day incarceration for illegal possession of a firearm, Acting United States Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.
Poynter, who had previously been convicted of felony offenses in West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, admitted to having in his possession a .38 caliber revolver in Taylor County, West Virginia in April 2016. Poynter pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in May 2017.Poynter’s sentence will run concurrently with the state’s sentence presently being served.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, and Grafton City Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.Status Update: U.S. v. Brendt A. ChristensenRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – During today’s court hearing, which lasted approximately 25 minutes, U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long found that the government satisfied its burden to show that defendant, Brendt A. Christensen, presents both a danger to the community and the risk of non-appearance at future court proceedings. Judge Long therefore ordered that Christensen be detained pending trial in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Christensen, 28, of Champaign, Ill., was arrested on June 30, 2017, and charged with kidnapping visiting Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang on June 9, 2017.
According to statements made by the government during today’s hearing, the government alleges that Christensen attended and walked in a vigil for the victim on June 29; has made statements about the characteristics of the ideal victim; that the victim fought and resisted; and, that he made a threat to another person to whom he made incriminating statements.
The FBI, the University of Illinois Police Department, the Illinois State Police and local law enforcement are investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bryan D. Freres and Eugene L. Miller and prosecuting the case.
Members of the public are reminded that a complaint is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Following High-Speed ChaseRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man who led a state trooper on a 107-miles-per-hour chase on Highway 65, pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing a firearm.
Clinton J. Haynes, 27, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Haynes has remained in federal custody since his arrest.
Haynes was arrested on Feb. 2, 2017, following a high-speed pursuit on U.S. Highway 65 by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper. The trooper attempted to stop Haynes’s vehicle, a gold Chevrolet Impala with expired plates and an illegally tinted driver’s side window. When the trooper activated his lights and siren, Haynes accelerated to 107 miles per hour. The trooper pursued Haynes as he overtook 31 vehicles, ignored a red stop light and passed a vehicle on the acceleration ramp.
Haynes’s vehicle eventually stopped on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 65 near Evans Road. Haynes fled on foot across the highway with the trooper in pursuit. Haynes then returned to his vehicle and sat in the driver’s seat. The trooper, with his service pistol drawn, ordered Haynes to get out of the vehicle, but Haynes refused. The trooper removed Haynes from the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs.
While checking the path that Haynes fled, in the grass of the median, the trooper found a loaded Jimenez 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The trooper also searched Haynes and found a plastic bag containing 45.64 grams of marijuana in his pants.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Haynes has a prior felony conviction for robbery.
Under federal statutes, Haynes is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Resulting in MurderRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, which resulted in the murder of a Mexican national, Oscar Adan Martinez-Gaxiola.
Anthony Edward Donovan, 20, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to the charges contained in a July 20, 2016, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Donovan admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County, Dallas County, Webster County and Christian County, Mo., which ran from April 28, 2015, to April 26, 2016.
Donovan is the fourth defendant to plead guilty in this case. Brooke Danielle Beckley, 20, and Jourdan Ashley McGinnis, 28, both of Nixa, Mo., and Nathaniel Austin Lee, 19, of Seymour, Mo., have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.
McGinnis admitted that, on April 8, 2016, he and Beckley possessed at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in a hotel room, which they intended to distribute to another person.
In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Donovan, Beckley and Lee each pleaded guilty to using a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, resulting in murder. They admitted that the murder of Martinez-Gaxiola on April 25, 2016, in Webster County was willful, deliberate, malicious and premeditated. Aiding and abetting each other, the conspirators used several handguns to ambush Martinez-Gaxiola in rural Webster County as he was attempting to collect a drug debt owed by Beckley.
Under federal statutes, Donovan, Beckley, Lee and McGinnis are each subject to sentences of up to life in federal prison without parole for these crimes. The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
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 Timothy A. Garrison. It was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Lawrence County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Webster County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Seymour, Mo., Police Department, the Rogersville, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team (COMET).
Smith County Men Guilty of Importing Anabolic SteroidsRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – Two Tyler, Texas men have pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Stacey Godsey, 44, and Joseph Shay Burton, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import anabolic steroids today before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell.
According to information presented in court, beginning in the summer of 2014 and continuing until the spring of 2016, Godsey and Burton purchased anabolic steroids through the internet from suppliers located in China. The steroids were shipped to the United States where Godsey and Burton converted them from powder to liquid dosage units in the kitchen and garage of Godsey's residence. Once converted into liquid dosage units, the steroids were sold and distributed to steroid users in Tyler, Texas and elsewhere. In the spring of 2016, law enforcement officers searched residences belonging to Godsey and Burton. More than 60,000 dosage units of anabolic steroids were found at Godsey's residence. More than 6,000 dosage units were found at Burton's residence.
Under federal statutes, the defendants each face up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tyler Police Department, and the Smith County Sheriff's Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld.
Sisseton Man Found Guilty of FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced today that Keith Hagen, age 49, of Sisseton, South Dakota, was found guilty of several counts of fraud by a federal jury on June 28, 2017.
Hagen and his former wife, Amanda Holy Bull, were indicted on February 9, 2016, for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud, three counts of Wire Fraud, and four counts of Mail Fraud.
Hagen and Holy Bull leased pasture land from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They used the land to provide custom cattle grazing services to cattle producers. They entered into contracts with several cattle producers, knowing that they did not lease enough pasture land to graze all of the cattle for which they had contracted. They took up-front payments from several producers, failed to provide the grazing services, and used the money for personal purposes. In all they defrauded producers out of over $200,000.
Each count has a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, restitution, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Holy Bull, age 33, also of Sisseton, South Dakota, pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and will be sentenced on October 30, 2017. Hagen will be sentenced October 16, 2017.
Sedalia, Independence Men Indicted for $7 Million Marijuana ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two men were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a $7 million conspiracy to distribute marijuana in Pettis, Cooper, Boone, Morgan, Pulaski and Jackson counties.
Zachary Scott Nutt, also known as “Tuna,” 35, of Los Angeles, Calif., and Sedalia, Mo., and Nicholas Anders Glaholt, 34, of Independence, Mo., were charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces federal criminal complaints that were filed against Nutt and Glaholt on June 14, 2017.
The federal indictment alleges that Nutt and Glaholt participated in a conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana in Pettis, Cooper, Boone, Morgan, Pulaski and Jackson counties from Oct. 5, 2001, through June 13, 2017.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Nutt and Glaholt – who have leadership roles in the conspiracy – obtained marijuana from multiple sources, including a grow operation in California. They have directly supervised and executed the transportation and distribution of the marijuana obtained from California, the affidavit says. Business and financial records establish that, since early 2010, Nutt and Glaholt have travelled between California and Missouri on commercial flights and/or in rented vehicles.
On Aug. 18, 2016, the affidavit says, investigators seized approximately eight pounds of marijuana supplied by the defendants and others. On Nov. 6, 2016, investigators seized approximately 40 pounds of marijuana supplied by the defendants and others. On Nov. 7, 2016, investigators seized approximately four pounds of marijuana supplied by the defendants and others. On Dec. 15, 2016, investigators seized approximately four pounds of marijuana supplied by the defendants and others.
According to the affidavit, investigators learned that another person transported approximately $73,700 to Nutt for the purchase of marijuana in California for distribution in Missouri. On April 5, 2017, investigators in California observed Nutt loading a vehicle with what was believed to be marijuana. On April 8, 2017, Nutt flew back to Kansas City and Glaholt picked him up at Kansas City International Airport. Nutt and Glaholt drove directly to Glaholt’s residence, where the “load” vehicle arrived from California shortly thereafter. On June 5, 2017, investigators seized approximately 11 pounds of marijuana supplied by the defendants and others. A person arrested by investigators in the aftermath of the seizure of marijuana reported that the person had received approximately 440 kilograms of marijuana from Nutt over a period of approximately two years.
Nutt and Glaholt were arrested on June 13, 2017. Glaholt was found to be in possession of approximately two pounds of marijuana in his vehicle. Nutt was in possession of approximately two ounces of marijuana in his vehicle.
Law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Glaholt’s residence and another residence in Kansas City, Mo., on June 13, 2017. At Glaholt’s residence they seized approximately $20,000 believed to be drug proceeds, several individual packages of marijuana, marijuana wax, digital scales, vacuum sealers, ledgers, computers, tablets and notes. At the Kansas City residence investigators seized approximately 261 pounds of marijuana (including packaging), cell phones, digital scales, drug packaging equipment, eight empty duffel bags, .22-caliber ammunition and drug ledgers from a safe.
Today’s indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Nutt and Glaholt to forfeit to the government $7 million, which represents the total amount of money involved in the conspiracy.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Sedalia, Mo., Police Department, the Cooper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the East Central Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
San Francisco International Airport Security Screener Sentenced to A Year in Prison for Her Role in A Conspiracy to Obstruct the Transportation Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Jessica Scott, an employee of Covenant Aviation Security (CAS), a private company that contracts with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), was sentenced today to one year and a day in prison for her role in a conspiracy to defraud the federal government, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and Transportation Security Administration Office of Inspection Special Agent in Charge Regan O. Fong. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, following a guilty plea in which Scott admitted permitting carry-on luggage to pass through a checkpoint undetected at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Scott, 29, of San Pablo, Calif., pleaded guilty on March 28, 2017, to conspiring to defraud the government in connection with a drug smuggling operation at SFO. According to her plea agreement, on July 18, 2013, her former husband, Joseph Scott, 35, of Vallejo, told her that a friend would be coming through the terminal and that the friend’s bag was “good.” Jessica Scott understood that she was being asked for her assistance to ensure that the carry-on luggage would not be subject to a secondary check when the passenger passed through security. The defendant admitted that she deliberately avoided learning what was in the bag by failing to take steps to investigate the luggage—even though she knew there was a high probability that the luggage contained drugs. In addition, the defendant admitted that when she saw the x-ray image of the carry-on luggage, she recognized three bright orange bricks and three bright green bricks that, based on her training and experience, she knew might have been explosives. Jessica Scott nevertheless allowed the luggage to pass through security without further investigation.
On November 3, 2015, Jessica Scott was indicted along with Joseph Scott and another former Lead Transportation Security Officer for CAS. All three were charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the TSA by obstructing a lawful government function, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and one count conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Jessica Scott pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to obstruct charge.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Breyer also ordered Jessica Scott to serve a three-year term of supervised release. On June 27, 2017, Joseph Scott pleaded guilty to one count of receiving a bribe as a public official, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2). Judge Breyer set his sentencing for November 15, 2017.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Vartain Horn is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Wincy Wong. The investigation has involved officers and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the TSA Office of Inspection, San Francisco Police Department, and the Oakland Police Department. This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Rocky River man charged with money launderingRead the Press Release
A Rocky River man was charged with laundering more than $100,000 from investors and using at least some of it for personal expenses, said David A. Sierleja, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Mark Dulik, 31, was charged via criminal information with four counts of money laundering.
Dulik owned and operated Rework, Inc., based in Rocky River, which allegedly provided cloud-based software services. Dulik convinced several individuals to invest in Rework by convincing them that it was a legitimate, on-going business – when in fact Dulik converted the investors’ funds for his own personal use to pay for his lavish lifestyle, according to the information.
Investigators determined that Dulik used new investors’ money to pay dividends/interest payments back to older investors, representing to the earlier investors that the money represented profits from the company, when in fact it operated more like a Ponzi scheme, according to court documents.
Dulik took approximately $101,500 of investors’ money from Rework’s business account that he either used for his own use or falsely representing the funds were returns on earlier investments derived from profits of Rework.
If convicted, the court will determine defendant’s sentence after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark S. Bennett following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Role in Child’s DeathRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Misprison of a Felony was sentenced on June 20, 2017, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Mitchell Lee Wisecarver, age 44, was sentenced to time served of 17.5 months, 1 year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Wiscarver was charged on September 15, 2015, and pleaded guilty on March 3, 2017. The conviction stems from Wiscarver covering up for his wife, Lori Wisecarver, and allowing the continued physical abuse of a young boy from October 2014 to February 2015. The abuse ultimately caused the death of the child.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Penn National Horse Trainer Convicted on Multiple Counts of Misbranding Prescription Drugs on Race DayRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Penn National horse trainer Murray Rojas, 51, Grantville, Pennsylvania, was convicted of 14 felony counts of misbranding prescription drugs on race day and conspiracy. The crimes involved Rojas directing veterinarians to administer drugs to her horses on race day in violation of track rules and state law. The jury found her not guilty of seven counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The jury returned the verdicts on June 30, 2017, after one day of deliberation, and after an eight-day jury trial in Harrisburg before United States District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the conspiracy took place between 2002 and 2014, and involved 58 races. Rojas was convicted of conspiring with three veterinarians to have the drugs administered to horses on the day they were entered to race.
The evidence presented during the trial showed that steps were taken to conceal this conduct by backdating invoices for the sale and administration of drugs to the horses on race day, as well as the submission of fraudulent veterinarian treatment reports to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission.
The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted several other individuals as part of this investigation in federal and state court, including:
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Danny Robertson, the official clocker, charged with wire fraud, sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine;
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Craig Lytel, a racing official, charged with wire fraud, sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine;
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Renée Nodine, veterinarian, charged with misbranding and conspiracy, awaiting sentencing;
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Kevin Brophy, veterinarian, charged with misbranding and conspiracy, awaiting sentencing;
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Fernando Motta, veterinarian, charged with misbranding and conspiracy, awaiting sentencing;
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David Wells, owner and trainer, charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, sentenced on February 23, 2015, to three months’ imprisonment;
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Patricia Rogers, trainer, charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, received an ARD in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas;
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Samuel Webb, trainer, charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, received an ARD in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas.
The case was investigated by the by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Horse Racing Commission and the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe prosecuted the case.
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Non-Indian Man from Albuquerque Charged with Assaulting Federally Commissioned Tribal OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Vincent P. Luciani, 25, a non-Indian man from Albuquerque, with assaulting a federal officer. Luciani was released pending trial under pretrial supervision and other conditions of release, including the condition that he reside in a halfway house.
Luciani was arrested on July 3, 2017, and was charged by criminal complaint with assaulting an officer of the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department, who is commissioned as a Special Law Enforcement Officer by the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. According to the complaint, Luciani allegedly assaulted the officer by threatening the officer with a firearm following a routine traffic stop. Luciani allegedly committed the offense on June 30, 2017, on Laguna Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M.
If convicted of the charge in the complaint, Luciani faces a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez.
Mission Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on June 28, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Benjamen T. Flute, a/k/a Benjamin T. Flute, age 38, was sentenced to 18 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Flute was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 19, 2017. He pled guilty on April 11, 2017.
Flute was convicted of Second-Degree Rape in Caddo County, Oklahoma, in December 2007. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. In November 2016, Flute moved to Mission, South Dakota, but did not update his registration. He was arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services on December 15, 2016, and charged with failure to register as a sex offender in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court. He subsequently bonded out of jail, but did not update his registration.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Flute was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Mission Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine, was sentenced on June 27, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Adam Dean Stoneman, age 28, was sentenced to 70 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000, forfeiture of $60, and a mandatory special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Stoneman was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 14, 2016. He pled guilty on April 11, 2017.
Between July 1, 2014, and December 14, 2016, Stoneman knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in the District of South Dakota.
Stoneman received distributable quantities of methamphetamine and distributed some of the methamphetamine in South Dakota. The individuals who provided Stoneman with the methamphetamine knew that he intended to engage in further distribution. Stoneman admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that more than 200 grams of methamphetamine would be distributed during the course of the conspiracy.
When Stoneman was arrested on August 17, 2016, he had $60 in his possession that was proceeds of drug distribution activity. That money was seized by law enforcement and forfeited.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case.
Stoneman was immediately turned over to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
Minnesota Man Appeared in Federal Court to Face Fraud Conspiracy, Aggravated Identity Theft and Meth ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Minneapolis, Minnesota, man made his initial appearance in federal court, following an indictment being filed against him by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Jason Maurice Fagin, age 38, was indicted on May 9, 2017. Fagin made his initial appearance in federal court on June 26, 2017, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The maximum penalties upon conviction for each count are as follows: Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud has a penalty of up to 20 years of imprisonment and/or a $1,000,000 fine; Aggravated Identity Theft requires a mandatory 2 years of imprisonment to be served consecutively to any term of imprisonment for the Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud offense; and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine has a penalty of up to 20 years of imprisonment and/or a $1,000,000 fine. Each count of conviction requires a term of years of supervised release and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution and forfeiture may also be ordered.
According to the indictment, between September 2016 and November 16, 2016, Fagin engaged in a scheme to defraud financial institutions while using the personal identifying information of other individuals. Fagin would use the proceeds of the fraud scheme to purchase methamphetamine for his use and to distribute to others for money.
The charges are merely accusations and Fagin is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Flandreau Police Department, and the Flandreau Sioux Tribe’s Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.
Mexican Drug Trafficker Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steve Butler of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Rafael Tellez-Tijernia, 39, a citizen of Mexico residing in Houston, Texas, was sentenced today in federal court on charges involving his possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Court documents reflect that Tellez-Tijernia and three others were implicated when Mobile County Street Narcotics Enforcement Team (MCSENT) officers entered a residence on Frieda Avenue in Eight Mile to execute a search warrant in July of 2016. They found Rafael Tellez-Tijernia and two others in the kitchen of the residence. Also in the kitchen was approximately two kilograms of cocaine and a firearm. Tellez-Tijernia initially provided the false name of Juan Carlos Rivas-Rodriguez to the officers. He pled guilty to the federal charge in March of 2017.
United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Tellez-Tijernia to 51 months imprisonment. At the completion of that sentence, he will be delivered to a duly authorized immigration official for deportation. No fine was imposed. The judge ordered that Tellez-Tijernia pay the $100 special mandatory assessment.
The case was investigated by MCSENT and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted it in the United States Attorney’s Office.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Ernesto L. Reyes, 26, of Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today to possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, announced Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley.
According to court documents and statements made at today’s change of plea hearing, Reyes committed a series of traffic violations while driving a motor vehicle on the evening of November 11, 2016, on Route 125 in Plaistow, New Hampshire. As a result of these violations, Reyes was stopped by the New Hampshire State Police. When Reyes exited the vehicle, a New Hampshire State Trooper observed a package wrapped in green colored plastic wrap containing a powder that appeared to be heroin. The package was located on the floor along the left side of the driver’s seat. Later testing performed by the State Police Forensic Laboratory confirmed that the package found in the vehicle contained nearly 100 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.
Reyes scheduled to be sentenced on October 19, 2017.
“The trafficking of heroin and fentanyl continues to have a grave impact on our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners to target those who are distributing these deadly drugs in our state. While those suffering from addiction need treatment, those who are profiting from the distribution of opioids will be prosecuted aggressively.”
The case was investigated by the New Hampshire State Police and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
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Los Fresnos Man Heads to Prison on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 62-year-old resident of Los Fresnos has been sentenced to federal prison for possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Isaac Gonzalez pleaded guilty April 4, 2017.
Today, U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera handed Gonzalez a sentence of 78 months in federal prison. Gonzalez will also spend the rest of his life on supervised release, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
The investigation into Gonzalez began as authorities were looking into persons utilizing peer-to-peer software to exchange and view child pornography. Federal agents executed a search warrant at Gonzalez’s residence on Feb. 15, 2017, which led to the discovery of 1,650 images of child pornography on his laptop. These images contained depictions of prepubescent minors, including one video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.
Gonzalez has been and 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 and the Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Corley and Ana Cano, 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."
Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to robbing a bank in Kansas City, Kan., U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Andre U. Randle, 37, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Feb. 1, 2017, he robbed the U.S. Bank at 10959 Parallel Parkway, in Kansas City, Kan.
According to court documents, he gave a clerk a note saying, “I have 2 guns. Don’t make me use them,” before leaving the bank with stolen cash in a purple pillow case. Officers of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department stopped his car in the 6900 block of Troop and arrested him.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 11. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Beall commended the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.