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9 June 2017
Roxbury Man Sentenced for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Roxbury man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for distributing cocaine.
Israel Delacruz, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya W. Zobel to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2017, Delacruz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Delacruz was supplied cocaine by Ileana Valdez and Elvin Soto. He, in turn, distributed it throughout Boston.
Delacruz is the 45th of 48 defendants tied to the Columbia Point Dawgs (CPD), indicted in June 2015 on drug trafficking and firearm charges, to plead guilty. Valdez previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Pena is scheduled to stand trial in October 2017.
According to documents filed in court, the CPD, also known on the street as “the Point,” was Boston’s largest and most influential city-wide gang. The criminal organization started in the 1980s in the former Columbia Point Housing Development (now Harbor Point) and, over the years, gang members established drug trafficking crews throughout Boston. It is alleged that the CPD was responsible for the distribution of multiple kilo quantities of heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and oxycodone throughout Boston and Maine.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; and Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Correction, made the announcement.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rochester Woman Indicted for Tax Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker announced a federal indictment charging ROSA MARGARITA MALDONADO with two counts of filing a false claim for tax refund, one count of theft of public money, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. MALDONADO will make her initial appearance in United States District Court on June 21, 2017.
According to the indictment, MALDONADO filed false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns in her name for tax years 2011 and 2012 in which she reported false dependents, claimed fraudulent Earned Income Tax Credits and Additional Child Tax Credits, and claimed tax refunds to which she was not entitled.
According to the indictment, MALDONADO stole a $7,712 tax refund from the U.S. Treasury for tax year 2012 and unlawfully used the names, Social Security numbers, and birth dates of two minor children in the course of that theft of public money.
This case is part of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, and the Department of Treasury, Office of Inspector General.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Allen A. Slaughter and U.S. Department of Justice Trial Attorney Christopher S. Strauss.
Defendant Information:
ROSA MARGARITA MALDONADO
Rochester, Minn.
Charges:
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False, fictitious or fraudulent claims, 2 counts
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Theft of public money, 1 count
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Aggravated identity theft, 2 counts
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Rio Arriba County Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempted Bank Robbery ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Ashley Herrera, 28, of Espanola, N.M., was sentenced yesterday afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her conviction on attempted bank robbery.
Herrera was arrested in July 2016, on a criminal complaint charging her with attempting to rob the Bank of America branch located at 4037 Rodeo Road in Santa Fe, N.M., on Aug. 12, 2015. Herrera subsequently was indicted on Aug. 23, 2016, and charged with attempted bank robbery.
On Feb. 21, 2017, Herrera pled guilty to the indictment. and admitted that on Aug. 12, 2015, she attempted to rob the bank by handing a bank teller a note in which she threatened to shoot if the bank teller did not give her money. Herrera acknowledged leaving the bank without obtaining any money. She was later arrested after one of her fingerprints was found on the demand note she handed the bank teller.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Santa Fe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shana B. Long and Peter J. Eicker prosecuted the case.
Providence Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with OxycodoneRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A licensed nurse pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to stealing oxycodone pills from a nursing home where she worked and attempting to conceal the theft by replacing the medication with other medications.
Charlotte Demers, 36, of Providence, R.I., pleaded guilty to four counts of tampering with a consumer product, specifically oxycodone, a narcotic used for pain relief. Demers is currently enrolled in the Court-run RISE program.
Between Sept. 12, 2016, and Oct. 8, 2016, while working as a licensed practical nurse at Countryside Health Care in Milford, Mass., Demers tampered with four blisterpacks of oxycodone that had been prescribed for residents of the nursing facility. She removed the oxycodone pills from the blisterpacks, replaced them with other medications that were used to treat other medical conditions, re-sealed the blistercards and put them back on medication carts at the nursing facility.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; and Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Food and Drugs, Drug Control Program, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett of Weinreb’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The RISE Program (Repair, Invest, Succeed, Emerge) is a Court-run program, designed to aid in the rehabilitation of applicable defendants who have pleaded guilty and are under pretrial supervision prior to sentencing. Their sentence is dependent upon their completion of the program and is determined at a later time.
Pittston Man Sentenced for Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on June 8, 2017, United States District Court Judge Malachy Mannion sentenced Landy Then, age 25, of Pittson, Pennsylvania, to 18 months imprisonment for his role in a drug conspiracy.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, from February through March of 2016 Then conspired with other individuals to distribute approximately 200 grams of cocaine throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Then was indicted by a grand jury on October 25, 2016, and pled guilty pursuant to a plea agreement on December 8, 2016.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Police Departments, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Gotlob.
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Pittsburgh Man Possessed 300 Videos and 1,300 Images of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
Walter B. Williams, 46, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on June 2, 2016, Williams possessed more than 300 videos and 1300 images in computer graphics and digital files, depicting the sexual exploitation of children, many of whom were under the age of 12 years.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for October 17, 2017, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Williams.
Pharmacist Charged in Pill Mill Case Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A licensed pharmacist, Kumi Frimpong, who owned and operated the Cornerstone Pharmacy, located on Bolton Boone Drive in Desoto, Texas, was sentenced this morning for his involvement in a “pill mill” operation, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Specifically, Frimpong, 57, of Dallas, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to surrender $41,112 to the United States that constitute proceeds from dispensing oxycodone during the conspiracy. Frimpong pleaded guilty in September 2016 to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute oxycodone. Frimpong was ordered to report to serve his sentence no later than September 5, 2017.
“Diverted prescription pain pills kill more people in this country than heroin, while simultaneously fueling demand for heroin itself,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “Eighty percent of heroin users started by abusing prescription pain pills first. Those who divert legitimate drugs from their lawful, therapeutic purposes to illicit, deadly purposes all in the name of money are no better than any other drug trafficker and will be treated accordingly.”
Frimpong admitted that during the conspiracy, which began in January 2013 and continued through July 2014, he and his co-conspirators distributed and caused to be distributed at least 40,000 30mg oxycodone pills in Dallas, and elsewhere that he dispensed based on prescriptions issued in the name and DEA registration number of co-conspirator, Dr. Richard Andrews of McAllen Medical Clinic.
After their arrests in January 2016, Dr. Andrews and co-defendant pharmacists Frimpong and Ndufola Kigham were ordered to surrender their DEA registration numbers, preventing Dr. Andrews from issuing prescriptions for controlled substances and Frimpong and Kigham from dispensing controlled substances. Frimpong and Kigham also surrendered their stock of controlled substances that they had at their pharmacies to DEA.
Twenty-four individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury in Dallas in February 2015 on offenses related to their participation in the prescription drug distribution conspiracy. That indictment alleged that from at least May 2013 through July 2014, the defendants participated in a scheme to illicitly obtain prescriptions for pain medications, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and then distribute those controlled substances for profit. As part of the conspiracy, individuals, often homeless or of limited means, were recruited and paid to pose as patients at medical clinics, including the McAllen Medical Clinic, to obtain prescriptions to fill those prescriptions at designated pharmacies.
Superseding indictments were returned in December 2015 and in January 2016, and a total of 31 individuals have now been charged. All of the defendants have pleaded guilty.
This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana State Police, the Grand Prairie Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Houston Police Department, the Arlington Police Department, the Greenville Police Department, the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters is in charge of the prosecution.
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Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to 19 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Kidnapping, Jewelry Store RobberyRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TIMOTHY FORBES, 35, of Allentown, Pa., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 228 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a violent kidnapping and jewelry store robbery in April 2013.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 9:00 p.m. on April 11, 2013, Kasam Hennix, William Davis, Christopher Gay and Jeffrey Houston, all of whom were wearing masks and gloves and two of whom were armed with handguns, broke into an apartment on Gravel Street in Meriden, Conn., bound four victims with duct tape and covered their heads with pillowcases, towels and jackets. Hennix, Davis, and Houston then forced two of the victims into a victim’s vehicle and drove to Lenox Jewelers in Fairfield, Conn., where the two victims worked. FORBES traveled to Fairfield in a separate vehicle, and Gay remained in the Meriden apartment to guard the two other victims.
After Hennix, Davis and Houston arrived at the Fairfield store, they stole jewelry, watches and loose diamonds with a total replacement value of more than $3 million. They then fled in the victim’s car, leaving the two victims bound inside the store. Hennix, Davis and Houston abandoned the victim’s vehicle and got into FORBES’ vehicle. One of the defendants called Gay to advise him that they had successfully carried out the robbery and that he should leave the apartment. The defendants then fled the state.
The five defendants were arrested in May 2013.
Investigators determined that FORBES, Houston and Gay had traveled from Pennsylvania to Connecticut on several occasions in the weeks prior to the robbery in order to track the victims’ movements between Lenox Jewelers in Fairfield and their residence in Meriden. In addition, FORBES and Gay placed a GPS on one of the victim’s vehicles in an effort to make it easier to track him.
On January 19, 2017, FORBES pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping, one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Hennix, of Easton, Pa., Davis, of Allentown, Pa., Houston, of Allentown, and Gay, of the Bronx, N.Y., also pleaded guilty to related charges. On April 17, 2015, Davis was sentenced to 176 months in prison; on January 27, 2016, Gay was sentenced to 102 months in prison; on February 8, 2016, Hennix was sentenced to 171 months of imprisonment, and, on April 26, 2017, Houston was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment.
The defendants have been ordered to pay restitution of more than $3.1 million, and have forfeited gemstones, jewelry, watches, a vehicle, and more than $127,000 in cash seized from them at the time of their arrests.
FORBES has been involved in at least three other similar jewelry store robberies, including one that occurred in York, Pa., in July 2012. During that robbery, one of FORBES’ co-defendants shot the owner of the store, permanently disabling him. On March 23, 2016, FORBES was sentenced in the Middle District of Pennsylvania to 14 years of imprisonment for his role in that robbery.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fairfield Police Department and Meriden Police Department. U.S. Attorney Daly also acknowledged the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI in New York and Pennsylvania; the York, Allentown and Bethlehem Police Departments in Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Vizcarrondo.
Peabody Man Sentenced for Oxycodone TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Peabody man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for distributing oxycodone throughout the North Shore area along with eight others.
Joseph Romano, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to four years in prison and three years of supervised release. In March 2017, Romano pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute oxycodone.
In March 2014, federal investigators began tracking the activities of Romano and his co-defendants. Through surveillance and a cooperating source, investigators were able to make controlled purchases of oxycodone from Romano and his associates. Co-defendants Anthony Panarese, Jarod Presterone, and Paul Williams were oxycodone suppliers, and on roughly a weekly basis, Romano contacted each of them separately to arrange meetings to obtain oxycodone pills for redistribution. At times, Romano also met with Eric Vaughn, who delivered pills to Romano for his personal use. Romano consumed some of the pills and distributed the remainder to various individuals, including Ashley Turner, Sans Milbury and Marcelle Milbury. In addition, when Romano went on vacation in June 2015, Turner handled distribution for him, during which time Williams supplied oxycodone pills to Turner’s father, David Turner Sr., who then delivered them to his daughter, Ashley.
Panarese has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 46 months in prison; Marcelle Milbury also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison; Sans Milbury, graduated from the RISE program, sponsored by the Court, and was sentenced to three-years of probation. Co-defendants Presterone, Vaughn, Ashley Turner, David Turner Sr. and Williams, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Office; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Chief Patrick M. Ambrose of the Danvers Police Department made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Parma Heights financial advisor charged with stealing $543,000 from clients through identity theftRead the Press Release
A Parma Heights financial advisor was charged in federal court for defrauding clients out of more than a half-million dollars, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony.
Martin R. Stancik, 67, was charged by information with one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identify theft said
Stancik, a financial advisor, stole money his clients believed he would use to purchase annuities and life insurance policies on their behalf. Stancik then used the stolen funds for his own personal benefit, according to the information.
Stancik also stole a client’s identity by taking out a loan against his client’s life insurance policies, without his authorization or knowledge, by forging his client’s name and depositing the loan proceeds check into Stancik’s own bank account. Stancik created false documents purporting to be account statements for policies he never purchased, but nevertheless provided to his clients so they believed the policies existed, according to the information.
The total loss associated with Stancik’s conduct is approximately $543,369, according to the information.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. 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. Attorney Adam Hollingsworth following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of 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.
Owner of Lake Norman Restaurant Pleads Guilty to Tax FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Peter Gjuraj, 49, of Mooresville N.C., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer today and pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney Rose is joined in making today’s announcement by Thomas J. Holloman III, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
“Gjuraj reaped all the benefits of owning a profitable restaurant on the shores of Lake Norman, but did not want to pay taxes owed from operating his successful business. Instead, he used the extra income to fund homes, cars, and to travel. To those tax cheats who think they can get away without paying taxes owed, you will be investigated and you will be held accountable for your actions,” said U.S. Attorney Rose.
“Today’s plea of Peter Gjuraj’s is a reminder that any attempt to evade tax by hiding income and filing false returns is a theft from the American public. It is a felony offense that carries severe consequences,” said Special Agent in Charge Holloman. “The overarching principle of IRS’s enforcement strategy is simply this: We protect the integrity of the tax system by ensuring everyone pays the right amount of tax.”
According to filed documents and today’s court proceedings, from 2012 to the present, Gjuraj was a resident of Mooresville, N.C. and the owner and operator of Blue Parrot, a restaurant in Lake Norman, N.C. Gjuraj served as the bookkeeper for Blue Parrot, which obtained the majority of its income from the restaurant and from sale of gasoline to boaters.
According to filed documents and today’s court proceedings, for years 2012 through 2014, Blue Parrot earned additional gross receipts totaling approximately $2,793,873.00 that Gjuraj failed to report on his individual income tax returns filed with the IRS. As a result of the unreported gross receipts, Gjuraj had additional taxable income substantially in excess of that reported on his tax years 2012 through 2014. The additional federal tax due on this unreported income was a total of $319,974.92 based on additional tax due of $59,576.96, $96,866.96, and $163,531.00 for years 2012 through 2014, respectively.
According to filed documents and today’s court proceedings, as a result of the unreported gross receipts, Gjuraj fraudulently claimed various credits against taxes. For example, in 2012 and 2013, Gjuraj fraudulently claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). During the relevant time period, Gjuarj structured cash withdrawals to avoid the filing of currency transaction reports. For example, between July 8, 2013 and September 27, 2013, Gjuraj made approximately fifteen cash withdrawals from a bank account of amounts between $9,000 and $9,900, totaling approximately $141,850.
According to filed documents and today’s plea hearing, Gjuraj’s expenditures for years 2012 through 2014 were far in excess of his reported income. Gjuraj used business funds to purchase, among other things: two houses for $375,000; cars worth approximately $80,000; and additional personal expenditures including travel and home improvements.
Court documents show that Gjuraj failed to file a timely tax return with the IRS for 2015, despite earning approximately $631,666 in income. As a result of his unreported gross receipts, Gjuraj has an additional tax due and owing of approximately $217,015.05 for tax year 2015.
Gjuraj was released on bond after his plea hearing. The tax evasion charge carries a maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Gjuraj has agreed to pay restitution of $536,989.97 to the IRS. As sentencing date for the defendant has not been set.
The investigation was led by IRS-CI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny G. Sugar, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is prosecuting the case.
Oklahoma City Lab Worker Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes in Exchange for Allowing Submission of Fraudulent Urine Samples for Drug TestingRead the Press Release
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – JASON MICHAEL GOMEZ, 38, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty today to accepting a bribe in return for committing a fraud on the United States, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
On May 1, 2017, Gomez was charged by information with one count of bribery. Gomez worked in Oklahoma City as a urinalysis collector for Catalyst Behavioral Services (CBS), which contracts with the United States Probation Office to provide drug testing and treatment services for individuals supervised by U.S. Probation. As part of his job, Gomez collected urine specimens from individuals required to undergo court-ordered drug testing as a condition of their supervision. According to the information, from June 2016 until February 6, 2017, Gomez solicited and accepted cash payments in exchange for allowing individuals to smuggle into CBS "clean" urine samples for drug testing, rather than requiring individuals to provide their own urine sample. Gomez also falsely certified on U.S. Probation Office chain of custody forms that he had observed individuals provide their own samples.
At his plea hearing today, Gomez admitted that he accepted cash bribes in exchange for allowing individuals under U.S. Probation supervision to provide fraudulent urine samples for drug testing. Gomez also admitted that he submitted false chain of custody forms to the U.S. Probation Office.
At sentencing, Gomez faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry.
New Iberia man sentenced for sending threatening letters to government agencies in south LouisianaRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a New Iberia man was sentenced to 33 months in prison for sending threatening letters to government agencies across South Louisiana, including the governor’s office.
Kyle Dore, 33, of New Iberia, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter on five counts of mailing threatening communications and four counts of false information and hoaxes. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the guilty plea, Dore sent a series of letters in December 2015 and January 2016 threatening agencies and persons working at offices in local, state and federal government. In four of the nine letters, he sent a white powder with the implication that it was toxic. The substance was later tested and found not dangerous. He sent letters to the Louisiana State Capitol to the attention of Governor John Bel Edwards, the Vermilion Parish Courthouse, the Lafayette Parish Courthouse, and U.S. Post Offices in New Iberia, Delcambre, Abbeville and Lake Charles.
The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Louisiana State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dominic Rossetti prosecuted the case.
Middletown Man Charged with $3MM in Wire and Bank Fraud, Money Laundering and Tax OffensesRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that an Indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, charging Donald Rice, age 54, of Middletown, Delaware, with wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and tax offenses. The defendant faces up to 30 years in prison on the bank fraud charges, 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charges, up to 10 years on the money laundering charge, and three years on the filing a false tax return charge and up to one year on the failure to file a tax return offense.
The Indictment alleges that between 2013 and 2015, the defendant, who was at the time a certified public accountant, embezzled almost $3 million dollars from a trust created to pay the tax obligations of a dissolving company. While serving as the trustee, defendant used funds deposited into the trust account to finance his own business investments, including the purchase of multiple tax preparation franchises. The defendant also used trust account funds for his personal expenses, including the purchase of a luxury vehicle.
The Indictment further alleges that Rice had previously defrauded another client. In 2011, while purportedly providing estate-planning services for a client, Rice misappropriated $100,000, which the client provided to Rice to invest on her behalf. The defendant instead used this money to fund his own business ventures and pay personal expenses. Following that client’s death in 2012, Rice, who was also the executor of her estate, continued to collect her pension payments from a public employee retirement system, again using the funds for his personal benefit.
The Indictment also alleges that Rice was engaged in income tax fraud. The federal tax return Rice filed for 2013 did not include, as required by law, his illegal income from his fraud scheme and materially understated his income. After seeking an extension of time to file a tax return for 2014, defendant never filed a return for that tax year.
Acting U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “I want to thank both the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their efforts in building this case. The theft of millions of dollars by a trusted professional is a brazen crime. Defendant’s further actions, victimizing an elderly woman who had entrusted him with funds and failing to abide by his own tax obligations, similarly demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law. We are committed to the prosecution of these types of offenses.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Wolf.
The charges in the Indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Miami-Area Man Charged for Role in $63 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Miami-area man was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a $63 million health care fraud scheme involving a now-defunct community mental health center located in Miami.
Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.
Samuel Konell, 69, of Boca Raton, Florida, was charged in an indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks, one count of receiving health care kickbacks and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Konell was arrested this morning and appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick A. White of the Southern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that from approximately January 2006 through June 2012, Konell accepted kickbacks in exchange for referring Medicare beneficiaries to Greater Miami Behavioral Healthcare Center, Inc. (Greater Miami) to serve as patients so that Greater Miami could bill Medicare for mental health treatment purportedly provided to those beneficiaries. The indictment further alleges that Konell knew that the beneficiaries he referred to Greater Miami did not need, qualify for nor receive such treatment. In addition, the indictment alleges that Konell and co-conspirators took steps to disguise the true nature of the bribes and kickbacks Greater Miami paid to Konell and other patient brokers.
According to the indictment and other court documents, Konell and his co-conspirators caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for mental health treatment purportedly provided by Greater Miami in an amount exceeding $63 million.
- date, 11 individuals have pleaded guilty for their role in the scheme, including the owner of Greater Miami, three administrators and seven patient brokers.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Young and Leslie Wright are prosecuting the case.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,300 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $7 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Mexican Woman Sentenced for Importing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 24-year-old woman from Guadalajara, Mexico, has been ordered to prison following her conviction of the conspiracy to import methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Vanessa Hernandez pleaded guilty Sept. 6, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Senior Judge George P. Kazen ordered Hernandez to serve a 100-month term of imprisonment. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face deportation proceedings following her release from prison.
On July 13, 2016, Hernandez applied for entry into the United States at the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge in Laredo as a passenger in a Mexican taxi cab. She was travelling with one piece of luggage which showed anomalies within the lining wall. Further inspection of the luggage revealed two clear bags containing 4.02 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Hernandez 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 conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher dos Santos is prosecuting the case.
Mexican National Indicted for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MIGUEL TERRAZAS-ORDONEZ, age 40, was charged today in a one-count Indictment for illegal reentry of a removed alien in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to the indictment, TERRAZAS-ORDONEZ reentered the United States after he was previously deported on December 28, 2000. The Indictment contains a Notice of Sentencing Enhancement due to TERRAZAS-ORDONEZ having a prior conviction in the District Court of Iowa, Keokuk County, for Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana.
If convicted, TERRAZAS-ORDONEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of three years, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
Acting U. S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Member of International Child Exploitation Conspiracy Sentenced to 18 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A Weed, California man was sentenced to 218 months in prison for conspiracy to produce child pornography based on his participation in a website that was operated for the purpose of coercing and enticing minors as young as eight years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct on web camera.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia; and Section Chief John J. Brosnan of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section (VCACS) made the announcement.
Jeffery Van Dyke, 46, was charged on April 4, 2016, and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia on March 10, 2017.
According to admissions made in connection with the plea agreement, members of the conspiracy created false profiles on social networking sites popular with children posing as young teenagers to lure children to two websites they controlled. Once on the conspirators’ websites, Van Dyke admitted that members of the conspiracy showed the children pre-recorded videos of prior minor victims, often engaging in sexually explicit conduct, to make the new victims think that they were chatting with another minor.
Van Dyke further admitted that conspirators used these videos to coerce and entice children to engage in sexually explicit activity on their own web cameras, which could be viewed live by other members without the victim’s knowledge and which the website automatically recorded and made available for download later. Van Dyke admitted that he linked minors to one of the websites and chatted with them there in furtherance of the conspiracy. The defendant also admitted that one of the websites ranked the efforts of the members to successfully coerce and entice children to engage in sexually explicit conduct on live web camera. Law enforcement agencies have disabled both websites.
Van Dyke’s sentence will be followed by 15 years of supervised release and he was further ordered to pay $15, 215 in restitution.
VCACS special agents led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and the FBI’s Digital Analysis and Research Center and the Office of Victim Assistance. The South Africa Police Service, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses, Gauteng; Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre; the Dutch Police Service Agency, KLPD; and the Australian Federal Police, Child Protection Operations, Sydney were active partners in Operation Subterfuge, a multinational investigation coordinated by members of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children International Task Force. Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in this matter.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.
Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzling over $19 Million from IT CompanyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Nokesville man pleaded guilty today to embezzling approximately $19.3 million from his employer, an information technology company headquartered in Reston.
According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Jon Frank, 48, worked at the company as the controller. From 2007 until January 2017, he used his position to initiate transfers of approximately $19.3 million from the company’s bank account to his personal accounts. He created false documents to make it appear that the money was being sent as reimbursement to another company that was administering the health insurance plan for Frank’s employer. Relying upon his knowledge and the altered documents, he was able to mislead the individuals performing audits of the company’s financial records. Frank spent the money on expensive automobiles and real estate, among other things.
Frank pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on September 8. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Hanly is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-144.
Lubbock Fentanyl Distributors SentencedRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Sidney Caleb Lanier, 36, and Jamie Marie Robertson, 32, both of Lubbock, Texas, were sentenced this morning before Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Lanier was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in February 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Robertson was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison following her guilty plea also in February 2017 to one count of unlawful use of a communications facility.
Co-defendant Jessica Christine Holl, 29, of Lubbock, Texas, pleaded guilty in March 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl and is scheduled to be sentenced June 30, 2017.
“Fentanyl is responsible for a sharp increase in overdoses and deaths across the country and poses a very high risk of death to not only users, but law enforcement and first responders as well,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “Our local, state and federal partners will continue to push back hard on those who peddle this poison in our communities.”
The defendants have been in custody since their arrest in October 2016 following a law enforcement operation led by Lubbock Police Department and special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration focused on the distribution in the Lubbock area of the highly potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl.
While fentanyl can serve as a direct substitute for heroin in opioid-dependent individuals, it is a dangerous substitute as it is 50 times more potent than heroin and results in frequent overdoses that can lead to respiratory depression and death. Cheaper than heroin, fentanyl can be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin; just a few milligrams, equivalent to a few grains of table salt, may be deadly.
According to documents filed in this case, from approximately January 2013 to October 27, 2016, Lanier, Holl, and Robertson did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate and agree with each other to intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance. Lanier supplied Holl and Robertson with large amounts of Fentanyl he purchased online on the Darknet from China using Bitcoin, a digital currency. The Fentanyl was shipped to various addresses in the Lubbock area, prepared by the defendants and sold for use.
The case was investigated by the Lubbock Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Haag is in charge of the prosecution.
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Local Attorney Sentenced for Wire Fraud Related to $70 Million Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Steven Scudder, 62, of Centerville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a fraudulent investment scheme. Scudder pleaded guilty to wire fraud on January 19, and admitted that he used his position as an attorney to facilitate the fraudulent investment scheme operated by someone else.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ryan L. Korner, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Joseph Rivers, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, James Vanderberg, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General and Christopher White, Assistant Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.
Court documents state that between July 2013 and July 2014, Scudder served as trustee of the WMA Trust, a land trust that purported to secure investments that individuals had made with William Apostelos. Scudder ultimately resigned from this position during mid-summer 2014. Scudder said Apostelos instructed him to continue to falsely hold himself out as the trustee of the WMA Trust until September 2014. Based on Scudder’s false representations, an investment group of approximately 10 people in another state invested more than $1 million with Apostelos. Apostelos used the funds to pay earlier investors rather than investing the money as promised.
Apostelos pleaded guilty in February for conducting a $70 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded nearly 500 victims. He is scheduled for sentencing at 9:30am on June 30.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative law enforcement investigation of this case, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi, who is representing the United States in this case.
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Lee's Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing child pornography over the Internet.
Clark H. Henshaw, 36, of Lee’s Summit, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to the charge contained in an Oct. 14, 2015, federal indictment.
The investigation began in July 2013 when federal agents contacted a man in Bangor, Maine, who was trading child pornography on a photo-sharing website. Henshaw was identified as one of his primary trading partners to whom he sent images and videos of his sexual abuse of two 6-to-7-year-old boys. Each of those trading partners, he told federal agents, also claimed to have manufactured the child pornography they were sending to him.
Clark received 34 images of child pornography from his trading partner in Maine, including several images of him sexually molesting two prepubescent boys. Investigators learned that Henshaw sent two e-mail messages to other individuals on Aug. 20, 2013, that contained some of those images of child pornography.
On Feb. 13, 2014, federal agents executed a search warrant at Henshaw’s residence. Henshaw and his mother were home during the execution of the search warrant, however, agents had to force entry because no one would answer the door. They seized Henshaw’s cell phone, which contained 10 child pornography movie file downloads.
Under federal statutes, Henshaw is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 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 Teresa Moore. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Lauderdale County Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss – Brad Johnson, 27, from Meridian, was sentenced on May 30, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate, to 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $1500 fine for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Harold Brittain.
Johnson pled guilty on March 1, 2017 to possessing two firearms in Meridian on October 7, 2015, at a time in which he was already a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Meridian Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin.
Last Defendant in Heroin, Methamphetamine and Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy Sentenced to 225 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Juan Salazar-Sanchez, aka “Mario Ayala Guzman” and “Manuel Barreto-Sanchez,” 50, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 225 months in federal prison for his role in a heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Salazar-Sanchez pleaded guilty in October 2016 to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Salazar-Sanchez has been in custody since his arrest.
“The convictions of Juan Salazar-Sanchez and his co-conspirators are indicative of law enforcement’s continued commitment to fully identify, investigate and bring to justice drug trafficking organizations determined to make a living from those struggling with addiction,” said U.S. Attorney Parker.
Salazar-Sanchez and four others were arrested in early June 2016 by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Dallas Police Department who were conducting an operation into bulk distribution of crystal methamphetamine and bulk U.S. currency.
All defendants have been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy to the following:
Uriel Aguirre-Arzate, 21, 180 months
Isidro Romero-Madriz, 20, 70 months
Maricela Mendoza, 20, 11 months
According to documents filed in the case, on June 6, 2016 law enforcement executed a search at a residence on Reynolds Avenue in Dallas, Texas where the four defendants resided. Law enforcement located four loaded firearms and 75.7 grams of methamphetamine in a bedroom used by Salazar-Sanchez. A loaded firearm, 11,703 grams of methamphetamine, 3,354.6 grams of cocaine and 443.5 grams of heroin were located in a bedroom used by Aguirre-Arzate. 25,681.9 grams of cocaine and 1,116.8 grams of heroin were located in another bedroom used by Mendoza and Romero-Madriz. A total of $371,000 was also located in the residence.
The DEA and the Dallas Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cara Pierce and Myria Boehm prosecuted.
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Las Vegas Man Sentenced for Interfering with a Flight CrewRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Jerry Ba Nguyen, 25, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today before Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 36 months in federal custody for interfering with flight crew members and attendants, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Nguyen pleaded guilty in February 2017 to one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants. Nguyen has been in custody since his arrest in September 2016.
According to plea documents filed in the case, on September 22, 2016 Nguyen was a passenger on American Airlines flight 2542 in route from Ontario, California, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which was diverted to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, after Nguyen, knowingly interfered and attempted to interfere with the performance of the duties of a flight crew member and flight attendant, lessening their ability to perform their duties, by assaulting and intimidating the flight attendant and flight crew member by refusing to comply with instructions from flight attendants.
Nguyen came to the attention of the flight attendants as the plane was leaving the gate in Ontario, appearing agitated and walking toward the front of the aircraft as it prepared to take off. Flight attendants were able to calm him down, and the plane departed. After takeoff, however, Nguyen’s erratic behavior continued; he mumbled that the SIM card had been stolen from his phone and he made suicidal statements. He also stated that the police were not his friends, and the U.S. government was responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Nguyen was asked to remain in his seat by the flight crew on multiple occasions, but refused. Flight attendants were so concerned about his behavior that they recruited several passengers to assist with physically restraining Nguyen if it became necessary.
Upon final approach, Nguyen walked to the front of the aircraft and was near the cockpit door. Flight attendants instructed Nguyen numerous times that he needed to be seated for landing, but Nguyen refused to take his seat. Due to Nguyen’s proximity to the cockpit door, the lead flight attendant signaled other passengers to subdue Nguyen.
The Captain declared an emergency and diverted the flight to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, where it landed safely. Nguyen was removed from the plane and taken into custody
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration, the Lubbock Police Department and the Lubbock International Airport Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag prosecuted.
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Lafayette man sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding illegal aliens in federal custodyRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced today that a former Lafayette stockbroker and financial consultant was sentenced to 18 months in prison for operating a scheme to take money from the families of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees on the false promise that he would provide the ICE detainees assistance in their immigration proceedings.
Donald Domingue, 59, of Lafayette, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald Walter on one count of wire fraud. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $10,965 restitution and a $10,000 fine. According to the March 27, 2017 guilty plea, Domingue, who was a financial consultant and stockbroker in Lafayette, owned and operated a company headquartered in Lafayette that claimed to assist individuals being held in ICE detention centers. Through this company, American Immigration Consulting LLC, Domingue operated a scheme to defraud ICE detainees. He would make mass mailings to ICE detention centers around the country advertising his services in representing illegal aliens and assisting them with their immigration problems. Those detainees would then contact family members who would pay Domingue in exchange for promises that Domingue would represent the ICE detainees at deportation hearings, assist them in obtaining work permits, assist them in “bonding out” of detention facilities, and otherwise provide services in immigration-related matters. However, after receiving payments, Domingue would cease communication with the ICE detainees and their family members and fail to render the promised immigration services. The ICE detainees would then generally be deported. The scheme to defraud stared in April of 2014 and ended October 2014.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Joseph and Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.
Kansas Man Charged with Hate Crime, Firearm Offenses in Shooting of Three Men at Olathe BarRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the indictment of Adam W. Purinton, 52, of Olathe, Kansas. Purinton was indicted by a federal grand jury on hate crime and firearm charges for shooting three men—including two Indian nationals—at an Olathe bar on Feb. 22, 2017.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Wheeler, II, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and United States Attorney Thomas E. Beall of the District of Kansas.
Today’s indictment accuses Purinton of shooting and killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla because of Kuchibhotla’s actual and perceived race, color, religion and national origin. The indictment also accuses Purinton of attempting to kill Alok Madasani because of his actual and perceived race, color, religion and national origin.
A third count in the indictment charges Purinton with violating a federal firearms statute by discharging a firearm at Kuchibhotla, Madasani, and the third man, Ian Grillot, during those crimes of violence.
The indictment alleges that Purinton committed the offenses after substantial planning and premeditation, attempted to kill more than one person in a single criminal episode, and knowingly created a grave risk of death to others on the scene.
The statute authorizes a maximum penalty of death or life in prison; the Justice Department will determine at a later date whether, in this particular case, it will seek the death penalty.
An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Investigating agencies include the FBI and the Olathe Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tris Hunt and David Zabel of the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Kansas Man Charged with Hate Crime, Firearm Offenses in Shooting of Three Men at Olathe BarRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced the indictment of Adam W. Purinton, 52, of Olathe, Kansas. Purinton was indicted by a federal grand jury on hate crime and firearm charges for shooting three men—including two Indian nationals—at an Olathe bar on Feb. 22, 2017.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Wheeler, II, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and United States Attorney Thomas E. Beall of the District of Kansas.
Today’s indictment accuses Purinton of shooting and killing Srinivas Kuchibhotla because of Kuchibhotla’s actual and perceived race, color, religion and national origin. The indictment also accuses Purinton of attempting to kill Alok Madasani because of his actual and perceived race, color, religion and national origin.
A third count in the indictment charges Purinton with violating a federal firearms statute by discharging a firearm at Kuchibhotla, Madasani, and the third man, Ian Grillot, during those crimes of violence.
The indictment alleges that Purinton committed the offenses after substantial planning and premeditation, attempted to kill more than one person in a single criminal episode, and knowingly created a grave risk of death to others on the scene.
The statute authorizes a maximum penalty of death or life in prison; the Justice Department will determine at a later date whether, in this particular case, it will seek the death penalty.
An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Investigating agencies include the FBI and the Olathe Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tris Hunt and David Zabel of the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Jackson County Man Sentenced on Methamphetamine OffenseRead the Press Release
On June 8, 2017, Marshall D. Rosenberger, 36, of Carbondale, was sentenced to federal prison for a methamphetamine offense, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Rosenberger, who had previously pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced to 108 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was fined $350.00. The indictment alleged the offense occurred between October 2015 and July 13, 2016, in Jackson and Williamson Counties. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established Rosenberger was involved with Lucas Holland and other persons in the manufacture of methamphetamine and distribution of ice in southern Illinois. Ice is methamphetamine which has a purity level of at least 80%. At sentencing, the district court found Rosenberger was responsible for the possession or distribution of 42.53 grams of ice, 312 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, and 2.88 grams of pseudoephedrine. Lucas Holland was previously sentenced to 188 months of imprisonment for his role in the ice conspiracy.
The investigation was conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Southern Illinois Enforcement Group. The Carbondale Police Department also assisted in the investigation.
Information: Federal Court ArraignmentsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that those persons listed below were arraigned before the U.S. Magistrate and the indictments handed down by the Grand Jury unsealed.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Lynch in Missoula on June 6, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- NOLAN DAVID BARBISAN, a 28-year-old resident of Bozeman, appeared on charges of felon in possession of firearms, false statement during firearms transaction, and possession of an unregistered silencer. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, BARBISAN faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office. PACER Case Reference. 17-09
- RANDALL ALAN FRANZ, a 58-year-old resident of Sandpoint Idaho, appeared on charges of concealment of assets in bankruptcy, false oath or account, and wire fraud. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, FRANZ faces 20 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. PACER Case Reference. 17-18
- WALTER JAMES MANULA, a 64-year-old resident of Butte, appeared on charges of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, MANULA faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. PACER Case Reference. 17-01
- WILLIAM KENT ROSS, a 67-year-old resident of Whitehall, appeared on charges of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, ROSS faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. PACER Case Reference. 17-09
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on June 2, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- JEANETTE LAMBERT SCHACHT, a 55-year-old resident of Laurel, appeared on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and maintain drug – involved premises. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, SCHACHT faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI Task Force. PACER Case Reference. 17-65
- RAYMOND EDWARD SCHACHT, a 57-year-old resident of Laurel, appeared on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and maintain drug – involved premises. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, SCHACHT faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI Task Force. PACER Case Reference. 17-65
- RONALD ANDREW SMITH, a 35-year-old resident of Redwood City, California, appeared on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, SMITH faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Montana Highway Patrol, and Park County Sheriff’s Office. PACER Case Reference. 17-55
- ISAIAH ELGIE THOMAS, a 29-year-old resident of Miles City, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and possession of a stolen firearm. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, THOMAS faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. PACER Case Reference. 17-50
- JAIRO SEBASTIAN VELA-DIAZ, a 31-year-old resident of Grenada, appeared on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, VELA-DIAZ faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Montana Highway Patrol, and Park County Sheriff’s Office. PACER Case Reference. 17-55
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on May 31, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- SHAWN MICHAEL WENTZ, a 26-year-old resident of Bozeman, appeared on charges of receipt of child pornography. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, WENTZ faces 20 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and lifetime supervised release. The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations. PACER Case Reference. 17-24
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on May 30, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- CHAD RUSSELL MATTFELDT, a 42-year-old resident of Livingston, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, MATTFELDT faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Park County Sheriff’s Office. PACER Case Reference. 17-63
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on May 25, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- TERRY LEE FELLER, a 58-year-old resident of Billings, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm. If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, FELLER faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. PACER Case Reference. 17-63
- VERNON RAY HENSON, a 57-year-old resident of Colville, Washington, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, HENSON faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. PACER Case Reference. 17-43
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on May 24, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- MICHAEL LEE LIRA, a 52-year-old resident of Billings, appeared on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, LIRA faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, Russell Country Drug Task Force, and the Great Falls Police Department. PACER Case Reference. 17-34
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Johnston in Great Falls on May 23, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- BENGAMIN RAY YELLOW OWL, a 25-year-old resident of Browning, appeared on charges of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, and distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, YELLOW OWL faces life in prison, $2,000,000 in fines and lifetime supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. PACER Case Reference. 17-32
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on May 23, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- VIOLET JOANN AGNES BIRDINGROUND, a 22-year-old resident of Crow Agency, appeared on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, BIRDINGROUND faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. PACER Case Reference. 17-37
- TODD THOMAS MALMSTROM, a 52-year-old resident of Lockwood, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, MALMSTROM faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. PACER Case Reference. 17-54
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Cavan in Billings on May 19, 2017 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- EMMANUEL ARCE-GAXIOLA, a 28-year-old resident of Rock Springs, Wyoming, appeared on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, ARCE-GAXIOLA faces 20 years in prison, $1,000,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Eastern Montana HIDTA. PACER Case Reference. 16-113
If any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system so that you stay current and not miss any important developments in the case.
To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
Houston Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking Following $1.2 Million Dollar Cash SeizureRead the Press Release
A drug trafficker was sentenced to 14 years in prison in federal court on Friday, June 9, 2017, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce announced the sentence for the Southern District of Illinois. Defendant Samuel Dewayne Monroe, 39, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 168 months in prison, five years of supervised release to follow the term of imprisonment, a $600 fine, and a $100 special assessment. Monroe’s sentence came after the Court determined that he was involved in distributing approximately 120 kilograms of cocaine from Texas into the Midwest.
Monroe was charged in an Indictment on February 18, 2016, alleging that he and seven co-defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine into the Southern District of Illinois. In addition to the drug crimes, the indictment sought forfeiture of $1,212,934 in U.S. currency seized on December 2 and 3, 2015, along with jewelry appraised at $72,000.
Court records established thatMonroe and seven co-defendants conspired to traffic cocaine in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Evidence showed that in November 2015, Monroe and others traveled to the St. Louis area to deliver cocaine and transport cash. Part of this shipment included instructions to meet with a co-defendant to supply him with three kilograms of cocaine destined for O’Fallon, Illinois. On December 2, 2015, several individuals met in the parking lot at the Galleria Mall in St. Louis, Missouri, and delivered three kilograms of cocaine. Those kilograms were sold on a "front," or consignment-type arrangement, where the buyer was not required to make payment at the time of delivery. The recipient took the three kilograms back to O’Fallon where two of the kilograms were promptly redistributed to St. Louis and East St. Louis.
On the next day, December 3, 2015, one of the buyers contacted the supplier to complain that the third kilogram was of poor quality. The buyers asked to exchange it for a replacement kilogram. The parties agreed to meet again at the Galleria Mall in St. Louis to obtain the replacement kilogram. Police interrupted the planned exchange in the parking lot and arrested each of the participants who were present. Police recovered a drug log that referenced customer and payment records for 19 kilograms of cocaine that sold for $32,500 per kilo. A search of the vehicles revealed the replacement kilogram along with a number of hotel room key cards and rental car keys. Agents traced the keys to a hotel in St. Louis and ultimately discovered a black suitcase containing $508,330 in U.S. Currency; two more kilograms of cocaine; and a small black stolen .38 caliber revolver. In the parking garage of the hotel, agents found the rental cars driven by the defendants, which contained $339,380 and $319,920 in cash hidden in the spare tires.
Monroe is the first of eight defendants in this case to be sentenced. The seven co-defendants in this case, Astin Allison, Nahum Shibeshi, Terrance Miles, Victor Johnson, Jamie Green, Rodney Smith and Dan E. Bell, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Evidence in support of this prosecution was obtained in an investigation conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. The investigation was conducted by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.
Henryville Man Sentenced for Steroids TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on June 8, 2017, United States District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy sentenced Robert Cartalemi, age 32, of Henryville, Pennsylvania to two years’ probation for possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, a felony offense. Cartalemi pleaded guilty to a criminal information on March 2, 2017.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, investigators intercepted a package on October 15, 2014, addressed to Cartalemi from China containing multiple controlled substances, which he had ordered from a known steroid supplier. Investigators then delivered the package, which Cartalemi accepted, and executed a search warrant. Noting Cartalemi’s lack of any previous criminal history, his acceptance of responsibility for his conduct, and a finding that he does not pose a danger to the community, Judge Conaboy imposed a sentence of probation in lieu of imprisonment. As part of the sentence, the first three months will be served as home confinement. Cartalemi was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,000.
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean A. Camoni.
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Grand Jury Charges Evans Landscaping Officials with Defrauding City, State 'Small Business' & 'Minority Business' ProgramsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged Evans Landscaping, Inc.; the owner of Evans Landscaping, Inc., Doug Evans, 55, of Cincinnati; and the vice president of operations for Evans Landscaping, Jim Bailey, 49, of Cincinnati, with charges related to allegedly defrauding the City of Cincinnati and other public entities through fraudulent small business and minority business contracts.
Specifically, the company and both men are charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. The two men are also charged with one count of misprision of a felony.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Office, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the indictment returned May 18 and unsealed today.
Evans Landscaping is an Ohio company headquartered in Cincinnati that performs demolition, site-work, grading, hauling, recycling and landscaping services. Given the size and ownership of the company, Evans Landscaping does not qualify as a small business enterprise (SBE), a minority business enterprise (MBE) or as economically disadvantaged under local and state government programs.
In order to qualify for the City of Cincinnati’s SBE program, a company must be independently controlled, operated and managed by a qualifying individual whose net worth does not exceed certain limits. The program also requires that the company be directly responsible for providing the supplies or services to the City without relying upon others who are not owners or employees of the company.
Similarly, the State of Ohio has established an Encouraging Diversity, Growth, and Equity program (EDGE) for economically disadvantaged businesses that are at least 51% owned and controlled by an economically disadvantaged person. The size of the business must not exceed the definition of a “small business.” The State also has a program for certifying minority business enterprises (MBE) that requires the owner to have actual control of the day-to-day operations of the company.
In 2008, the defendants (along with others) allegedly established, controlled and operated a demolition company, Ergon Site Construction, LLC, for the benefit of Evans Landscaping. Ergon’s president and owner, Korey Jordan, is an African-American male who had no prior experience in the field but provided IT services for Evans Landscaping. It is alleged that Ergon (with the help of the coconspirators) fraudulently obtained certifications as an SBE, MBE and EDGE contractor while concealing Evans Landscaping’s involvement in and control over Ergon.
The indictment alleges that Evans and Evans Landscaping provided at least $85,000 in startup and early operational funds to Ergon and that Jordan did not make any capital contributions to the establishment of the company.
Evans Landscaping personnel allegedly prepared and filed the legal documentation to register Ergon as an LLC in April 2010, created the company’s name and logo, ordered Ergon apparel, and bought equipment labels with Ergon’s logo.
Jordan allegedly performed little work for Ergon and had little, if any, actual control over Ergon’s management, finances and operations. He was not permitted to make certain decisions or take certain actions without Doug Evans’ approval.
According to the indictment, Evans paid Jordan a monthly salary through the Ergon payroll and Evans Landscaping employees handled virtually all of the accounting and office management functions of Ergon. For example, it is alleged that:
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Ergon’s bookkeeping was kept on Evans Landscaping’s internal accounting database;
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Evans Landscaping personnel had Jordan sign blank Ergon checks for the employees to use;
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Evans Landscaping was a guarantor for Ergon’s line of credit and arranged for the purchase of two Mack Trucks in Ergon’s name;
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At various times, Ergon’s business office and address was located on property owned by Evans or one of his companies;
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Evans, Bailey and others controlled hiring and firing by Ergon, and at one point, Evans terminated the Ergon health care plan;
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Evans Landscaping housed, maintained and dispatched the vehicles and equipment in Ergon’s name, which was used by both companies; and
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Bailey and other Evans Landscaping officers and employees directed virtually all field and construction operations of Ergon, including on-site supervision and the managing of Ergon field workers.
From 2011 through 2014, Ergon bid on and received more than 100 residential demolition contracts, totaling approximately $1.9 million, with the City of Cincinnati by leveraging Ergon’s fraudulent SBE status.
In a similar fashion, during the same timeframe, Evans Landscaping bid on State demolition and construction projects – particularly public school, university and municipal projects – by claiming Ergon would provide a percentage of the services and receive part of the funds to be paid.
On at least one occasion, Evans Landscaping allegedly listed a different subcontractor, won the contract, and performed the work without using, paying or even notifying the EDGE subcontractor named.
In conjunction with this indictment, the government has filed Bills of Information and Plea Agreements for four former employees at Evans Landscaping and Ergon – namely, Korey Jordan (president of Ergon), Maurice Patterson (former CFO of Evans Landscaping), John Dietrich (former CFO of Evans Landscaping) and Michael Moeller (former manager at Evans Landscaping).
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents from the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan and Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Four Men, Including Two Alleged Motorcycle Club Members, Arrested on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced that four New Hampshire residents, including two alleged motorcycle club members, have been arrested and charged with drug trafficking crimes. One of the four men also has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to allegations contained in the federal criminal complaints that were unsealed today:
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Alleged Hells Angel Motorcycle Club member James Cunningham, 60, of Laconia, New Hampshire, is charged with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
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Alleged Milford & Company Motorcycle Club President Harry Bolton, 63, of Weare, New Hampshire, is charged with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine.
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Kenneth Bailey, 52, of Weare, New Hampshire, is charged with distributing and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
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Timothy Raxter, 52, of Tilton, New Hampshire, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Each drug charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million. The maximum penalty for the firearms charge against Raxter is up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers are united in our work to combat drug trafficking and violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “Even as our state attempts to address the opioid crisis, we remain vigilant in our efforts to protect the public from the distribution of other dangerous drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. I commend our law enforcement partners for their work in this investigation.”
"The Hells Angels are one of the most notorious biker gangs in the United States and often use violence and intimidation to protect their 'turf' in support of their criminal activities,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “As alleged, this investigation revealed that a Hells Angel member engaged in the distribution of drugs in New Hampshire. In an effort to create safer neighborhoods for everyone, the FBI New Hampshire’s Safe Streets Task Force is fully committed to the identification and pursuit of illicit gang activities within the state, to crack down on illegal drug distribution networks, and deter associated violence.”
A federal criminal complaint is only an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI New Hampshire Safe Streets Gang Task Force which is comprised of the FBI, the New Hampshire State Police, New Hampshire Probation and Parole, and the Police Departments of Hudson, Manchester, and Nashua. Assistance was provided by the Laconia and Tilton police departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane B. Kelbley.
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Former Windsor Resident Charged with Federal Tax OffensesRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that CRAIG FRANCIS, also known as Horus Durjaya Bey, 44, formerly of Windsor, has been charged by indictment with one count of filing a false tax return and one count of obstructing the administration of federal tax laws.
The indictment was returned by a grand jury in New Haven on February 11, 2015. FRANCIS, who is alleged to have absconded, was arrested on June 7, 2017, in Kissimmee, Florida. The indictment was unsealed on that date. After his arrest, FRANCIS appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karla R. Spaulding in Orlando and was ordered detained pending his removal to the District of Connecticut.
According to the indictment, in February 2009, FRANCIS filed a federal income tax return falsely claiming that he was entitled to a $255,904 tax refund, and the Internal Revenue Service issued the refund before discovering the falsity of the tax return. The indictment also alleges that FRANCIS promptly spent the fraudulently obtained funds and engaged in various acts to avoid paying the funds back, including filing a false amended tax return, and submitting a series of false bonds to the IRS, which had no value but purported to pay off FRANCIS’s debt to the IRS.
If convicted of the charges, FRANCIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of six years.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Kopel with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Former State Treasurer Barbara H. Hafer Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Federal Law Enforcement AgentsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Barbara H. Hafer, the former Treasurer of Pennsylvania, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones, III, to making false statements to federal law enforcement agents in connection with a long-term FBI-IRS investigation of alleged pay-to-play activities involving Pennsylvania State government. Judge Jones accepted Hafer’s guilty plea and did not set a date for sentencing. Hafer was indicted on July 20, 2016, and was scheduled to stand trial on June 12, 2017.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Hafer was interviewed by federal law enforcement agents in May 2016, regarding her relationship with Richard W. Ireland, an individual that had financial relationships with businesses that provided asset management services to the Pennsylvania Treasury Department while Hafer served as Treasurer. After leaving office, Hafer operated a consulting firm known as Hafer and Associates, LLC, that entered into a contract with a business associated with Ireland. During Hafer’s interview, she denied receiving any money from Ireland or any businesses he was associated with and denied receiving any help from Ireland or any businesses he was associated with in connection with her operation of Hafer and Associates. Hafer admitted today that she lied to the federal agents during that interview because Ireland helped Hafer’s consulting business by causing $675,000 to be paid to Hafer and Associates between 2005 and 2007, an amount that was a substantial portion of Hafer and Associates’ revenue during that time period.
“Our system of justice depends on federal law enforcement agents receiving complete and accurate information from individuals who are being interviewed as part of a criminal investigation, particularly a high-profile public corruption investigation. Lying to federal agents is a serious crime and the United States Attorney’s Office treats these offenses accordingly. Today’s guilty plea will hopefully deter others from engaging in similar misconduct in the future,” stated United States Attorney Brandler. Brandler also congratulated the FBI and IRS agents who participated in this investigation and thanked them for their outstanding work.
“When public officials commit crimes, whether as part of their official duties or in their private lives, they are violating the public trust. Today’s guilty plea helps ensure that all Americans, including public officials, are held to the same standard.” said Greg Floyd, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office.
"Willfully lying to federal agents, besides being a federal offense, threatens the integrity of the justice system," said Michael Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "The FBI can't properly pursue our investigative mandate – in this case, fighting public corruption – if the people we interview feel they can deceive us with impunity."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service and is assigned to Senior Litigation Counsel Michael A. Consiglio and Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Houser, Phillip J. Caraballo and Carlo D. Marchioli.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Former Social Security Administration Employee Pleads Guilty to Accepting a BribeRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A former Social Security Administration (SSA) employee pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to bribery.
Julio Klapper, 40, of Worcester, pleaded guilty to one count of bribery for accepting a payment in return for submitting a fraudulent claim for payment to the SSA on behalf of a beneficiary. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22, 2017.
Between Aug. 30, 2016, and Sept. 27, 2016, Klapper used his position with SSA to submit a request for release of Supplemental Security Income Disabled Child (SSIDC) funds by falsely claiming that the person representing the child was purchasing a car for the benefit of the SSIDC beneficiary, even though Klapper knew that the child’s representative was not intending to purchase a car with the SSIDC funds. Klapper provided false documentation to the SSA in support of the submitted claim. In exchange for Klapper’s submission of the false claim and documentation, Klapper received $2,000 from the child’s representative.
“When a federal employee exploits his or her responsibility and authority for personal gain, they violate public trust and harm the Federal workforce and those they serve,” said Adam D. Schneider, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the SSA Office of the Inspector, General Boston Field Division. “The OIG is committed to pursuing cases of suspected employee fraud and abuse, and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its efforts to prosecute those who violate the public’s trust.”
“The law requires civil servants to work with honesty and integrity, and the public expects no less,” said Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb. “We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to hold officials accountable when they abuse their positions of trust.”
“Public corruption investigations, and the charges they produce, send a clear message that law enforcement takes the abuse of authority very seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Etre of HSI Boston. “HSI is proud to work with the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector and looks forward to working cooperatively to aggressively pursue those who attempt to game the system in their favor.”
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or three times the monetary equivalent of the bribe received, whichever is greater. In addition, the defendant may be disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Weinreb, SSA OIG SAC Schneider, and HSI SAC Etre, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Dineen Jerrett of Weinreb’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Former Officer at Providence Police Department, Located in Webster County, Kentucky, Indicted for Civil Rights Violations and Falsifying A DocumentRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A former officer with the Providence Police Department, located in Webster County, Kentucky, was charged by federal grand jury indictment this week, with two counts of willfully depriving an arrestee of his constitutional rights under color of law, and one count of falsifying a document, announced the Justice Department and John E. Kuhn, Jr., United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.
William Dukes, Jr., 42 of Greenville, Kentucky, was arrested today and currently is in federal custody.
Count one of the indictment alleges that defendant Dukes while acting under color of law as an officer with the Providence Police Department, arrested a Kentucky resident (J.L.), on May 26, 2016, without probable cause to believe that J.L. had committed a crime, and that this offense involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury to J.L. The arrest willfully deprived J.L. of the right, secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to be free from unreasonable seizures.
Count Two of the indictment alleges that on May 26, 2016, defendant Dukes, while acting under color of law as an officer with the Providence Police Department, willfully deprived J.L. of the rights secured and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, to engage in free speech and to petition the government for redress of grievances. Specifically, after J.L. attempted to exercise his right to complain about the actions taken against him by Dukes, a police officer, defendant Dukes took adverse action by arresting J.L. at his home, without legal justification, in order to deter J.L. from continuing to exercise that right. This offense involved the use of a dangerous weapon and resulted in bodily injury to J.L.
Count Three of the indictment alleges that on May 26, 2016, Dukes, acting in relation to and in contemplation of a matter within the jurisdiction of the FBI, knowingly covered up, falsified, and made a false entry in, a record and document with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of that matter.
If convicted, Dukes faces a maximum statutory punishment of 10 years of imprisonment on Counts One and Two, and 20 years of imprisonment on Count Three.
This case is being investigated by the Louisville Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Hancock of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, and Roy Conn III, Trial Attorney of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and Dukes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
dukes indictment_6-8-17.pdf
Former Government Contractor Sentenced for Kickbacks ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former government contractor was sentenced today to four years in prison for his role in a government contract kickback scheme that caused a loss of more than $3.4 million to the U.S. Department of State.
According to court documents, Wesley Aaron Struble, 49, a U.S. citizen of Batangas, Philippines, engaged in a conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Act in 2011 and 2012 while employed in Iraq as a government contractor. Initially employed by a business identified in court documents as Company B, Struble learned that another business, identified in court documents as Company A, was seeking a lease of real property for use related to a U.S. Department of State contract. Struble knew that Company B was paying approximately $124,000 per month to a third business, identified in court documents as Company C, for a lease of real property. According to court documents, Struble became a manager for Company A, and together with another manager for Company A, engaged in a conspiracy with associates of Company C to make the lease of property available to Company A at an inflated rate of $665,000 per month.
Court documents explained that Struble and the other manager of Company A influenced Company A to lease the property at the inflated rate and in return received at least $390,000 in cash kickback payments from associates of Company C. Struble then concealed cash in packages sent back to family members in the United States, including hiding cash inside stereo speakers. Struble also directed that cash be deposited in bank accounts in a manner designed to avoid detection. The U.S. Department of State, which ultimately paid the lease of real property between Company A and Company C, suffered a loss of approximately $3.4 million. In addition to Struble’s prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay approximately $3.4 million in restitution.
Two of Struble’s co-conspirators—Jose Rivera and Emil Popescu—were charged by indictment on March 30, for their roles in the conspiracy. According to court documents, Jose Rivera pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for a jury trial on August 7. The United States is seeking Emil Popescu’s extradition from Romania.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Steve A. Linick, the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State; and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian D. Harrison and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen 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. 1:17-cr-44 and 1:17-cr-052.
Former FDOT Employee and Her Husband Charged with Theft of More Than $370,000 in Federal Grant FundsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the return of an indictment charging Tracy Dean Tronco (51, Lakeland) and Alejo Tronco-Diaz (50, Lakeland) with one count of conspiracy to commit federal program theft, one count of mail fraud, and two counts of federal program theft. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the mail fraud count, and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the program theft counts.
According to the
indictment , Tronco worked as a Transit Coordinator and Passenger Operations Specialist at the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) District 7 office in Tampa from May 2010 through August 2015. She was responsible for administering transportation projects and funds that were intended to benefit Florida residents and taxpayers. As part of her work, she had a role in awarding federal grant funds that the United States Department of Transportation provided to FDOT. Tronco-Diaz, who married Tronco in 2012, was an FDOT grant applicant who operated an alleged church, Ministerio A Gran Voz De Trompeta Campus, Inc. (Ministerio), in Hillsborough and Polk Counties. Ministerio purported to provide transportation services for underserved populations such as elderly, disabled, and unemployed individuals.Tronco used her position at FDOT to award more than $370,000 in federal funds to Ministerio and another religious ministry that claimed to be partnering with Ministerio to provide transportation services. The grant money was supposed to be used to purchase and renovate a commercial property in Hillsborough County, to provide job and transportation-related services, to purchase three new vehicles, and to reimburse the operation’s vehicle maintenance costs. However, the funds and vehicles were not used for the purposes stated in the grant paperwork, but, instead, were kept by Tronco, her husband, and other co-conspirators. Tronco also failed to disclose to FDOT her personal relationship with Tronco-Diaz, which constituted a conflict of interest that would have prevented her from handling the awards in question.
Tronco resigned from FDOT in lieu of termination on April 27, 2016.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs.
Former Berkshire Power Technician Sentenced for Conspiring to Tamper with Air Pollution MonitorsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former instrument and control technician at Berkshire Power Plant in Agawam, Mass., was sentenced yesterday for tampering with environmental monitors in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Scott Paterson, 46, of Manchester, Conn., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to one year of probation. In March 2015, Patterson pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act and conspiracy. On May 31, 2017, the former operations and maintenance manager, Fred Baker, was sentenced to 30 months of probation for this role in the scheme.
From 2008 to March 2011, Paterson, at the direction of senior managers at the plant, tampered with the plant’s Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS). The CEMS is an environmental monitoring system, required by federal laws and permits, which continuously samples a power plant’s emissions and measures and records the concentration of regulated pollutants to monitor compliance with pollution emission limits. The purpose of the tampering was to delay repairs and avoid reporting to federal and state regulators that the plant was, at times, releasing certain pollutants, specifically nitrogen oxides, in excess of the plant’s Clean Air Act permit limits.
Initially, the tampering involved lowering monitors by a constant rate – approximately .5 parts per million (ppm) - below the known value. These constant adjustments did not trigger any alarms or warnings and were thus usually maintained in the system through approximately mid-March 2011.
In the summer of 2009 and 2010 the plant underwent an independent annual audit. Prior to the audit, Paterson’s supervisor, Baker, directed Paterson to take out the adjustments in the CEMS monitors and to re-instate them after the audit. Berkshire Power Plant reported the results of the audit to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.By 2010, this .5 ppm adjustment was not sufficient enough to allow the plant to run at full power and comply with the facility’s Clean Air Act permit. Rather than making necessary repairs, Paterson, again at the direction of Baker, lowered the CEMS readings even more to avoid reporting pollution emissions in excess of the hourly limits or hitting warning levels.
In 2015, the Berkshire Power Plant was charged jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office for tampering with its air pollution monitoring equipment and falsely reporting data to environmental and energy regulators regarding its emissions levels and its availability to produce power.
In March 2017, Berkshire Power Company and Power Plant Management Services, the owners and operators of the plant, respectively, were ordered to pay $7.25 million in fines, penalties and other payments for their role in tampering with air pollution emissions equipment.Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb; Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey; Tyler Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division in Boston; and Commissioner Martin Suuberg of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, made the announcement. Assistance with the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force (an interagency investigative team dedicated to developing the most significant environmental enforcement cases) and the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of Weinreb’s Criminal Division prosecuted the federal case with the assistance of Dianne Chabot, USEPA Criminal Enforcement Counsel and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Former Arlington Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
FORT WORTH, Texas — Baldemar Solis, aka “Balt,” 45, formerly of Arlington, Texas was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John McBryde to Life in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Solis was convicted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance at trial in February 2017. Solis, who had been a fugitive since 2012, has been in custody since the time of his arrest in September 2016.
“Drug traffickers who think they can just skip town when things get hot, be on notice,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “We have the resources, determination, and patience to find you and bring you to justice, however long that may take.”
Evidence introduced at trial showed that Solis was a multi-kilogram methamphetamine distributor who routinely supplied members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas with methamphetamine. Evidence introduced at trial also showed that in approximately June 2012, as law enforcement officers from various agencies began arresting Solis’s co-conspirators, Solis fled the area and remained in hiding in South Texas until his apprehension in September 2016.
According to documents filed in the case, beginning in January 2011 and continuing until June 2012, Solis, along with others did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate, and agree to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The Arlington Police Department, Tarrant County Narcotics Unit, Grand Prairie Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn Smith and Aisha Saleem prosecuted.
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Five Men Sentenced in Record-Breaking Fentanyl BustRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – Five men have been sentenced in connection with the February 2016 seizure of over one kilogram of fentanyl, announced David C. Weiss, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Delaware.
According to court documents, these five men were arrested on February 11, 2016, at an industrial park on Albe Drive in Newark, Delaware, with approximately 48,800 bags of what appeared to be heroin. At the time, it was called the largest seizure of pre-packaged heroin in Delaware history. However, subsequent laboratory tests identified the substance as fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is many times more potent than heroin. The particular stamp, or brand, on these bags was linked to two overdoses in the area.
A bag of heroin is sold on the street in Delaware for approximately $10, making the total retail value of the seizure approximately $488,800.
For their roles in the drug trafficking activity, United States District Court Senior Judge Sue L. Robinson, imposed the following sentences:
Abdul Haye, 29, of Newark, Del. – 109 months
Amyra Haye, 30, of Bear, Del. – 109 months
Daniel Haye, 38, of Bear, Del. – 96 months
Julius Williams, 30, of Newark, Del. – 60 months
Cezar Mills, 41, of Bear, Del. – 24 months
Judge Robinson also sentenced each man to three (3) years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated, “Highly addictive and potentially lethal opioids like fentanyl have become a public health crisis. I want to thank our New Castle County HIDTA partners for their aggressive investigation of this case and others like it. My office will continue to work hard to prosecute those who profit from these dangerous drugs."
“These defendants distributed a poison on our streets that destroyed numerous lives and families. For that, the penalties in federal court are severe,” said Gary Tuggle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “Unfortunately, there were 308 fatal overdose deaths in Delaware in 2016; 120 of which were from fentanyl. The seizure of these bags of fentanyl and the sentencings of these defendants, which came about as a result of the work of all the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that participated in this investigation has undoubtedly saved countless lives.”
This case is the product of an investigation conducted as part of the New Castle County HIDTA, which includes members from the following agencies: DEA, Delaware State Police, New Castle County Police Department, Newark Police Department, Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, Delaware Department of Corrections – Probation and Parole, and the Delaware Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth L. Van Pelt prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Final Defendant in Ballard County Methamphetamine Distribution Ring, Sentenced to 240 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, Ky. – Wickliffe, Kentucky, resident and convicted felon, Christopher Ford, was the last of six co-defendants sentenced in United States District Court this week to 240 months in prison, followed by a five year period of supervised release, by Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell, for his role in the distribution of methamphetamine, a controlled substance, and additional charges of being a felon in possession of firearms, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
“The sentencing of Christopher Ford marks the end of a dangerous and large-scale methamphetamine distribution ring operating in the Wickliffe community,” stated U.S. Attorney John Kuhn. “This case is just one example of our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together to disrupt the methamphetamine supply in western Kentucky. Drug dealers who sell this poison will face stiff penalties when we bring them to justice."
Ford, 50, conspired with Wickliffe residents Amy Pary, 40; Delana Mott, 35; Keith A. Cooper, 35; Johnny R. Magee, 43; and Vanessa Cooper to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, between March 1, 2015, and August 26, 2015. All of the sales took place in Ballard County, Kentucky. All were sentenced in United States District Court by Senior Judge Russell. Co-defendant Pary was sentenced to 132 months, Mott was sentenced to 120 months, Cooper was sentenced to 63 months, Magee was sentenced to 48 months and Vanessa Cooper was sentenced to two years of probation.
Ford was convicted in Ballard Circuit Court, on September 5, 2008, in case number 08-CR-00021, of manufacturing methamphetamine, and criminal syndicate/engaging in organized crime. In U.S. District Court, Ford plead guilty to possession of the following firearms: (1) a Smith and Wesson, Model SD40VE, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol; (2) a Cobra Enterprises, Inc., Model CA380, .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol; (3) a Leinad, Inc., Model MR, .45/410 caliber pistol; (4) a Stag Arms, Model Stag-15, 5.56 millimeter rifle; and (5) a DPMS (Defense Procurement Manufacturing Service), Model A15, .223-5.56 millimeter caliber rifle; and ammunition.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Hancock, and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Paducah Police Department, the Ballard County Sheriff’s Department, the Murray Police Department, the
Russell County Police Department and the Kentucky State Police.
Felon Pleads Guilty to Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss – Jason Michael Hayden, 37, of Picayune, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on June 8, 2017, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting U. S. Attorney Harold Brittain.
Hayden will be sentenced on September 14, 2017 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Mississippi Department of Corrections. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.
Federal Authorities Successfully Prosecute Defendant in $190,000.00 Credit Card Fraud ScamRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steve Butler of the Southern District of Alabama announces that United States District Court Senior Judge William H. Steele sentenced Jonathan Jernigan on June 6, 2017. Jernigan was sentenced to 5 years on probation and ordered to pay the total amount of loss, for wire fraud in violation of 18 USC § 1343. Jernigan, worked as the Children’s Medical Group’s financial manager, illegally used the company credit card for personal expenditures. He also illegally used the company’s bank accounts for personal gain without authorization. Jernigan’s scheme was discovered when Children’s Medical Group attempted to purchase vaccines and their credit card was declined. Children’s Medical Group began investigating their finances and discovered Jernigan’s actions.
An audit identified unauthorized charges on Jernigan’s assigned PNC Bank card. Some of the charges included expenditures of $8794; $7570: and $3340 at Diamonds Men’s Club in Mobile, Alabama. The loss is estimated to be more than $190,000.
The United States Secret Service (USSS) and the Mobile Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Baugh prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Drug Smuggler SentencedRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas - A 53-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute 11.05 kilograms of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Secundino Delgado-Arreola, from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty June 6, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Delgado-Arreola to 50 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceeding following his release from prison.
On March 16, 2016, Delgado-Arreola took part in a conspiracy to smuggle 11.05 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States. He was driving a tractor truck with Mexican plates. Inside the vehicle was a blue bag in a cardboard box which contained 10 bundles totaling 11.05 kilograms of cocaine.
He 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 Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Flores Jr. prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Series of 10 Home Burglaries in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gererd Hall, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for a series of residential burglaries, mostly targeting the Greenway Apartment Complex in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Hall pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to 10 counts of second-degree burglary for offenses committed on different dates. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of six years in prison. The Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles accepted the plea today and sentenced Hall accordingly. Following his prison term, Hall will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, between July of 2015 and July of 2016, Hall was responsible for a total of 18 burglaries of apartment units, taking items including cash, numerous televisions, laptops, video game consoles, and jewelry. Most of Hall’s crimes involved entering Washington, D.C. apartments through unlocked windows, then carrying out the items through the front door. He targeted apartment units mostly in the Greenway Apartment Complex, which was in close proximity to his own home.
In his plea, Hall admitted to committing crimes on these 10 dates and at these locations:
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July 15, 2015, about 10 p.m.: 3500 block of A Street SE.
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August 18, 2015, about 11:30 p.m.: 3400 block of A Street SE.
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September 19, 2015, about 5:45 p.m.: 400 block of 37th Place SE.
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October 18, 2015, about 12:45 a.m.: 3500 block of A Street SE.
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November 12, 2015, about 11:30 p.m.: 3400 block of B Street SE.
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January 31, 2016, about 9:15 p.m.: 3500 block of East Capitol Street SE.
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February 28, 2016, about 10 p.m.: 3500 block of East Capitol Street SE.
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April 1, 2016, about 11:15 p.m.: 3800 block of Bay Lane SE.
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April 11, 2016, about 11:55 p.m.: 200 block of 36th Street SE.
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July 18, 2016, about 7:15 p.m.: 3500 block of B Street SE.
Hall was arrested on July 18, 2016.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from Metropolitan Police Department, especially the detectives of the Sixth Police District. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rizwan Qureshi and Kathryn Rakoczy and Paralegal Specialist Richard Cheatham. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Baset, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
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District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Armed Robbery and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donathan Taylor, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for two robberies and a home break-in, all committed in broad daylight and in different neighborhoods, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Taylor pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of armed robbery, robbery, and destruction of property. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of seven years in prison. The Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles accepted the plea today and sentenced Taylor accordingly. Following his prison term, Taylor will be placed on five years of supervised release.
In his guilty plea, Taylor admitted involvement in three crimes: damaging a door during a home break-in that took place at about 10:30 a.m. on April 1, 2015, in the 200 block of 17th Street NE; a robbery that took place at about 11:35 a.m. on May 25, 2016, in the 1600 block of G Street SE, and an armed robbery that took place at about 2:45 p.m. on June 24, 2016, in the 600 block of Buchanan Street NW. A co-defendant, Robert Lewis 21, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the latter robbery and is awaiting sentencing on July 14, 2017.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Latent Fingerprint Unit of the Forensic Science Laboratory of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Romano and Kamil E. Shields, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 17 1/2-Year Prison Term for Sexual Assault in Court CellblockRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jerome M. Holliway, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 17 ½ years in prison for attacking another defendant last fall while they were in a courthouse cellblock, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Holliway pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree sex abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of 17 ½ years in prison. The Honorable José M. Lόpez accepted the plea today and sentenced Holliway accordingly. Following his prison term, Holliway will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 11, 2016, Holliway and the victim were held in the same cellblock at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Both had finished their court hearings and were awaiting transport back to the District of Columbia Jail. At approximately 11:35 a.m., Holliway began attacking the victim -- beating, biting, kicking, and sexually assaulting him, mostly in the toilet area behind a metal divider.
After the attack, Holliway pulled the naked victim up by his chains and stated, “Don’t tell anyone that I did this, tell them a ghost did it or the devil did it or something.”
In a separate matter, Holliway also pled guilty in March to a charge of attempted threats. Judge Lopez sentenced Holliway to 180 days in prison for this offense. The plea agreement called for the sentence imposed in this case to run concurrently with the 17 ½ years for the sexual assault. In this matter, Holliway admitted calling his estranged wife’s telephone and leaving a voicemail on Oct. 5, 2016, in which he threatened to beat her and kill anyone she loved.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the cases from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D'Yvonne Key, Victim/Witness Advocate Supervisor Dr. Lorraine Chase, and Victim/Witness Advocate Shawn Slade. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the sexual assault, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Poulin, who investigated and prosecuted the threats matter.