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Wednesday 19 April 2017
Virginia man guilty of heroin distributionRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Wilbur Reid, Jr., of Roanoke, Virginia, was convicted today of possessing heroin, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen, announced.
Reid, age 42, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.” Reid admitted to committing the crime in September 2016 in Berkeley County.
Reid faces up to twenty years and a $1,000,000 fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
U.S. Attorney's Office joins crime victim advocates for Walk/Run for Justice and community fairRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, along with federal, state and local advocates of crime victims’ rights, will join for the Walk/Run for Justice 5K and Crime Victims’ Rights Fair. The free event takes place rain or shine on Friday, April 21, 2017, from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at Haddad Riverfront Park in Charleston. Every April since 2001, the Walk/Run for Justice and community fair serve to raise awareness about crime victims’ issues and rights, while also highlighting the important resources and services available to victims of crime in our area.
Registration for walkers and runners is free and begins at 11:00 A.M. The Walk/Run for Justice will begin at noon. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in both men’s and women’s divisions. The Spirit Award will also be presented to the team with the most participants. There will be free lunch while supplies last and a free t-shirt for the first 100 participants. For more information, please contact Marla Willcox Eddy at 304-340-3676.
WHO:
- United States Attorney Carol Casto
- Operation Reach Out committee members
- Other federal, state and local officials
- Staff representing the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and other offices and organizations involved in working with crime victims
WHAT:
- Walk/Run for Justice 5K and Crime Victims' Rights Fair
WHERE:
- Haddad Riverfront Park - 600 Kanawaha Boulevard, East, in Charleston
WHEN:
- Friday, April 21, 20217, from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. The Walk/Run for Justice begins at noon and free registration starts at 11:00 A.M.
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Two More Loiza Boys Gang Associates Sentenced on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Raul Ramirez Vargas, 43, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute a kilogram or more of heroin, was sentenced to 130 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. In addition, Judge Skretny sentenced Angel Sanchez, 49, also of Buffalo, to 60 months in prison for his conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who handled the sentencings, stated that the defendants were associates of a gang known as the Loiza Boys, which has been distributing heroin and cocaine on Buffalo’s West Side since at least 2006.
The defendants were charged in 2013 along with eight co-conspirators following a long-term investigation that involved the interception of telephone calls of various defendants and the use of undercover drug purchases from some of those charged. During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized over 450 grams of heroin, three firearms, and over $70,000 in U.S. currency.
Nine of the 10 defendants have been convicted. Charges are pending against Josbel Garcia. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The sentencings are the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen.
Tuba City Man Sentenced to 37 Months Imprisonment for Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – Today, Arlin Hatathlie, 35, of Tuba City, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt to 37 months’ imprisonment. Hatathlie had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
On March 26, 2013 and Nov. 18, 2015, on the Navajo Nation, Hatathlie, a member of the Navajo Indian Tribe, assaulted the victim at the time, also a member of the Navajo Indian Tribe, resulting in serious bodily injury.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-8086-PCT-PGR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-035_Hatathlie
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Tonelea Man Sentenced to 4 Years Imprisonment for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – This week, Jason David Grisham, 39, of Tonelea, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to four years imprisonment. Grisham had previously pleaded guilty to assault on a federal officer.
The investigation revealed that on June 16, 2016, Grisham, a member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted a Navajo Nation Police Officer, delegated to enforce federal law by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in Kayenta, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-8175-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-033_Grisham
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Three Men Charged with 2009 Newport News MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Two local men and a third from Massachusetts have been indicted by a federal grand jury for a 2009 robbery and murder in Newport News.
According to the indictment that was unsealed today, Bryan Brown, 30, of Newport News, Mark Wallace, 36, of Williamsburg, and Joseph Benson, 35, of Dorchester, Mass., shot and killed Louis Joseph on March 13, 2009, in Newport News.
Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, if convicted. 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 Kenneth A. Blanco, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel, and Trial Attorney Joseph K. Wheatley from the Organized Crime and Gang Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-45.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Three Indicted in Florida for Using Stolen Ids to File Tax Returns Claiming More Than $6.8 Million in Fraudulent RefundsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Feb. 9, which was unsealed today, charging three men in Florida, with conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the indictment, from approximately 2008 through January 2015, in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Florida, Israel Tassy, Evens Julien, and Jean Leroy Destine, used stolen IDs, including the personal identifying information of deceased individuals, to file over 2,000 tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claiming more than $6.8 million in fraudulent refunds. The indictment alleges that Tassy, Julien and Destine recruited and paid others to obtain Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) from the IRS, in their names and the names of businesses, and used these EFINs to file the fraudulent returns. The indictment also charges that in approximately February 2011, Julien registered A Tax Financial Services Inc., as a for-profit corporation with the state of Florida, and used it to file fraudulent returns as well.
Julien and Destine were arrested earlier today and Tassy is still being sought.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Tassy, Julien and Destine face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft. In addition, all three defendants face a term of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting U.S. Attorney Greenberg and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg thanked special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Karadbil and Assistant Chief Greg Tortella of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
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.
Syracuse Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Emily Oberst, 24, of Syracuse, New York pled guilty today in federal court to one count of conspiracy to sexually exploit children and 11 counts of child exploitation, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Vadim Thomas of the FBI Albany Division. The proposed plea agreement calls for her to serve a jail term of 60 years, followed by a life term of supervised release after her release from custody. The agreement includes a provision giving up her right to appeal the case. The guilty plea today will also require her to register as a sex offender.
The investigation leading to the guilty plea today began on March 4, 2016 when a Task Force Officer assigned to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force (Washington Field Office), acting in an undercover capacity, began texting with Oberst’s Co-defendant Jason Kopp. In texts between the two, Kopp told the undercover officer that he had pictures of a female infant that were sent to him by a woman acquaintance, later identified as Emily Oberst, and distributed images of the infant to the officer. FBI Special Agents, assisted by the New York State Police, arrested Jason Kopp in Liverpool, New York on March 18, 2016. Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Emily Oberst and established that she took sexually explicit visual images of two children that she later sent to Jason Kopp. One of the children was an infant female, and the other a four-year old girl.
Kopp previously pled guilty to a 28 count indictment charging conspiracy to sexually exploit children, child sexual exploitation, and other child pornography offenses. On September 13, 2016, he was sentenced to serve 235 years in prison. Emily Oberst is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Albany Division of the FBI (Syracuse Resident Agency), the New York State Police and the Metropolitan Police Department-Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force (Washington Field Office), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Fletcher and Robert Levine.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Petersburg Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Selling CocaineRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Marquell Romell Brown, a/k/a “Fat” (33, St. Petersburg) to six years and six months in federal prison for selling cocaine. He pleaded guilty on January 5, 2017.
According to court documents, Brown sold cocaine and hydromorphone, a prescription opiate, to a confidential informant and an undercover officer on multiple occasions. During the execution of a search warrant at Brown’s home, law enforcement officers recovered significant quantities of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and hydromorphone. At sentencing, Brown was held accountable for distributing or possessing with the intent to distribute the following drugs: 43 grams of crack cocaine, 281.3 grams of cocaine, and 167 hydromorphone pills.
This case was investigated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory T. Nolan.
St. Clair County Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine OffensesRead the Press Release
On April 19, 2017, Misty D. Calvert, 28, of Marissa, Illinois, was sentenced to federal prison for methamphetamine offenses, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Calvert, who had previously pled guilty to an indictment charging her with one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of pseudoephedrine knowing that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, was sentenced to 88 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and was fined $400.00. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Calvert was involved with co-defendant Ricky M. Carle and numerous other persons in the manufacture of methamphetamine and the distribution of ice and heroin in Williamson, Franklin, and Randolph Counties. Ice is methamphetamine which has a purity level of at least 80%. At sentencing, the District Court found that Calvert was responsible for the possession of 98.24 grams of pseudoephedrine and the distribution of 10.62 grams of ice and 1.3 kilograms of heroin. Co-defendant Carle was previously sentenced to 121 months of imprisonment for his role in the drug offenses.
The investigation was conducted by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and Marissa Police Department.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
John P. Morris, 44, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.
On June 29, 2016, Morris pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County, Mo., from Jan. 9, 2013, to Jan. 15, 2015.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Morris’s residence on Jan. 9, 2013. They found Morris in the detached garage. During a search of the garage, officers found a plastic sandwich bag that contained 23.96 grams of methamphetamine. Inside a yellow tool box, officers found $2,851. Officers also found a loaded Remington 12-gauge pistol grip shotgun in the bedroom of the house and three baggies that contained a total of 4.45 grams of methamphetamine. Officers found several empty baggies and a digital scale on top of a stool in the bedroom.
On Jan. 15, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Morris’s residence and detained Morris inside a shed on the property. Inside the shed, officers found 275.6 grams of pure methamphetamine in an ammunition case next to the bed. Officers also seized $8,664 from Morris plus $125 that was found underneath the ammunition case. Officers also found a digital scale covered in residue on a wooden stool by the bed.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Southern Illinois Man Indicted on Methamphetamine and Firearm Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Ryan A. Jacklin, 25, of Centralia, Illinois, was indicted on April 19, 2017, on methamphetamine and firearm related charges in a four count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Count One charges that on September 12, 2016, in Richland County, Jacklin knowingly and intentionally possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The total amount of mixture and substance containing methamphetamine possessed by the defendant was 50 grams or more. Count Two charges that on September 12, 2016, in Richland County, Jacklin knowingly and intentionally possessed with the intent to distribute heroin. Count Three charges that on September 12, 2016, in Richland County, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Jacklin did knowingly possess a firearm, to wit: a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver. Count Four charges that from 2014, until on or about September 12, 2016, in Marion and Washington Counties, Jacklin conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine in violation of federal law. The total amount of methamphetamine involved in the conspiracy was 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
With respect to Count One, Jacklin faces 5-40 years of imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and supervised release of not less than four years. With respect to Count Two, Jacklin faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to $1,000,000 fine, and supervised release not less than three years. With respect to Count Three, Jacklin faces five years to life imprisonment (which must run consecutive to any other count), up to $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. With respect to Count Four, Jacklin faces a minimum of ten years up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and supervised release of not less than five years.
An Indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois State Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
SoCal Man Sentenced to 8½ Years in Federal Prison for Tax Evasion and Fleeing from Prosecution on Eve of TrialRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A former resident of Orange County who now lives in northern San Diego County has been sentenced to 102 months in federal prison for tax evasion and charges related to his attempt to flee in 2013 on the eve of a trial on the tax charge.
Louis Joseph Vadino, 75, a Ramona resident who formerly lived in Lake Forest, was sentenced Monday afternoon by United States District Judge Andrew J. Guilford.
The sentencing follows a five-day jury trial in October that resulted in Vadino being convicted of tax evasion and making false statements to criminal investigators with the Internal Revenue Service. Prior to the trial, Vadino pleaded guilty to additional charges of failing to appear for court, conspiracy, two counts of passport fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The tax charge resulted from an audit of Vadino’s 1999 tax return, which was completed in 2006 and led the IRS to demand $1.2 million in additional taxes.
Between 1999 and 2002, Vadino used the name of a shell company to purchase five residential properties in Lake Forest where Vadino, his three adult daughters and his mother resided. In the fall of 2006, after the IRS demanded payment of taxes related to the 1999 return, Vadino directed his daughter to obtain refinance loans on three of the Lake Forest properties and he sold a fourth Lake Forest property. These actions generated $2.1 million in loan and sale proceeds that were wire transferred to a Greek bank account that Vadino controlled.
From 2006 to 2011, Vadino took steps to evade paying the $1.2 million tax liability that included concealing the nature and extent of his assets, lying to IRS special agents and using offshore accounts to place funds and property beyond the reach of the IRS.
Vadino was initially indicted on tax evasion charges in 2012. On the eve of a trial scheduled to begin in 2013 and while he was free on bond, Vadino cut off his ankle bracelet and absconded. In October 2014, he applied for a United States passport with a stolen identity. Vadino was captured in December 2014 and has been in custody since then.
When Vadino was captured, “he was found with fake IDs, fake birth certificates, fraudulent passport applications, and a slew of other documents that made clear that he had planned to live as a fugitive in a foreign country,” prosecutors wrote in sentencing documents filed with the court.
In 2015, a federal grand jury named Vadino in a superseding indictment that added charges stemming from his flight from prosecution and efforts to assume a fake identity. He pleaded guilty to those post-flight charges, leaving for trial the tax evasion and false statement counts.
“This lengthy sentence brings to a close the prosecution of a defendant who went to extraordinary lengths to hide income from the IRS and then attempted to escape justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Sandra R. Brown. “While repeatedly telling the IRS that he had no money to pay his outstanding tax liability, he was buying cars, expensive model airplanes, and a nearly million-dollar home. While pending trial on the tax charges, he engaged in a series of calculated acts designed to avoid justice, which included obtaining a birth certificate, military discharge papers and a Veteran Affairs identification card to conceal his true identity. This conduct warrants the lengthy sentence imposed by the court.”
“Mr. Vadino hid assets from the IRS, was a fugitive from justice, and is now a convicted felon,” observed IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge R. Damon Rowe. “The court’s 102-month sentence demonstrates that lying to the IRS, tax evasion, and identity theft are crimes that impact all and come with serious consequences.”
At sentencing this week, Judge Guilford found that Vadino owes the IRS a total of $4.7 million, which includes taxes due in relation to his 1999 tax return, plus penalties and interest.
A second man – Steven Ness, 45, of Long Beach – was also charged, convicted and sentenced to over four months in prison for assisting Vadino in his attempt to obtain the passport with the stolen identity of Ness’s father.
The investigation into Vadino and Ness was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Ahn and Greg Staples of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug ConvictionRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Sioux City was sentenced April 13, 2017, to more than 10 years in federal prison.
Ivan Avila, age 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 13, 2017, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, Avila admitted he and others conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Sioux City area from 2015 to January of 2016. In January of 2016, law enforcement, through a confidential source, made two controlled buys of methamphetamine from Avila.
Avila was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Avila was sentenced to 121 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $300 was imposed. He must also serve a 4-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Avila is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Ajay Alexander and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is CR16-4064.
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Shreveport man pleads guilty to receiving child pornographyRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Shreveport man pleaded guilty Tuesday to receiving child pornography.
James Vail, 52, of Shreveport, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to one count of receipt of child pornography. According to the guilty plea, Vail received images of pornography on his computer from October 3, 2015 to June 4, 2015 at his home in Shreveport via an internet enabled electronic device. A forensic examination of his computer revealed numerous images of child pornography.
Vail faces five to 20 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release, mandatory registration as a sex offender, forfeiture of property seized during the investigation and a $250,000 fine. The court set the sentencing date for July 27, 2017.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell is prosecuting the case.
Serial Bank Robber Pleads Guilty to Robbing Treasure Coast, Space Coast and Daytona Beach BanksRead the Press Release
A Daytona Beach resident pleaded guilty yesterday before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank J. Lynch, Jr in Fort Pierce, Florida to committing four bank robberies.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, W. Stephen Muldrow, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and William D. Snyder, Sheriff, Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Anthony William Carpino, 45, pled guilty to four counts of bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 2113(a). For each count of conviction, Carpino faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a term of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2017 before U.S. District Court Judge Robin L. Rosenberg.
According to the court record, including an agreed upon factual proffer, on March 5, 2016, Carpino robbed a Daytona Beach Wells Fargo Bank. Carpino handed the teller a bank deposit slip that read, “Give me money I have a gun”. Carpino also directed the teller to "Take the money out of the drawer, put it in a bag.” The teller then turned over the money. Carpino was arrested the next day and while out on bond committed three additional robberies.
On October 11, 2016, Carpino robbed a second Daytona Beach Wells Fargo Bank. The defendant approached the teller holding a note and demanded money. The teller complied and handed over the money. On October 14, 2016, Carpino robbed the Palm Bay TD Bank by demanding money from the teller, while holding his hand in his right front pants’ pocket. Believing the defendant had a weapon, the teller handed over the money. On October 17, 2016, Carpino robbed the Palm City Wells Fargo Bank. He demanded money from the teller, while holding his arm behind his back. Believing that the defendant was armed, the teller gave Carpino the money.
Mr. Greenberg thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida for their assistance with this matter. Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Palm Bay Police Department, and the Daytona Beach Police Department for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger.
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.
Sallisaw Man Pleads Guilty to Oxycodone DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that KEVIN WAYNE SANDERS JR, age 28, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, pled guilty to DISTRIBUTION OF OXYCODONE, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), punishable by not more than 20 years imprisonment, and up to a $1,000,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about January 14, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant did knowingly and intentionally distribute Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Hammer represented the United States.
Rutland/Bennington Man Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute HeroinRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Louis Tobin, 30, formerly of Rutland and Bennington, Vermont, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford on Tobin’s previously entered guilty plea to conspiring to distribute heroin to 48 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. As part of his plea agreement with the government, Tobin agreed to the forfeiture of the $1,735 that was seized from him at the time of his arrest.
According to Court records, on April 14, 2016, Louis Tobin and Megan Harpp were stopped by the Vermont State Police on Route 103 in Rutland County. Tobin had a bag in the car which contained approximately 2,050 bags of heroin. He also possessed about 37 bags of heroin on his person along with $1,735 in cash. Both Tobin and Harpp were indicted for conspiracy to distribute heroin by the federal grand jury sitting in Rutland.
Harpp was released on conditions pending trial but failed to appear at a subsequent proceeding. She is now a fugitive. If anyone has information regarding her whereabouts, please call the United States Marshals Service at (802) 951-6271.
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella. Tobin is represented by Michael Shklar, Esq., of Newport, Vermont. Megan Harpp is represented by Steven Barth of the Federal Public Defenders Office.
Rugby Native Sentenced in Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BISMARCK - U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on April 18, 2017, Rondal Franklin Heitsch, 52, of Rugby, ND, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of Bank Robbery; Heitsch pled guilty to the charge on January 20, 2017.
Judge Hovland sentenced Heitsch to five years and three months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Heitsch was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
On September 21, 2016, at approximately 2:20 p.m., Heitsch entered Bremer Bank, located at 710 South Washington Street, Bismarck, North Dakota, handed one of the bank teller’s a note in which he demanded money and, after receiving the money, left the bank. No weapon was possessed or used. Police canvassed the area and quickly located Heitsch, who was found to be in possession of the stolen money.
The case was investigated by the Bismarck Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hagler prosecuted the case.
Rosenberg Man Convicted of Multiple Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 23-year-old man from Rosenberg has entered a guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child, distribution and possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Ryan Glen Colburn first came to the attention of law enforcement after he had sent images of child pornography to another individual who had been arrested for child pornography. Federal agents executed a search warrant at Colburn’s residence and performed a forensic examination on his computer. This exam showed Colburn was in possession of more than 1,100 images and 200 videos of young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct which included children under the age of 12, bondage and acts of violence. Some of the images are of known victims as identified through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Further, Colburn produced 25 images and six videos of a two-year-old minor which would constitute child pornography.
Agents also executed a search warrant on Colburn’s Dropbox account which contained more than 600 images and 400 videos of child pornography.
During the plea today, Colburn admitted to taking sexually explicit photographs and videos of a two-year-old minor. Colburn further admitted he traded these images with other individuals online.
U.S. District Judge Nancy F. Atlas accepted the plea and set sentencing for July 5, 2017. At that time, Colburn faces a minimum of 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography, up to 20 years imprisonment for distribution as well as a maximum of 10 years for the possession of child pornography. All charges also carry a possible penalty of a $250,000 maximum fine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Investigation.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo, 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."
Richland County Man Indicted on Methamphetamine Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Michael J. Murphy, 36, of Olney, Illinois, was indicted on April 19, 2017, on methamphetamine related charges in a two count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Count One of the indictment charges that from December 2016, until on or about March 25, 2017, in Richland County, and elsewhere, Murphy conspired to distribute methamphetamine in violation of federal law. The total amount of methamphetamine involved in the conspiracy was 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (ice), or 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
Count Two charges that on March 25, 2017, in Richland County, Murphy knowingly and intentionally possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The total amount of mixture and substance containing methamphetamine possessed by the defendant was five grams or more of methamphetamine (ice), or 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
With respect to Count One, Murphy faces a minimum of ten years up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and supervised release of not less than five years. With respect to Count
2
Two, Murphy faces 5-40 years of imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and supervised release of not less than four years.
An Indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
Republic Man Pleads Guilty to SBA Loan Fraud, Failure to Pay Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former business owner pleaded guilty in federal court today to providing false information in order to receive a $1.45 million loan, and to failing to pay employment taxes for the now-defunct business.
Clinton Tackitt, 43, of Republic, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information that charges him with making false statements on a loan application and with failing to pay over taxes.
Tackitt applied for a $1,450,000 SBA-guaranteed loan for his business, Allied Roofing Systems, LLC, on May 9, 2012. Tackitt admitted today that the loan application he submitted to Guaranty Bank was false and incomplete. Tackitt failed to disclose all of his financial debts as required and failed to truthfully disclose an accurate financial status of his company or a complete listing of the debts he and his business owed, in that the company was heavily in debt and was about to claim bankruptcy. Tackitt also failed to disclose that a third party assisted him in the preparation and presentation of the application.
Tackitt also admitted that he failed to pay over to the government $262,066 in payroll taxes that he collected from his employees. He also failed to pay over the employer’s share of FICA taxes, which total $395,699. Beginning during the second quarter of 2012, ending on June 30, 2012, and continuing on until the dissolution of Allied Roofing Systems on Dec. 31, 2013, Tackitt collected federal employee taxes from the salaries paid to the individuals employed with his company. Tackitt, through his company, willfully failed to pay over all of the taxes collected from his employees.
Tackitt must forfeit to the government $1,324,878,which was derived from the proceeds of his criminal conduct.
Under federal statutes, Tackitt is subject to a sentence of up to 35 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 Patrick Carney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Small Business Administration.
Readout of Meeting Between U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Mexican Attorney General Raúl Cervantes AndradeRead the Press Release
The Attorneys General of Mexico, Dr. Raúl Cervantes Andrade, and of the United States, Jeff Sessions, met on April 18, 2017, to follow up on matters discussed during their previous meeting of March 20, 2017, and to continue strengthening their bilateral law enforcement cooperation.
Both sides discussed recent statements made by U.S. authorities regarding immigration, including the intention of the U.S. to fully enforce its immigration laws, and to continue to respect all of its human rights obligations in this regard.
Attorney General Sessions thanked the Mexican government for its assistance in a number of recent matters, including the prosecution of those responsible for the murder and attempted murder of ICE Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila; the extradition of Heraclio Osorio Arellanes, who is charged with participating in the murder of Border Patrol Agent Bryan Terry; and the recovery of the jerseys of New England Patriots player Tom Brady.
Both Attorneys General briefly discussed the arrest of Edgar Veytia Cambero, the former Attorney General of the Mexican State of Nayarit, in the United States , agreeing to mutually coordinate on this matter in both the United States and Mexico, and identify assets in both countries to be seized and forfeited.
The Mexican Prosecutor General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice reiterate their commitment to combat corruption and transnational organized crime through law enforcement cooperation in a close and coordinated manner.
Ponte Vedra Man Indicted for Lying to OSHA Investigators About Fatal Workplace AccidentRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the return of an indictment charging Peter Nees (49, Ponte Vedra Beach) with making false statements to federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigators during the course of an official investigation. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to the
indictment , in the course of an investigation into a workplace accident that resulted in a fatality, Nees falsely stated to OSHA investigators that he did not alter the scene of the accident in any way after the accident had occurred when, in truth and fact, he knew those statements were false.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 U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
Perry County Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine OffensesRead the Press Release
On April 19, 2017, Bradley M.D. Miller, 28, of Cutler, Illinois, was sentenced to federal prison for a methamphetamine offense, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Miller, who had previously pled guilty to a one-count superseding indictment charging conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced to 168 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and was fined $300.00. The superseding indictment alleges that the methamphetamine offense occurred between 2014 and September 2016, in Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, and Franklin Counties. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Miller was involved with co-defendant Taylor C. Robertson and numerous other persons in the distribution of ice in southern Illinois. Ice is methamphetamine which has a purity level of at least 80%. At sentencing, the District Court found that Miller was responsible for the distribution of 1.4 kilograms of ice. Miller received an enhanced sentence because he used a juvenile to distribute some of the ice. Co-defendant Robertson was previously sentenced to 57 months of imprisonment for her role in the ice conspiracy. One co-defendant has pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Three co-defendants have pled not guilty and are being held without bond pending a May 15, 2017, jury trial.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Percy Police Department, Steeleville Police Department, Illinois State Police, Sparta Police Department and Southern Illinois Drug Task Force. The Randolph County States Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Murder of U.S. Military MembersRead the Press Release
Terrence J. McNeil, 24, of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty to five counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence and five counts of making threatening interstate communications involving his soliciting the murder of members of the U.S. military.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja for the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division.
“Terrence McNeil pleaded guilty to soliciting the murder of members of our military. He disseminated ISIL’s violent rhetoric, circulated U.S. military personnel information, and explicitly called for the killing of American service members in their homes and communities. Now, he will be held accountable,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism. We will continue to use all of our tools to disrupt those who use social media to threaten acts of violence against our military members and their families, on behalf of terrorist organizations.”
“This case demonstrates the challenges faced by law enforcement in confronting global terrorism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sierleja. “It highlights the dangers posed by terrorists committed to carrying out attacks here in the United States and their use of social media to accomplish their mission. The message should be clear that individuals who engage in this behavior will be aggressively prosecuted.”
“While we aggressively defend First Amendment rights, the individual arrested went far beyond free speech by reposting names and addresses of 100 U.S. service members, all with the intent to have them killed,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony. “We will remain vigilant in our efforts to stop those who wish to support these despicable acts.”
According to documents filed in the case:
McNeil, a U.S. citizen, professed his support on social media on numerous occasions for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. On or about Sept. 24, 2015, using a Tumblr account, McNeil reblogged a file with the banner “Islamic State Hacking Division,” followed by “Target: United States Military” and “Leak: Addresses of 100 U.S. Military Personnel.”
The file type is a .gif file, which allows multiple still images to be looped in one file, with a timed delay between each image. The text of the first file reads “O Brothers in America, know that the jihad against the crusaders is not limited to the lands of the Khilafah, it is a world-wide jihad and their war is not just a war against the Islamic State, it is a war against Islam…Know that it is wajib (translated to “necessary”) for you to kill these kuffar! and now we have made it easy for you by giving you addresses, all you need to do is take the final step, so what are you waiting for? Kill them in their own lands, behead them in their own homes, stab them to death as they walk their streets thinking that they are safe…”
The file then loops several dozen photographs, purportedly of U.S. military personnel, along with their respective name, address and military branch. The final image looped is a picture of a handgun and a knife with text that reads “…and kill them wherever you find them…”
The defendant posted multiple other kill lists in late 2015, all of which repeated the same refrain, calling on others to seek out and murder U.S. servicemen and women.
McNeil is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2. Under the terms of his plea agreement, he faces a sentence of between 15 and 20 years in prison.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Cleveland investigated this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christos Georgalis and Michelle Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
New York Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Filing Fraudulent Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Nassau County, New York return preparer pleaded guilty today to filing fraudulent tax returns, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. for the Western District of New York.
According to documents and information presented to the court, from January 2010 through April 2015, David Menzies, 51, of Floral Park, filed fraudulent tax returns for hundreds of clients that claimed fake business income and expenses and false dependents to claim refunds his clients were not entitled to. Menzies solicited, and sometimes purchased, the personal identifying information of minors from their parents, and claimed them as dependents on other clients’ returns. Menzies charged his clients $250 for the use of the phony dependents and often used the same children’s information in multiple years. He recruited people to assist him in filing these fraudulent returns and directed them to escort his clients to check cashers, in order to cash their refund checks and collect Menzies’ fee, including the money for the false dependents.
In addition, Menzies concealed his identity as the preparer by soliciting other people to apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for preparer IDs and filing the fraudulent returns using the preparer identification numbers the IRS assigned to these individuals. Menzies admitted that he caused a tax loss of more than $250,000.
Menzies also acknowledged that he failed to timely file his 2009 through 2015 personal tax returns.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 26 before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo in the Western District of New York. Menzies faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Kennedy thanked special agents of the IRS–Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti and Trial Attorney Jason M. Scheff of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
New York Businessman Pleads Guilty to Making Illegal Campaign Contributions to Candidates for U.S. President and Senate in 2011Read the Press Release
A New York City man pleaded guilty today to making illegal political contributions in the names of others to campaign committees for U.S. President and U.S. Senate in 2011, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Adam H. Victor, 64, pleaded guilty to one count of making political contributions in the names of others before U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the District of Columbia. Sentencing is set for Aug. 22, 2017.
According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, during the 2011 calendar year, Victor made $17,500 in aggregated contributions through numerous immediate family members and colleagues to the campaign committee of a candidate for President of the United States and a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in West Virginia, when, in fact, Victor paid for all of the contributions. According to the plea, Victor did not reveal to either candidate that he was the true source of the contributions.
The FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Todd Gee and Andrew Laing of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
Monroe County Resident Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempting to Possess a Weapon of Mass Destruction and Provide Material Support to a Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
A South Florida resident was sentenced to life in prison after having been convicted at trial of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, an explosive device, and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mary B. McCord, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), made the announcement.
Harlem Suarez, a/k/a “Almlak Benitez,” 26, a U.S. legal resident residing in Monroe County, Florida, was convicted at trial in Key West, Florida on January 27, 2017, for knowingly attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against a person or property within the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2332a(a)(2) and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B. Suarez was sentenced by United States District Judge Jose E. Martinez in Key West to life in prison for the weapon of mass of mass destruction count of conviction and a concurrent term of 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support.
According to evidence introduced at trial, in April 2015, Suarez’s Facebook postings contained extremist rhetoric and promoted the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Evidence further indicated that Suarez told an FBI confidential human source that he wanted to make a “timer bomb.” Suarez purchased components for this device, which was to contain galvanized nails, be concealed in a backpack and be remotely detonated by a cellular telephone. Suarez intended to bury the device at a public beach in Key West and then detonate it.
Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, JTTF, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Key West Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Marc S. Anton and Karen E. Gilbert with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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.
Minnesota Chiropractor Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker today announced the sentencing of DONALD GIBSON, 61, to 33 months in prison for tax evasion and for presenting a fake financial instrument to the U.S. Department of Treasury. GIBSON was convicted on December 2, 2016, following a five-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minn.
As proven at trial, GIBSON failed to file his 2004 through 2014 individual income tax returns and attempted to evade his income tax liabilities for these years by diverting money to a warehouse bank called MYICIS, cashing over $800,000 in business checks at a check-cashing facility, and submitting fake money orders and bogus financial instruments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). GIBSON also formed Sovereign Christian Mission (SCM), a purported religious organization, as a way to further hide his chiropractic income and pay for his personal expenses. GIBSON used SCM to pay for his groceries, entertainment, dinners, and car repairs. Evidence presented at trial established that while the IRS was auditing his tax returns, and later during the criminal investigation, GIBSON presented a fake financial instrument purporting to be worth $300 million to the IRS and claimed that it paid off his income tax liabilities.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Thompson and Trial Attorney Ryan Raybould of the Tax Division.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Defendant Information:
DONALD GIBSON, 61
Lindstrom, Minn.
Convicted:
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Tax evasion, 5 counts
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Fictitious obligation, 1 count
Sentenced:
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33 months in prison
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Two years of supervised release
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
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Mineral County man convicted for distributing heroinRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Tyler Moorehead, of Keyser, West Virginia, was convicted today in federal court distributing heroin, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen, announced.
Moorehead, age 26, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin.” Moorehead admitted to conspiring with others to distributing heroin in Mineral County and elsewhere from November 2010 to September 2016.
Moorehead faces up to twenty years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug and Violent Crime Task Force investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Michigan Owner of Sixteen Adult Foster Care Homes Indicted on Additional Charges Including Obstructing the IRS and Failing to File Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a superseding indictment today, charging a Grand Blanc, Michigan owner of adult foster care homes with additional tax crimes including obstructing the internal revenue laws and failing to file tax returns, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
Jeremiah Cheff was indicted in October 2016 on 60 counts of failing to collect, account for and pay over employment taxes. According to the superseding indictment, Jeremiah Cheff controlled the financial and business operations of 16 foster care homes that cared for individuals with mental illnesses and developmental and physical disabilities, including Hunter’s Home, Nico’s Place, Harmony Manor, Hilltop Estates and Deerwood Manor. It is alleged that from September 2010 through September 2014, Cheff withheld payroll taxes from employees’ paychecks, failed to timely file employment tax returns and failed to pay over the funds withheld to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The new charges allege that Cheff corruptly endeavored to obstruct the internal revenue laws and failed to timely file his 2013 through 2015 individual returns. According to the indictment, after the IRS informed Cheff it intended to file a lien to collect unpaid employment taxes, Cheff sent an $80,000 fake financial instrument to the IRS and falsely claimed to a revenue officer that he had paid the taxes due. Cheff also allegedly spent money from his businesses for personal benefit instead of paying it to the IRS, falsely classified his employees as independent contractors, provided false information to his return preparer and filed false 2013 through 2015 partnership returns for Hunter’s Home.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Cheff faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each of the 60 employment tax counts, three years in prison for obstructing the IRS and one year in prison for each of the failure to file counts. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and Carl F. Brooker IV of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for its substantial assistance.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Federal Sexual Abuse ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Ellis Treas-Baca, 31, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 78 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on a sexual abuse charge. Treas-Baca will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Treas-Baca was arrested on April 7, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with sexually abusing a Mescalero Apache woman on Sept. 13, 2015, on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County, N.M.
On Nov. 16, 2016, Treas-Baca pled guilty to a felony information charging him with sexual abuse. In entering the guilty plea, Treas-Baca admitted that on Sept. 13, 2016, he sexually abused the victim while she was unconscious and physically incapable of declining participating in the sexual act.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico, which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Man from El Salvador pleads guilty to reentering the U.S. illegally for the second timeRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a citizen of El Salvador pleaded guilty Tuesday to reentering the United States illegally.
Jose Edmundo Martinez-Ortiz, 24, of El Salvador, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to the guilty plea, Lake Charles police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle containing illegal aliens on November 15, 2016. Martinez-Ortiz admitted to being in the United States illegally. Upon further investigation, law enforcement agents found that the defendant had been found guilty of armed robbery in Maryland on September 11, 2014 and had been removed from the United States in 2016.
Martinez-Ortiz faces 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Lake Charles Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore is prosecuting the case.
Louisiana Man Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for Threatening the President of the United StatesRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Wm. Terrell Hodges today sentenced Kurt Michael Adams (29, Louisiana) to four years in federal prison for mailing threatening communications. He pleaded guilty on February 9, 2017.
According to court documents, on July 20, 2016, Adams, an inmate at the Coleman Federal Corrections Complex in Sumter County, mailed a letter to the White House containing numerous threats to kill the President of the United States and other federal employees. Inside the envelope, he had placed a harmless white powder that he identified as a “chemical agent.” When confronted by agents, Adams admitted that he had sent the letter and that he had “meant every word.” At the time of this incident, Adams was serving a federal prison sentence for mailing threatening communications to the Vice President.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr.
Las Cruces Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Leticia Maria Rodriguez, 35, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 51 months in prison for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction. She will be on supervised release for three years after completing her prison sentence.
Rodriguez was arrested in March 2016, and was charged by criminal complaint with possessing methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute on March 4, 2016, in Dona Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, law enforcement agents located approximately 75.7 grams of methamphetamine, 43.3 grams of heroin and drug paraphernalia during the execution of a search warrant on Rodriguez’s residence.
Rodriguez pled guilty on May 10, 2016, to a felony information charging her with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Rodriguez admitted that on March 4, 2016, law enforcement located approximately 65.8 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in her residence during the execution of a search warrant. Rodriguez further admitted that she obtained the methamphetamine from a source of supply and intended to distribute the methamphetamine to other individuals.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces offices of Homeland Security Investigations and DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Saltman of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Joint Statement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Mexican Attorney General Raúl Cervantes Andrade on Tomas Yarrington ArrestRead the Press Release
Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Mexican Attorney General Raúl Cervantes Andrade released the following statement on the arrest of Tomas Yarrington:
“The detention of Mexican ex-Governor Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba, on April 9, 2017, in Florence, Italy, was the result of law enforcement cooperation between Mexican, Italian and U.S. authorities.
“Yarrington faces serious charges in both the United States and Mexico, which arise out of criminal acts allegedly committed in both countries during Yarrington’s tenure as Governor of the State of Tamaulipas from 1999-2004.
“After careful analysis of the evidence and potential penalties of both the U.S. and Mexican charges against Yarrington, and in accordance with the priority given to competing extradition requests pursuant to Article 13 of the Extradition Treaty between Italy and Mexico, and Article 15 of the Extradition Treaty between Italy and the United States, the governments of the United States and Mexico have agreed that, in the event of a favorable decision by the Italian judicial authorities regarding both the United States’ and Mexico’s extradition requests, as well as a favorable decision on both requests by the Italian Minister of Justice, the United States and Mexican governments have agreed to request that the Italian Minister of Justice grant precedence to the United States’ request and also to seek the authorization of the Italian Minister of Justice for the re-extradition of Yarrington to Mexico in accordance with Article 16 of the U.S.-Italy Extradition Treaty.
“The United States and Mexico have agreed that upon the conclusion of the U.S. prosecution of Yarrington, and upon a determination of extraditability pursuant to the U.S.-Mexico extradition treaty, he will be temporarily surrendered to Mexico so that he may be brought to justice for the offenses charged against him there.
“Both the United States and Mexico have made a further commitment to exchange information and to collaborate with their respective prosecutions against Yarrington, and to utilize all available legal instruments for that purpose.
“The United States and Mexico extend their thanks to the Government of Italy and its law enforcement authorities for their apprehension of Yarrington. We also extend our gratitude to Interpol, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (PGR), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for their diligent work in locating and arresting the fugitive. This arrest is another example of the United States’ and Mexico’s shared commitment to combat corruption and transnational organized crime."
Jamie Shantez McNeail Sentenced Following Guilty Plea to a Federal Drug Conspiracy ChargeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steve Butler of the Southern District of Alabama announces today that Jamie Shantez McNeail of Mobile was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment. McNeail’s sentencing followed entry of a January 2017 guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
McNeail’s guilty plea included his admission that between June 9 and July 1, 2016, he participated in numerous instances in which he conspired to distribute one (1) and two (2) ounce quantities of cocaine. McNeail was held responsible for the distribution of a quantity of cocaine between 400 and 500 grams.
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance is a violation of Title 21, United States Code Section 846. McNeail’s imprisonment will be followed by a three year term of supervised release.
This case arose from a long-term investigation in the Daphne/Fairhope area conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Street Task Force. This investigation has previously resulted in the indictment of six (6) other defendants on federal drug conspiracy charges. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Use of Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAVIER CANIZALEZ-HERNANDEZ, age 40, from Honduras, pled guilty today to a one-count Indictment charging him with illegal use of a Social Security Number. According to the court documents, CANIZALEZ-HERNANDEZ used a Social Security Number that was not assigned to him to obtain a Louisiana Identification card from the DMV office in Houma.
CANIZALEZ-HERNANEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of three years, and a mandatory $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance set sentencing for May 31, 2017.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MARLIN CACERES-GUERRERO, age 26, a native of Honduras, pled guilty today to a one-count Indictment charging him with illegal entry of a removed alien.
According to the court documents, CACERES-GUERRERO was previously removed from the United States on May 3, 2013. He was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on February 21, 2017, and had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter.
CACERES-GUERRERO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a fine of $250,000, one year of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle set sentencing for June 21, 2017.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
Francisco C. Arias and Eder J. Cortez-Zelaya Sentenced to Prison in Ice Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
SHAWN N. ANDERSON, Acting United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendants FRANCISCO C. ARIAS and EDER J. CORTEZ-ZELAYA, who were convicted at the trial of U.S. v. Francisco Arias, Eder Cortez-Zelaya and Corinna Concepcion, in the District Court of Guam, were sentenced today.
FRANSISCO ARIAS, age 42, an undocumented alien and citizen from Mexico, was sentenced by Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood, to life imprisonment for count one, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine (ice), after taking into consideration his role of threatening one individual; 20 years for count two, conspiracy to commit money laundering; and five years each for counts 4 and 5, unlawful use of the mail to facilitate the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. All sentences are to be served concurrently.
EDER J. CORTEZ-ZELAYA, age 34, a naturalized U.S. Citizen originating from El Salvador, was sentenced by Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood to 292 months for count one, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine (ice), 20 years for count two, conspiracy to commit money laundering; and five years each for counts 4 and 5,unlawful use of the mail to facilitate the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. All sentences are to be served concurrently.
Both Francisco ARIAS and CORTEZ-ZELAYA were determined to be organized leaders, who conspired with 15 co-defendants, to have packages of methamphetamine (ice) transported from Las Vegas, Nevada and received on Guam. All of the co-defendants have been sentenced.
This OCDETF case involved federal agents and local law enforcement officers of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Guam Police Department (GPD), Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency (GCQA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), U.S. National Oceanic Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Coast Guard Criminal Investigative Service (CGIS).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde Lemons, Jr.
Fourth Defendant Convicted for Role in Georgia-Based Mexican Sex Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that Severiano Martinez-Rojas, also known as “Negro” and “Gato,” of Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, Mexico, has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of sex trafficking and admitted his participation in the sex trafficking of three victims.
“The defendants preyed on vulnerable young women, placing them in fear and forcing them to sell their bodies to complete strangers all so the defendants could make money,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s conviction demonstrates the Civil Rights Division’s unwavering commitment to bringing human traffickers to justice and the significant impact of our U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative, aimed at dismantling transnational trafficking organizations.”
“This defendant’s guilty plea represents another success in this District’s sustained commitment to bilateral anti-trafficking coordination with our Mexican Federal law enforcement counterparts in locating and bringing to justice traffickers who lure victims into prostitution with false promises of a better life and then seek to evade accountability for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Horn of the Northern District of Georgia. “Human trafficking remains a top priority of this office, and we will continue to aggressively target and prosecute these horrific crimes.”
“Human Trafficking is often transnational in nature and, as a result, U.S. law enforcement, through its legal attaches and U.S. embassies, count on its partnerships abroad to ensure that individuals such as Martinez-Rojas are not afforded a sanctuary from justice,” said Special Agent in Charge David J. LeValley of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “This case illustrates the FBI’s commitment toward identifying, apprehending, and repatriating to the U.S. those involved in these types of human trafficking rings that cross international borders.”
“Human trafficking is quite simply, a form of modern-day slavery, and the sexual abuse of the victims in this particular case only adds to the heinous nature of the crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Nick Annan of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta. “Over the past two years HSI has rescued nearly 1,000 trafficking victims nationwide with many of them often hidden in plain sight. HSI will continue our relentless pursuit to investigate and seek prosecution of criminal traffickers while ensuring the victims of this terrible crime are rescued and get the care they need.”
According to the charges and other information presented in court, Martinez-Rojas and his co-defendants used false promises of love, legitimate work and a better life to induce three women to unlawfully enter the United States between 2006 and 2008. Once the women arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, the defendants used violence, threats, intimidation, and other means to compel the young women to engage in prostitution in Georgia and Alabama for the defendants’ profit. The defendants operated a high volume, low cost business, requiring the women to have sex with multiple men a night, sometimes as many as 20 men.
Martinez-Rojas was indicted on May 14, 2013, but remained a fugitive until his arrest in Mexico as part of a coordinated bilateral law enforcement action in November 2015. He is the fourth member of an Atlanta-based Mexican sex trafficking ring convicted for their roles in compelling young women from Mexico and Guatemala to engage in prostitution. A date for sentencing has not yet been determined.
Co-defendants Arturo Rojas-Coyotl, also known as “Taco” and “Jonathan,” and Odilon Martinez-Rojas, also known as “Chino” and “Saul,” pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and alien harboring in October 2014 and were sentenced on January 27, 2015, to prison terms of 16 years and 21 years and 10 months, respectively. The defendants were also ordered to pay $180,000 in restitution to the victims. A third co-defendant, Daniel Garcia-Tepal, also pleaded guilty to alien harboring on April 4, 2014, and received a sentence of time served.
Since 2009, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have collaborated with Mexican law enforcement counterparts in a Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative to more effectively dismantle human trafficking networks operating across the U.S.-Mexico border, bring human traffickers to justice, restore the rights and dignity of human trafficking victims, and reunite victims with their children. These efforts have resulted in successful prosecutions in both Mexico and the United States, including U.S. federal prosecutions of over 170 defendants in multiple cases in Georgia, New York, Florida, and Texas, in addition to numerous Mexican federal and state prosecutions of associated sex traffickers.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr., of the Northern District of Georgia, and Deputy Director Benjamin J. Hawk of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Fourth Defendant Convicted for Role in Atlanta-Based Mexican Sex Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Severiano Martinez-Rojas, also known as “Negro” and “Gato,” of Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, Mexico, has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of sex trafficking and admitted his participation in the sex trafficking of three victims.
“This defendant’s guilty plea represents another success in this District’s sustained commitment to bilateral anti-trafficking coordination with our Mexican Federal law enforcement counterparts in locating and bringing to justice traffickers who lure victims into prostitution with false promises of a better life and then seek to evade accountability for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Horn. “Human trafficking remains a top priority of this office, and we will continue to aggressively target and prosecute these horrific crimes.”
“The defendants preyed on vulnerable young women, placing them in fear and forcing them to sell their bodies to complete strangers all so the defendants could make money,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s conviction demonstrates the Civil Rights Division’s unwavering commitment to bringing human traffickers to justice and the significant impact of our U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative, aimed at dismantling transnational trafficking organizations.”
“Human Trafficking is often transnational in nature and, as a result, U.S. law enforcement, through its legal attaches and U.S. embassies, count on its partnerships abroad to ensure that individuals such as Martinez-Rojas are not afforded a sanctuary from justice. This case illustrates the FBI’s commitment toward identifying, apprehending, and repatriating to the U.S. those involved in these types of human trafficking rings that cross international borders,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.
“Human trafficking is quite simply, a form of modern-day slavery, and the sexual abuse of the victims in this particular case only adds to the heinous nature of the crime,” said Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Nick Annan. “Over the past two years HSI has rescued nearly 1,000 trafficking victims nationwide with many of them often hidden in plain sight. HSI will continue our relentless pursuit to investigate and seek prosecution of criminal traffickers while ensuring the victims of this terrible crime are rescued and get the care they need.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: Martinez-Rojas and his co-defendants used false promises of love, legitimate work, and a better life to induce three women to unlawfully enter the United States between 2006 and 2008. Once the women arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, Martinez-Rojas and his co-defendants used violence, threats, intimidation, and other means to compel the young women to engage in prostitution in Georgia and Alabama for the defendants’ profit. The defendants operated a high volume, low cost business, requiring the women to have sex with multiple men a night, sometimes as many as 20 men.
Martinez-Rojas was indicted on May 14, 2013, but remained a fugitive until his arrest in Mexico as part of a coordinated bilateral law enforcement action in November 2015. He is the fourth member of an Atlanta-based Mexican sex trafficking ring convicted for their roles in compelling young women from Mexico and Guatemala to engage in prostitution. A date for sentencing has not yet been determined.
Co-defendants Arturo Rojas-Coyotl, also known as “Taco” and “Jonathan,” pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and alien harboring in October 2014, and was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison. Odilon Martinez-Rojas, also known as “Chino” and “Saul,” pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and alien harboring in October 2014, and was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison. Both defendants were also ordered to pay $180,000 in restitution to the victims. A third co-defendant, Daniel Garcia-Tepal, also pleaded guilty to alien harboring on April 4, 2014, and received a sentence of time served.
Since 2009, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have collaborated with Mexican law enforcement counterparts in a Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative to more effectively dismantle human trafficking networks operating across the U.S.-Mexico border, bring human traffickers to justice, restore the rights and dignity of human trafficking victims, and reunite victims with their children. These efforts have resulted in successful prosecutions in both Mexico and the United States, including U.S. federal prosecutions of over 50 defendants in multiple cases in Georgia, New York, Florida, and Texas since 2009, in addition to numerous Mexican federal and state prosecutions of associated sex traffickers.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr., of the Northern District of Georgia, and Deputy Director Benjamin J. Hawk of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Four Men Charged in $800,000 Advance Fee SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. –Three men from New Jersey and another from Nevada have been arrested for allegedly defrauding two individual victims out of approximately $800,000 through an advance fee scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced today.
Harold Mignott, 54, of Voorhees, New Jersey, James Adkins, 64, of Hillside, New Jersey, Jerrid Douglas, 43, of Freehold, New Jersey, and Roy Johannes Gillar, 44, of Las Vegas, are each charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Mignott, Adkins, and Douglas were arrested this morning and made their initial court appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal Court. Gillar was arrested yesterday and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe in Las Vegas federal court. Gillar was detained. Mignott, Adkins, and Douglas were released on $200,000 unsecured bonds.
According to the complaint:
From March 2016 through June 2016, Mignott, Adkins, Douglas, and Gillar allegedly agreed to defraud an entity identified in the complaint as “Victim Company A” out of approximately $1 million.
As part of the scheme, the defendants fraudulently induced two individuals who ran Victim Company A to have Victim Company A enter a joint-venture agreement with their New Jersey-based shell company. The defendants falsely represented that their company could acquire and provide Victim Company A with a “standby letter of credit” backed by Mexican gold bonds. A standby letter of credit is a guarantee of payment issued by a bank on behalf of a client that is used should the client fail to fulfill a contractual commitment with a third party.
Victim Company A wanted access to the standby letter of credit so it could purchase raw gold overseas and sell it to gold refineries. As part of the joint-venture agreement, Victim Company A agreed to pay the defendants $1 million for the bank fee associated with the standby letter of credit.
In order to cover up the scheme and convince the victims to approve transfer of the funds, the defendants made numerous verbal and written misrepresentations, including providing the victims with a phony letter from a major international bank saying that it was ready, willing, and able to provide a €1 billion standby letter of credit to the defendants’ shell company.
However, after Victim Company A transmitted $800,000 of the $1 million to the defendants, the defendants failed to provide Victim Company A with a standby letter of credit or anything of value. Instead, the defendants misappropriated Victim Company A’s money for their personal use on items like luxury cars, expensive watches, mortgage payments on their personal residences, and large cash withdrawals.
At no time since March 2016 have the defendants or any company owned or operated by them provided anything of value to Victim Company A in exchange for Victim Company A’s $800,000. The defendants also have not returned any of the money to Victim Company A.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, with the investigation leading to the arrests.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former New York City Police Department Sergeant Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Sexually Exploit ChildrenRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Alberto Randazzo, a former sergeant with the New York City Police Department, was sentenced to 28 years in prison, eight years of supervised release and sex offender registration for sexual exploitation and receipt of child pornography. Today’s sentencing took place before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.
The sentence was announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York, and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“Alberto Randazzo lived a double life, publicly serving as an NYPD police officer while privately engaging in conduct to exploit the most vulnerable members of the community – our children,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “Together with our law enforcement partners we will continue to strive to protect the most vulnerable among us.”
“Randazzo held a position with the sole purpose to serve and protect the people of this city. Instead, he targeted certain women, persuaded them to sexually abuse their children and had them send him pictures and videos of the acts,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “His behavior is no less than deplorable. It is with continued joint law enforcement efforts that we can target these types of offenders and ensure that they are punished for their heinous deeds.”
“Alberto Randazzo’s exploitation of innocent children is unconscionable. I am grateful to our detectives in Internal Affairs, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for their work in bringing Randazzo to justice for these horrific crimes,” said Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill.
On July 12, 2016, the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to sexually exploit a child and one count of receipt of child pornography. According to court filings, from as early as 2010 through 2013, Randazzo targeted women through websites such as Ashley Madison and Match.com and persuaded them to sexually abuse children to whom they had access, so he could watch the abuse. Randazzo was caught in February 2013, when a witness found disturbing text messages on Randazzo’s phone and uncovered emails from women sending Randazzo pictures of them molesting their children. When the witness confronted him, Randazzo admitted his sexual interest in mothers having sex with their children.
Based on the information obtained from the witness and the photographs, the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) of the NYPD obtained a search warrant for Randazzo’s apartment and found numerous images and videos of child pornography, including a number of videos of child pornography that were created by Randazzo himself. Randazzo was arrested and charged in Queens Criminal Court. At the time of his arrest, Randazzo had been a member of the NYPD for 15 years. While on bail in connection with that case, Randazzo was discovered by Special Agents of HSI to be downloading child pornography, which led to the federal investigation and federal charges being filed.
At sentencing the government presented evidence that at least five women complied with Randazzo’s solicitations and sexually abused children in order to satisfy his sexual desires. Randazzo’s victims ranged in age from a few months to eight years old, and he traveled out of state to watch two of them be molested in person. Randazzo arranged to have the eight-year-old victim drugged so that he would not remember the abuse.
Three of the women Randazzo solicited have also been charged in the Eastern District of New York. Two have pleaded guilty, one of whom was sentenced to five years imprisonment, one of whom is awaiting sentencing, and another is awaiting trial.
Ms. Rohde thanked HSI and the NYPD for their joint efforts in bringing Randazzo to justice and thanked the Queens District Attorney’s Office for their continuing assistance.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler Smith and Moira Kim Penza.
The Defendant:
ALBERTO RANDAZZO
Age: 40
Astoria, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-189 (PKC)
Former Mayor of South El Monte Sentenced to over a Year in Prison Plus Home Detention for Taking Cash Bribes from ContractorRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The former Mayor of South El Monte was sentenced today to one year and one day in federal prison for taking bribes from a contractor doing business with the city – in one instance accepting a bribe during an FBI undercover operation.
Luis Aguinaga, 49, of South El Monte, was sentenced late this afternoon by United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Aguinaga to serve one year of home detention, to perform 3,000 hours of community service and to pay a $10,000 fine.
Aguinaga pleaded guilty in September to one count of bribery, admitting that he took bribes from a person who performed engineering and construction work for the City of South El Monte and that the payments were rewards in connection with the approval of city contracts for the contractor. Aguinaga accepted the bribes from 2005 until September 2012.
The contractor – identified in court documents as a confidential witness, or CW – made payments to Aguinaga approximately every two to three weeks, shortly after the contractor was paid by the City of South El Monte. If the contractor failed to pay Aguinaga within a few days of being paid by the city, Aguinaga would call and ask for his payment.
The bribe amounts were initially $500, and later they increased to $1,000. According to court documents, the contractor made the bribe payments by placing cash in envelopes that were left in a bathroom at the South El Monte City Hall or were left inside the passenger side pocket of a car.
Aguinaga accepted a $1,000 bribe during a September 12, 2012 meeting that was being monitored by the FBI, and he took the money even though he “was nervous about meeting with CW because Cudahy city officials, including the Mayor, had recently been arrested and charged with accepting bribes.”
Aguinaga admitted receiving at least $45,000 from the city contractor during the final two years of the bribery scheme.
“Mr. Aguinaga was an elected public official who abused the trust of his constituents by engaging in a pay-for-play scheme,” said Acting United States Attorney Sandra R. Brown. “He accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes over several years. This deliberate conduct adversely affected the administration of South El Monte and degraded the public’s view of local government.”
“Mr. Aguinaga abandoned the community he was elected to serve by basing his decisions on greed and ill-gotten financial gain rather than good government,” said Deirdre Fike, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “This extensive corruption scheme has thankfully come to an end, and Mr. Aguinaga will pay the price for compromising South El Monte and its residents."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ruth C. Pinkel of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
Former Lewiston Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Crack Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Lamar Young, 30, formerly of Lewiston, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, commonly known as “crack.” He pleaded guilty on November 28, 2016.
According to court records, in late 2012 and early 2013, Young and other conspirators sold cocaine base out of an apartment in Lewiston. The conspirators pooled money to purchase powder cocaine and crack from suppliers in Massachusetts, had it transported to Maine, cooked powder cocaine into crack, and packaged it for distribution from the apartment.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Lewiston Police Department; and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.Former HARC CEO Convicted of Conspiracy to Defraud and Making False Statements to the Social Security AdministrationRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury today found Richard Lilliston (70, Brooksville) guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and to make false statements to the Social Security Administration. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, the Hillsborough Achievement and Resource Centers (HARC), formerly the Hillsborough Association for Retarded Citizens, was established in 1953 to positively impact the future for all people living with developmental disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. HARC opened and operated group homes that served its target client population. HARC also spearheaded various community programs for its clients focused on inclusion activities for youths, adults, and seniors with disabilities.
Many of the HARC clients received SSA benefits due to various developmental disabilities. For certain HARC clients who lacked the capacity to manage their own SSA benefits, SSA approved one or more HARC officials to act as a “Representative Payee” to receive the client’s benefits and to use them exclusively for that client’s benefit. As a Representative Payee, the HARC official was required to complete and submit to the SSA a “Representative Payee Report” that included information about each HARC client’s living situation and the financial benefits received and expended on behalf of that client.
Lilliston began working at HARC in 1997 as the Chief Executive Officer. While working in that capacity, he and others orchestrated a scheme whereby HARC client funds, purportedly saved solely for HARC’s developmentally disabled clients’ needs and use in a HARC bank account (“Endowment Account),” had been and were being wrongfully diverted from the clients to the HARC operating account for other purposes.
In November 2009, in an effort to conceal that HARC client funds were being wrongfully diverted from the clients and to make it appear as if HARC’s Endowment Account had been properly established and maintained, Lilliston directed the former HARC CFO and Controller to secure signatures from the developmentally disabled HARC clients on a document backdated to 2007, titled “Pooled Trust Joinder Agreement.” The CFO and Controller did as instructed, knowing that the HARC clients who signed the Pooled Trust Joinder Agreement document did not have the capacity necessary to understand the importance of the document. Notwithstanding, Lilliston and other HARC employees signed the backdated agreements. Trial testimony further revealed that Lilliston was terminated from his HARC CEO position in November 2011, following a discovery by the HARC Board of Directors that he had wrongfully taken an additional $10,000 in salary ($160,000 rather than the approved $150,000) and had allotted himself a car allowance of $1,850 per month.
In June 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a Verified Complaint for Forfeiture Rem in a related case (Case No. 8:13-cv-1601-T-17TBM), seeking the forfeiture of $87,000 held in a Synovus Bank account. That complaint raised like allegations that HARC clients’ SSA benefits had been wrongfully diverted from the clients and used by HARC for other purposes and was supported by facts contained in the sworn affidavit of a special agent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of spector General. On September 30, 2013, the district court entered a Default Judgment of Forfeiture in which the court ordered the forfeiture of the $87,000 to the United States.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with the State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services - Office of Fiscal Integrity. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay G. Trezevant.
Former Army Staff Sergeant Found Guilty of Conspiracy and Paying Illegal KickbacksRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury today found Cordera Hill (27, Tampa) guilty of one count of conspiracy and two counts of offering to pay and paying illegal kickbacks in connection with a federal health care benefit program. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to evidence presented at trial, in October 2014, Hill, a former member of the United States Army, agreed to become a sales representative for Centurion Compounding, Inc., a marketing firm in Wesley Chapel that utilized sales representatives as independent contractors to market compounded medications, including creams for pain and scars, to TRICARE beneficiaries. These creams had very high reimbursement rates, ranging from approximately $4,000 to $17,000 for a one-month supply. Centurion focused its promotional efforts on TRICARE beneficiaries because they knew TRICARE would pay claims for these compounded creams.
Hill paid, and conspired to pay, TRICARE beneficiaries to go to clinics at, among other places, a cosmetics store in a strip mall. Hill also paid for beneficiaries to fly to Tampa from Colorado and Hawaii for the purpose of visiting clinics to obtain compounding creams. The beneficiaries, who had access to free healthcare on base, would visit the cosmetics store after hours and on weekends to obtain prescriptions. Many of the beneficiaries did not need the creams and discarded them in the trash. Hill received in excess of $43,000 in commission payments from Centurion for referring TRICARE beneficiaries to doctors to obtain the creams. TRICARE paid out over $700,000 for claims submitted on behalf of patients that Hill had recruited.
This case was investigated by the Department of Defense, Criminal Investigative Service; the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit; the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel, Charles D. Schmitz, Simon Eth, and Rachelle DesVaux Bedke.
Florida Return Preparers Indicted for Using Stolen IDs to File Fraudulent Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury sitting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, returned an indictment on Feb. 23, which was unsealed today, charging three Broward County return preparers with conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the indictment, Luczor Fertilien, Frantz Petit-Dos and David Joseph owned two tax preparation businesses in Lauderhill, Florida: Imperial Taxation and Multi-Services Corp. and Aleluya Universal Accounting Services Inc. The indictment alleges that from approximately December 2009 through March 2016, Fertilien, Petit-Dos and Joseph sought fraudulent refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by filing tax returns in the names of people whose IDs had been stolen, including a number of deceased individuals. The indictment further alleges that the three men filed fraudulent returns for their clients seeking refunds to which the clients were not entitled, both by reporting fictitious business income and by claiming dead individuals as dependents.
Fertilien self-surrendered and Joseph was arrested earlier today. Petit-Dos remains a fugitive and is being sought.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Fertilien, Petit-Dos and Joseph face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison on the conspiracy count, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft. In addition, all three defendants face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Greenberg thanked special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Karadbil and Assistant Chief Greg Tortella of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.