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Friday 24 February 2017
Virginia Man Sentenced for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISILRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 26, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and making false statements to the FBI.
Elhassan, who is originally from Sudan, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2016. According to court documents, Elhassan aided and abetted the attempt of Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 29, of Woodbridge, to travel from the U.S. to Syria in order to fight on behalf of ISIL. As part of their plan, Farrokh would travel first, followed by Elhassan at a later date. Farrokh and Elhassan spoke in detail about their potential travel, including discussing the different routes each would take to travel to Syria. Farrokh also provided $600 to Elhassan to aid in Elhassan’s future travel to Syria. Both men spoke openly with each other about supporting ISIL and violent jihad, with Farrokh saying on Oct. 2, 2015, that he had no patience and wanted to go right away and “chop their heads.”
According to the statement of facts, in an effort to conceal their plans to support ISIL, Farrokh and Elhassan communicated using apps they believed were safe from law enforcement detection. In the summer of 2015, Farrokh and Elhassan talked more seriously about going to join ISIL and concluded that they needed someone to help them do so. Elhassan contacted like-minded people all over the world and the men pursued two separate plans to travel to Syria to join ISIL, but neither plan worked out.
According to the statement of facts, Farrokh and Elhassan conspired with other persons they believed would help facilitate their travel to Syria. Over the course of many meetings, the men discussed in detail their travel plans and efforts to avoid law enforcement detection, including Farrokh shaving his beard and flying out of Richmond International Airport, where they believed there would be less security. Farrokh and Elhassan agreed that Farrokh should tell his family that he intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to study.
According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2016, Elhassan picked up Farrokh at his home in Woodbridge and drove him to Richmond to a location approximately one mile from the airport. Farrokh then took another cab to the airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and (unbeknownst to Elhassan) was arrested as he was approaching his departure gate. When approached by investigators later that day, Elhassan falsely stated to special agents of the FBI that (a) Joseph Hassan Farrokh had flown out of Dulles Airport earlier that day on a flight to California to attend a funeral; (b) Farrokh had said that he would be back in about two weeks; (c) neither he nor Farrokh supported ISIL; and (d) neither he nor Farrokh ever tried to find someone to help them get to ISIL territory.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and Dennis Fitzpatrick prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorneys Andrew Sigler and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-64.
Virginia Beach Man Sentenced for Attempting to Entice a MinorRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – John Francis Aragon, 50, of Virginia Beach, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, followed by 30 years of supervised release, for charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Aragon pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2016. According to court documents, in May 2016, Aragon posted an ad on Craigslist seeking “fetish sex with young girl.” A detective with the Virginia Beach Police Department, in an undercover capacity, responded to the ad pretending to be a 14-year-old girl. The “girl” told Aragon that she was 14 years old at the inception of the conversation. The two chatted over a period of time and the conversations became sexually explicit. Eventually, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations took over the alleged 14-year-old’s role.
On three occasions, Aragon left money under a rock at a local park in exchange for a pair of the girl’s underwear. Aragon also expressed his desire to meet the girl in person in order to engage in sexual activity. On August 16, 2016, Aragon showed up at the park in Virginia Beach to meet the girl and was then arrested.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk; and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-129.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Obtains Settlement with School District in Bay City to Resolve ADA Investigation Regarding Student's Use of Service AnimalRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has reached a settlement with the Bangor Township School District in Bay City, Michigan, to resolve allegations that the school district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to allow a student with disabilities to use his service dog in school, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
The service dog at issue alerts to the student’s seizures, and mitigates symptoms of his disabilities. The complaint alleged that the school district inappropriately delayed its decision on the parent’s request for the service dog to accompany the student, instead making the parent spend months responding to requests for unnecessary information and documentation.
Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public schools. Under the ADA, public schools must generally modify policies, practices or procedures to permit the use of a service dog by a student with a disability at school and school-related activities. In addition, a public entity may make only two inquiries to determine whether a dog qualifies as a service animal: (1) whether the dog is required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task the dog has been trained to perform. A public entity shall not require documentation, such as proof that the dog has been certified, trained or licensed as a service animal. Nor shall a public entity ask or require an individual with a disability to pay a surcharge for using a service animal.
The school district worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation.
Under the agreement, the school district will adopt an ADA-compliant service animal policy and provide training to staff and School Board Members on the school district’s obligations under Title II of the ADA, including requirements related to service dogs.
“Use of service animals has evolved beyond simply serving as guide dogs for individuals who are blind, McQuade said. "Service animals now perform a wide range of tasks that can help individuals with disabilities lead fuller lives. This settlement will help ensure that students who use service animals can fully access all of the educational opportunities to which they are entitled, and we commend the Bangor Township School District for recognizing the rights of this student and others who will follow.”
Enforcing the ADA is a top priority of the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Those interested in finding out more about this settlement or the obligations of public entities schools under the ADA may call the Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA website. ADA complaints within the Eastern District of Michigan can be made to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at (313) 226-9151 or [email protected].
Two Albuquerque Residents Plead Guilty to Armed Robbery of Route 66 Casino Xpress in Laguna PuebloRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lorenzo Chavez, 25, and co-defendant James Montano, Jr., 23, both of Albuquerque, N.M., entered guilty pleas yesterday in federal court to violating the Hobbs Act by robbing the Route 66 Casino Xpress, located in Laguna Pueblo, N.M., on Dec. 13, 2015. Chavez additionally entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking, Hobbs Act and firearms charges in a separate case.
Chavez, Montano and co-defendant Sara Ruiz, 39, of Grants, N.M., were charged in a three-count indictment filed on June 30, 2016, with conspiracy to violate the Hobbs Act, violating the Hobbs Act by robbing the Route 66 Casino Xpress, a gas station/convenience store and casino in Laguna Pueblo, at gunpoint; and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The indictment alleged that the trio committed the crimes on Dec. 13, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M. The indictment was superseded on Feb. 7, 2017, and alleged the same offenses.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Chavez and Montano pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment, charging them with violating the Hobbs Act by robbing the Route 66 Casino Xpress at gunpoint on Dec. 13, 2015. Chavez also pled guilty to Count 3 of the indictment, charging him with brandishing a firearm during that robbery.
In addition to his guilty plea to the two charges in the case involving the Route 66 Casino Xpress, Chavez also entered a guilty plea to a Hobbs Act and methamphetamine trafficking charges in a separate case. In that case, Chavez alone was charged in a four-count indictment filed on Feb. 24, 2016. That indictment charged Chavez with possessing distribution quantities of methamphetamine on Dec. 19, 2015, and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. It also charged Chavez with robbing an Allsups convenience store in southwest Albuquerque on Dec. 29, 2015, and with brandishing a firearm during that robbery.
Yesterday, Chavez pled guilty to possessing almost 61 gross grams of methamphetamine on Dec. 19, 2015, which he intended to distribute to others. He also pled guilty to robbing the Allsups convenience store at gunpoint on Dec. 29, 2015.
Both Chavez and Montano remain in custody pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Chavez will be sentenced within the range of 120 to 180 months in prison. Montano faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Ruiz has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in case involving the Route 66 Casino Xpress. She is in custody pending trial, which currently is scheduled for March 20, 2017. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
The case against Chavez, Montano and Ruiz, which arises from the armed robbery of the Route 66 Casino Xpress, was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Pueblo of Laguna Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elaine Y. Ramirez and Kristopher N. Houghton.
The case arising from the armed robbery of the Allsups convenience store and methamphetamine trafficking was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and Letitia Carroll Simms.
Three Men Arrested in Major Narcotics Distribution Ring with Ties to MexicoRead 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 James Wilkie, 67, Remus Nowak, 47, of Buffalo, NY, and Fernando Rodriguez, 51, of Buffalo, NY, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute over five kilograms or more of cocaine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life and a $10,000,000 fine.
“Though we may be over 2,000 miles away from the Mexican Border, this case illustrates that the threat associated by the illegal flow of controlled substances over that border is very real even here in Western New York,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. “The misery associated with the lives harmed by drugs flowing across the Southwest Border extends across the entire United States. We will remain vigilant in our effort to stem that flow at every point along away.”
DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt stated, “Coordination was the key element throughout this two-day enforcement operation. The objective to identify those responsible for trying to bring nine million dollars’ worth of drugs into Buffalo was met, resulting in 48 kilograms of cocaine being taken off the streets.”Assistant U. S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in February, 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration received information regarding the drug trafficking activities of the defendants. DEA agents identified Wilkie, Nowak and Rodriguez as members of a large scale cocaine distribution organization with direct connections to Mexico. Cocaine was smuggled into the United States from Mexico and eventually brought to Arizona and then distributed throughout the United States by various members of the organization. The complaint states that Wilkie picked up many kilograms of cocaine in Arizona and transported it to Buffalo on a number of occasions. Once, in Buffalo, Wilkie would give the cocaine to Nowak, who, in turn, would provide it to Rodriguez, for distribution throughout the area. Once distributed, the proceeds of the sale would be collected by Rodriguez and Nowak who would provide the money to Wilkie so that he could return it to the Mexican source.
On February 22, 2017, Wilkie was stopped by the Illinois State Police (ISP) in Collinsville, IL for driving with an obstructed license plate. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed that it contained 48 kilograms of cocaine. Thirty kilograms were contained in a suitcase, while 18 kilograms were discovered in a duffel bag. Wilkie was arrested by the ISP. Subsequent investigation revealed that the 18 kilograms were destined for Buffalo, while the remaining 30 kilograms were destined for Chicago.
On February 23, 2017, a controlled delivery of 18 kilograms of “sham” cocaine was made by Wilkie to Nowak at a local hotel. During their meeting, Wilkie and Nowak discussed, among other things, Nowak’s ongoing relationship with the Mexican cocaine source of supply. At one point during the conversation, Wilkie opened the duffel bag to expose the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine. Following the conversation, Nowak took possession of the duffel bag containing the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine and exited the hotel room. As he exited the motel, Nowak was arrested by DEA agents.
Following that arrest, arrangements were made for Nowak to deliver the cocaine to defendant Rodriguez at an automotive shop on Kenmore Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. Once again, drug related conversation preceded the transfer of the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine from Nowak to Rodriguez. Rodriguez was arrested in possession of the duffle bag.
The defendants were arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and are being detained pending a hearing on February 28, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, The Drug Enforcement Administration, Fairview Heights, IL Resident Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tucson District Office, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, the Buffalo Police Department, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, the Niagara Falls Police Department, New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department, the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police Department, the Hamburg Police Department, the Lackawanna Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine unit, and the Cheektowaga Police Department.
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.
Texas man sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for methamphetamine distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a man from Texas was sentenced Wednesday to 140 months in prison for conspiring to sell methamphetamine in the Shreveport area with another Texas man.
Tares Terrell Hearn, 37, of Carthage, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the September 19, 2016 guilty plea, law enforcement agents learned that Hearn had organized a transaction to sell methamphetamine on May 10, 2016 at a Greenwood, La., gas station. Co-defendant Delton Williams Jr., 29, of Deberry, Texas, arrived earlier in a Cadillac Escalade. Hearn was then seen entering the Escalade and exiting the vehicle with a package tucked under his arm. While Hearn was being arrested, Williams was followed to an adjacent business where he was also arrested. Hearn and Williams were found with large sums of money. Hearn was found with a large amount of methamphetamine not intended for personal use. It was later learned that Williams transported methamphetamine from Texas to Greenwood for Hearn who intended to distribute it.
Williams was sentenced on February 1, 2017 to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release for the conspiracy count.
The DEA and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.
Stafford Man Convicted of Social Security Disability Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Gennaro Mattiaccio, 55, of Stafford, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of theft of government property, making false statements in relation to obtaining Social Security disability benefits, and concealing events affecting his right to Social Security disability benefits.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Mattiaccio received over $75,000 in Social Security disability benefits from April 2014 through September 2016, despite being gainfully self-employed during that same time period as the owner and sole proprietor of Rock Hill Honey Bee Farms, a commercial migratory beekeeping business. In support of his claim for Social Security disability benefits, Mattiaccio made multiple materially false statements under oath to an Administrative Law Judge from the Social Security Administration, and also submitted false and fraudulent documents, including a fake 2012 tax return, to the Social Security Administration.
Mattiaccio faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on June 16. 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.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael McGill, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General; and Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Pedersen and Samantha Bateman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-215.
Spartanburg Domestic Violence Initiative Leads to Three Federal Indictments in FebruaryRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2105
SPARTANBURG, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that three Spartanburg County residents were indicted last week by a federal grand jury sitting in Greenville, with firearms and other offenses.
Rodney Juan Baker, 56, of Spartanburg, was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 922(g)(9). This case was investigated by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Derrick Casey, 37, of Spartanburg, was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This case was investigated by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Hector Gonzalez, 31, of Spartanburg, was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This case was investigated by the Spartanburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
All charged individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Each of these cases are a direct result of “Home Front”, a focused deterrence-based initiative to combat domestic violence led by 7th Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette. The initiative launched in December of 2016 and has the support and partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
These cases are being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Wells, who is a 7th Circuit Assistant Solicitor specially designated by the United States Attorney’s Office to handle cases from the Seventh Circuit.
Modelled after a program started in High Point, North Carolina, members of the Home Front task force began earlier this fall, meeting with representatives from every police department in Spartanburg county as well as the Sheriff’s Office. The Spartanburg County State Probation office and victim’s advocate stalwart, SAFE Homes, also serve as critical partners in this effort.
Under the guidance of Solicitor Barnette and High Point (NC) Chief Marty Sumner, Home Front has quickly gone from concept to reality. High Point’s model and research suggests that early intervention is key in stopping the cycle of violence. The Home Front strategy identifies and focuses on offenders at the earliest stages of offending, before their violent conduct is entrenched and escalating.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, domestic violence is a community crime problem that costs the United States over $5.8 billion every year. It is a major drain on law enforcement resources as domestic violence generates a high volume of calls and repeated calls to the same location. Domestic violence homicides make up 40–50 percent of all murders of women in the United States. Women who have experienced a history of domestic violence report more health problems than other women and they have a greater risk for substance abuse, unemployment, alcoholism, and suicide attempts.
Research shows that the repeat domestic violence offender tend to have a significant criminal history that includes a wide range of both domestic violence and non-domestic violence offenses. Most of these offenders are readily identified as they are known to the criminal justice system. The Home Front initiative exposes the repeat domestic violence offender to sanctions because of his pattern of criminal behavior.
According to the 2015 Violence Policy Center When Men Murder Women report, South Carolina led the nation in rates of women murdered by men. Sixty-six percent (66%) of the victims were killed with a firearm and ninety-six percent (96%) of women murdered were killed by someone they knew.
In Spartanburg County during the 2015 calendar year, SAFE Homes serviced 6726 victims of domestic violence. In the same time frame, the Spartanburg Police Department charged 907 domestic violence cases and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office charged 1068 domestic violence cases. There were fourteen (14) domestic related deaths in Spartanburg County in 2015.
Solicitor Barnette has had enough. “Domestic violence is violence, period. It continues to plague our community--so costly and harmful to families and children, persisting year after year. It is time for these offenders to get our best shot—our best efforts. That is Home Front.”
United States Attorney Beth Drake agrees. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) welcome the opportunity to partner with Solicitor Barnette and state law enforcement, and to use federal gun laws to pull violent offenders who are abusing their families and loved ones out of the community. The goal is simple – stop the abuse, or swift and sure, the full force of a coordinated law enforcement effort will come to bear to stop you from abusing. Home Front takes the burden of addressing abusers from the victims and shifts it to us – a very engaged group of local, state, and federal law enforcement.”
The Home Front task force began a thorough, eight-step implementation process in the fall. The steps included training officers, synchronizing the coding of calls among the law enforcement agencies to harmonize communication--to create a back stop of sorts so that no domestic calls or offenders slip through the cracks among the sixteen municipal law enforcement entities in Spartanburg County. Very early in the implementation process, the task force began creating a comprehensive list of domestic violence offenders from the previous twelve months of arrests in Spartanburg County for domestic-related incidents. Offenders were categorized from most dangerous (Class A), repeat offender (Class B), first time DV arrest (Class C), and any non-arrest domestic violence interface with law enforcement (Class D).
For the most serious or repeat offenders, pending cases are fast-tracked to ATF and the US Attorney’s Office for immediate federal prosecution or prioritized for expedited state prosecution. One of those fast-tracked offenders, James Lee Sarratt, Jr., age 49, of Spartanburg, was arrested on a federal gun charge by the ATF in October 2016 on conduct stemming from a domestic call in Spartanburg in late September 2016 where an individual had been shot. Sarratt was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2016 and entered a guilty plea at his first opportunity to do so on January 11, 2017 in federal court. Sarratt has been in custody, detained without bond, since his arrest and currently awaits sentencing. He faces up to ten years in federal prison.
See link: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/spartanburg-initiative-combat-domestic-violence-results-first-guilty-plea
For updates follow us on Twitter @USAO_SC
This process incorporated by the Home Front task includes creating an enhanced system of tracking for offenders who are notified at any level or category. Custom notification letters, hand-delivered by law enforcement to offenders within 48 hours of the initial law enforcement contact, serve to alert offenders that they are on the Home Front radar going forward as well as detailing presumptive sentences for future acts of violence or prohibited behavior.
Solicitor Barnette is optimistic about the collaboration and is confident the focus and dedication of this task force will not waiver. “Securing our communities and ensuring that victims and children can feel safe in their own homes—breaking this horrific cycle of violence, that is our charge.”
Home Front Task Force:
City of Spartanburg Police Department
City of Campobello
City of Pacolet Police Department
City of Chesnee Police Department
City of Cowpens Police Department
City of Duncan Police Department
City of Greer Police Department
City of Inman Police Department
City of Landrum Police Department
City of Lyman Police Department
City of Wellford Police Department
City of Woodruff Police Department
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Police Department
Victim Advocates
Victim Services Providers
Behavioral Health
SC Dept. of Probation, Pardon and Parole Services
U. S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Seventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office
SAFE Homes
Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Cherokee, & Union
#####South Texas Woman Lands in Federal Prison for Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 30-year-old woman from Harlingen has been ordered to prison following her conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Irma Matamoros-Santillan pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos sentenced Matamoros-Santillan to 120 months imprisonment to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
On Aug. 10, 2016, a Greyhound bus entered the U.S. Border Patrol (BP) Checkpoint outside of Falfurrias for primary inspection. At that time, authorities identified Lisa Rustin, 18, of Ingleside, and discovered approximately 1.3 kilograms of marijuana concealed in her bags.
The follow up investigation revealed Matamoros-Santillan was seated a few rows behind her where authorities also discovered 480 grams of suspected methamphetamine in an unclaimed bag. It was determined the women were traveling together and responsible for the narcotics.
Laboratory analysis determined the methamphetamine had a purity of 94%, yielding 452 grams of actual methamphetamine.
Matamoros-Santillan will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Rustin also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on a later date. She remains in custody.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt is prosecuting the case.
Solen North Dakota Man Sentenced for Theft of Farm Service AgencyRead the Press Release
BISMARCK - US Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on Feb. 23, 2017, Brandon Adam Leingang, 33, Solen, ND., was sentenced before Chief US District Judge Daniel L. Hovland to serve two (2) years of supervised release. Judge Hovland also ordered that Leingang pay restitution to be determined in 60 days, a $1000 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. Leingang pled guilty on Nov. 9, 2016 charging him with Conversion of Mortgaged or Pledged Property.
On Feb. 27, 2008, and May 4, 2009, Leingang signed a security agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Farm Service Agency (FSA) to secure funds to help maintain the family ranch. Leingang made available a list of items to use as collateral to secure the loan from FSA; to include 101 cows. On June 28, 2010, FSA completed a balance sheet which indicated there was a total of 96 cows, and on Nov. 18, 2011, another balance sheet was completed where only 70 cows were counted. Documents revealed during the investigation indicated that Leingang sold multiple heads of cattle on various occasions and failed to notify FSA.
This case was investigated by the US Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG).
Assistant US Attorney Cameron Hayden prosecuted the case.
Sixteen-Defendant Narcotics and Firearms Prosecution Ends with Felony Convictions and Lengthy Periods of IncarcerationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chaka Al-Fatah, 37, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to a federal firearms charge today, concluding the prosecution of 16 defendants for narcotics and firearms offenses that resulted in felony convictions, lengthy periods of incarceration, and the forfeiture of assets.
The plea was announced by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Henry P. Stawinski III, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department; Robert D. MacLean, Chief of the United States Park Police, and Robert Turner, Acting U.S. Marshal for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Al-Fatah pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell to the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics trafficking offense. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of five to eight years in prison. Chief Judge Howell scheduled sentencing for April 21, 2017.
Over the past 18 months, Chief Judge Howell has also accepted felony pleas from 15 others charged in the case. They include Andre Arrington, 34, of Washington, D.C.; Tijuan Arrington, 40, of Washington, D.C.; Donovan Bostick, 32, of Washington, D.C.; Tamara Davies-Henry, 28, of Oxon Hill, Md.; Donnell Ennels, 41, of Washington, D.C.; Earica Hamilton, 34, of Washington, D.C.; Ricco Johnson, 40, of Brandywine, Md.; Rodney Jones, 22, of Washington, D.C.; Kyree Mitchell, 20, of Washington, D.C.; Kevin Morris, 43, of Washington, D.C.; Demetrius Muschetta, 33, of Washington, D.C.; Jonathan Taylor, 33, of Washington, D.C.; Don Whitaker, 22, of Washington, D.C.; Myron Williams, 40, of Oxon Hill, Md., and William Winter, 38, of Suitland, Md.
Notably, Chief Judge Howell sentenced Morris to 10 years of incarceration and Williams to nine years, each followed by multiple years of supervised release. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Muschetta for March 17, 2017, and pursuant to the plea agreement, Muschetta is to be sentenced to a term of 11 to 13 years of incarceration.
As established through the defendant’s guilty pleas, in January 2015, the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force began a long-term investigation into a narcotics enterprise involving Williams and Muschetta that primarily focused in the Barnaby Terrace area of Southeast Washington and extended into Maryland. The investigation revealed that Williams and Muschetta were partners in a drug business and purchased kilogram amounts of cocaine and heroin from multiple sources, including Johnson and Winter, and then in turn supplied it to other co-defendants for eventual distribution.
In addition to numerous recorded telephone calls and text messages that revealed the role of the narcotics enterprise, law enforcement seized large amounts of narcotics, firearms, and cash. On April 6, 2015, law enforcement stopped Morris and recovered from his vehicle a kilogram of heroin. On May 6, 2015, law enforcement stopped Muschetta in Maryland and recovered from his vehicle three kilograms of heroin. Later that evening, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Muschetta’s residence in Washington, D.C. and recovered additional kilograms of narcotics and multiple firearms. During subsequent search warrants of the co-defendants’ residences, law enforcement recovered additional quantities of narcotics, firearms, narcotics paraphernalia, and large amounts of U.S. currency.
The 16 defendants were arrested after months of investigation by the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the United States Park Police, and the United States Marshals Service. The Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force sponsored and supported this complex investigation
In announcing the conclusion of the government’s prosecution, U.S. Attorney Phillips, U.S. Attorney Rosenstein, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, Acting Chief Newsham, Chief Stawinski, Chief MacLean, and Acting Marshal Turner commended the work of the D.C. Safe Streets Task Force.
They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Han and Todd Gee; Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle, Mary Downing, Teesha Tobias, Catherine O’Neal, and Toni Anne Donato, and Legal Assistants Brendan Coyne, Diane Brashears, and Latoya Wade. They also commended those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland including Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sullivan, who prosecuted the Maryland portion of Muschetta’s narcotics seizure prior to the charges being transferred to Washington, D.C. for resolution before Chief Judge Howell.
Shreveport man sentenced to 20 years in prison for methamphetamine chargeRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man was sentenced Thursday to 240 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Dondell Pea, 30, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release. According to the October 24, 2016 guilty plea, Pea was arrested on May 26, 2016 after returning home. He had made arrangements to sell methamphetamine with a buyer. Agents found him with 266.3 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle and a .40 caliber handgun in his home.
The DEA and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tennille M. Gilreath and Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.
Second Manufacturer of Defective North Carolina Bridge Parts Sentenced to 35 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH -United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce announced that today in federal court before United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, SANTIAGO DE LA TORRE, 45, of Cicero, Illinois, was sentenced to serve 35 months in federal prison ori harges of Conspiracy to Make False Statements Concerning Highway Projects, and Perjury. The defendant was also ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release and to make restitution.
In October of 2011 a federal highway contractor discovered a defect in a grouping of elastomeric bridge bearings that had been shipped for use on bridges in North Carolina. An elastomeric bridge bearing is a slab of rubber that is reinforced with multiple layers of steel and placed underneath bridges to absorb shock. The bearings were defective because the steel plates were exposed, subjecting them to the elements and creating the potential for deterioration. The North Carolina Department of Transportation began an investigation and found systematic problems with the bearings that had been shipped, and in some instances installed, on bridge projects throughout the state. In total, 1,270 of the shipped bearings were found to be nonconforming and defective. The bearings were shipped in connection with 25 different highway projects in North Carolina between May of 2009 and October of 2011. Upon further investigation , the Department of Transportation found that many of the bridge bearings had come from a company named Delgado Elastomeric Bearings Corporation, located in the Chicago
area.The United States Department of Transportation conducted a criminal investigation into the creation and shipment of the defective bridge bearings. It was discovered that the North Carolina application to supply the bridge bearings to local contractors had been forged. The name of a teenager with no knowledge of how to manufactur e bridge bearings was fraudulently used on the application. This teenager was also held out by Delgado Elastomeric Bearings Corporation as the vice president of the company, when in fact, the teenager had no idea of this title. This same name and title had also been used on all certificates sent to North Carolina highway contractors certifying the conformity of the bearings with applicable state and federal regulations.
Ultimately,the investigation revealed that the defendant, SANTIAGO DE LA TORRE, and his brother Joel De La Torre, had forged the name of the teenager on the documents described above. Inspection of the Chicago facility used to manufacture the bridge bearings revealed that the facility did not contain the required testing devices and machinery which would have revealed the defects in the bridge bearings.
SANTIAGO DE LA TORRE committed perjury in the grand jury when he was asked if he had ever seen testing certification documents. In fact, conversations recorded by the FBI showed that the defendant had seen the certifications and was knowledgeable about the use of the teenager's name on the documents. Prior to the defendant's arrest, the defendant also encouraged his brother to flee to Mexico rather than face prosecution.
Although not presently incurred, costs associated with the replacement of the bearings are expected over time to exceed $5 Million due to the difficulty in removing the bearings from beneath existing structures, engineering costs, and traffic control. Federal and state agencies have reported that there is no immediate threat to safety due to the faulty bearings, which will be monitored and replaced over time.
Joel De La Torre was previously sentenced on April 21, 2016, and ordered to serve 35 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the United States.
Roseville Woman Sentenced to 9.5 Years in Prison for Mortgage Fraud Scheme and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Senior U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced Alla Samchuk, 45, of Roseville, to nine and a half years in prison for a mortgage fraud scheme and obstruction of justice, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
A federal jury returned a verdict in August 2016 finding her guilty of six counts of bank fraud, six counts of making a false statement to a financial institution, one count of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2006 through 2008, Samchuk, a licensed real estate salesperson, orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme involving three properties in the Sacramento area using straw buyers. Two of the houses were purchased so that Samchuk herself could occupy them. She lacked the ability to qualify for a loan, so she instead recruited straw buyers to apply for the loans in their names. Samchuk caused the submission of loan applications containing false representations of income, employment, assets, and a false indication that the straw buyers would occupy the homes as their primary residence.
A second objective of the scheme was to obtain HELOC (home equity line of credit) funds. According to evidence at trial, on two of the properties, Samchuk diverted or attempted to divert HELOC funds to her own benefit. Samchuk caused the HELOC loans to fund by submitting false statements and documents to the lender regarding the qualifications of the straw buyers.
The scheme involved two properties in Roseville and one in El Dorado Hills. In 2007, Samchuk filed an application for a HELOC on one of the properties without the straw buyer’s knowledge or consent. To obtain the HELOC, she forged the signature of the straw buyer on a short form deed of trust that she caused to be notarized and recorded. The stated purpose of the HELOC was home improvement, but once the line of credit was funded, Samchuk quickly diverted all of the funds to her own use, spending the proceeds on a Lexus and the repayment of a substantial personal debt.
Samchuk received a higher sentence because the district court found that she obstructed justice when she threatened a witness not to report the crime to federal authorities. The court found that Samchuk’s statements to the witness constituted a threat that Samchuk purposefully calculated to dissuade the witness from alerting law enforcement about the fraud.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath and Andre M. Espinosa prosecuted the case.
Pittsburgh Teen Charged with Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal drug and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The two-count indictment, returned on Feb.21 and unsealed today, named Sidney Pack, 18, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about December 31, 2016, Pack possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance. Additionally, Pack possessed a .40 caliber Glock pistol, in furtherance of said drug trafficking crime.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 5 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. Johnston is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Pittsburgh Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent, deter and prosecute gun crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Owners of Popular Ocean City, New Jersey, Pizza Restaurants Sentenced on Tax Evasion, Structuring and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – The owners of popular Ocean City, New Jersey, restaurant chain Manco & Manco Pizza were sentenced today for evading taxes, structuring cash payments to avoid reporting requirements and lying to IRS special agents, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Charles Bangle, 57, of Somers Point, New Jersey, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to Count 5 of an indictment charging him with evading taxes with respect to his 2010 personal tax returns and Count 30 charging him with structuring financial transactions in 2011 to avoid reporting requirements. His wife, Mary Bangle, 56, also of Somers Point, was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $3,000. She previously pleaded guilty to Count 7 of the same indictment, which charges her with knowingly making materially false statements to IRS special agents. Judge Kugler imposed the sentences today in Camden federal court.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Manco & Manco Pizza – formerly Mack & Manco – is an iconic restaurant located in the heart of Ocean City’s Boardwalk and maintains three stores on the Boardwalk and one store in Somers Point. Charles and Mary Bangle were employees of Mack & Manco Pizza until they purchased a controlling interest in 2011. Charles Bangle handled the day-to-day operations of the business and Mary Bangle was responsible for handling cash and payroll.
Charles Bangle admitted to substantially underreporting his income on his 2010 U.S. individual income tax return, specifically, failing to report additional taxable income that he deposited in cash into his bank account during that year. According to the indictment, by only reporting $127,955 in 2010 and omitting an additional $263,113 in taxable income, Charles Bangle avoided $91,577 in taxes. Charles Bangle also admitted to making cash deposits into his TD Bank account in February of 2011 in increments of less than $10,000 in order to prevent TD Bank from filing a Currency Transaction Report with the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Mary Bangle admitted that she was interviewed by IRS special agents on May 30, 2012, at which time she was asked questions about her personal bank account. Mary Bangle falsely stated that when cash receipts came into the business she only retained enough to pay that week’s payroll and some bills, when in fact she retained cash receipts for her personal use. Mary Bangle also lied to agents about the amount of cash deposited into her personal banking account, which was substantially more that the net pay listed on her W-2 forms issued by Manco and Manco Pizza.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Charles Bangle to three years of supervised release, ordered him to pay restitution of $248,560 and fined him $5,000. He allowed Bangle until Sept. 10, 2017, to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencings.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.
Defense counsel: Laurence S. Shtasel Esq., Philadelphia
Niagara County Man Sentenced for Threatening the President Second TimeRead 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 Jared Brown, 20, of Niagara County, NY, has been sentenced to serve 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo for violating the terms and conditions of his supervised release. The violation and sentence arose after Brown, in a 911 call to the Lockport City Police Department on December 26, 2016, threatened to kill then President-elect Donald Trump.
According to Assistant U. S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, who handled the case, at the time of the 911 call, Brown was already serving a three-year term of supervised release, which followed a 15-month prison sentenced that the defendant served for previously threatening to kill former-President Barack Obama.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Lewis Robinson and the Lockport Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Niethe.
Newnan Woman Sentenced for Financial Aid Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Andrea R. Williams has been sentenced to six years and seven months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for using stolen identities to file dozens of fraudulent federal student aid applications.
“Williams stole the identities of dozens of innocent victims, using them to file fraudulent student aid applications,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “Identity theft is a growing problem, one that turns up in every segment of our society. We encourage all citizens to be diligent in checking their credit reports, and monitoring their e-mail and social media for suspicious activity. If something does not seem legitimate, most likely it is not.”
“Federal student aid exists so that individuals can make their dream of a higher education a reality. Ensuring that those who steal student aid – through identity theft or other means - are stopped and held accountable for their criminal actions is a big part of our mission,” said Yessyka Santana, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Southeastern Regional Office. “I’m proud of the work of the Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners for their work in this case and we will continue to work together to stop those who steal Federal education funds. America’s students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: From in or about January 2013 until in or about November 2015, Williams filed dozens of fraudulent financial student aid applications (FSA), mostly with community colleges in Dallas County, Texas. The Dallas County Community College network identified similarities in a series of applications and sought assistance from the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The similarities identified included a common IP address associated with over half of the suspicious applications. Additionally, three of the fraudulent applications listed dependents who were identified as Williams’ minor children. Finally, in one application, Williams signed her own name on paperwork she submitted, instead of the name of the stolen identity she used to file the FSA.
In total, Williams received more than $200,000 in financial aid out of the over $500,000 that she was awarded. When confronted by law enforcement, Williams admitted to this conduct and explained that she stole the identities from the patient database of a healthcare company where she briefly worked. She also admitted to using stolen identities to obtain numerous credit cards which she used to purchase electronics, clothing, and furniture. Finally, she admitted that she forged a doctor's signature on a medical disability statement in order to get approximately $47,000 of her personal education debt discharged.
Andrea R. Williams, 36, of Newnan, Georgia, has been sentenced to six years, seven months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, to pay a $200 special assessment, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $277,434.50. Williams has been convicted on these charges on October 6, 2016, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C. Schulman prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga
New Haven Woman Charged with Fraud and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging LESHANDA LONG, 36, of New Haven, with five counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment was returned yesterday and LONG was arrested today. LONG appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven and was released on bond.
As alleged in the indictment, in August 2016, LONG stole the identity of an individual and used the misappropriated identity to obtain a credit card, rent an automobile, pay personal expenses and obtain cash advances.
The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count, and the charge of aggravated identity theft carries mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of 24 months.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the West Haven Police Department and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
New Haven Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OMAR POLANCO-MENDEZ, 40, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the fall of 2015, the DEA New Haven Task Force initiated an investigation into a cocaine trafficking organization headed by Halby “Harv” Lopez. POLANCO-MENDEZ and Bernardo “Benny” Roman-Rolan were the second and third in command, respectively. The investigation revealed that Lopez, POLANCO-MENDEZ and Roman-Rolan were obtaining bulk quantities of cocaine from multiple suppliers and redistributing the cocaine to a network of New Haven-area street-level dealers. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of drugs and the seizure of multiple kilograms of cocaine.
On February 11, 2016, POLANCO-MENDEZ arranged for the delivery of approximately two kilograms of cocaine, which was intercepted and seized by law enforcement. On March 2, 2016, POLANCO-MENDEZ arranged and took delivery of one kilogram of cocaine. On March 11, 2016, POLANCO-MENDEZ was arrested after he took possession of approximately two kilograms of cocaine, the delivery of which had been arranged by Lopez.
On March 24, 2016, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 13-count indictment charging POLANCO-MENDEZ, Lopez, Roman-Rolan and seven other individuals with various narcotics offenses. All of the defendants pleaded guilty.
POLANCO-MENDEZ has been detained since his arrest. On September 7, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute between five kilograms and 15 kilograms of cocaine.
Lopez and Roman-Rolan await sentencing.
The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Caruso and Jennifer Laraia.Nashua Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice today announced that Wilfredo Tanon Rodriguez (56), pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents and statements made during Tanon’s plea hearing, on July 1, 2016, the Nashua Police Department dispatched several officers to a city apartment complex parking lot. The officers were dispatched in response to a citizen complaint about drug dealing activity at that location. The ensuing police surveillance resulted in the traffic stop of a vehicle in which Tanon was riding in the front passenger seat.
Tanon consented to a search and the police found approximately 279 grams of cocaine in his possession. After his arrest, Tanon admitted that, at the time of the traffic stop, he had been delivering the cocaine to a third party. Two firearms were found in a car belonging to Tanon which was parked in the apartment complex that was the focus of the original police surveillance.
Tanon is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2017.
The driver of the car in which Tanon was riding, Luis D. Capo-Nieves, is scheduled to be tried on a related charge on March 8, 2017.
This matter was investigated by the Nashua Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Missouri man sentenced to 57 months in prison for possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a man from Missouri was sentenced Thursday to 57 months in prison for possessing child pornography, including images of children under the age of 12.
Douglas Beer, 49, of Ballwin, Mo., but who previously lived in Lafayette Parish, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of possession of child pornography involving a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. According to the July 25, 2016 guilty plea, law enforcement agents received information that a computer in Lafayette Parish was being used to download child pornography. Agents conducted a search of Beer’s residence in Lafayette Parish on March 9, 2016. Beer admitted to downloading child pornography, and agents found more than 600 images with some depicting children under the age of 12.
Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.
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 marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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.
Mills County Iowa Man Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On February 24, 2017, Daniel Logan Walden, 69, formerly of Glenwood, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt to 87 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Walden was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.
On October 7, 2016, Walden entered a guilty plea to a federal indictment charging him with possession of child pornography on or about May 9, 2014. The charge was the result of an investigation by the Glenwood Iowa Police Department for an allegation that Walden sexually assaulted a minor female. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant; during the May 9, 2014, search of Walden's residence, numerous images of child pornography were recovered, both in printed form and on computer-storage devices.
This investigation was conducted by the Glenwood Iowa Police Department, the Ralston Nebraska Police Department, the Mills County Attorney's Office, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Cyber Crimes Unit. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Learn more about this release by contacting Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at [email protected]
Meth Dealer Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Marquis Lamambus Polite, also known as “Yogi,” of Mobile, was sentenced on February 15, 2016, for his participation in the distribution of methamphetamine ice. Testimony at the sentencing hearing established that Polite recruited couriers to travel to Decatur, Huntsville and Pensacola to pick up large amounts of methamphetamine ice, which were brought back to Mobile for distribution. Polite also supplied several local distributors who sold the drugs on the street. Polite was arrested when Mobile County sheriff’s deputies received information that he was distributing methamphetamine ice at a local motel. They followed him away from the motel and eventually stopped his vehicle when he committed a traffic violation. He was found in possession of approximately 48 grams of methamphetamine ice at that time. Polite had pled guilty to the charge in August of 2016.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed a sentence of imprisonment of 120 months. She also ordered that Polite commence a three-year term of supervised release when he is discharged from incarceration. As conditions of his supervision, Polite will be subject to testing and treatment for drug abuse. No fine was imposed.
The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Mercer County, New Jersey, School Bus Driver Admits Distributing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Yardville, New Jersey, man today admitted using his e-mail account to distribute images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Christopher Walsh, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From June 15, 2014 through Jan. 10, 2016, Walsh’s email account either sent or received a total of 1,590 files that contained content constituting child pornography. Walsh, who was a school bus driver, admitted today that on Aug. 2, 2015, he knowingly emailed a video depicting child sexual abuse to another individual.
Walsh faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence S. Opiola, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly S. Lorber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Public Defender Lisa Van Hoeck Esq., Trenton, New Jersey.Member of Mexican Sex Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 188 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Paulino Ramirez-Granados, a member of the Granados family sex trafficking ring, based in Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, Mexico, was sentenced to over 15 years’ incarceration and five years’ supervised release by United States District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, based on his guilty plea to trafficking young Mexican women into the United States and forcing them into prostitution. He was also ordered to pay restitution to Jane Doe #1 in the amount of $1,229,760. Paulino Ramirez-Granados is the latest member of the Granados organization to be sentenced in this case since 2013.
The sentence was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York. The sentence was based on the defendant’s guilty plea last July to federal sex trafficking charges.
As established during court proceedings, the defendant, working with other members of the Granados family, smuggled numerous young women from Mexico to New York between 2000 and 2010, and then forced them, using threats and violence, to work as prostitutes in New York City and elsewhere. The male members of the Granados trafficking ring used false promises of romance and marriage to lure the victims into relationships and convince them to travel to the United States to make money so that they could build homes for themselves in Mexico. As further established in sentencing proceedings in this investigation, the victims of the Granados family were also routinely subjected to violence, threats and sexual assaults by the defendants. The defendant Paulino Ramirez-Granados additionally impregnated one of the women and then threatened that she would never see her child again if she did not continue to prostitute for him.
"This extensive Mexican sex trafficking operation has preyed upon countless young women, exploiting and dehumanizing these victims in terrible ways, in order to line their own pockets. This prosecution and sentence signify the dismantling of an exploitative family organization and our continued commitment to seeking justice for its victims,” stated United States Attorney Capers.
“With a promise of companionship and a better life in the United States, Paulino Ramirez-Granados, instead trafficked unsuspecting women from Mexico into a life of exploitation and prostitution here in New York,” said HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “HSI agents will relentlessly pursue human trafficking organizations and its members until they are all dismantled and brought to justice.”
Jane Doe #1 stated that the defendant Paulino and his co-conspirator “made promises that we would escape poverty if I worked in prostitution. But it never happened …. Women who are forced into prostitution never do so. [The defendant and his co-conspirator] were the ones who escaped poverty through the sexual slavery of myself and other women. I see now how I was utilized and forced into prostitution with false promises of love, and I never received that love. I lost the best moments of my life, when I could have been with my family.”
“For years I cried in silence. I carry with me the scars of [the defendant and his co-conspirator’s] abuse every day, but I can no longer be silent. I am here today so that [the defendant] may never be able to force another woman into prostitution. For myself, for the other women he has victimized, and for the women I hope he never has the chance to hurt in the future…”
Since 2009, the Department of Justice and HSI have collaborated with Mexican law enforcement counterparts in a Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative aimed at strengthening high-impact prosecutions under both U.S. and Mexican law. The initiative is aimed at dismantling human trafficking networks operating across the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing human traffickers to justice, reuniting victims with their children and restoring the rights and dignity of human trafficking victims held under the trafficking networks’ control. These efforts have resulted in successful prosecutions in both Mexico and the United States, including U.S. federal prosecutions of more than 50 defendants in multiple cases in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Texas since 2009, and numerous Mexican federal and state prosecutions of associated sex traffickers. In the Eastern District of New York’s comprehensive anti-trafficking program, more than 70 defendants have been indicted in sex trafficking cases to date, and provided assistance to more than 135 victims, including 39 minors. In addition, through the Eastern District of New York’s anti-trafficking program, 18 children have been reunited with their victim-mothers.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Sasso is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
PAULINO RAMIREZ-GRANADOS
Age: 39
Tenancingo, Mexico
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 11-CR-557
Man Charged with Center City Philadelphia Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Stephen Arellano, 59 of Philadelphia, PA was charged yesterday by Indictment with one count of bank robbery, announced Acting United States Louis D. Lappen. The indictment charges that the defendant robbed the Republic Bank, at 1601 Market Street in Philadelphia, on November 16, 2016. Arellano stole approximately $860 in U.S. currency from the victim teller.
If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years’ supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Eric A. Boden.
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed
innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Interfering with a Flight CrewRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Jerry Ba Nguyen, 24, of Las Vegas, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty, before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant, Jr., to interference with flight crew members and attendants, announced U.S Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Nguyen, who has been in custody since his arrest in September 2016, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing will be set at a later date by U.S. Senior District Judge Sam R. Cummings.
According to plea documents filed in the case, on September 22, 2016 Nguyen was a passenger on American Airlines flight 2542 in route from Ontario, California, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which was diverted to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, after Nguyen, knowingly interfered and attempted to interfere with the performance of the duties of a flight crew member and flight attendant, lessening their ability to perform their duties, by assaulting and intimidating the flight attendant and flight crew member by refusing to comply with instructions from flight attendants.
Nguyen came to the attention of the flight attendants as the plane was leaving the gate in Ontario, appearing agitated and walking toward the front of the aircraft as it prepared to take off. Flight attendants were able to calm him down, and the plane departed. After takeoff, however, Nguyen’s erratic behavior continued; he mumbled that the SIM card had been stolen from his phone and he made suicidal statements. He also stated that the police were not his friends, and the U.S. government was responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Nguyen was asked to remain in his seat by the flight crew on multiple occasions, but refused. Flight attendants were so concerned about his behavior that they recruited several passengers to assist with physically restraining Nguyen if it became necessary.
Upon final approach, Nguyen walked to the front of the aircraft and was near the cockpit door. Flight attendants instructed Nguyen numerous times that he needed to be seated for landing, but Nguyen refused to take his seat. Due to Nguyen’s proximity to the cockpit door, the lead flight attendant signaled other passengers to subdue Nguyen.
The Captain declared an emergency and diverted the flight to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, where it landed safely. Nguyen was removed from the plane and taken into custody
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration, the Lubbock Police Department and the Lubbock International Airport Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag is in charge of the prosecution.
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Lancaster County Woman Sentenced for Straw Purchase of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Contact Person: William Witherspoon (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Lillie Mae Govea, age 26, of Lancaster, South Carolina was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for straw purchasing a firearm. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis of Columbia sentenced Govea to 10 months in federal prison.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on October 21, 2014, a Lancaster County deputy met with Govea about her pistol being stolen. According to Govea, someone had stolen her pistol out of the trunk of her car. She indicated that the only person who had been in the trunk of the car was her boyfriend.
The officer then contacted the boyfriend who told the officer that a friend of his named "Nick" had asked Govea to purchase a pistol for him. Nick gave Govea and the boyfriend money and told them to make the purchase at a named local gun store. Govea agreed. Govea indicated that during the entire drive to the gun store, her boyfriend was on the telephone asking for directions. When they got to the store, he showed her a picture of a specific pistol that had been previously advertised by the store. However, the store did not have the pistol in stock so they urchased a different pistol and ammunition instead.
On the way back home, the boyfriend was talking to someone on the telephone and told them they would be returning shortly. When they returned, a black male that she did not know approached them, gave her additional money for the pistol and took the pistol out of the car. The boyfriend told Govea to wait three (3) days to report the pistol stolen in case Nick did something "bad" with it. Govea waited less than one (1) day to report the pistol stolen. The pistol was later found in the possession of a convicted felon during a search by another police jurisdiction.
The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lancaster County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.
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Keenan Davis Found Guilty by Jury TrialRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that Keenan Davis, 40, of Fort Wayne, Indiana was found guilty, after a 4-day jury trial. Davis was convicted of 2 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to documents filed in this case, Davis had two prior felony convictions on his record and was found to be in possession of a firearm.
This case was prosecuted as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Miller-Lowery.
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Jury Convicts Rio Grande Valley Area Durable Medical Equipment Company Owner of Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas ‐ A McAllen federal jury has convicted the owner of an area durable medical equipment (DME) company owner on all counts for her scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid through fraudulent billings, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. The jury deliberated for six hours following a seven-day trial before convicting Maria Garza, 41, of McAllen, on all 18 counts as charged.
Garza was an owner of the DME company Hacienda DME in McAllen.
She was found guilty of causing others to submit false and fraudulent claims to Texas Medicaid for incontinence supplies that were not provided and/or were not authorized by a physician. Garza and her co-conspirators forged and/or caused others to forge the signatures of physicians on the required prescription forms. She then billed or caused others to bill for larger, higher-paying sizes of pull-ups and diapers regardless of whether those sizes were needed or provided in order to receive higher reimbursements from Texas Medicaid.
The jury heard that from March 2008 through August 2013, Garza sent false and fraudulent claims totaling approximately $2,505,064.50 to Texas Medicaid for DME allegedly provided to Texas Medicaid recipients. The billings were false and fraudulent because the DME was not delivered and/or was not authorized as claimed. Texas Medicaid paid out $1,805,940.12 on the false and fraudulent claims. The jury also heard that Garza and her co-conspirators illegally used the identities of physicians in submitting the unlawful billings to Texas Medicaid.
Garza paid illegal kickbacks in the form of cash and/or checks in exchange for patient information, specifically, the patient Texas Medicaid numbers. Further, she and her co-conspirators bought back supplies that had previously been delivered to Texas Medicaid recipients so that they could utilize the same supplies again in a scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid.
- jury also convicted Garza of threatening the use of physical force and/or attempting to use intimidation against others charged in the conspiracy.
She faces up to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and each of the 11 counts of health care fraud. For the two counts of witness tampering, the punishment is a possible 20-year-maximum sentence. Further, she must face an additional and mandatory 24 months for the four counts of aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to the other sentences imposed.
The Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services‐Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Andrew Swartz are prosecuting the case.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Sheldon Lamont Jackson (43, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. Due to his status as an Armed Career Criminal, he faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop, a deputy with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office discovered a loaded, semi-automatic handgun hidden under the driver’s seat of the car that Jackson was driving. During the investigation that followed, Jackson unsuccessfully attempted to dissuade a witness from providing information to law enforcement. Prior to his arrest in this case, Jackson had multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for sale of cocaine and resisting arrest with violence, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
Irondequoit Woman Sentenced for Production and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a Megan McDonald, 36, of Irondequoit, NY, who was convicted of production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that in March 2015, law enforcement officers interviewed Jason Cortese who advised that he had received images of child pornography from McDonald. A forensic review of images from Cortese’s iPhone recovered sexually explicit images of two prepubescent minors.Cortese has been convicted of enticement of a minor and was sentenced to 135 months in prison. Cortese used the internet and a smart phone to persuade a 12-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit activity.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Adam S. Cohen. The task force includes the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations.
On February 23, 2017, a controlled delivery of 18 kilograms of “sham” cocaine was made by Wilkie to Nowak at a local hotel. During their meeting, Wilkie and Nowak discussed, among other things, Nowak’s ongoing relationship with the Mexican cocaine source of supply. At one point during the conversation, Wilkie opened the duffel bag to expose the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine. Following the conversation, Nowak took possession of the duffel bag containing the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine and exited the hotel room. As he exited the motel, Nowak was arrested by DEA agents.
Following that arrest, arrangements were made for Nowak to deliver the cocaine to defendant Rodriguez at an automotive shop on Kenmore Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. Once again, drug related conversation preceded the transfer of the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine from Nowak to Rodriguez. Rodriguez was arrested in possession of the duffle bag.
The defendants were arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and are being detained pending a hearing on February 28, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, The Drug Enforcement Administration, Fairview Heights, IL Resident Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tucson District Office, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, the Buffalo Police Department, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, the Niagara Falls Police Department, New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department, the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police Department, the Hamburg Police Department, the Lackawanna Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine unit, and the Cheektowaga Police Department.
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.
Indictment Unsealed Charging Brothers with Conspiracy to Counterfeit United States Currency and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – An indictment was unsealed today charging DANIEL TIMOTHY JOHNSON, 33, of Bethany, Oklahoma, and BENJAMIN LEE JOHNSON, 31, of Oklahoma City, with conspiracy to counterfeit United States currency and drug charges, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. Daniel Johnson is also charged with additional counterfeiting counts and for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition as a prior convicted felon. This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service assisted by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
In Counts 1 and 2, the indictment alleges that from July 1, 2015, through February 19, 2016, the Johnson brothers illegally manufactured marijuana plants and maintained an illegal drug house at 900 N. Rockwell, Oklahoma City. If convicted, they each face up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the manufacturing charge and up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the manufacturing charge.
In Count 3, the indictment alleges that the Johnson brothers conspired to use computer software to digitally manipulate images of Unites States Federal Reserve Notes. It is alleged that three types of printing technologies were used, including offset lithography, inkjet, and toner technology, to print the counterfeit notes onto sheets of paper. It is alleged that the paper was chemically treated prior to printing the counterfeit notes to prevent potential image distortion by inhibiting the ink’s ability to be absorbed into the paper. The printed sheets were dried on drying racks after which the defendants would sell cuts and uncut sheets to buyers throughout the United States. The counterfeiting operation is alleged to have taken place in commercial office space leased by Daniel Johnson on May 1, 2014, at the Regency Park Plaza in Oklahoma City. It is alleged that the Johnsons manufactured approximately $149,200 of completed counterfeit currency that was found inside the Regency Park Plaza office on Februay19, 2016. If convicted, each defendant faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the Count 3 conspiracy charge.
Count 4 alleges that Daniel Johnson specifically engaged in counterfeiting United States currency. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on this charge.
Count 5 alleges that Daniel Johnson illegally possessed analog, digital and electronic images of United States currency. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on this charge.
In Counts 6 and 7, Daniel Johnson is also charged with being a prior convicted felon illegally in possession of ammunition on February 19, 2016, and a firearm and more ammunition on May 19, 2016. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Benjamin Johnson was arrested earlier today and appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge this afternoon. Daniel Johnson remains at large and is considered a fugitive. Anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts is asked to contact the United States Secret Service or the FBI.
The public is reminded the indictment merely contains accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to court filings for further information.
The case is being prosecuted by United States Attorney Mark Yancey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown.
Illinois Man Sentenced to 36 Years for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Michael Michalak (54) to 36 years and 8 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the transportation of child pornography and distributing child pornography. The Court also ordered Michalak to forfeit two cellphones and a computer that had been used in furtherance of the commission of the offenses. He pleaded guilty on November 30, 2016.
According to court documents, Michalak used Facebook and other mobile applications to send links to images and videos child of pornography to an undercover FBI agent. During the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Michalak had sexually assaulted children before the commission of this offense. The Court found that Michalak engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Huntsville Woman Indicted for Illegal Firearms DealingsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted a Huntsville woman for dealing firearms illegally, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido.
A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges TALARI STARRLEATTA WILLIAMS, 24, with dealing in firearms without a license between May 30, 2015, and Sept. 18, 2015, in Madison County. The indictment also charges Williams with five counts of providing false information when buying 12 firearms during that time period.
According to the indictment, Williams bought the guns from a licensed dealer, but submitted a false statement to an employee of the gun store representing that she was buying the guns for herself, when she was purchasing them for someone else.
The guns listed in counts two through six as purchased through Williams’ misrepresentation were: a Jimenez .380-caliber pistol on May 30, 2015; a Hi-Point .380-caliber pistol, a Hi-Point .40-caliber pistol and a Hi-Point 9mm pistol on Aug. 8, 2015; a Taurus .45-caliber/.410-gauge revolver, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol and a Hi-Point .40-caliber pistol on Aug. 25, 2015; a Hi-Point .45-caliber pistol, a Jimenez .380-caliber pistol and a Cobra .380-caliber pistol on Sept. 2, 2015; and a Cobra .380-caliber pistol and a Jimenez .380-caliber pistol on Sept. 18, 2015. All the guns were bought at JC’s Guns and Tackle in Huntsville.
The maximum penalty for dealing in firearms without a license and for providing false information when buying firearms is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The ATF investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Grand Jury Indicts Birmingham Man for Robbing Bank and Taking HostagesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted a Birmingham man for the Jan. 10 robbery of a credit union branch in Tuscaloosa, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton.
A three-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges CEDRICK LAMAR COLLINS, 18, with one count of bank robbery and two counts of hostage-taking during the robbery of an Alabama Credit Union on Paul Bryant Drive East. The credit union’s deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
One hostage-taking count charges that Collins, while attempting to avoid apprehension for bank robbery, forced 11 people to accompany him without their consent. The second hostage count charges that Collin’s took the 11 credit union employees hostage in order to compel a governmental organization, in this case the Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama police departments, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, not to take him into custody as an explicit condition for release of the hostages.
Police were able to arrest Collins at the credit union the day of the robbery and released all employees who had been held inside.
The maximum prison penalty for bank robbery is 20 years. The charge of taking a hostage while attempting to flea a bank robbery carries a minimum 10-year prison sentence. The charge of taking someone hostage to force a specific government action carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The FBI investigated the case in conjunction with the Tuscaloosa and University of Alabama police departments and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Felton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Canadian MoneyGram and Western Union Agent Sentenced to 6o Months’ Imprisonment on Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Alex Mgbolu, age 45, of Toronto, Canada, was sentenced February 23, 2017 to 60 months’ imprisonment by Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for conspiring to defraud hundreds of American citizens out of more than $2.1 million in an international mass marketing consumer fraud scheme. Chief Judge Conner also ordered Mgbolu to pay $1,372,602 in restitution.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Mgbolu, a former Western Union and MoneyGram agent, pleaded guilty in August 2016, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
Mgbolu conspired with Chima Nneji, William Nneji, and other unnamed individuals between July 2002 and May 2010, to commit the crimes. Mgbolu was extradited to the United States from Canada.
Mgbolui was the owner/operator of a Western Union agency called FA CAM Associates (FA CAM) and a MoneyGram agency also known as FA CAM. Both agencies were located in Toronto, Canada. Between July 2002 and May 2010, international mass marketing fraudsters allegedly instructed hundreds of consumer fraud victims across the United States to send Western Union and MoneyGram money transfers to Canada where the transfers were paid out by Mgbolu at FA CAM. Mgbolu concealed the fraudsters’ identity by entering false names and identification data into the Western Union and MoneyGram computer data bases. Analysts from the Toronto Police and U.S. Postal Inspection Service have determined that over 90% of the payee addresses and identification numbers entered at FA CAM were invalid. For his role in the scheme Mgbolu retained a portion of the money transfers before sending the balance of the proceeds on to the fraudsters.
As a Western Union agent, between July 2002 and April 2006, FA CAM paid out 213 money transfers totaling $453,119 that were reported by the senders as having been fraud induced. As a MoneyGram agent, FA CAM paid out 67 transfers totaling $149,723 between August 2006 and September 2007 that were reported by the senders as having been fraud induced.
After Western Union terminated FA CAM and MoneyGram restricted FA CAM’s ability to pay out money transfers, money transfer checks from other fraud-complicit MoneyGram Western Union agents in the greater Toronto area were deposited into FA CAM’s bank account. The deposit of fraudulently induced funds into what appears to be a legitimate business bank account and the subsequent reissuance of the proceeds via checks and wire transfers helps to launder the proceeds and conceal the identity of the fraudsters is known as “check pooling.”
Overall, between July 2002 and May 2010, FA CAM and the 13 complicit Western Union and MoneyGram agents paid out 907 money transfers totaling $2,127,410 that were reported by the senders as being fraud induced.
Codefendant Chima Nneji pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge before Judge Conner on July 21, 2016. Nneji was sentenced on December 7, 2016, to 45 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $381,729 in restitution.
The lower restitution amount is due in part to monies compensated to victims as part of the U.S. v. MoneyGram, deferred prosecution agreement in the Middle District of Pennsylvania which established a $100 million restitution fund in 2013 for MoneyGram customers that were victims of consumer fraud. A $586 million dollar restitution fund was also recently established for victims of consumer frauds who sent their monies through the Western Union money transfer system. Like the MoneyGram fund, the Western Union fund was established in January of this year as a result of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the US Department of Justice.
Codefendant William Nneji remains a fugitive from justice.
The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service, and assisted by the Toronto Police. Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel prosecuted the case.
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Former Bank Teller Sentenced for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
Boston – A former bank teller at the former Lenox National Bank was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Springfield in connection with embezzling more than $378,000 from the bank and concealing the theft with false bank records.
Melissa K. Scolforo, 48, of Lee, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 10 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $378,000 in restitution. In May 2016, Scolforo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to embezzle funds from a bank.
Scolforo, a teller at Lenox National Bank for 24 years, conspired with another bank teller, Bernadine Powers, to embezzle money from the teller drawers and make false entries in bank records to hide the thefts. Scolforo began stealing money in January 2009, and Powers joined the scheme about a year later. The two tellers stole a total of $378,000 which they used to pay personal expenses – including shopping, dining at restaurants, and paying household bills –before the embezzlement was brought to light during a bank audit in November 2013.
In December 2016, Powers was sentenced to 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $299,793.
Lenox National Bank has since been acquired by Adams Community Bank.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Goodwin of Weinreb’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Federal Prison Inmate Sentenced for Possession of ContrabandRead the Press Release
Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Mario L. Gordon, age 37, of Chicago, Illinois was sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment on February 23, 2017 for possession of a controlled substance inside the federal prison at Greenville, Illinois.
Gordon’s 6-month sentence must be served consecutively to his original 2002 sentence of 360 months for Possession With Intent to Deliver Cocaine.
At his change of plea hearing, Gordon admitted that he had possessed "K-2," a form of synthetic marijuana, on July 1, 2016 while he was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution ("FCI") in Greenville, Illinois.
The investigation which resulted in Gordon’s arrest and conviction was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Garrison.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Two Men in Unrelated Cocaine Distribution CasesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today returned separate and unrelated indictments against two men for each possessing multiple pounds of cocaine in Greene County, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bret Hamilton.
A one-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges SILVEIIO CANALES-LICONA, 56, of Roosevelt, N.Y., with possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine in Green County on Dec. 22. A second one-count indictment charges ANDRE RICHARD HARRIS, 54, of Detroit, with the same offense on Nov. 21 in Greene County.
Both men were arrested following traffic stops on Interstate 20/59.
The prison penalty for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms (11 pounds) or more of cocaine is 10 years to life. The maximum fine is $10 million.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Shutt is prosecuting both cases.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Two Dallas Men for Distributing Large Amounts of Heroin in North TexasRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A federal grand jury in Dallas returned an indictment yesterday charging Reyes Alvarez, 32, and Pedro Calixto, 27, both of Dallas, Texas with one count each of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
A date and time for their arraignments has not been set yet.
According to documents filed in the case, in January 2017, Alvarez and Calixto worked together to distribute large amounts of heroin in the Dallas area.
Specifically, on January 26, 2017, the investigation revealed Alvarez and Calixto drove to a gym, and while en route, Calixto received a call asking if he could sell a kilogram of heroin. Following several calls, Calixto agreed to deliver a kilogram of heroin. Calixto and Alvarez left the gymnasium and returned to an apartment at Kiest and Polk. A short time later, the two left the apartment and drove south toward the area of Red Bird Lane and South Polk Street. A Dallas County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped the vehicle occupied by Alvarez and Calixto for having an expired buyer’s license plate. Alvarez presented a fraudulent California Driver’s license, and the officer noted that the vehicle smelled of freshly burnt marijuana. The officers asked Alvarez and Calixto to step out of the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a kilogram of heroin under the passenger seat where Calixto had been seating. A field test of the heroin yielded a positive result for the presence of heroin.
A federal indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, each count in the indictment carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and 10,000,000 fine.
The matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanna Etessam is in charge of the prosecution.
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Eleventh Defendant Pleads Guilty to being involved in Loren Toelle Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE – William Jaquett Barker, 31, of Williston, North Dakota, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Barker was indicted by a federal grand Jury in Coeur d'Alene in April of 2016.
According to the plea agreement, Barker admitted that he and others joined and agreed with each other to distribute controlled substances in Idaho and elsewhere. Although the conspiracy lasted from at least 2009 until the arrests on February 4, 2016, Barker did not join the conspiracy until 2015. Barker maintained a residence in North Dakota where a member of the conspiracy came to sell heroin and oxycodone. Barker also admitted that he helped conceal, transport and sell controlled substances during his involvement.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, and up to a life time of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for June 20, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.
The case was investigated as part as the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force which included the CDA Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Kootenai County Sheriff, North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF), and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The OCDETF program is a federal multi agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Eleven Individuals and One Company Charged in Florida with Exporting Prohibited Articles to SyriaRead the Press Release
Ali Caby, a/k/a “Alex Caby,” 40, a U.S. permanent resident currently residing in Bulgaria; Arash Caby, a/k/a “Axel Caby,” 43, of Miami, Florida; and Marjan Caby, 34, of Miami, Florida, were arrested and charged with exporting prohibited articles to Syria, in violation of the Syria trade embargo, commerce regulations and a U.S. Department of Treasury designation based on an Indictment charging eleven individuals and one foreign company. The defendants were charged by indictment for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations by exporting dual-use goods, that is, articles that have both civilian and military application. The dual-use goods were exported to Syrian Arab Airlines, the Syrian government’s airline, which is an entity designated and blocked by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for transporting weapons and ammunition to Syria in conjunction with Hizballah, a terrorist organization, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Also charged in the indictment were Adib Zeno, Rizk Ali, Ammar Al Mounajed, Zhelyaz Andreev, Mihaela Nenova, Lyubka Hristova, Iskren Georgiev, Ivan Sergiev, and Syrian Arab Airlines, a/k/a “Syrian Air.”
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Robert Luzzi of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement (DOC) Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Mark Selby of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI).
Specifically, the defendants are charged with: conspiracy to violate to IEEPA and to defraud the U.S. Government, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 371; substantive violations of IEEPA and the EAR, specifically Title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 746.9(a), regarding the Syrian Embargo; smuggling goods from the U.S., in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 554(a); submitting false or misleading export information, in violation of Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 305; conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section1956 (h); and false statements, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1001.
According to court documents, Ali Caby ran the Bulgaria office of AW-Tronics, a Miami, Florida export company that was managed by Arash Caby, and which shipped and exported various aircraft parts and equipment to Syrian Arab Airlines. Marjan Caby, AW-Tronics’ export compliance officer and auditor, facilitated these exports by submitting false and misleading electronic export information to federal agencies. All three defendants closely supervised and encouraged subordinate employees of AW-Tronics in the willful exportation of the parts and equipment to Syrian Arab Airlines, whose activities have assisted the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on its people.
An indictment is a formal charging document notifying the defendant of the criminal charges. All persons charged in an indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, DOC, ICE-HSI, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Del Toro of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Walczewski of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
Eleven Individuals Including Two Miami-Dade County Residents and One Company Charged with Exporting Prohibited Articles to SyriaRead the Press Release
Two Miami-Dade County residents and one foreign national were arrested and charged with exporting prohibited articles to Syria, in violation of the Syria trade embargo, commerce regulations and a U.S. Department of Treasury designation based on an Indictment charging eleven individuals and one foreign company.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, 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, Robert Luzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement (DOC) Miami Field Office, and Mark Selby, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), made the announcement.
Ali Caby, a/k/a “Alex Caby”, 40, Arash Caby, a/k/a “Axel Caby”, 43, and Marjan Caby, 34, are charged by indictment for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations by exporting dual-use goods, that is, articles that have both civilian and military application, to Syrian Arab Airlines, the Syrian government’s airline, which is an entity designated and blocked by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for transporting weapons and ammunition to Syria in conjunction with Hizballah, a terrorist organization, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Also charged in the indictment were Adib Zeno, Rizk Ali, Ammar Al Mounajed, Zhelyaz Andreev, Mihaela Nenova, Lyubka Hristova, Iskren Georgiev, Ivan Sergiev, and Syrian Arab Airlines, a/k/a “Syrian Air.”
Specifically, the defendants are charged with: conspiracy to violate to IEEPA and to defraud the U.S. Government, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; substantive violations of IEEPA and the EAR, specifically Title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 746.9(a), regarding the Syrian Embargo; smuggling goods from the U.S., in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 554(a); submitting false or misleading export information, in violation of Title 13, United States Code, Section 305; conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section1956 (h); and false statements, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.
According to court documents, Ali Caby ran the Bulgaria office of AW-Tronics, a Miami export company that was managed by Arash Caby, and which shipped and exported various aircraft parts and equipment to Syrian Arab Airlines. Marjan Caby, as AW-Tronics’ export compliance officer and auditor, facilitated these exports by submitting false and misleading electronic export information to federal agencies. All three defendants closely supervised and encouraged subordinate employees of AW-Tronics in the willful exportation of the parts and equipment to Syrian Arab Airlines, whose activities have assisted the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on its people.
An indictment is a formal charging document notifying the defendant of the criminal charges. All persons charged in an indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, DOC, ICE-HSI, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Del Toro of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Walczewski of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
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..
East Hartford Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years for Distributing Heroin, Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that COREY JERRICK, 30, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 94 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing heroin, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from a Drug Enforcement Administration Hartford Task Force investigation into a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of heroin in the Hartford area.
Between March 2015 and May 2015, investigators intercepted numerous calls during which JERRICK discussed and arranged narcotics transactions. On May 13, 2015, one of JERRICK’s associates traveled from Hartford to New York City where law enforcement officers conducted a motor vehicle stop of the car and seized approximately $125,000 in cash.
JERRICK and several co-conspirators were arrested on June 4, 2015. On that date, a search of JERRICK’s East Hartford apartment revealed approximately 500 grams of heroin, thousands of bags used to package heroin, a heroin brand stamp and other items. Additional quantities of heroin and packaging materials were seized during searches of locations connected to JERRICK’s co-defendants.
JERRICK has been detained since his arrest on June 4, 2015. On September 13, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
JERRICK’s criminal history includes state drug convictions, and a federal conviction in 2012 for possession with intent to distribute heroin, which resulted in a 37-month prison term and three years of supervised release. JERRICK was released from federal prison in September 2014 and began serving his three-year term of supervised release.
Judge Bryant imposed a 70-month prison term for the heroin conspiracy conviction, and a consecutive 24-month prison term for the supervised release violation.
Six other individuals were charged as a result of this investigation.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, which includes participants from the Bristol, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Wethersfield and Willimantic Police Departments, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Concord Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney, Emily Gray Rice announced today that Leeland Eisenberg, of Concord, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to one count of bank robbery.
Information based on court filings and statements made at the change of plea hearing established that the Citizen’s Bank located at 875 Elm Street in Manchester, New Hampshire, was robbed by a lone white male on August 2, 2016 at approximately noon. The robber walked into the bank, approached the teller station and handed a teller a robbery note that stated “No alarms. No dye packs. I have a gun and I will shoot you and others if you put a dye pack in. Fill the bag with cash now.” The robber was an older white male with dark hair, eyeglasses, and wearing a blue jacket.
A witness in the vicinity of the bank identified the robber as Leeland Eisenberg. The witness had known Eisenberg in the past and recognized Eisenberg as he left the bank. An image of the robber taken by the bank’s security system was distributed to law enforcement. Law enforcement officers familiar with Eisenberg also identified the robber as Eisenberg after reviewing the images.
Eisenberg was arrested by two Manchester officers in the area of the Pine Street Cemetery at that evening. At the time of his arrest he had ten bags of what appeared to be crack cocaine on his person. Subsequent laboratory testing of the material in the bags established it was powder cocaine.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 9, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald Feith.
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Colorado Resident Sentenced in Mail Fraud and Money Laundering CaseRead the Press Release
BISMARCK - US Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on Feb. 23, 2017, Dean J. Kostelecky, 58, Broomfield, CO., was sentenced before Chief US District Judge Daniel L Hovland to serve one and a half years in prison and three (3) years of supervised release. Judge Hovland also ordered that Kostelecky pay restitution in the amount of $212,159.70, and pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. Kostelecky pled guilty on Nov. 9, 2016, to Mail Fraud and Money Laundering-Engaging in Monetary Transactions in Property Derived from Specified Unlawful Activities.
Beginning in 2008 through about 2014, Kostelecky embezzled income from a trust fund that was set up by his parents. Kostelecky was appointed that head of the family trust following the passing of his parents and was instructed to evenly divide mineral royalties to each family member. Kostelecky would alter the IRS tax form 1099 that he would receive from the oil company to identify a lower amount. Kostelecky would then conceal the misappropriated amount by transferring the undistributed funds to multiple bank accounts that he controlled.
This case was investigated by the US Postal Inspector and the Internal Revenue Service.
Assistant US Attorney Cameron Hayden prosecuted the case.
Cleveland man sentenced for heroin distributionRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Terrell Allen, 33, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced today to 24 months incarceration for distributing heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen announced.
Allen sold heroin in Ohio County on June 15 and June 30, 2016. Allen pled guilty to one count of “Possession with the Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin” in September 2016.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Belmont County Drug Task Force investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Burlington Man Sentenced to 120 Months Imprisonment for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA - On February 22, 2017, Anthony Maurice Walls, 41, of Burlington, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 120 months in prison on the charge of felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Walls was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term and to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. Walls was found guilty of this charge by a Davenport jury on October 4, 2016.
Evidence presented at trial showed that just before midnight on October 23, 2015, Walls was involved in a dispute with two other people in Burlington. After the dispute, Walls entered a Burlington residence, and stole a shotgun and ammunition. Walls loaded the shotgun and attempted to leave the residence to return to the scene of the dispute. When occupants of the residence attempted to stop him, Walls, in an effort to appease them, tossed a small amount of crack cocaine at them. A concerned citizen saw Walls and called 911 while he was walking with the shotgun back to the scene of the dispute. Burlington police officers responded, and placed Walls into custody. Officers recovered the shotgun and additional crack cocaine nearby. Walls had multiple prior felony convictions from Des Moines and Henry Counties in Iowa.
This matter was investigated by the Burlington Police Department and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative.
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Learn more about this release by contacting Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at [email protected]