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31 March 2017
Women Sentenced for Providing Material Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two women were sentenced today for terrorism crimes related to their material support of al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Muna Osman Jama, 36, of Reston, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 46, of Kent, Washington, were sentenced to 12 and 11 years, respectively, for conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The women were found guilty of the crimes after a bench trial in front of U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga on Oct. 25, 2016.
According to court documents, Jama and Dhirane, who are both originally from Somalia and are naturalized United States citizens, sent money to financiers of al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya, which they referred to respectively as the “Hargeisa side” and the “Nairobi side.” The defendants also organized what was called a “Group of Fifteen,” which included women from Somalia, Kenya, Egypt, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Canada, as well as Minneapolis, Minnesota. The “Group of Fifteen” met regularly in a private chatroom that Jama established to organize and track monthly payment of money to the “Hargeisa side,” which was used to finance al-Shabaab military operations in the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia, and the “Nairobi side,” which was used to fund two al-Shabaab safehouses. One of the safehouses was used by al-Shabaab to store weapons and to prepare for attacks. The other was used to treat al-Shabaab fighters who had been wounded in battle.
A substantial part of the government’s case consisted of recorded telephone calls and other communications among the “Group of Fifteen.” These recordings demonstrated that the women had close connections with al-Shabaab leadership and were privy to non-public, inside information concerning al-Shabaab activities. Jama and Dhirane were recorded as they laughed as the carnage at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi was still taking place. Dhirane and co-conspirator were also recorded as they laughed at the Boston Marathon Bombing before it became known who committed the attack.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mary B. McCord, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Jay S. Tabb, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Gillis and Danya E. Atiyeh prosecuted the case with assistance from C. Alexandria Bogle, Trial Attorney, Counterterrorism Section.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI’s Minneapolis and Seattle Field Offices. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis also provided valuable assistance to the prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played an essential role in coordinating arrests and searches with foreign authorities.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-230.
Wind River Indian Reservation Resident Sentenced to 108 YearsRead the Press Release
LANDER – Acting United States Attorney John R. Green, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Calvin Shivers, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Special Agent in Charge Doug Noseep announced that on March 28, 2017 Winder River Indian Reservation Resident Marvin "Muff" Magnan, age 63, of Lander, Wyoming was sentenced to 108 years in a federal penitentiary. A jury found Magnan unanimously guilty on 12 counts of sexual assault on September 22, 2016. The guilty verdicts were the result of a 4 day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl. The jury deliberated for less than one day before reaching their verdict. Magnan, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in Casper, Wyoming on May 18, 2016, was detained after his arrest and through trial. He was sentenced by Judge Skavdahl on March 28, 2017.
According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Magnan sexually assaulted six child victims, all but one victim related to Magnan. Each victim testified at trial and each described multiple, repeated incidents where Magnan unlawfully touched them in a sexual manner. Many of these incidents happened while the minor children were entrusted to Magnan’s care and while Magnan was allegedly teaching horsemanship to his victims. Other incidents occurred at his house or other properties on the Wind River Indian Reservation. One incident against a victim occurred in Salt Lake City, Utah. This case was successfully prosecuted and justice given to the victims because of their perseverance under tough circumstances and the lengthy, complex investigation conducted FBI Agent Paul Swenson.
"Magnan’s sentence illustrates the FBI’s commitment to protect our most vulnerable citizens, our children," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Calvin Shivers. "The FBI will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to rigorously investigate and prosecute cases involving the sexual victimization of children."
This case was investigated by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Sprecher.
Waterbury Grocery Store Worker Pleads Guilty to Illegal Use of Food Stamp BenefitsRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that TALLAT MAHMOOD, 64, of Waterbury, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court to one count of unlawful use of food stamp benefits and one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”) is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, and SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items. Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items. SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.
According to court documents, MAHMOOD worked at WB Trade Fair Grocery, located at 43 Willow Street in Waterbury. From November 2014 until June 2016, MAHMOOD and others illegally allowed customers to redeem their food stamp benefits for cash and other ineligible items.
Given the stock of eligible food items at the store, the number of registers and the customer amenities, it is estimated that WB Trade Fair Grocery could lawfully redeem at most between $120,000 to $240,000 per year in food stamp benefits. However, during this approximately 18-month period, food stamp redemptions at the store totaled approximately $3.2 million.
MAHMOOD was arrested on August 18, 2016, and is released on a $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on July 12, 2017, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of up to twice the gross loss from the offense, and restitution.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia King and Neeraj Patel.
Warren man convicted for having firearms and more than a kilogram of heroinRead the Press Release
A Warren man is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison after he was convicted of having more than a kilogram of heroin and firearms, said David A. Sierleja, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and Warren Police Chief Eric Merkel.
Ricardo B. McKinney, 31, is scheduled to sentenced on July 19.
“This is a criminal who does not belong on the streets of Warren or anywhere else,” Sierleja said. “The amount of deadly drugs he had, and the fact that he’s a felon with firearms, demonstrates that prison is the proper place for this defendant.”
Merkel said: “I would like to thank the Warren Street Crimes Unit for all of the hard work that was put into this case and their dedication to removing from our streets a drug that has killed so many in our city. I would also like to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecuting this case. This partnership is an essential element in our mission to eliminate drug traffickers from our community.”
A jury convicted McKinney on two counts of distribution of heroin, one count of possession with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms following a weeklong trial.
McKinney sold heroin on two occasions in early 2015. Warren police arrested McKinney on Feb. 25, 2015, with approximately 1657.2 grams of heroin and two handguns. McKinney was prohibited from having a firearm because of prior felony convictions, according to court documents and trial testimony.
Prosecutors are forfeited nearly $30,000 and the two firearms seized as part of the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa T. Darden and Daniel J. Riedl. The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Warren Police Department.
Virginia man pleads guilty to his role in a meth distribution operationRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Lewis Jones, of Waynesboro, Virginia, was convicted today for methamphetamine distribution, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen, announced.
Jones, age 54, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Jones admitted to conspiring with others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in the Northern District of West Virginia and elsewhere. The crime occurred from May 2013 until October 2016.
Jones faces up to thirty years and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crime Task Force investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
U.S. Attorney's Office and Crime Victim Advocates join to commemorate National Crime Victims' Rights WeekRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, along with federal, state and local advocates of crime victims’ rights, will host an opening ceremony in recognition of National Crime Victims' Rights Week on Monday, April 3, 2017, at 11:00 A.M. in the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse in Charleston.
The ceremony will feature officials working in the criminal justice system, agencies and organizations providing services to crime victims, and crime victims themselves who can speak firsthand to their experience. As part of the event, there will be a presentation of the 2016 Excellence in Victim Advocacy and Justice Awards to Corporal Anthony Craigo of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Certified Victim Advocate Sarah Kingston of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. Crime Victim Survivor Joyce Richmond will also receive the 2017 Special Courage Award.
This ceremony marks the 17th Annual Operation Reach Out event. Operation Reach Out is a collaborative group of federal, state and local agencies and organizations that work to raise awareness about the rights, protections, and services available to crime victims in West Virginia. This event is being held in conjunction with the nationwide observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, which begins on April 2 and runs through April 8, 2017. The theme of National Crime Victims' Rights Week this year is "Strength. Resilience. Justice."
WHO:
- United States Attorney Carol Casto
- Joyce Richmond, Crime Victim Survivor, Recipient of the 2017 Special Courage Award
- Corporal Anthony Craigo, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Victim Advocacy and Justice Award
- Certified Victim Advocate Sarah Kingston, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Victim Advocacy and Justice Award
- Operation Reach Out committee members
- Other federal, state and local officials
- Staff representing the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia
WHAT:
- Operation Reach Out Opening Ceremony for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
WHERE:
- Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse – Fifth Floor
- 300 Virginia Street, East
Charleston, WV 25301
WHEN:
- Monday, April 3, 2017, at 11:00 A.M. The ceremony will be immediately followed by a brief reception.
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Two Women Sentenced for Providing Material Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
Muna Osman Jama, 36, of Reston, Virginia, and Hinda Osman Dhirane, 46, of Kent, Washington, were sentenced today to 12 years and 11 years respectively. Jama and Dhirane were found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Shabaab, a foreign terrorist organization, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization after a bench trial in front of U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga on Oct. 25, 2016.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord for National Security, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Jay S. Tabb, Jr. of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
According to court documents, Jama and Dhirane, who are both originally from Somalia and are naturalized U.S. citizens, sent money to financiers of al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya, which they referred to respectively as the “Hargeisa side” and the “Nairobi side.” The defendants also organized what was called a “Group of Fifteen,” which included women from Somalia, Kenya, Egypt, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Canada, as well as Minneapolis, Minnesota. The “Group of Fifteen” met regularly in a private chatroom that Jama established to organize and track monthly payment of money to the “Hargeisa side,” which was used to finance al-Shabaab military operations in the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia, and the “Nairobi side,” which was used to fund two al-Shabaab safehouses. One of the safehouses was used by al-Shabaab to store weapons and to prepare for attacks. The other was used to treat al-Shabaab fighters who had been wounded in battle.
A substantial part of the government’s case consisted of recorded telephone calls and other communications among the “Group of Fifteen.” These recordings demonstrated that the women had close connections with al-Shabaab leadership and were privy to non-public, inside information concerning al-Shabaab activities. Jama and Dhirane were recorded as they laughed as the carnage at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi was still taking place. Dhirane and co-conspirator were also recorded as they laughed at the Boston Marathon Bombing before it became known who committed the attack.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI’s Minneapolis and Seattle Field Offices. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis also provided valuable assistance to the prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played an essential role in coordinating arrests and searches with foreign authorities. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Gillis and Danya E. Atiyeh prosecuted the case with assistance from C. Alexandria Bogle, Trial Attorney, Counterterrorism Section.
Two More Columbia Men Charged Related to Prostitution OperationRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two more Columbia, Mo., men have been charged in federal court, in separate but related cases, in relation to a prostitution operation.
Barry Paul Manthe, 63, and Ronald James Clark, 63, both of Columbia, were charged in separate criminal complaints that were filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., on Thursday, March 30, 2017. Those complaints were unsealed following the arrests of Manthe and Clark, who remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing.
Both Manthe and Clark are charged with using the Internet to promote a racketeering enterprise, a prostitution business that operated out of a Columbia residence.
The investigation that resulted in these charges also resulted in a federal indictment that was returned on March 22, 2017. In a separate but related case, Kenneth Ronald Jones, 25, of Columbia, was charged in an eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City.
Jones is charged with three counts of transportation for illegal sexual activity by coercion and enticement. The indictment alleges that Jones induced three victims to travel across state lines to engage in prostitution and illicit sexual activity between May 1 and June 1, 2016. Because one of those victims, identified in court documents as “L.V.,” was under the age of 18, the indictment also charges Jones with one count of transporting a minor across state lines for illegal sexual activity and with the sex trafficking of a minor. The indictment also charges Jones with three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
According to affidavits filed in support of the criminal complaints, FBI agents learned on June 29, 2016, that a 17-year-old runaway from Wisconsin – identified in court documents as “L.V.” – was being held against her will and forced into prostitution by Jones. She was located at a residence in Columbia on that day and removed by law enforcement agents.
L.V. allegedly told investigators that Manthe paid for escort advertisements on the website Backpage for the prostitutes utilizing the brothel. According to L.V., she was advertised under a pseudonym but the ads did not include her photograph. Jones allegedly found photographs of other female on the Internet and gave them to Manthe to post with the ad.
According to the affidavits, Clark collected the door fee from the prostitutes, which ranged from $10 to $30. Clark applied the door fee income to the monthly bills, then split the remaining profit between himself and Manthe.
L.V. told investigators that she met Jones in May 2016 at a party in Milwaukee, Wis., and agreed to travel with him to Columbia to engage in prostitution. Within a few minutes of arriving at a Columbia residence that was used as a brothel, the affidavits say, a man arrived soliciting prostitution. This man selected L.V. from the approximately five prostitutes present, and paid to have sex with her. L.V. subsequently engaged in prostitution almost every day, averaging two or three clients per day.
Although Jones knew that L.V. was 17 years old, the affidavit says, he told everyone else at the brothel that L.V was 18 years old so she would be allowed to work there.
Another victim, identified in court documents as “C.M.,” told police that three days after arriving at the house, Jones told her that she needed to make money, and threatened to kick her to the streets if she did not do what he wanted. C.M. agreed and did a prostitution “date.” When C.M. told Jones she didn’t want to do that anymore and that she was willing to work as a dancer to make money, Jones allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her. Jones said he was not playing games, and that C.M. was going to make money.
C.M. and a third victim, identified in court documents as “K.S.,” ran away from Jones in late May or early June 2016.
Jones became increasingly verbally abusive and cruel, the affidavit says, and pressured L.V. to see more clients. L.V. said she wanted to stop prostituting herself after two weeks and told Jones on multiple occasions she did not want to prostitute anymore because it was sad and degrading. Jones did not care, the affidavit says, and instructed L.V. to keep making money. She feared repercussions from Jones if she attempted to leave him.
L.V. told investigators that Jones had left for Milwaukee the day before law enforcement took her from the Columbia residence. Before he left, the affidavit says, Jones instructed L.V. to send the money she earned prostituting herself to him while he was in Milwaukee. L.V. told investigators that she had planned to flee from the residence the following day. Jones was arrested when he returned from Milwaukee for a Boone County court appearance on an unrelated matter on Feb. 27, 2017.
Larson cautioned that these charges are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. They were investigated by the FBI, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department and the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Two Haitian Nationals Sentenced for Hostage TakingRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Monclaire Saint Louis, 29, and Ulriste Tulin, 40, both from of Carrefour, Haiti, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison today for conspiracy to commit hostage taking, hostage taking and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Both men were ordered to pay $49,000 in restitution to their victims, and will be removed from the United States upon release from prison.
Saint Louis and Tulin were found guilty after a jury trial on Dec. 16, 2016. According to the evidence presented at trial, Saint Louis and Tulin specifically targeted victims they believed had money and would pay a ransom. Saint Louis and Tulin abducted two United States citizens separately, the first on June 2, 2012, and the second on July 9, 2012. Both victims were women, including one who was 68 years old, and each were held for ransom. The first victim was able to escape after eight days and Haitian law enforcement authorities rescued the second victim after four days.
According to evidence presented at trial, multiple firearms were used to abduct each woman from their respective family. A third co-conspirator, Samson Jolibois, pleaded guilty on to his role in the abductions on Feb. 27, 2015, and testified at trial. Multiple Haitian law enforcement officers traveled to the United States to testify at the trial.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-173.
Town of Hempstead Councilman Edward Ambrosino Indicted for Wire Fraud and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
An eight-count indictment was unsealed today in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging Edward Ambrosino with wire fraud, tax evasion, making and subscribing to false corporate tax returns, and failing to file a return or pay tax. The indictment was returned under seal by a federal grand jury sitting in Central Islip, New York on March 28, 2017. Ambrosino was arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York.
The charges were announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kathy A. Enstrom, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendant, an elected public official, defrauded his former employer and committed a variety of tax offenses,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “Today’s indictment is a reminder of the obvious, that public officials are not exempt from paying their fair share of taxes and otherwise complying with the laws of the United States, just like any other citizen.”
“In this case as charged, Ambrosino’s crimes claimed as a victim, the law firm for whom he worked,” stated Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney. “As alleged, he also committed tax fraud, all the while serving as an elected public official. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure this type of behavior ceases to exist, no matter who is at fault.”
“The IRS enforces the nation’s tax laws, but also takes particular interest in cases where someone, for their own personal benefit, has taken what belonged to others. The indictment alleges, Mr. Ambrosino intentionally sought to undermine the tax laws of the United States, violate the public trust while ignoring the fiduciary responsibility he has with his employer,” stated Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Enstrom.
As detailed in the indictment, Ambrosino was an attorney licensed to practice in New York State, specializing in economic and industrial development and financings. Between approximately November 2001 and December 2015, he was “Of Counsel” at a law firm based in Uniondale, New York (the “Law Firm”). In addition, since March 2003, Ambrosino has served as a Councilman for the Town of Hempstead, New York. Since 2010, he has also acted as Special Counsel to the Nassau County Executive.
In 2011, Ambrosino incorporated Vanderbilt Consulting Group, Inc. (“Vanderbilt”). Ambrosino was the sole shareholder for Vanderbilt. In September 2012, Ambrosino opened a bank account in the name of Vanderbilt (the “Vanderbilt Bank Account”), and he was the sole authorized signer on that account.
As alleged in the indictment, from 2013 through 2015, in contravention of his compensation agreement with the Law Firm, Ambrosino diverted legal fees that he was required to provide to the Law Firm and deposited them into the Vanderbilt Bank Account. Among Ambrosino’s clients from whom he received legal fees were components of Nassau County, New York, including the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (the “NCIDA”) and the Nassau County Local Economic Assistance Corporation (the “NCLEAC”). Between 2013 and 2015, Ambrosino received more than $1.3 million in payments from the NCIDA and NCLEAC. Of this amount, Ambrosino deposited more than $800,000 into a bank account, for which he was the sole signatory, rather than submitting the payments to the Law Firm as required under his compensation agreement.
As further alleged in the indictment, Ambrosino evaded substantial income tax due and owing by him and filed false and fraudulent corporate tax returns on behalf of Vanderbilt. For the 2011, 2012 and 2013 tax years, Ambrosino evaded the assessment of income tax by, among other things, deducting rent expenses on the Vanderbilt corporate tax returns that he knew were not business expenses. Specifically, Ambrosino claimed rent for a Manhattan apartment paid for by him on behalf of a third-party as a business expense. Ambrosino’s personal tax returns included the losses flowing from Vanderbilt for the 2011 and 2012 tax years. In addition, for the 2013 tax year, Ambrosino failed to claim approximately $315,000 in funds he diverted from the Law Firm on either his personal income tax return or the Vanderbilt corporate tax return. With respect to the 2014 tax year, Ambrosino did not timely file his personal tax return or the corporate tax return for Vanderbilt. As a result of Ambrosino’s conduct, the IRS suffered a tax loss of approximately $254,628.
If convicted, Ambrosino faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for the wire fraud charge, five years for each charge of tax evasion, three years for each charge of making and subscribing to false corporate tax returns, and one year for failing to file a tax return. The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Catherine M. Mirabile and Raymond A. Tierney are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
EDWARD AMBROSINOAge: 52
North Valley Stream, NY
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-162 (JS)
Three Sentenced to Prison in Identity Theft and Illegal Employment ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two El Salvadorian nationals who were residing in Houston have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions on all counts related to a conspiracy to employ 10 or more unauthorized aliens within a 12-month period, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. A federal jury convicted Rudy Alexander Martinez, 36, and Israel Arquimides Martinez, 44, on April 8, 2016, following a two-week trial and approximately six hours of deliberation. Both were convicted of the conspiracy as well as employing unauthorized aliens, encouraging and inducing undocumented aliens to come to reside in the United States and conspiracy to do same as well as aggravated identity theft. Also sentenced today was Ceasar Santiago Arroyo, 51, of Houston, who pleaded guilty to the conspiracy.
Today, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon ordered Rudy Martinez and Israel Martinez to serve 94 and 87 months, respectively. Rudy Martinez received 70 months for the conspiracy and immigration offenses as well as an additional 24 months for the identity theft which must be served consecutively. Israel Arquimides Martinez will serve 63 months plus the consecutive 24 months. Arroyo was ordered to serve a 27-month-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court found that both Rudy Martinez and Israel Martinez played an aggravating role in the commission of the offense as supervisors or managers. In handing down the sentence, Judge Harmon noted that the offense involved more than 100 aliens. Judge Harmon also found that Rudy Martinez obstructed justice by testifying falsely under oath and threatening a witness. Not U.S. citizens, both are expected to face deportation proceedings following his release from prison.
At trial, the jury heard that both defendants were employees of Waste Management and worked at one of the company’s locations in Houston. RudyMartinez was a commercial route manager, while Israel Martinez was the residential operations lead driver. From on or around July 30, 2008, and continuing until on or around April 24, 2012, the defendants conspired to hire and continued to employ aliens they knew were unauthorized to work in the U.S. at the company.
Federal law requires employers to hire only U.S. citizens and aliens who are authorized to work here. However, the defendants and others hired manual laborers with little or no regard to their legal work status. Internal audits were conducted, after which the defendants and co-conspirators failed to take corrective measures to ensure the employing company hired workers authorized to work in the country. They also continued to employ undocumented aliens after receiving information, in some cases from the aliens themselves, which would indicate the person was not authorized to work in the U.S.
The jury also heard that the defendants encouraged undocumented aliens to obtain false documentation and assigned false identities to undocumented aliens. In some cases, they also provided the undocumented aliens with employment documents related to the false identity the aliens assumed so they could remain employed as helpers at the waste disposal company’s Houston location.
The individuals whose identities were assumed did not authorize or even know their identities were assumed by these undocumented aliens at the direction and encouragement of the conspirators. These individuals were often former employees of the companies, or individuals who had applied for employment but were never hired. Their information was stolen from documentation and records they executed in connection with their application for employment. The defendants and their co-conspirators would enter these individuals’ information into the payroll system and the undocumented alien would receive a paycheck for their work under the other individual’s name.
On or around Jan. 31, 2012, the defendants and their co-conspirators “fired” at least 10 helpers they knew to be unauthorized aliens purportedly because the aliens failed to supply documentation establishing they were legally present and authorized to work in the U.S. During the “termination” process, the defendants informed and encouraged unauthorized aliens to assume the identity of actual U.S. citizens or individuals who had legal status to reside and work here. They also informed undocumented aliens they could come back to work if they got “good papers” belonging to other individuals. Following their termination, the defendants and their co-conspirators assigned false identities to the terminated aliens and assisted them with obtaining related identifiers to use for employment and payroll purposes. The defendants then “rehired” at least 10 aliens under their assumed identities.
Rudy and Israel Martinez have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Agents assigned to Homeland Security Investigations - Worksite Enforcement Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Douglas Davis prosecuted the case.
Three Indicted for Scheme to Facilitate Evasion of Workers’ Compensation Laws and Employment of Undocumented Aliens in Construction IndustryRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces the unsealing of an
indictment charging Orlando residents Anyi (“Angie”) Artica-Romero (31), Joaquin Mejia-Murillo (62), and Milton Noel Romero (34) with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Artica-Romero is charged in 56 counts, Mejia-Murillo is charged in 1 count, and Romero is charged in 6 counts. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to seek forfeiture of approximately $812,000, which is the amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the offenses.According to the indictment, Mejia-Murillo registered a corporation called JM Construction Services, Inc. with the State of Florida. He then applied for a workers’ compensation insurance policy for September 2015 through September 2016 to cover six employees and an estimated annual payroll of $140,800.
The insurance company issued the policy for an annual premium of $17,152 based on the payroll information set forth in the application. Subsequent amendments to the policy resulted in its covering 19 employees and an estimated payroll of $410,800, at a revised premium of $38,860.
Under Florida law, any business that engages in construction work must secure and maintain workers’ compensation insurance, and the failure to do so is a felony. Construction contractors must require subcontractors to provide proof that they have workers’ compensation insurance.
Artica-Romero and Mejia-Murillo “rented” the JM Construction insurance policy to numerous contractors and subcontractors who employed hundreds of workers, many of whom are suspected of being undocumented aliens. To do so, they directed the insurance agent to send a certificate of insurance to the contractors and subcontractor as purported proof of sufficient workers’ compensation insurance.
The contractors and subcontractors wrote payroll checks to JM Construction for work performed by their employees. Mejia-Murillo then cashed the checks and gave the money to Artica-Romero to pay the workers. Artica-Romero kept four percent of each check as a fee for their services.
Between September 2015 and August 2016, Artica-Romero and Mejia-Murillo cashed payroll checks totaling $9,419,965, with their four percent fee totaling $376,798. No state or federal payroll taxes were deducted from the workers’ pay. The annual premium for a workers’ compensation insurance policy covering a payroll of $9,419,965 would have been approximately $1,088,078.
On August 4, 2016, the State of Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers’ Compensation, served a Stop-Work Order on JM Construction alleging that it had failed to secure the payment of workers’ compensation by materially understating or concealing payroll. Subsequently, Mejia-Murillo left the country for Honduras.
To continue the scheme, Artica-Romero began working with Milton Romero, who had registered a company called Milton Statewide General Services, Inc., with the State of Florida. Romero, on behalf of Milton Statewide, obtained workers’ compensation insurance to cover six employees and an estimated payroll of $100,000 for an annual premium of $20,002. A certificate of insurance was issued and then “rented” to numerous contractors and subcontractors, in the same way that JM Construction’s certificate had been rented.
Between August 2016 and March 11, 2017, Artica-Romero and Romero cashed payroll checks totaling $10,883,772, with their four percent fee totaling $435,351. Again, no state or federal payroll taxes were deducted from the workers’ pay. The annual premium for a workers’ compensation insurance policy covering a payroll of $10,883,772 would have been approximately $1,750,453.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative and Forensic Services. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Stockton Man Sentenced to 9 Years and 8 Months in Prison for Drug, Fraud, ID Theft and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dennis Joseph Machado, 44, of Stockton, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to nine years and eight months in prison for schemes to distribute methamphetamine and defraud banks in Sutter, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties using identities obtained from stolen mail, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Machado and co-defendant Breneth L. Chase, 46, also of Stockton, obtained U.S. mail and postal keys stolen during burglaries of post offices in Sutter and Sacramento Counties. They used stolen mail to manufacture checks and government identifications to cash the phony checks, apply for lines of credit, and make purchases at local department stores at the expense of local banks and credit unions. When he was arrested, Machado had in his possession various manufactured identifications and stolen personal and financial information for numerous residents of Sutter, San Joaquin, and Sacramento Counties. Machado also possessed a scanner magnetic strip writer to re-encode bank cards to tap into victims’ lines of credit. In addition, Machado had in his possession methamphetamine for purposes of distribution. At the time of his arrest on October 20, 2015, Machado — who had previous felony convictions — unlawfully possessed ammunition.
San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated, “Postal Inspectors worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those individuals responsible for the post office burglaries, mail thefts and fraud schemes committed against the public by the defendants in this case.”
This case was the product of an investigation of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the California Highway Patrol, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office, the Stockton Police Department, and the Sutter Creek Police Department, with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez prosecuted the case.
On December 2, 2015, in a related case, Chase was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. (2:15-cr-173 GEB)
Stockton Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Trafficking Counterfeit GoodsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced Michael Hampton, 40, of Stockton, today to two and a half years in prison for trafficking in counterfeit goods, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Judge Burrell also ordered Hampton to pay $282,670 in restitution to Brand Security Corporation on behalf of the trademark holders.
On January 6, 2017, Hampton pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. According to court documents, Michael Hampton imported counterfeit handbags, jackets, accessories, shoes, and jerseys from Asia and supplied them to resellers. Hampton rented storage units in Stockton and sold the counterfeit goods at the storage facility. The counterfeit goods included, Adidas, Chi, Coach, Gucci, Juicy Couture, Louis Vuitton bags, Majestic, Mitchell & Ness shirts and jerseys, New Era sporting goods, Nike shoes, Northface, and 47. In addition, Michael Hampton sold counterfeit Nike shoes on eBay.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.
Springdale Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Transporting Minor for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
Fayetteville, Arkansas – Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Antonio “TBoi” Nash, age 23, of Springdale was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Transporting Individual to Engage in Prostitution. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court records, in January of 2015, officers with the Springdale Police Department encountered a 17-year-old female naked inside a hotel room with an adult male. During an interview with the officers, the minor explained that she had been recruited just before Christmas of 2014 through Facebook by a pimp named “Tboi,” who was later identified as Antonio Nash, to work as a prostitute. She stated that Tboi had picked her up from her residence in Missouri, driven her to Springdale, and introduced her to two other females who explained to her how to be an escort. She said he helped her to create an online advertisement on Backpage.com, and she started working for him. She explained that he would give her marijuana for payment and let her keep some of the money she made from the sexual encounters, but later he took all of the money she made. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), obtained a search warrant for Nash’s Facebook account, and the Facebook records corroborated the statements of the minor. On or about May 26, 2016, a search warrant was issued on Nash’s residence. At the time, Nash, after being advised of his rights, admitted to being in the business of facilitating sexual encounters for money and, specifically, to recruiting and transporting the 17-year-old female.
Nash was indicted by a federal grand jury in June, 2016 and pleaded guilty in October, 2016.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Springdale Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov
South Carolina Man Arrested for Attempting to Join ISISRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2105
Columbia, SC –Zakaryia Abdin, 18, of Ladson, South Carolina, appeared in federal court this morning in Charleston, South Carolina, following his arrest by the FBI last night. Abdin was arrested for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge is based on Abdin’s alleged attempt to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization. Special Agents of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) took Abdin into custody at the Charleston International Airport before he boarded an outbound flight.
United States Attorney Beth Drake for the District of South Carolina and Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord made the announcement.
Charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being handled by the FBI-JTTF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Kittrell of the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
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South Carolina Man Arrested for Attempting to Join ISISRead the Press Release
Zakaryia Abdin, 18, of Ladson, South Carolina, appeared in federal court this morning in Charleston, South Carolina, following his arrest by the FBI last night. Abdin was arrested for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. The charge is based on Abdin’s alleged attempt to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization. Special Agents of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) took Abdin into custody at the Charleston International Airport before he boarded an outbound flight.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord and U.S. Attorney Beth Drake for the District of South Carolina made the announcement.
Charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being handled by the FBI-JTTF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Kittrell of the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
Somerset County, New Jersey, Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Producing Sexually Explicit Images of ChildrenRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Branchburg, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison for his role in a scheme to produce sexually explicit images of children through a website he operated from his home computer, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Jonathan Soto, 27, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to Count One of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to produce child pornography. Judge Wolfson imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Soto admitted that, from July 2014 through April 2015, he administered and operated a website designed to produce child pornography by tricking minor victims into engaging in sexually explicit activity on web cameras. As part of the conspiracy, Soto designed the website with certain online tools and a chatroom function that enabled users to target minor victims online, share victims’ social media profiles and discuss ways to get minors to produce child pornography over the internet.
Users of the website created false profiles on popular social media websites purporting to be young children, aged from about 10 to 16. Using these false profiles, the users chatted with actual children and lured the minor victims to other websites to engage in private chats. Once in a private chat room, users then persuaded child victims to engage in sexually explicit activity. Unbeknownst to the victims, when they engaged in sexually explicit activity, they were secretly recorded, and those videos were shared with other users on Soto’s website.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wolfson sentenced Soto to five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, and the Branchburg Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Young, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Wangenheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Public Defender Lisa Mack Esq., Newark
Seventeen Charged for Allegedly Running Mexico-to-Ohio Heroin, Meth RingRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged 17 individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and/or methamphetamine in a superseding indictment returned here.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Frank S. Turner II, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol Colonel Paul A. Pride, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, Westerville Police Chief Joseph Morbitzer and Pickerington Police Chief Mike Taylor announced the superseding indictment returned yesterday and unsealed today.
The superseding indictment alleges that defendants conspired to bring the drugs from Mexico to the Southern District of Ohio from at least December 2015. One defendant, Jose Hernandez, was also charged with allegedly possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in October 2016.
Fourteen of the defendants are Mexican citizens and three are American citizens.
The individuals charged include:
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Guillermo Polanco-Contreras
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the individual known as “Chacorta”
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Hiram Hernandez-Sarabia
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Enrique Carrilo-Garcia
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Karla Aguayo-Camarena
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Hugo Carrilo
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Miguel Guardado-Hernandez
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Carlos Justo-Landa
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Erick Pablo-Reyes
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Hailey Johnson
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Crescencio Hernandez
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Jose Hernandez
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Alvaro Hernandez, aka “Alvaro Dejesus-Hernandez”
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Rene Casillas-Mojica
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Noe Zepeda-Yerena
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Ignacio Ortega-Meza
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Jose Del Real-Ortega
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin or methamphetamine are each crimes punishable by up to life in prison. Using a firearm in furtherance of the illegal drug trafficking carries a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Ten of the defendants have been arrested and are in custody, and the United States will be seeking the extradition of four defendants from Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as Deputy Criminal Chief Michael J. Hunter who is prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Second Detroit-Area Physician Pleads Guilty in $17.1 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A second Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for his role in a $17.1 million Medicare fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary physician visits and drug prescriptions.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios of the FBI’s Detroit Division and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office made the announcement.
Leonard Van Gelder, 69, of Caledonia, Michigan, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn of the Eastern District of Michigan. Sentencing will be set at a later date.
Van Gelder was a physician for Lake Michigan Mobile Doctors, a Chicago-based home physician service with an office in Southfield, Michigan, from November 2011 to August 2013. As part of his guilty plea, Van Gelder admitted that he saw patients who did not qualify for his services and whose visits were billed to Medicare at the highest billing codes. Van Gelder also admitted that he prescribed to patients medically unnecessary narcotics, such as Vicodin, in exchange for the ability to bill Medicare for the patients’ visits. According to court documents, Mobile Doctors billed Medicare approximately $17.1 million as a result of the scheme.
In December 2016, Van Gelder’s co-conspirator, Stephen Mason, 46, of Zionsville, Indiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. One additional doctor, Gerald Daneshvar, 41, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, is awaiting trial. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan. Fraud Section Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos is prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 3,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $11 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Randolph County man pleads guilty to possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – William Kerr, Jr., of Elkins, West Virginia, was convicted today for possessing child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen, announced.
Kerr, age 74, pled guilty to one count of “Possession of Child Pornography.” Kerr admitted to having a computer disk and other materials delivered to him through interstate commerce depicting images of prepubescent minors and minors under the age of 12.
Kerr faces up to twenty years and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Provider of Behavioral Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Agrees to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Exemplary Behavior, LLC, based in Hendersonville, Tenn., and its principal, Andre Anderson, BCBA, have agreed to pay $20,000 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, announced Jack Smith, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Exemplary Behavior also operates an office in Clarksville, Tenn.
The alleged conduct involved the submission of false claims for payment to the Defense Health Agency’s TRICARE program for the provision of therapy services, including Applied Behavior Analysis (“ABA”) to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (“ASD”). Anderson has also agreed to a three-year exclusion from the TRICARE program.
“The TRICARE program covers ABA therapy while most forms of insurance do not, in order to help some of our most deserving yet vulnerable citizens - children who live with and persevere through ASD,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith. “This office and its agency partners will diligently pursue both monetary and administrative relief for any violations of federal law that could result in an adverse impact on these children or on the program that funds their treatment.”
Specifically, the settlement resolves allegations by the United States that Exemplary Behavior, through the knowing actions of Mr. Anderson, submitted false claims to TRICARE as a result of their (1) double billing for services rendered; (2) billing for services not rendered by the billing provider; (3) providing group therapy while billing for individual therapy; and (4) billing for services, including ABA therapy, that were not actually provided. The alleged conduct occurred between July 1, 2009, and March 31, 2013.
“This settlement highlights another success demonstrating the continuing commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) to protect the integrity of TRICARE, the Department of Defense health care program,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Southeast Field Office, John F. Khin. “To protect DOD’s limited resources and budgets, DCIS must aggressively investigate fraud, waste, and abuse in our most vulnerable programs to ensure that funds are used properly for our Warfighters, their family members, and military retirees.”
This matter was investigated by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Sabis.
Pottawattamie County Resident Sentenced to Prison for Scheme to Defraud Former EmployerRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On March 31, 2017, Bradley R. Cornelsen, age 40, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 48 months’ imprisonment following his convictions on five counts of wire fraud. Additionally, he was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow the term of imprisonment, and was ordered to pay $1,400,320 in restitution to the victim of his scheme to defraud, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.
A jury convicted Cornelsen at trial on November 1, 2016, finding him guilty of five counts of wire fraud. This case was the result of an investigation by law enforcement of Cornelsen’s scheme to defraud his former employer, MV Transportation, where he was employed as Chief Financial Officer. The scheme involved paying himself large monetary bonuses that were unauthorized, totaling $297,985. Additionally, in furtherance of the scheme, Cornelsen used his company credit card and company manual checks for multiple personal expenses, including Rolex watches, collector baseball cards, Louis Vuitton luggage, and furniture for his personal residences in Council Bluffs and Okoboji, Iowa. The estimated loss to MV Transportation arising from this fraudulent conduct was determined to be approximately $1.4 million dollars.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and 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 either calling Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at [email protected]
Police and Prosecutors Join Students for a Day of LearningRead the Press Release
BLAST (Building Lasting Relationships Between Police and Community) Program
Brings Law Enforcement and Communities Together
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, together with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Madison County High School, will present a BLAST Program event on Monday to approximately 50 students.
Event: BLAST Program
Location: Madison County High School
2649 US 90 West
Madison, FL 32340Date: Monday, April 3, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
Press: Please RSVP to Amy Alexander at [email protected] if you plan to attend.United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova said: “The BLAST initiative was created by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to provide a forum to exchange information about officer risks and citizen viewpoints. Sharing these perspectives encourages safe interactions between citizens and officers to improve our community.”
Madison County Sheriff Benjamin Stewart said: “The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is committed to building relationships with other law enforcement agencies and with citizens to protect and serve our community. I commend the continued hard work of our law enforcement professionals in accomplishing this mission.”
Dr. Karen Pickles, Madison County Superintendent of Schools, said: “I am excited to welcome the various federal, state, and local agencies participating in the BLAST event at Madison County High School. Our law enforcement play a crucial part in our society today. It is important to showcase their skills, provide an understanding, and promote awareness to youth and the community. This event is only a small step in addressing safety in a variety of situations students may experience and a way to promote law enforcement officers in a positive manner and as a safe haven.”
The BLAST Program offers students an opportunity to meet representatives of the criminal justice community and ask them questions, share their perceptions of law enforcement, and interact with officers in a familiar setting. Officers also provide students with their perspective on responding to dangerous or uncertain circumstances and the importance of remaining calm and following the officers’ directions in these situations.
The schedule will include the following discussion sessions, during which students will have a chance to participate in role play with law enforcement officers.
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Criminal Justice Overview: Students will learn about each phase of a federal criminal case, including investigation, prosecution, and sentencing.
This session is open to the media and public, and videography and photography is permitted.
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Domestic Violence: Students will participate in a scenario in which police respond to a domestic disturbance. Discussion includes the challenges officers face, rights of witnesses and suspects, and benefits of providing information to the police.
This session is open to the media and public, and videography and photography is permitted.
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Traffic Stop Simulation: Participants and officers alternate playing the roles of civilians and officers in a traffic stop. Discussion includes de-escalation and the uncertainty officers and vehicle occupants face during a traffic stop.
This session is open to the media and public, and videography and photography is permitted.
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Use of Force: Facilitators and students will discuss when law enforcement officers may use force and an officer’s reaction time when confronted with a life-threatening situation.
This session is closed to the media and public. Reporters may try the simulator equipment after the event ends.
Participating agencies include:
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United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida
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Madison County Sheriff’s Office
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Madison County High School
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Federal Bureau of Investigation
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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
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Drug Enforcement Administration
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FAMU Police Department
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
For more information, contact: Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer(850) 216-3854, [email protected]
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Philadelphia Man Charged with Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Adrian Abonce, 46, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged today by Indictment with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.
The Indictment alleges that on or about each of four separate dates (October 30, 2012, April 2, 2013, April 10, 2013 and December 6, 2014), Abonce produced child pornography. The Indictment further alleges that Abonce distributed child pornography on October 15, 2015 and November 3, 2015, and possessed child pornography on June 2, 2016.
If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 180 years’ imprisonment, a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment, supervised release for a minimum term of five years and a lifetime maximum term, a $1,750,000 dollar fine, mandatory restitution, and a $700 special assessment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Schlessinger.
Owner of Trash Company Charged with FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a trash company was charged today in federal court in Boston in connection with defrauding the operator of the Fall River Landfill out of approximately $473,000 in disposal fees.
Stephen P. Aguiar, Jr., 47, of Westport, was charged with three counts of mail fraud. Aguiar was one of the owners and operators of Cleanway Disposal & Recycling, Inc., a trash removal and recycling company, and JS Aguiar Enterprises, Inc., a construction and equipment rental company, which were both located in Westport.
It is alleged that Aguiar contracted with the company operating the Fall River Landfill to dispose of trash collected from his private clients in Fall River for one rate, and to dispose of trash collected from his private clients outside of Fall River for a higher rate. Aguiar also contracted with the City of Fall River to collect trash from the Fall River Housing Authority (FRHA) and dispose of the trash at the landfill. The company operating the landfill allowed the City of Fall River to dispose of trash collected from FRHA properties at no charge. Between 2009 and 2014, Aguiar allegedly misrepresented the origin of a significant portion of the trash he disposed at the landfill. Aguiar claimed he was disposing trash from the FRHA, when in fact he was disposing trash collected from his private clients, thereby defrauding Fall River Landfill of approximately $473,000 in revenue.
The maximum sentence under the statute is 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000, restitution and forfeiture. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Massachusetts Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha; and Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of Weinreb’s Public Corruption Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
North Ridgeville man charged with attempting to possess fentanyl analogue ordered from ChinaRead the Press Release
Daniel Rogerson-Wise, 33, of North Ridgeville, was charged in federal court with attempting to possess with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue, law enforcement officials said.
HSI special agents were informed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that a parcel containing fentanyl was in route to the United States from China. HSI special agents examined the package on March 13 at the North Ridgeville Post Office, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
The package contained a white crystalized substance. It was addressed to a home on Grant Drive in North Ridgeville and had a return address in Hong Kong, according to the affidavit.
The substance was tested and was found to be nearly 10 grams of FluoroIsoButyryl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, according to the affidavit.
On March 20, HSI agents were again informed that a parcel containing fentanyl was again in route from China to the United States, again addressed to the home on Grant Drive and with a return address in Hong Kong, according to the affidavit.
The parcel was intercepted and the contents tested. It was found to contain more than 10 grams of FluoroIsoButyryl fentanyl, according to the affidavit.
A law enforcement official posing as a postal employee contacted Rogerson-Wise on March 29. Rogerson-Wise confirmed he was expecting the packages. Law enforcement officials then replaced the contents of the parcel and made a controlled delivery to the Grant Drive home, according to the affidavit.
Rogerson-Wise approached the home and later admitted opening the parcel. Rogerson-Wise told investigators that he was ordering an opioid that he thought was legal, referring to it as a research chemical called fib F. He admitted to having approximately 30 grams of fib F shipped from China, according to the affidavit.
Investigators then searched an apartment on Ignatius Avenue in Cleveland where Rogerson-Wise that was a possible residence for him. Investigators searched a bedroom where Rogerson-Wise slept and found his birth certificate, a loaded Smith & Wesson revolver and two notebooks, according to the affidavit.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Cronin following an investigation by the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the North Ridgeville Police Department.
A charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Nine People Sentenced in $172,000,000 Insurance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Nine defendants were sentenced in federal court for participating in a massive insurance fraud scheme.
Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Adolphus P. Wright, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Office, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Michael J. Satz, Broward State Attorney, announced the sentencing of nine of sixteen defendants who were previously charged in a five-count Information.
The criminal Information charged sixteen defendants with their participation in a complex fraud scheme regarding the manufacture and distribution of compounded medications. The fraud involved material misrepresentations to health insurance providers and illegal payments to coconspirators and medical professionals, including physicians. The fraud generated in excess of $172,000,000 in criminal proceeds for the members of the criminal enterprise.
United States District Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley imposed the following sentences: Clifford Carroll, 36, of Boca Raton, 180 months’ imprisonment; Todd Stephens, 52, of West Palm Beach, 120 months’ imprisonment; Joel McDermott, 41, of Boca Raton, 72 months’ imprisonment; Michael Kenna, 30, of Delray Beach, 60 months’ imprisonment; Todd Hanson, 47, of Zephyr Cove, NV, 96 months’ imprisonment; Christopher Mucha, 30, of Davie, 30 months’ imprisonment; Ian Flaster, 34, of Delray Beach, 36 months’ imprisonment; William Earl, 73, of Boca Raton, 24 months’ imprisonment; and Dr. Peter Williams, 56, of New Port Richey, 60 months’ imprisonment. In addition, the defendants forfeited over $30 million in assets. Hearings will be held at a later date to determine the amount of restitution owed to the government by each of the defendants. All sixteen defendants charged in this case have pled guilty, and the remaining defendants will be sentenced in May.
According to the Information, the defendants participated in a two-year conspiracy, which used various business entities, including Numed Care, LLC, ClinicalCorp, LLC, RX of Boca, and American Custom Compound Pharmacy, to perpetrate a complex fraud on numerous health care insurance providers. The defendants prepared medications in bulk quantities, which they alleged to be compounded medications for specific individualized patient needs. The defendants falsely represented to the health insurance providers that these medications were prepared in limited quantities for individual patients and were exempt from FDA inspection.
The health insurance providers compensated the defendants for the alleged costs of the ingredients for such medications. The defendants concealed from the health insurance providers that the defendants paid illegal kickbacks to physicians for the issuance of the compounded medications. defendants unlawfully provided the physicians with pre-printed prescription pads. In order to facilitate the fraudulent scheme, the defendants used mass-marketing techniques and call centers, which made material misrepresentations in order to solicit potential patients. defendants induced owners of failing pharmacies throughout the United States to participate in the scheme in order to perpetuate the fraud.
Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the DEA, IRS-CI, and the Broward State Attorney’s Office in connection with the investigation of this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul F. Schwartz and Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
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.
Navarre Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Money from the Government by Falsifying Travel Expense ClaimsRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Timothy James Nelson, 36, of Navarre, Florida, has pled guilty to theft of government funds. The guilty plea was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Documents introduced at the time of the guilty plea reflect that, between July 1, 2015, and April 1, 2016, Nelson submitted false travel expense claims for hotel stays to steal $29,650 from the U.S. Department of State. Nelson did so while working as a contractor in Jerusalem for a security company installing and repairing communication equipment in vehicles operated by employees of the U.S. Department of State.
Nelson faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 16 at 1:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.
The case was investigated by special agents from the United States Department of State’s Office of Inspector General (DOS-OIG), Steve A. Linick inspector general. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
For more information, contact:
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
(850) 216-3854, [email protected]
Navajo Man from Churchrock Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Abuse ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Adrian Tom, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Church Rock, N.M., pled guilty earlier this week in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an abusive sexual contact charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Tom will be sentenced within the range of 37 to 63 months in prison followed by not less than five years of supervised release. Tom will also be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
On March 29, 2017, Tom pled guilty to a felony information charging him with abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of 12 years on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M. In entering his guilty plea, Tom admitted that in March 2010, he engaged in sexual contact with an eight-year-old Indian child while on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Tom remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Mease as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Nashville Woman Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
Ivy C. Starks, 50, of Nashville, Tenn., pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court, to bribery and witness tampering, announced Jack Smith, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to facts contained in the plea agreement, Joshua Woods a/k/a J-Looney was shot on October 16, 2014 by Darryl Starks and Calvin Starks near the J.C. Napier public housing development in Nashville, as a result of a prior dispute between Starks and another individual. Both Starks’ were later arrested and charged with attempted murder, based on Wood’s statement to police.
Ivy Starks, the mother of Darryl Starks and the aunt of Calvin Starks, was aware of the shooting and the fact that Woods was to testify against her son and nephew at future court proceedings. Starks unlawfully offered Woods a bribe in the form of cash and a used Chevrolet Monte Carlo, to keep him from providing truthful testimony in court.
After agreeing to accept the bribe, Woods showed up at the Davidson County Courthouse in November 2016, in order to testify at the preliminary hearing for Darryl Starks. Ivy Starks approached him and told him that if he testified, she would not be able to guarantee his safety. Woods considered this a veiled threat and left the courthouse without testifying. Ivy Starks later gave Woods the Monte Carlo and promised cash if he provided false testimony at proceedings against Calvin Starks as well.
Woods was later arrested as a material witness and brought to court to testify in the case against Calvin Starks in December 2014. Woods provided false testimony at the hearing and subsequently was untruthful to federal agents and a federal grand jury investigating violations of federal firearms laws. As a result of this conduct, Woods was charged with lying to the grand jury and being a convicted felon in possession of firearms. His case is pending before the court.
Darryl Starks and Calvin Starks, both of Nashville, were subsequently charged with federal firearm offenses and their cases are also pending.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Gang Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy is prosecuting the case.
Memphis Man Indicted for Armed Robbery of Two United States Postal Letter CarriersRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN –A federal grand jury has indicted a Memphis man for robbing two United States Letter Carriers at gunpoint. Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the indictment today.
According to the federal complaint, on November 21, 2016, at approximately 12:35 p.m., the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) was notified of an armed robbery in the area of 890 Baltic Street. Jamal Cherry, 20, approached U.S. Postal Service Letter Carrier Shalottie Reynolds with a semi-automatic handgun as she placed the mail satchel in her postal truck. Cherry asked the victim for cash or checks from the vehicle, and he then took an unknown number of soft envelope packages.
After canvassing the area, USPIS Inspectors located a nearby home surveillance video camera capturing the defendant fleeing the scene in a blue 2005 Toyota Matrix.
The investigation led law enforcement to Cherry’s residence at 4528 Sugar Creek Road in Memphis where Cherry was located. After Cherry left the residence, he was taken into custody. Law enforcement observed a red Toyota Matrix in the drive-way. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement inspected the car and observed blue paint on the door frame, indicating the car had been repainted.
According to the indictment, the defendant has also been charged with committing another armed robbery of a U.S. Postal Letter Carrier, on December 2, 2016. After waiving his Miranda rights, Cherry admitted to the robbery of the U.S. Postal Letter Carriers on November 21, 2016 and December 2, 2016. He admitted to possessing a handgun during the robberies, taking packages from both robberies and having the Toyota Matrix painted red.
Cherry has been charged in counts one and three of the indictment with robbery of a postal employee. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison, $250,000 fine and three year’s supervised release on each count. For counts two and four of the indictment, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment for use of a firearm during and in relation to the robberies.
The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marques Young is prosecuting this case on the government’s behalf.
The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
McAllen Area Durable Medical Equipment Company Owner Convicted of Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas ‐ The owner of a durable medical equipment company has entered a guilty plea to defrauding Medicaid of more than $3 million, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Anna Ramirez-Ambriz, 55, of McAllen, owned Compassionate Medical Supply located in Edinburg. As part of her plea today, she admitted she submitted false and fraudulent claims to Texas Medicaid in relation to incontinence supplies. Between 2007 and 2013, Ramirez-Ambriz billed Texas Medicaid for higher quantities and more costly incontinence products than were actually delivered to Texas Medicaid recipients.
As a result of her scheme, Medicaid suffered a loss of $3,143,149.41.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the plea today and has set sentencing for June 13, 2017. At that time, Ramirez-Ambriz faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. She will remain in custody pending that hearing.
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 Andrew Swartz and Michael Day are prosecuting the case.
Massillon woman charged with defrauding banks out of $2 millionRead the Press Release
A Massillon woman was charged with defrauding financial institutions out of more than $2 million by having escrow funds on home purchases deposited into her personal account, Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja said.
Kimberlee E. Himmell, 62, was charged with 18 counts of bank fraud and one count of theft of government funds.
Himmell owned and operated Netwide Title Agency, Inc., located at 3711 Lincoln Way East in Massillon. General Title Insurance Company, located in Cleveland, was Netwide’s underwriter and responsible for auditing Netwide, according to the information.
Netwide, at the direction of Himmell, began in 2007 instructing all lenders doing business with Netwide as a title agency and utilizing its escrow services to wire all incoming lending proceeds to Himmell’s personal account, instead of Netwide’s corporate account, according to the criminal information filed in the case.
Himmell then used the deposited funds for her own personal use and for Netwide’s operational expenses withouth disclosing to lenders that she was not holding the funds in escrow, as she represented she would, according to the information.
Himmell closed at least 19 real estate transactions in 2013 and 2014 wherein Netwide received escrow funds and failed to pay or release the funds to the prior owner’s pre-existing mortgage. This causes financial losses to lenders and/or sellers of homes in Richmond Heights, North Canton, Willowick, Concord, Strongsville, Newbury, Brunswick, Wadsworth, Medina, Painesville, Parma, Akron, Twinsburg, Brecksville and Millersburg, according to the information.
Netwide’s underwriter, General Title, was contractually obligated to make lenders whole. The loss to General Title as a result of Himmell’s conduct was at least $2,111,014, according to the information.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark S. Bennett following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An information is a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Manteca Man Sentenced to over 8 Years in Prison for Possession of MDMA with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Catalin Kifan, 26, of Manteca, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr., United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today. On August 26, 2016, Kifan pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA with intent to distribute.
According to the plea agreement, on April 21, 2015, federal agents searched Kifan’s residence in Manteca and found a variety of drugs, including 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, 608 grams of MDMA and lesser amounts of marijuana, bath salts, steroids, methamphetamine, adrenaline, and prescription pills. In March and April 2015, law enforcement seized two packages of MDMA destined for the Manteca residence, as well as one package of MDMA sent to his co-defendant’s residence in Las Vegas. A search of the Las Vegas residence resulted in the seizure of additional quantities of drugs, including MDMA and steroids.
This case was the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southern Nevada Heroin Task Force (SNHTF), and the Manteca Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian prosecuted the case.
Co-defendant Jason Matecki, 42, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2016, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2017.
The investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
Man Sentenced to Prison for Using Facebook to Lure Minor VictimRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A man who used an elaborate ruse to meet minor girls over Facebook and attempt to coerce them into unlawful sexual activity was sentenced today to 10 years in prison.
Juan Torres-Hernandez, 23, of Triangle, pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. According to court documents, Torres-Hernandez created a Facebook account using a false name, age, and photograph. Using this account, Torres-Hernandez contacted multiple minor girls and attempted to convince them to meet him for sex. Torres-Hernandez eventually convinced a 15-year old victim to send him nude photographs and to meet in person. When Torres-Hernandez met the victim, he pretended to be a friend of the person on Facebook to whom the victim had been speaking. Torres-Hernandez then drove the victim to his home in Triangle and engaged in criminal sexual activity.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Stephan M. Hudson, Prince William County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-283.
Man Pleads Guilty to Providing Contraband in PrisonRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI B Scott Bass, 43, pleaded guilty today in federal court on St. Croix to providing contraband in prison, Acting United States Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced.
According to the plea agreement filed with the court, on May 18, 2016, Bass went to the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility to deliver items to detainee Robert James. Bass brought two small containers of Africa’s Best Super Gro Hair and Scalp Conditioner. A corrections officer told Bass the detainee could only have one container of hair conditioner, so Bass delivered one container and left with the second one. After Bass departed, a corrections officer searched the container and found marijuana, hashish and tobacco in a secret compartment. Bass was directed to return to the facility and was detained. Corrections officers recovered the second container and it contained marijuana and bamboo wrapping paper.
Bass faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A sentencing date has been set for August 2, 2017.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections, the Virgin Islands Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
Lubbock, Texas, Woman Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK —Julia Ann Puentes, 33, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 60 months in federal prison, following her guilty plea in December 2016 to her role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Puentes pleaded guilty to one count of use of the mail in aid of racketeering. She has been on pretrial release, with conditions, since her arrest in November 2016.
According to plea documents in the case, on June 19, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant at 2309 Birch Avenue, Lubbock, Texas after receiving information that the Sinaloa Cartel sent three people to Lubbock to distribute methamphetamine for the cartel. Those three individuals were identified as Juan Carlos Pinales, Ramon Osvaldo Escobar-Robles, and Jesus Mario Moreno-Perez. Pinales, Escobar-Robles and Moreno-Perez were charged in a separate indictment and were sentenced in January 2016 to sentences ranging from 78-151 months in federal prison.
Puentes according to a drug ledger seized from 2309 Birch Avenue, had received about 82 ounces of methamphetamine from Pinales, Escobar-Robles, and Moreno-Perez. Puentes was also in contact with a methamphetamine distributor for the Sinaloa Cartel who resided in Mexico. Puentes communicated with the distributor 78 times from January 28, 2016, to June 10, 2016. During this time frame, Puentes received one pound of methamphetamine through the mail. After receiving that package with one pound of methamphetamine, Puentes distributed that methamphetamine to others.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Lubbock Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag prosecuted.
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Leader of Violent Gang Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Other CrimesRead the Press Release
Harvey Christian was sentenced today to 50 years in prison by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Christian was convicted at trial in October 2014 on charges of racketeering -- including two murder conspiracies, firearms possession and trafficking in crack cocaine. The charges arose out of Christian’s long-time dominance of a drug crew that operated in the Park Hill housing complex in the Clifton neighborhood of Staten Island.
The sentence was announced by Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
As proven at trial, Harvey Christian, also known as “Black,” and his brother Anthony Christian, also known as “Nitty,” led a violent narcotics distribution ring in Park Hill from 1991 to 2011. In the mid-1990s, the Christian brothers and their associates – including co-defendant Jason Quinn – sought to take control of more drug territory within Park Hill. To achieve this, they engaged in massive gun battles for months. Beginning in approximately 1994, the enterprise sought to expand its drug distribution operations into a neighboring apartment building, 260 Park Hill, which was controlled by a rival drug crew. This protracted conflict was known by its participants as the “260 Wars.” During one of the battles, in May 1995, law enforcement recovered 77 shell casings inside a residential building, outside on the street, and on a rooftop. One of the Christian brothers’ associates was murdered in that battle. All three trial defendants – Harvey Christian, Anthony Christian and Quinn – were convicted on all counts at trial. Judge Vitaliano previously sentenced Anthony Christian to life in prison and Quinn to 40 years in prison.
Leading up to the arrests of the Christian brothers and Quinn in 2011, multiple search warrants and arrests related to members of the enterprise and their associates were executed in and around Park Hill and elsewhere in New York. These searches and arrests resulted in the seizure of firearms and ammunition, including a Mac-11 pistol, as well as large quantities of crack and powder cocaine. During a search of the Christian brothers’ apartment in the Park Hill housing complex in February 2010, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) recovered multiple bullet-proof vests, crack cocaine and marijuana. When Quinn was arrested in 2011, a search of his home recovered crack cocaine and a firearm.
Ms. Rohde extended her grateful appreciation to the FBI, the NYPD, and the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Allon Lifshitz and Richard M. Tucker.
The Defendant:
HARVEY CHRISTIAN
Age: 44
Staten Island, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 11 CR 425 (ENV)
Law Enforcement, Schools, Substance Abuse Coalition Come Together to Talk Opioid SolutionsRead the Press Release
WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA – Leaders from the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, area schools, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Attorney’s Office, and other law enforcement agencies, got together this week at James Wood Middle School to discuss the role of prevention education in combatting opioid abuse. The “Building a Barrier: Community Partnerships in Preventing Opioid Abuse” program hopes to expand the region’s collaboration in reaching children at risk for drug abuse.
Wednesday night’s meeting included a viewing of the film Chasing the Dragon, a documentary that looks at the life of an opiate addict. Following the film was a brief presentation by the Drug Enforcement Administration about “Operation Prevention,” a collection of classroom resources and parent toolkits designed to educate students about the dangers of drug abuse. Finally, the program ended with a panel discussion on the intersections of drug abuse and risk factors in our communities, and what each of us can do to prevent children from becoming addicted to opiates as they confront the challenges of young adulthood.
The panel discussion featured Lauren Cummings of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, Judge Beth Kellas from Winchester/Frederick Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Leslie Stewart of CLEAN, Tim May of Northwestern Community Services Board and Judy McKiernan of Winchester City Schools.
“Addiction to opioids knows no boundaries – it attacks all genders, races, socioeconomic groups, neighborhoods, and communities,” Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle said today. “Meetings like this have nothing to do with identifying an opioid problem in a particular community-the fact of the matter is that opioids and opioid abuse are everywhere, it’s a nationwide problem. The purpose of these types of meetings is to determine the best way to give our children the true facts about opioid addiction so that they can make life-saving decisions when they inevitably encounter opioids at school, work, and play as adults. We want to make sure everyone has accurate information so school leaders, parents and students can make informed decisions using facts, not misinformation picked up on the street.”
“Our communities have been significantly impacted by addiction and along with developing programs to help those in the throes of addiction, we must focus on prevention. Education and outreach are key in helping people understand the possible risks of substance use. Teachers, parents, health care providers, and community members have crucial roles in educating young people to prevent drug use and addiction,” said NSVSAC Executive Director Lauren Cummings.
“Sadly, the Northern Shenandoah Valley joins a growing numbers of regions across the nation suffering from the current Heroin and Opioid pandemic. We cannot overemphasize the importance of combining state, local and federal resources to mitigate damaged lives, neighborhoods and communities such as the Northern Shenandoah Valley region.” Said DEA Special Agent in Charge, Karl C. Colder. “In response, the DEA and its partners have established an Initiative called the 360 Strategy. One of the main components of this campaign focuses on the importance of education for children, educators and indeed, all first responders. The heroin and opioid crisis has taught us all...it kills everywhere and executes with deadly instantaneous force.”
Lake Charles man pleads guilty to transporting explosivesRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced today that a Lake Charles man pleaded guilty to transporting explosives.
Cory Duane Smith, 47, of Lake Charles, La., but who previously lived in Bossier City, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter to one count of transportation of explosives. According to the guilty plea, Smith transported two spools of detonating cord, one box of boosters and two boxes of detonators from Shreveport to Bossier City between mid-April 2014 and May 31, 2014. Smith’s former roommate discovered the explosives in his garage at his Bossier City home more than a year after the explosives had been transported there. The roommate notified law enforcement agents of the presence of the explosives in his garage. Law enforcement subsequently interviewed Smith, who admitted to transporting the explosives from a residence in Shreveport to the roommate’s residence in Bossier City.
Smith faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of July 14, 2017 was set.
The ATF and the Bossier City Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Drucker is prosecuting the case.
Jasper County Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking ViolationsRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas - A 35-year-old Kirbyville, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
McGee Lamar Falcon pleaded guilty on Oct. 16, 2016, to conspiracy to distribute and possess methamphetamine and was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
According to information presented in court, beginning in 2009, Falcon and his co-conspirators operated a drug trafficking organization which acquired large multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine and crack cocaine from suppliers in Mexico for distribution to customers in the United States, including the Eastern District of Texas and Western District of Louisiana. Falcon and nine others were indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 2, 2015.
- enforcement agencies became aware of the organization’s activities in September 2013. From that time forward, the investigation led to controlled purchases from members of the organization and the seizure of money, drugs, and firearms. Falcon and his distributors typically arranged customer meetings in rural locations around Kirbyville and Bon Weir, Texas.
This case is the result of an extensive joint investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Beaumont Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Jasper Police Department, and Newton County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John B. Ross, Michelle Englade and John Craft.
Indiana Man Sentenced to Two Years for Bringing Guns into Illinois and Illegally Selling Them on the Streets of ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An Indiana man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for unlawfully dealing firearms on the West Side of Chicago.
In the fall of 2013 WILLIE LEE BILES JR. made multiple trips on a Megabus to Chicago from his home in Indianapolis, each time bringing handguns with him. Biles had legally purchased at least 29 firearms from licensed dealers in Indiana. Once in Chicago, Biles sold the firearms to individuals on the West Side for more than two times the price that Biles had paid for them.
Biles never asked any of the individuals for identification, and he failed to verify whether they could legally possess firearms. At least one of the individuals to whom Biles sold four firearms was a convicted felon who could not legally possess a firearm. Twelve of the firearms Biles sold were later recovered by law enforcement.
A jury last year convicted Biles, 44, of willfully dealing firearms without a license. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis imposed the 24-month sentence Thursday in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Celinez Nunez, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“The defendant conducted no background checks on his ‘customers,’ required no waiting period, and kept no records,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher V. Parente and Elizabeth R. Pozolo argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “These firearms have been used in attempted murders, recovered from documented gang members, convicted felons, and hidden inside drug stash houses.”
The convicted felon to whom Biles sold guns was previously sentenced in the case. OTTO LEWELLEN, of Bellwood, pleaded guilty in 2015 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lewellen stated in a plea agreement that he met Biles on multiple occasions in Chicago and Bellwood in the fall of 2013. During these meetings, Lewellen observed Biles holding a bag of firearms and selling the weapons to various individuals, according to Lewellen’s plea agreement. Lewellen admitted that he purchased four firearms from Biles. Authorities recovered two of them, but Lewellen said he sold the other two to a man he knew as “Red.” Officials have not been able to locate Red or the two guns. Judge Ellis in 2015 sentenced Lewellen to 18 months in prison.
The investigation was conducted with the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA). Substantial assistance was provided by the Illinois State Police, Chicago Police Department, Bellwood Police Department and ATF Indianapolis Field Office.
Illinois Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Randal L. Mamino, 49, of Collinsville, Illinois, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. Mamino pled guilty to this offense on December 12, 2016.
Records filed in court established that in April 2016, Mamino removed a 12-gauge shotgun from his mother’s residence in Collinsville. This shotgun belonged to Mamino’s brother, who was storing it at their mother’s residence. After removing the shotgun, Mamino transported it to a pawnshop in Collinsville and sold it for approximately $90. When Mamino was later arrested, he admitted to knowingly taking the firearm from his mother’s residence and selling it to a pawn shop. Mamino further acknowledged that he was convicted of a felony offense prior to these actions and knew he was not permitted to possess a firearm.
The investigation was conducted by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.
Heroin and Fentanyl Traffickers Sentenced to 66 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Five members of a Portsmouth based heroin and fentanyl trafficking organization have been sentenced to approximately 66 years in prison.
The final member to face sentencing, Nathaniel Powell, 34, of Portsmouth, was sentenced today to 25 years in prison. Detuan Gordon, 26, Ernest Cross, 38, Valerie Wilson, 56, and Marque Wilson, 34, all of Portsmouth, were all previously sentenced for their respective roles in the conspiracy. See table below for details.
According to court documents, from March 2012 through July 2016, members of this organization conspired to manufacture and distribute heroin in excess of 1,000 grams. The group’s primary source of supply for heroin and fentanyl came from Baltimore. The narcotics were then transported to Hampton Roads and repackaged using a hydraulic press machine and gel capsules for retail sales. This organization further disseminated their drugs and served as a source of supply for other individuals in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
According to court documents, on Dec. 22, 2015, police executed a search warrant on Gordon’s residence and recovered opiates, scales, drug paraphernalia, and firearms. During the conspiracy Gordon, a convicted felon, possessed an AK-47-style rifle as well as a Taurus handgun. When Gordon was arrested police recovered nearly $50,000 in cash, a firearm, heroin, and fentanyl. Valerie Wilson was arrested in Moyock, North Carolina, after selling five grams of heroin. Wilson also had a minor in her vehicle when she distributed the heroin.
Two members of the group led police on two separate vehicle pursuits. Marque Wilson, who was in possession of heroin and cocaine, was arrested on June 10, 2016, after attempting to elude police. On May 26, 2016, Powell led police on a high-speed chase past a school and through residential neighborhoods of Portsmouth before he crashed into another driver, who was subsequently hospitalized. Powell, who is a paraplegic, used a cane to drive during the pursuit. Police recovered seven grams of fentanyl, some marijuana, and approximately $3,600 cash from Powell. After Powell’s state arrest, he threatened to kill an individual he believed was working with police. He was then arrested on federal charges, and after pleading guilty on Oct. 20, 2016, made more threats to a co-conspirator through the use of notes that were sent between cell blocks at Western Tidewater Regional Jail.
Name
Date of Guilty Plea
Date of Sentencing
Sentence
Nathaniel Powell
Oct. 20, 2016
Today
300 months
Detuan Gordon
Sept. 20, 2016
Jan. 26, 2017
295 months
Ernest Cross
Sept. 23, 2016
Jan. 20, 2017
70 months
Valerie Wilson
Sept. 16, 2016
Jan. 20, 2017
60 months
Marque Wilson
Oct. 18, 2016
Jan. 27, 2017
72 months
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of the Portsmouth Police Department; and Kelvin L. Wright, Chief of the Chesapeake Police Department made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph E. DePadilla and Andrew C. Bosse 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. 2:16-cr-97.
Guilty Plea in Scheme to Defraud the State of California of $2.5 MillionRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kyn K. Naope, 41, of Sherman Oaks, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for a scheme that submitted fraudulent unemployment benefit claim forms to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) via the U.S. mail, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between March 2008 and February 2011, Naope and others involved in the scheme registered fictitious employers, such as “Peco Media,” “Sona Entertainment,” and “Money Alley,” with the EDD and then recruited other individuals to pose as laid-off employees of those companies. These fake employees would then file for and collect unemployment insurance benefits based on the wages reported to EDD by the fictitious employers.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the California Employment Development Department-Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Matthew M. Yelovich are prosecuting the case.
The total amount of unemployment benefit checks cashed as a result of this scheme was at least $2.5 million. Naope is the seventh individual to be convicted for participating in this fraud scheme, which was charged across three separate cases. Andre Walters of Long Beach was convicted following a jury trial in August 2016 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2017. Kenneth Kim Parks of Pomona and Long Beach was sentenced to five years in prison. Donye Marcell Mitchell Sr., of Los Angeles, was sentenced to four years in prison. Gregory Bart Martin of Lakewood was sentenced to 18 months of probation. Michael Ray Taylor Sr., of Fontana, was sentenced to three years in prison, and Michael Ray Taylor Jr., of El Monte, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2017.
Naope is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on June 16, 2017. Naope faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Four Norfolk Men Sentenced for AT&T Store RobberiesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Four Norfolk men have been sentenced to a combined 37 years in prison for their respective roles in several Tidewater AT&T Store robberies in early 2016.
The final defendant to face sentencing, Corey Holmes, 27, of Norfolk, was sentenced to 121 months in prison today. Kendrick Perry, 23, Brice Keeling, 24, and Breon Berry, 25, all of Norfolk, all have pleaded guilty and been sentenced. See the table below for additional details.
According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, the men conspired with one another to rob the stores of cellphones, tablets and cash. The men entered the stores wearing masks and brandished what appeared to be firearms at the employees. They would subsequently demand money and access to the unsold electronic devices, including cellphones and tablets. They then would make the employees get down on the floor, zip tied their hands and feet, and took the employees personal phones and some form of identification, telling the employees that they now know where the employees live. In total, the men took approximately $370,000 worth of electronic devices and approximately $3,432 in cash during the robberies. Keeling and Holmes conducted two of the robberies, while Keeling and Perry conducted the remaining robbery. Berry was the get-away driver for all three robberies. Their robbery spree ended when a construction worker took down the license plate of their fleeing vehicle during their last robbery. The plates came back to Berry who confessed to the robberies and named his co-conspirators. Keeling and Perry were arrested in Columbia, South Carolina, attempting to sell the electronic devices from the last robbery to a third party.
Name
Date of Guilty Plea
Date of Sentencing
Sentence
Corey Holmes
Oct. 7, 2016
Today
121 months
Kendrick Perry
Sept. 27, 2016
January 11
121 months
Brice Keeling
Oct. 11, 2016
January 26
125 months
Breon Berry
Sept. 27, 2016
February 6
84 months
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis. Assistant U.S. Attorney William D. Muhr prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-94.
Former U.S. Army Sergeant Sentenced on Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Bobby Lemon, 36, of McRae, Georgia, was sentenced yesterday to serve a term of imprisonment of 12 months and one day in connection with his plea of guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return and filing a false income tax return, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Kathy A. Enstrom, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Office. Lemon was also ordered to pay $115,391 in restitution and will serve a one–year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
On March 25, 2016, Lemon, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Army, pled guilty and admitted to preparing false tax returns for soldiers while deployed to Afghanistan and while stationed at Fort Drum, New York. The defendant used false information, such as filing status and dependents, to generate fraudulent refunds, a portion of which was deposited in his personal bank account. Lemon prepared 30 false income tax returns for the 2011 and 2012 tax years and did not disclose the fraudulent refund payments he received on his own income tax return.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Thomson.
Former Tampa Police Detective Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Stolen Government PropertyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Eric Houston (56, Riverview) today pleaded guilty to receipt of stolen government property. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the
plea agreement , while working as a detective with the Tampa Police Department, Houston allowed a co-conspirator, Rita Girven, to pay off more than $5,000 in credit card debt that he and his wife, LaJoyce Houston, had accrued on their Home Depot credit card, knowing that the payoff funds had been obtained from fraudulent federal income tax refunds.In a related case, on March 16, 2015, Girven pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. On November 20, 2015, she was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
LaJoyce Houston’s case is pending trial for her alleged role in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler.
Former Monroe Prison Guard Sentenced for Smuggling Contraband into FacilityRead the Press Release
A former Washington State Correctional Officer from the Monroe Correctional Complex was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 18 months in prison for his scheme to smuggle contraband into the prison, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. MICHAEL W. BOWDEN, 31, of Everett, Washington pleaded guilty January 9, 2017, to extortion under color of official right. At the sentencing hearing today U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones told BOWDEN, “you were in a position of trust and power and it was abused. You compromised the safety of everyone in the facility.”
“We rely on correctional officers to do their difficult jobs with the utmost in integrity,” said U. S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “When this defendant allowed contraband into the Twin Rivers Unit of the Monroe correctional facility, he breached the public’s trust in ways that harmed Twin Rivers staff and prisoners alike. The fact is that in 2016, the Twin Rivers Unit where this defendant worked saw a 600% increase in inmates testing positive for drugs. We simply can’t have prison staff be a part of that problem, and are committed to holding those who are to account.”
According to records in the case, the Department of Corrections Intelligence and Investigations Unit asked the FBI to become involved in the investigation of contraband smuggling in December 2015. Using confidential sources inside and outside the Monroe Correctional Complex, agents determined BOWDEN was accepting bribes of up to $1,000 to smuggle contraband into the prison. On three different occasions between July and September 2016, BOWDEN smuggled tobacco, a SIM card, and what he believed was methamphetamine into an inmate at the prison. In each of those three instances, the inmate turned the contraband over to investigators.
“The Washington Department of Corrections appreciates the efforts and expediency of the U.S. Attorney’s office in prosecuting former Officer Bowden,” said Assistant Secretary Stephen Sinclair of the Washington Department of Corrections. “Our correctional system prides itself on the safety and security of our officers, staff, and incarcerated population. We have no tolerance for misdeeds committed by the few, and appreciate the hard, dutiful work of the thousands of uniformed and non-uniformed staff in our facilities.”
In a letter to the court, the head of the Monroe Correctional Complex described how contraband puts people at risk. He noted that shortly before BOWDEN smuggled sham methamphetamine into the prison, an inmate had died of a meth overdose at the facility, when he tried to hide his stash of the drug. That incident was well known to BOWDEN even as he made arrangements to smuggle more meth into the facility. “Any contraband inside a prison is a serious issue, however, the specific presence of methamphetamine inside the prison endangers inmates and staff to additional risk as trades are made and debts are accrued, which often leads to increased violence,” Michael Obenland, Superintendent of the Monroe Correctional Complex wrote to the court.
The case was investigated by the FBI in partnership with the Washington State Department of Corrections Intelligence and Investigations Unit.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Arnold.