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Monday 30 January 2017
Two Plead Guilty to $296,600 Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Ricardo Rodriguez (24) and Brandon Mojica (23), both of Deltona, have pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during that robbery. Each faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison for the armed robbery, to be followed by a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least 7 years for the firearm charge. Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2017, and Mojica is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, 2017.
According to the plea agreements, on November 8, 2016, Rodriguez brandished a firearm and forced two bank employees, including Mojica, to provide access to the safe of a bank in Lake Mary. Rodriguez took $296,600 from the safe and physically restrained both employees before fleeing the bank. Responding officers from the Lake Mary Police Department quickly located, pursued, and apprehended Rodriguez following a high-speed chase. They also recovered the cash that Rodriguez had stolen from the bank and the firearm used during the robbery. Further investigation revealed that Mojica had assisted Rodriguez in planning the robbery by providing information concerning the bank and its employees in advance.
This case was investigated by the Lake Mary Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.
Two Men Plead Guilty to Smuggling Foreign Nationals into the United StatesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two men today admitted their roles in a conspiracy to illegally transport foreign nationals into the United States via commercial airline flights, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Nileshkumar Patel, 42, and Harsad Mehta, 68, both of India, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to separate superseding informations charging them each with one count of conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Patel and Mehta admitted that from June 2013 through October 2015, they conspired to make money by recruiting Indian nationals to enter and reside in the United States illegally. Patel and Mehta admitted that on July 24, 2014, they brought two Indian nationals to Bangkok, Thailand, so that they could be transported into the United States. They also admitted paying an individual – who was actually an undercover officer – to transport the foreign nationals from Thailand into Newark.
The conspiracy count carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2017.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence S. Opiola in Newark, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Navarro of the U.S Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel:
Patel: Michael P. Koribanics Esq., Clifton, New Jersey
Mehta: Mark A. Berman Esq., River Edge, New Jersey
Three Pounds of Heroin Seized During Federal Drug Interdiction InvestigationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – This morning a U.S. Magistrate Judge sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found probable cause to support a criminal complaint charging Juan de Dios Delgado-Garcia, 33, a Mexican national, with a heroin trafficking offense. Delgado-Garcia was ordered to remain in federal custody pending trial.
Delgado-Garcia was arrested on Jan. 26, 2017, and was charged in a criminal complaint after the DEA seized approximately 1.40 kilograms (3.09 pounds) of heroin from him during an interdiction investigation at the Greyhound Bus Station.
If convicted, Delgado-Garcia faces a statutory mandatory minimum of ten years and a maximum of life in prison. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
The case against Delgado-Garcia was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Letitia C. Simms as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.
The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.
Three New Yorkers Sentenced for Credit Card ScamRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that three residents of Brooklyn, New York were recently sentenced in United States District Court in Brattleboro following their guilty pleas to charges involving credit card fraud. Today, U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha sentenced Wen Ping Chen, 39, who was the organizer of this conspiracy, to 12 months plus one day of imprisonment. Two lower-level participants in the conspiracy, Kewang Lin, 38, and Shao Qing Chen, 28, were sentenced last week to terms of probation. Wen Ping Chen was ordered to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. The three defendants were ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $25,600. The court ordered that Wen Ping Chen surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 4 to begin serving his sentence.
On October 15, 2015, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned a three-count indictment charging Wen Ping Chen with conspiring to commit access device fraud, possessing 15 or more counterfeit access devices, and using counterfeit access devices. In 2014, the grand jury had charged Kewang Lin and Shao Chen with related crimes. The prosecution stemmed from an incident in August 2014 which resulted in the arrests in South Burlington of co-conspirators Shao Chen and Lin.
According to the indictment and court records, between about 2013 and August 22, 2014, Wen Ping Chen recruited Shao Chen, Kewang Lin and other young men and women to commit credit card fraud across the Eastern United States. As part of the conspiracy, Wen Ping Chen recruited young women to obtain waitressing jobs at Chinese restaurants outside New York City. Chen gave his recruits credit card skimming devices which enabled them to steal the credit card numbers of restaurant customers. Chen used the stolen credit card numbers to manufacture counterfeit credit cards. He then recruited young men to travel from New York to other states and use counterfeit credit cards to make purchases, primarily of gift cards. The merchandise acquired through the fraudulent purchases would then be resold on a black market. In August 2014, Wen Ping Chen, Shao Chen and Lin drove from New York to Vermont. Shao Chen and Lin spent two days buying gift cards with counterfeit credit cards provided to them by Wen Ping Chen. On August 22, 2014, Shao Chen and Lin were arrested and later pled guilty in federal court to credit card related crimes. Wen Ping Chen was also arrested in 2014 but was initially released pending further investigation. More than 80 counterfeit credit cards were recovered by South Burlington officers, as well as thousands of dollars of gift cards.
Before being arrested in Vermont, Shao Chen, Lin and other conspirators made shopping trips to Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas and Louisiana to buy gift cards with counterfeit credit cards supplied by Wen Ping Chen.
This case was investigated by the South Burlington Police Department, the United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Wen Ping Chen is represented by Paul Brenner; Shao Chen by Stacey Van Malden; and Kewang Lin by Edgar Fankbonner. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to 188 Months for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Conspiracies in Central KentuckyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Tennessee man has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute massive quantities of marijuana and cocaine in central Kentucky and conspiring to launder approximately one million dollars in drug proceeds.
On Thursday, January 26, U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell sentenced Benito Segura Tovar, 34, of Knoxville, Tenn. Under federal law, Tovar must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.
Segura Tovar admitted that he conspired with Edgar Villa Castanedaand Miguel Salas, both of Lexington, Ky., and others to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine and over 1,000 kilograms – roughly 2,200 pounds - of marijuana between August 2014 and February 2015. The cocaine was supplied in part by Raul Garcia Valencia of Atlanta, Ga.
The defendants distributed the drugs in Tennessee, Georgia, and central Kentucky, including Fayette, Madison and Montgomery Counties. Segura Tovar also admitted that he, Villa Castaneda, and Salas conspired to launder over one million dollars in drug proceeds.
Law enforcement seized approximately four kilograms of cocaine, 150 pounds of marijuana, several firearms, and approximately $1,000,0000 in bulk cash during the investigation.
Villa Castaneda and Salas pleaded guilty last year. Castaneda was sentenced to 204 months’ imprisonment; Salas was sentenced to 174 months’ imprisonment. Garcia Valencia was convicted at trial in June 2016 and sentenced to 160 months’ imprisonment.
Carlton S. Shier, IV., Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division, DEA; Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Division, FBI; Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Field Division, ATF; Richard W. Sanders, Kentucky State Police; and Mark Barnard, Chief of Lexington Police, jointly made the announcement today.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Lexington, Ky. OCDETF is an initiative focusing on significant national and international drug trafficking and money laundering criminal organizations. The investigation was coordinated by DEA with the assistance of FBI, KSP, Lexington Police Department, and ATF. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr., and Assistant United States Attorney G. Todd Bradbury.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on the Conviction of Arizona Man Charged with Providing Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
“Once again, we have shown that terrorists and terrorist enablers can be brought to justice fairly, openly, and swiftly in the crown jewel of our justice system -- civilian courts. Today, a jury in federal court in Manhattan convicted Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal of material support of terrorism. To grow their brand of hate-filled violence and radicalization, terrorist organizations like ISIS need facilitators and promoters around the world. And the jury found today that Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal was one such terrorist facilitator. An Ambassador for ISIS right here in America, El Gammal actively touted and glamorized ISIS online, ultimately recruiting and helping a New York college student travel to an ISIS camp in Syria for military training. That New Yorker died waging jihad, and for El Gammal’s active role in sending him down that trail to terror, he now stands convicted of federal terrorism crimes.”
St. Cloud Recidivist Sentenced to More Than 21 Years for Advertisement of Child Pornography on TwitterRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Matthew Allen Hayes (35, Osceola County) to more than 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for advertisement of child pornography. He pleaded guilty on September 15, 2016.
According to court documents, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) began investigating Hayes after learning that he had advertised an interest in child pornography and had posted an image of child pornography on his Twitter page. On April 7, 2016, OCSO deputies executed a state search warrant at Hayes’s residence, where they located a cellphone with at least 100 videos containing child pornography, many depicting children under the age of 12. During an interview, Hayes admitted that he had posted the advertisement on Twitter, along with the image containing child pornography. He also admitted that he had been downloading, sharing, and viewing child pornography on various networks since his release from prison on October 24, 2015. When Hayes committed this offense, he was on supervised release following convictions in Manatee County on October 2, 2013, for armed burglary with a firearm and four counts of burglary of an occupied structure.
“Child pornography, when it’s released on the Internet, lives on forever,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “It haunts the innocent children whose abuse is depicted in the images, and brings unspeakable pain to their parents and families. HSI will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners, like the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, to ensure that those who sexually exploit our children are brought to justice.”
This case was investigated by OCSO and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Christina R. Downes, on assignment from the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, ICE.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to using a minor to produce child pornography.
Tyler Coons, 25, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of using a minor to produce child pornography and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
The investigation began when the father of an 11-year-old girl filed a report with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department on June 3, 2014, after his daughter received inappropriate Facebook messages from Coons. When he signed into his daughter’s Facebook account, he saw messages from Coons and set up a meeting with him, pretending to be his daughter. The father met Coons on the playground of a local elementary school and told him to have no further contact with his daughter.
On June 20, 2014, a search warrant was obtained for Coons’s Facebook account and Facebook provided investigators with more than 8,000 pages of private messages exchanged between Coons and others. Many of the messages were from young girls between the ages of 11 and 17. Coons asked several of the girls to send him pictures of themselves without clothes on.
During numerous Facebook conversations with girls claiming to be under the age of 18, Coons refers to exchanging naked pictures via social media, including Snapchat, Instagram and Kik. Frequently, during the conversations, Coons refers to the females as “jailbait” and indicates that he is aware he is engaging in illegal activity.
On July 10, 2014, detectives from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at Coons’s residence. Coons was inside the residence with a 17-year-old female, who was identified as one of the minors who had sent him several pornographic images of herself. Coons admitted that he and the 17-year-old were sexually active, and that they could have been sexually active while she was still 16 years old. Coons also admitted that he sent a naked picture of himself to her.
In an interview with investigators, the 17-year-old victim said that she and another minor, whom she believed to be 15 years old, had engaged in sexual activity with Coons at his residence on the night before the search warrant was executed.
Under federal statutes, Coons is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 50 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Silver Spring Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Clarence Henry Andrews, age 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty late on January 27, 2017, to production of child pornography. Andrews is a registered sex offender as a result of a 2010 conviction in Prince George’s County Circuit Court for a fourth degree sex offense and second degree assault, in connection with his abuse of a nine-year-old boy in the bathroom of a Laurel, Maryland, church.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
According to his plea agreement, in March 2015, Andrews communicated with an 11-year-old male residing in Georgia, via a video game system, Skype, FaceTime, text messages, and telephone. During the course of the communications, Andrews promised to provide the victim with Advanced Warfare, a video game, in exchange for sexually explicit images and videos of the victim. At times, Andrews invoked the Bible in order to persuade the victim to produce and share sexually explicit images and videos. Andrews admitted that between approximately 2013 and April 2015, Andrews – using similar means and pattern of conduct – attempted to coerce at least eight additional victims aged 16 and younger to produce images and videos of sexually explicit conduct.
In addition, Andrews admitted that between April 2013 and October 2014, Andrews befriended a family through church, that included an eight-to-nine-year-old female and a seven-to-eight-year-old male, residing in Olney, Maryland. Andrews visited the family’s home on several occasions. On one occasion Andrews took the girl to a downstairs bathroom in the home and gave her cash to pull down her pants, then touched and photographed the child’s buttocks. On other occasions while visiting the family Andrews took the boy to the downstairs bathroom, engaged in sexually explicit conduct and photographed the boy’s buttocks. As part of his federal plea agreement, Andrews has agreed to plead guilty to this conduct in Montgomery County Circuit Court (Case No. 130047C)
Also as part of his plea agreement, Andrews will be required to continue to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Andrews and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Andrews will be sentenced to between 20 and 30 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2017.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Montgomery County Police Department, and Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation, and thanked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Butts County, Georgia, District Attorney’s Office for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas A. Mitchell and Menaka Kalaskar, who are prosecuting the federal case.
Shelton Man Admits Robbing 4 Connecticut BanksRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SCOTT TAYLOR, 47, of Shelton, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of bank robbery and admitted that he robbed four branches of Chase Bank last year.
According to court documents and statements made in court, TAYLOR robbed the Chase Bank at 184 Main Street in Westport on June 2, 2016; the Chase Bank at 1561 Boston Post Road in Milford on June 24, 2016; the Chase Bank at 50 Washington Street in Norwalk on July 6, 2016, and the Chase Bank at 1855 Main Street in Stratford on July 13, 2016. During each of the robberies, TAYLOR handed a teller a note demanding cash, and told the teller that he had a gun.
TAYLOR stole a total of approximately $23,300 during the first three robberies, and $1,000 during the July 13 robbery. He was arrested at the Stratford train station shortly after the July 13 robbery in possession of $998 in cash and 33 folds of heroin.
TAYLOR is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on May 3, 2017, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The parties have recommended a sentence of 188 months of imprisonment.
TAYLOR has been detained since his arrest.
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Westport, Milford, Norwalk and Stratford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony E. Kaplan.
U.S. Attorney Daly thanked the assistance and cooperation of the State’s Attorneys for the Judicial Districts of Ansonia/Milford, Fairfield and Stamford/Norwalk.
Sallisaw Woman Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that AMBER LUANA SMALL, age 25, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, pled guilty to POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE METHAMPHETAMINE, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2, punishable by not less than 5 years or more than 40 years imprisonment, and up to a $5,000,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about August 30, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the District 27 Drug Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant will remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Hammer represented the United States.
SPD’s Investigations of Intermediate-level Uses of Force in Initial Compliance with Requirements of Consent DecreeRead the Press Release
SEATTLE – A follow-up assessment of the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) investigations and chain of command review of intermediate-level, Type II uses of force has found SPD are in initial compliance with the requirements of the Court-ordered agreement with the Department of Justice, announced U. S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. On Friday, January 27, 2017, Federal Monitor Merrick Bobb filed the re-assessment with the U.S. District Court and, in finding SPD in initial compliance, noted “significant improvement” and “solid progress” since his initial assessment of supervisors’ investigations and review of Type II uses of force.
The previous assessment, filed with the Court in September 2015, examined the documentation, investigation and analysis of uses of force by officers and found SPD to be in initial compliance with requirements relating to lower-level Type I force reporting and investigations, Type II and III reporting, and Force Investigation Team investigations for Type III uses of force, including officer-involved shootings. However, the initial 2015 assessment found that investigations of Type II force conducted by sergeants and reviewed by the chain of command “are not where they need to be” and that “[l]ieutenants and captains are likewise not yet identifying and addressing deficiencies in sergeant investigations of Type II force.”
“We know that effective oversight by direct supervisors, particularly in the investigation and review of uses of force, is critical to maintaining a high-functioning, accountable, and self-correcting police department,” said Annette L. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. “The progress made by SPD’s sergeants, lieutenants and captains is commendable and demonstrates a real commitment to full, fair and rigorous investigations and reviews of force incidents consistent with SPD policies developed as part of the court-ordered reform process.”
The re-assessment focuses on the immediate supervisor’s response to the scene of Type II incidents and the proper initial classification of the type of force used (from low-level Type I, intermediate Type II, or the most serious Type III uses of force). It also addresses the subsequent investigations of the incidents by sergeants, the “chain of command” review by lieutenants and captains, and final reviews by the Force Review Board to identify any policy issues, as well as any issues with the actual force and tactics, that were not caught earlier in the process. The conclusion that SPD is in initial compliance with its obligations under the Consent Decree and SPD policy is based on a review of all Type II incidents from January through March 2016, of which there were only 27, which, as the Monitor notes, reflects the relative infrequency with which force is being used overall. According to statistics compiled and soon to be published by SPD, Type 3s and Officer Involved Shootings (OIS) are statistically uncommon events (e.g., only four OIS in 2016; only 13 Type 3s). This fact highlights the importance of having robust oversight over more common (though still relatively rare) lower level uses of force.
Previous assessments found SPD to be in initial compliance with requirements relating to crisis intervention, the Office of Professional Accountability, use of force reporting and investigations, and the Force Review Board. The Monitor also has examined and found positive developments and trends in public confidence and community trust regarding SPD. Upcoming assessments in 2017 will examine SPD’s use of force and Terry stops, and the Early Intervention System.
In addition to the filing of the re-assessment of the investigation and review of Type II uses of force, the Monitor also filed with the Court SPD’s new crowd management policy and body worn camera plan. Those can be found: here.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. B A Wichita man with a previous conviction for sexual abuse was sentenced Monday to 22 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Jonathan Curtis McClain, 37, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In his plea, McClain admitted he previously was convicted of sexual abuse in 1998 in Medford, Ore.
This investigation began when agents of the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tennessee identified McClain’s user profile engaged in chats on the Internet telling other users about his interest in watching child pornography. In March 2016 McClain sent child pornography to an investigator.
Beall commended the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
Puerto Rican Men Plead Guilty to Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Wendell Delgado-Sanchez, and Jairo Figueroa-Suarez, both of Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. In addition, Delgado-Sanchez pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Felicetta, who is handling the case, stated that on March 5, 2015, the defendants sold a confidential source 71 grams of cocaine at an apartment on Dearborn Street in Buffalo. Later that same day, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the apartment and recovered 1,368 grams of cocaine in a safe and a Jiminez Arms, model J.A. Nine, 9mm luger pistol.
Officers also recovered a surveillance video system from inside the apartment that displayed the activities inside the apartment from February 27, 2015, through March 5, 2015. A review of the video demonstrates that during that time period, Delgado-Sanchez and Figueroa-Suarez were present weighing, mixing, and packaging cocaine for distribution. The video also depicts occasions when the defendants completed drug transactions with customers.
The pleas are the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
Jairo Figueroa-Suarez will be sentenced on May 11, 2017. Wendell Delgado-Sanchez is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2017. Both sentencings will occur before Judge Vilardo.
President of Muscle Inc. Sentenced to 18 Months Imprisonment for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Amalia Ralar, 50, a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, was sentenced on January 19, 2017 to 18 months in federal prison for filing a false tax return underreporting her income, announced. In addition to the prison term, Senior District Judge Helen Gillmor ordered Ralar to pay a $40,000 fine and pay the sum of $354,511 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
Florence T. Nakakuni, United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that according to court documents and information presented in court, Ralar, the owner and operator of a local business, Muscle, Inc., filed tax returns for tax years 2007 through 2014 in which she knowingly failed to report a total of $1,349,231 in taxable income. The failure to report the $1,349,231 resulted in tax losses to the federal government of $354,511. In delivering her sentence, Judge Gillmor referenced large and frequent cash deposits by Ralar totaling $3,046,092 in amounts which the court observed appeared structured to avoid their detection by the Internal Revenue Service.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson.
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Pennsylvania Man Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to ISIL and Transmitting a Communication Containing a Threat to InjureRead the Press Release
Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, 20, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. The plea was entered before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner.
“Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz conspired to provide material support to ISIL by aiding individuals in their pursuit of traveling overseas to join the designated foreign terrorist organization and by using social media to propagate ISIL’s threats to injure U.S. service members,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism, and we will remain vigilant in our efforts to hold accountable those who seek to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations and threaten members of our military.”
“The security of the American People is the highest priority for our office and the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Brandler. “While we cannot eliminate terrorism completely, we can bring to justice those responsible for providing material support and resources to terrorist groups and for spreading hate and destruction in our communities and abroad. Thankfully, the defendant’s activities were disrupted by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force and justice will be served in this case.”
"As evidenced here, ISIL loyalists need not travel to the field of battle to threaten lives and do harm," said Special Agent in Charge Harpster. "An American citizen provided material support to terrorists from American soil, while enjoying all the rights and privileges scorned by ISIL. We are gratified that Mr. Aziz is being brought to justice for these acts."
According to the filed court documents, on Dec. 22, 2015, Aziz was charged in an indictment with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIL (Counts 1 and 2). A superseding indictment was returned on May 18, 2016, which added Solicitation to Commit a crime of violence (Count 3) and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure (Count 4).
According to the superseding indictment, from July 2014 to Dec. 17, 2015, Aziz knowingly conspired to provide, provided and attempted to provide material support, including personnel and services, to ISIL. The superseding indictment also alleges that during the same time period, Aziz solicited, commanded, induced and endeavored to persuade others to kill and attempt to kill officers and employees of the United States. The superseding indictment further alleges that he knowingly tweeted the names, addresses, photographs and military branches of approximately 100 U.S. service members to followers and viewers of his Twitter account. The communication also contained threats to injure the service members, stating “kill them in their own lands, behead them in their own homes, stab them to death as they walk their street thinking that they are safe.”
Aziz pledged his allegiance to the leader of ISIL and used at least 71 different Twitter accounts to advocate violence against the U.S. and its citizens, to disseminate ISIL propaganda and to espouse pro-ISIL views. On at least three occasions, Aziz allegedly used his Twitter accounts and other electronic communication services to assist persons seeking to travel to and fight for ISIL. In one instance, Aziz allegedly acted as an intermediary between a person in Turkey and several well-known members of ISIL.
Aziz passed location information, including maps and a telephone number, between these ISIL supporters. A search of a tactical/military style backpack located in Aziz’s closet identified five loaded M4-style high-capacity magazines, a modified straight edge knife, a thumb drive, medication, flashlights, a toothbrush, sunflower seeds, a lighter, nail clippers, fingerless gloves, a pocket watch and a black balaclava, which is like a ski mask and similar to those worn by ISIL supporters.
The maximum penalty provided in the statute for Count 1, Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of up to life and a $100 special assessment. The maximum penalty for Count 4, Transmitting a Communication Containing a Threat to Injure, is five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of three years and a $100 special assessment.
The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which includes the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daryl F. Bloom and Trial Attorneys Robert Sander and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Passaic County Man Who Operated Clifton, New Jersey, Ambulance Company Despite Ban Sentenced to 18 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Clifton, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison for health care fraud, obstructing a federal audit, and other charges associated with his illegal operation of an ambulance company despite having been banned from participating in federal health care programs, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Imadeldin Awad Khair, a/k/a “Nadr Awad,” 57, was previously convicted of all 17 counts of an indictment charging him with health care fraud, obstructing a federal audit, tax evasion, and money laundering. He was convicted following a nine-day bench trial before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence presented at trial:
In 2004, as a result of his conviction on a New Jersey state health care fraud charge, Khair was excluded from participating in any capacity in Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal health care programs for a minimum of 11 years. After realizing that he would be excluded from federal health care programs, Khair began operating a business named K&S Invalid Coach in his brother’s name. Since the date of his exclusion, Medicare and Medicaid paid over $9 million in claims submitted by K&S, none of which would have been paid had Medicare and Medicaid known that Khair was operating the business.
Khair’s plan to defraud Medicare and Medicaid began almost immediately after he was excluded by authorities from participating in federal health care programs. In 2004 and 2005, Khair recruited a business associate to tell authorities that Khair was his full-time employee so that Khair could continue running K&S in violation of his exclusion. Khair also used fraudulent paystubs provided by his business associate to convince authorities that he was not violating the terms of his exclusion.
In 2014, when special agents with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, executed a search warrant at K&S’s offices, Khair’s top managers directed employees via group text message to tell the agents that Khair’s brother was really in charge at K&S. In addition, on the first day of trial, Khair tried to influence a government witness just outside of the courtroom by claiming that he had over two dozen employees who were going to testify that his brother had really been in charge at K&S.
Khair also paid numerous K&S employees, including nearly all of the employees’ overtime wages, “off the books” and without withholding the necessary payroll taxes. To carry out the tax evasion scheme, Khair paid the wages in cash or handwritten check and directed K&S employees to keep two separate sets of books. Khair then directed company employees to send only the fraudulent set of books to the company’s payroll accountant.
In response to a U.S. Department of Labor audit of K&S in 2014, Khair held an employee meeting in which he directed K&S employees to lie to the Department of Labor by stating that they never worked more than 80 hours in a biweekly pay period. Khair also directed K&S employees to alter and falsify K&S timekeeping records to match the false amounts previously reported to the company’s payroll accountant.
The money laundering counts arose from K&S checks that were written and endorsed by Khair and made payable to “cash” or Khair himself, which were used to pay the undisclosed wages and enrich Khair personally.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton ordered Khair to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution of $8.8 million.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; special agents of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle M. Corcione and Osmar J. Benvenuto of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
U.S. Attorney Fishman reorganized the health care fraud practice shortly after taking office, creating a stand-alone Health Care and Government Fraud Unit to handle both criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud offenses. Since 2010, the office has recovered more than $1.32 billion in health care fraud and government fraud settlements, judgments, fines, restitution and forfeiture under the False Claims Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other statutes.
Defense counsel: Harvey R. Poe Esq., Roseland, New Jersey
Omaha Woman Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that on January 30, 2017, Patricia Urbanovsky of Omaha, Nebraska, age 31, was sentenced for sixteen (16) counts of wire fraud. The Honorable Joseph F. Bataillon, Senior United States District Court Judge, sentenced Urbanovsky to a term of sixty-three (63) months imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, Urbanovsky will begin a term of supervised release of 3 years. Urbanovsky was also ordered to make restitution totaling almost $4.7 million dollars. Urbanovsky was immediately remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal following the sentencing hearing.
An investigation conducted by the Omaha Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service determined that as a part of a scheme and artifice to defraud, from on or about May 2014, and continuing through on or about at least March 2015, Urbanovsky personally, and through Creative Creations, marketed and promoted the sale of discounted vacation packages and vouchers associated with Southwest Airlines and Southwest Vacations. The investigation determined, however, that actual airline ticket and vacation package costs associated with the sold vouchers were significantly more than the amount a customer paid to purchase the voucher or vacation package.
As the scheme progressed, it was Urbanovsky’s intention that money used to purchase actual airline tickets or vacation packages for early voucher customers would come from money paid in by newer voucher customers. While this practice enabled the continuance of the scheme, it was fundamentally unprofitable as the actual cost of individual airline tickets purchased by Urbanovsky consistently exceeded the cash collected from the corresponding sales of vouchers. In spite of this, Urbanovsky continued to solicit customers by promising vouchers below the market rate.
In furtherance of the scheme, Urbanovsky falsely represented to employees and customers she had a professional relationship with a purported Vice President of Southwest Vacations and that through this individual she was able to receive a discounted price on Southwest Airline tickets. To further the scheme, Urbanovsky created an email account which she used to send emails appearing to be from the purported Vice President of Southwest Vacations. These emails contained false representations suggesting that Urbanovsky was able to receive discounts on flights purchased from Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines had no affiliation with Urbanovsky or Creative Creations.
Square, Incorporated, which was the third party credit card processor for Creative Creations and the primary victim, suffered more than $4.6 million in losses as a result of credit card charge backs from Urbanovsky’s Creative Creations accounts. In total, 9 victims sustained losses totaling almost $4.7 million dollars.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service.
Olathe Woman Pleads Guilty in Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An Olathe woman pleaded guilty Monday in a scheme to collect income tax refunds by creating companies that existed only on paper, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Raquel Odegbaro, 39, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of mail fraud.
Odegbaro was the owner of Cokeza Styles, an online business that sold hair products. In her plea, she admitted she and her co-conspirators created a series of fictitious companies and filed tax returns in the names of so-called employees by providing false information about wages earned, amounts withheld and refunds due. The false tax returns directed the Internal Revenue Service to deposit refunds electronically to reloadable credit cards controlled by the conspirators. The individuals whose names appeared on the refunds never actually worked for the fictitious companies.
In addition, the conspirators used stolen Social Security numbers to apply for unemployment benefits from the Kansas Department of Labor. They created more than nine fictitious companies and registered them with the labor department. They filed false claims in the names of employees who purportedly were terminated without fault.
Odegbaro is set for sentencing on April 19, 2017. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 75 months in federal prison and restitution of more than $894,000.
Co-defendants Abdirizak Aden, 32, Kansas City, Mo; Alexander Limihagati, 33, Overland Park, Kan., Zia Mkubi Kajanja, 40, Overland Park, Kan., are awaiting trial.
Beall commended the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor and Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, the Kansas Department of Children and Families, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Education – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble for their work on the case.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Okmulgee Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm, Ammunition PossessionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that STEVE EARL PERRY JR, age 26, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, pled guilty to FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM & AMMUNITION, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2) and 924(e), punishable by no more than 10 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about November 14, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce a firearm which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charge arose from an investigation by the District 25 District Attorney’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant will remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.
Ohio Doctor Pleads Guilty to Running South Side Medical Center as Drug Premises and Evading More Than $3.5 Million in TaxesRead the Press Release
Today the government unsealed a plea agreement with the owner and operator of Columbus Southern Medical Center, which provided unlawful prescriptions of controlled substances to addicts throughout the Midwest and who engaged in a series of schemes to evade more than $3.5 million in taxes, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman for the Southern District of Ohio.
Kevin B. Lake, 50, of New Albany, Ohio, pleaded guilty to drug, tax and fraud charges and agreed to the forfeiture of what remains from the $29 million in seized funds earned from the clinic’s illegal activities, after restitution is paid from the funds.
According to court documents, Lake owned and managed Columbus Southern Medical Center through one or more corporate or trust entities which he used to insulate himself from the illegal drug trafficking being conducted at the clinic.
In the filed plea document, he admitted that between 2006 and 2013, he knew doctors and staff at the 2912 South High Street clinic prescribed controlled substances to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. During that time, hundreds of patients showed up daily – 85 percent of whom were returning patients – to receive prescriptions of oxycodone, hydrocodone and Xanax. The percentage of patients who were prescribed these controlled substances rose each year, jumping from nearly 60 percent in 2004 to nearly 92 percent in 2009 and 2010.
Lake agreed to plead guilty to maintaining the clinic as a drug premises. He also admitted that he exclusively controlled all of the proceeds generated by the illegal activity being conducted by the doctors, physician assistants and staff at the clinic, which was more than $38 million in payments for patient visits. He admitted to engaging in more than $20 million in money laundering transactions with these illegal drug proceeds.
The doctor also agreed to plead guilty to tax evasion on his personal income tax returns and admitted to filing fraudulent tax returns for his corporations and trusts. He paid himself more than $90,000 in 2010 through 2013 from the clinic entities, which he did not report as income, but instead disguised as phony rental payments ostensibly for use of his personal residence for corporate retreats. He also took inflated charitable contribution deductions on his individual income tax returns. In addition, Lake admitted causing the filing of corporate tax returns that falsely claimed inflated depreciation deductions for nearly $7.4 million in so-called “equipment” purchases by his corporations from his trust for tax years 2005 through 2011. He also admitted to falsely reporting these purchases as capital gains on his trust tax returns rather than as ordinary income, thereby securing a much lower tax rate. Lake’s tax crimes caused a tax loss of more than $3.5 million.
After the DEA first appeared at the clinic in June 2010, Lake took several steps to separate himself from the drug premises; he stopped paying himself a salary, and instead filed a fraudulent claim for disability payments from his two disability insurers. The insurance companies ultimately denied his claims, and only paid out $18,000. Lake also sold the clinic’s remaining stock to employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for the inflated price of $14 million.
After the ESOP sale and the denial of his fraudulent disability claim, Lake fraudulently filed for and collected unemployment benefits, stealing more than $20,000 in government funds.
Finally, the doctor admitted to defrauding the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation by having employees upcode office visits in order to bill for higher level medical services in addition to those provided by physician assistants as if they were provided by physicians, causing a loss of more than $260,000.
As part of the plea agreement, and due to Lake’s cooperation in the government’s investigation, the parties involved recommended to the court that Lake receive a sentence of 60 months in prison. Judge Watson will consider the recommended sentence at a sentencing hearing that has yet to be scheduled.
“At the same time Dr. Lake was running his medical center as an illegal drug premises, he took every opportunity to cheat the U.S. Treasury out of millions of dollars in taxes,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg. “As the income tax filing season begins, Lake’s guilty plea is a stark reminder of what awaits those filing false returns -- no matter their profession, income level or the complexity of their scheme.”
“For seven years, Kevin Lake operated Columbus Southern Medical Center as a pill mill,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman. “He got rich by feeding the addictions of hundreds and hundreds of people. Thanks to the thorough investigation of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, however, Lake has agreed to plead guilty to drug, tax, and fraud charges, forfeit his ill-gotten gains, and serve time in federal prison for his misdeeds.”
“Today’s guilty plea exemplifies DEA’s determination to combat the troubling prescription drug and opiate abuse problem currently plaguing this country,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Plancon. “Kevin Lake abused his position of trust and jeopardized the lives of many individuals, by conspiring with others to illegally prescribe controlled substances that ended up being consumed throughout Ohio and the surrounding states. This investigation uncovered the elaborate lengths that Lake undertook to conceal his illegal profits, and the seizure of $29 million from Lake is indicative of the scope of his illegal activity. Lake’s guilty plea should serve as a warning to all medical professionals that if you prescribe medicine for personal gain, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This investigation was a success thanks to the outstanding investigative work by all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”
“Dr. Lake’s conduct detailed in this case is egregious and had such a negative impact on our community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy N. Stemen of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office. “This is an important victory for the citizens of Central Ohio. Dr. Lake not only fueled the prescription drug problem in Central Ohio, but he supported addiction in several parts of the country. As a result of this joint investigative effort, the government has seized a significant portion of the illegal proceeds through asset forfeiture, and Dr. Lake is faced with having to pay back taxes with interest and steep penalties.”
“The Office of Inspector General congratulates the U.S. Attorney’s Office and all of the investigators on this important case,” said Special Agent in Charge James Vanderberg of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s Chicago Region. “The OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate unemployment insurance fraud and employee retirement plan fraud schemes.”
“There is no doubt that today’s opiate epidemic is due in large part to the overprescribing of prescription pain medication across this state,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “This defendant preyed on those battling addiction in an effort to make millions from their suffering. An incredible amount of hard work went into investigating and prosecuting this case. Because of this team effort, this pill mill operation has been shut down.”
“We place trust in our healthcare professionals to provide quality treatment that improves the health of injured workers,” said Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Administrator/CEO Sarah Morrison. “We’re pleased to do our part to address the problem of prescription drug abuse in Ohio, as well as put an end to Dr. Lake’s fraudulent billing scheme.”
“It is through the hard work of the investigators and the cooperation of agencies at the federal, state, and local level that led to the successful investigation and prosecution of this pill mill,” said Columbus Police Deputy Chief Michael Woods.
Three co-defendants have pleaded guilty as part of this case. Dr. Terry Dragash was sentenced in October 2014 to one year in prison for conspiracy to distribute drugs as a result of his conduct in prescribing at the clinic. Dr. David Rath pleaded guilty to a similar conspiracy charge. And in December 2015, Karen Climer – another employee of Lake’s – pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to six months in prison after the government revealed she was cooperating in the investigation into Lake.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the DEA Tactical Diversion Squad – including the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Columbus Division of Police – IRS Criminal Investigation, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Department of Labor OIG and Employee Benefits Security Administration, Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth F. Affeldt and Department of Justice Tax Division Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing and Carl F. Brooker, who are representing the United States in this case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
New York Man Found Guilty on Narcotics Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEVEN WILLIAMS was found guilty Friday of conspiring to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine. WILLIAMS was convicted after a one-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As the jury swiftly found, Steven Williams used his music business as a front to traffic in massive quantities of cocaine and heroin. For pumping 100 kilograms of cocaine and more than 40 kilograms of heroin into New York City streets, Williams now stands convicted of federal narcotics conspiracy.”
According to the evidence introduced at trial, other proceedings in this case, and documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court:
Between 2009 and August 2015, WILLIAMS conspired with others to traffic in excess of 100 kilograms of cocaine and 40 kilograms of heroin from California to New York. WILLIAMS held himself out to be in the music business, and used his music business as a front to ship multi-kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine across the country via industrial freight shipping companies, with heroin and cocaine hidden in speakers, amplifiers, and copy machines.
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WILLIAMS, 46, of New York, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled before Judge Schofield.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, which comprises agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police, the U. S. Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshal Service, New York National Guard, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarkstown Police Department, the Port Washington Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The Strike Force is partially funded by the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which is a federally funded crime fighting initiative.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebekah Donaleski and Lara Pomerantz are in charge of the prosecution.
Nevada Woman Pleads Guilty to Taking 'Food Stamps' for Meth, CashRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nevada, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a conspiracy to exchange “food stamps” for methamphetamine or cash.
Julie M. Drake, 48, of Nevada, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
By pleading guilty today, Drake admitted that she participated in a conspiracy from Oct. 14 to Aug. 30, 2015, in Bates and Vernon Counties. Drake accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, better known as “food stamps,” in exchange for methamphetamine or a percentage of the benefits in cash. Drake then used the EBT cards and PINs belonging to others to buy her own food.
Vernon County Sheriff’s Department officers executed a search warrant at Drake’s residence on Oct. 14, 2015. During a search of the master bedroom, officers found a purse that contained 22 baggies of methamphetamine, weighing approximately 100 grams, packaged for distribution. Officers also found two digital scales in the bedroom closet, as well as a safe that contained $4,720. Four EBT cards belonging to four other individuals were found on the dresser.
Investigators then reviewed video surveillance from the Wal-Mart stores in Nevada and Lamar, Mo., which showed Drake using the EBT cards found in her bedroom.
In interviews with federal agents, one of the recipients of the EBT cards admitted he used his EBT benefits to buy a quarter ounce of methamphetamine from Drake. He told investigators that a $55.94 transaction was payment for the methamphetamine, which would have cost approximately half the value of the transaction. Another one of the recipients admitted to selling his EBT benefits to Drake for 50 cents per each $1 in benefits. She would come to his residence to retrieve the EBT card, call the 1-800 number on the back of the EBT card to verify the balance, and then give him half of the value in cash.
Under federal statutes, Drake is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nhan D. Nguyen and Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Neshoba County Residents Sentenced to Prison for Assault on Choctaw Tribal LandsRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss - Robert Lee Jim, age 32 and Jackie Devon Stokes, Jr., age 33, both Choctaw Indians and residents of Neshoba County, were sentenced on January 23, 2017, by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, for assault resulting in serious bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis. The defendants previously pled guilty to the charges.
Robert Lee Jim was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, and Jackie Devon Stokes, Jr. was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Both defendants were also ordered to pay a $1500 fine.
The crime took place on April 6, 2011 at a residence in Neshoba County on lands within the confines of the Choctaw Indian Reservation. The victim was brutally attacked and assaulted by both defendants. The victim was treated at University of Mississippi Medical Center.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the Choctaw Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Naples Man Sentenced to More Than Eleven Years in Federal Prison for $2.2 Million Dollar Online Fraud and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced Jeffrey Ihm (49, Naples) to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The Court ordered him to pay restitution totaling more than $2.2 million to financial institutions Wells Fargo Bank, CIT, and Key Equipment Finance. The Court also entered a forfeiture money judgment of over $2.2 million and specifically ordered the forfeiture of $315,000 of fraud proceeds previously seized from a Suncoast Credit Union checking account, as well as a house located in the Riverstone Community in Naples, that had been purchased with proceeds of the fraud scheme.
According to court documents, between February 2013 and July 2014, Ihm assumed the identities of and posed as executives of a number of companies. He then generated false and fraudulent emails and other documents in the names of the companies’ executives in order to defraud financial institutions, causing them to transfer to him $2,234,681 to which he was not entitled. Ihm used the money to purchase a house and otherwise enrich himself.
The Jacksonville Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Myers Office of the United States Secret Service unraveled the electronic cyber trail tracing back to computer equipment associated with Ihm in Naples. Victims were identified in Jacksonville and Sarasota.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Office of the United States Secret Service and the Jacksonville Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Economic Crimes Unit of the Collier County Sherriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David G. Lazarus and Dale R. Campion.
Montana Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
***In order to protect the privacy of the child victim in this case, the United States Attorney’s Office is requesting that the media not disclose the victim’s name or display an image of the victim when reporting this story. We are aware that her identity and images were released to the public in the course of the Amber Alert. This is simply a request, and we understand that the decision is ultimately left to your discretion. Please do not hesitate to contact our Public Information Officer below with any questions.***
MISSOULA – Rodney Lee Zahn, 60, formerly of Sheridan, Montana, pleaded guilty today in Missoula federal court to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years to life, up to $250,000 dollars in fines, and not less than 5 years of supervised release. He also agreed to forfeit the Ford pick-up truck and camper used to transport the child across state lines. U.S. District Court Magistrate Jeremiah C. Lynch presided over the change of plea hearing and set sentencing for May 18, 2017, in Missoula.
In court documents, federal prosecutor Cyndee Peterson stated that if called upon to prove its case at trial, the United States was prepared to demonstrate that in July of 2016, Zahn befriended a family in Sheridan, Montana, including a 16-year old girl. On August 2, 2016, Zahn and the child covertly left Sheridan. When the family discovered the child was missing, an Amber Alert was issued for the child. Zahn and the child were located in Casper, Wyoming. Zahn admitted he had sexual intercourse with the child twice and stated he knew she was 16 years old. FBI Laboratory analysis of biological kits taken from Zahn and the child were consistent with Zahn’s admissions regarding sexual contact.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Casper Wyoming Police Department.
Mexican National Sentenced to 51-Months in Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy Involving over Ten Kilograms of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that Pablo Orlando Rivera-Pachecho, a 37-year old Mexican national, was sentenced by United States Chief District Judge Michael J. Reagan to 51 months in federal prison for one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, three years of supervised release to follow the imprisonment, a $300 fine, and a $100 special assessment fee.
Facts revealed at the sentencing and plea hearings that on one occasion, Rivera served as a courier for a drug organization in Mexico. On that occasion, Rivera received over ten kilograms of methamphetamine. At sentencing, Chief Judge Reagan commented that the offense involved "lots of methamphetamine," which is "horrible" and "ruins families." In sentencing Rivera to 51- months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, a $300 fine and a $100 special assessment fee, Chief Judge Reagan indicated that this sentence punishes Rivera, reflects the seriousness of the offense, and promotes respect for the law.
Evidence in support of this prosecution was obtained in an investigation conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking
organizations. Agencies participating in this case include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, the Illinois State Police, and Fontana, California Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Monica A. Stump.
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Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to More than 24 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
An Iowa man who distributed pounds of ice methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 24 years in federal prison.
Marcos Perez-Trevino, age 46, from Marshalltown, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 16, 2016, jury verdict finding him guilty of conspiring to distribute ice methamphetamine.
Evidence at trial showed Perez-Trevino had been involved in the distribution of ice methamphetamine in the Marshalltown area since at least 2014. As time passed, Perez-Trevino became involved in distributing higher quantities of ice methamphetamine. He arranged for multiple pounds of methamphetamine to be shipped from Mexico to Iowa. Once the drugs were in his possession in Iowa, Perez-Trevino distributed the methamphetamine to a network of individuals in multiple ounce quantities. Further, on August 12, 2015, police in Oklahoma stopped a car driven by Perez-Trevino. Police found and seized almost two pounds of methamphetamine from the car. He claimed he had found the methamphetamine at a nearby rest stop.
Perez-Trevino was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Perez-Trevino was sentenced to 292 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Perez-Trevino is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Tri-County Drug Task Force, comprised of the Waterloo Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Falls Police Department, LaPorte City Police Department, Hudson Police Department, Evansdale Police Department, University of Northern Iowa Police Department, Waverly Police Department and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; the Mid-Iowa Task Force, comprised of the Marshalltown Police Department, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Tama County Sheriff’s Office, Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Falls Police Department, Eldora Police Department and the Dysart Police Department; and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; the Iowa City Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 15-CR-2037.
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Massachusetts Resident Pleads Guilty for Role in Attempted Illegal Gun Purchase in HooksettRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice today announced that Anthony Sok Say pleaded guilty in federal court to joining an illegal scheme to purchase a firearm. Sok Say pleaded guilty to one count of the federal crime of Conspiracy to Make a False Statement in Connection with the Attempted Acquisition of a Firearm. Sok Say, 25 years old, lived in Lowell, Massachusetts, prior to his arrest.
According to court documents and statements made during today’s hearing, Sok Say and a co-conspirator, Grace Corcoran, visited a federally licensed firearms dealer in Hooksett, New Hampshire on October 21, 2015. Sok Say solicited Corcoran, a New Hampshire resident to buy a hand gun for Sok Say. As a resident of Massachusetts, Sok Say could not purchase a hand gun in New Hampshire himself. Under federal law, it is illegal for a firearms dealer to sell handguns to an individual from another state.
In connection with the attempted hand gun purchase, Corcoran filled out a form legally required for all intrastate over-the-counter gun purchases. On that form, Corcoran falsely certified that she was the “actual purchaser” of the hand gun. The transfer of firearms was never accomplished because employees of the firearms dealer became suspicious, declined to complete the transaction and notified the authorities.
Sok Say’s sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2017. Corcoran pleaded guilty to a related charge on January 12, 2017, and is scheduled for sentencing on April 25, 2017.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative undertaken by the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce gun crime in America through, among other things, community outreach and vigorous prosecution of firearms offenses.
This matter was investigated by the Bedford Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Manchester (N.H.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Mason County man pleads guilty to bringing weapon into federal courthouseRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Mason County man who was caught by court security with a weapon while entering the Sidney L. Christie United States Courthouse and Federal Building in Huntington in April 2016 pleaded guilty today, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Sidney Huddleston, III, 69, of Apple Grove, entered his guilty plea to attempted possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal court facility.
On April 12, 2016, Huddleston entered the federal courthouse in Huntington and approached the security screening station. Huddleston informed a court security officer that he was there to see his probation officer. Huddleston was walking with a cane and provided the cane to the officer to be x-rayed. The officer subsequently discovered that the cane was concealing a sword-type blade attached to the top handle of the cane. The blade was approximately 14 inches in length and was accessible by unscrewing the handle of the cane from the shaft. Huddleston was detained and provided a statement to an officer, admitting that he knew the cane concealed the blade.
Huddleston faces up to two years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 1, 2017.
The United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is handling the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
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Man Arrested for Possession of Firearm with Obliterated Serial NumberRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI- Jashawn Bailey, 30, was arrested Friday on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced today. Bailey made his initial appearance on the same day before United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller. He was released pending a preliminary hearing set for Wednesday.
According to the complaint, on December 14, 2016, the Virgin Islands Police discovered a .45 caliber Taurus firearm with an obliterated serial number wrapped in a T-shirt and hat at a crime scene. Subsequently, Bailey, who was at the scene, admitted that the firearm belonged to him. If convicted, Bailey faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Sharpe reminds the public that a complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
Madison County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that Michael E. Myers, a 60-year old resident of Godfrey, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court to 235 months’ imprisonment for one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. The sentences will run concurrently. Meyers was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release to follow imprisonment and ordered to pay $2500 restitution to one of the identified victims of the child pornography images.
According to court documents, on April 14, 2016, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an email account belonging to Myers was used to send and receive images of child pornography. A subsequent investigation by detectives with the Sheriff’s Department revealed that on March 24, 2016, Myers sent another individual a video via email containing child pornography. Detectives further verified that on March 29, 2016, Myers received and viewed via email a video containing child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
The case was investigated by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hoell.
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Kansas Man Sentenced to 52 Months for Exporting Firearms to Overseas Purchasers Using Hidden Marketplace WebsiteRead the Press Release
A Kansas man was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for his role in a scheme involving the illegal export of firearms from the United States using a hidden online marketplace, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of the District of Kansas.
Michael Andrew Ryan, aka Brad Jones and GunRunner, 36, of Manhattan, Kansas, previously pleaded guilty to six counts of exporting and attempting to export firearms illegally from the United States to individuals located in other countries on June 6, 2016, and was remanded into custody on Oct. 6, 2016. In addition to imposing today’s prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of the District of Kansas ordered Ryan to forfeit all firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement during the investigation.
In connection with his plea, Ryan admitted that he used the hidden internet marketplace Black Market Reloaded, a website hosted on the Tor network where users can traffic anonymously in illegal drugs and other illegal goods, to unlawfully export or attempt to export firearms from the United States to Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Victoria, Australia. These goods included dozens of firearms, including pistols, revolvers, UZIs and Glocks, some from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered or obliterated, as well as magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division investigated the case with assistance from ATF’s National Investigative Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Manhattan and Riley County, Kansas, Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough of the District of Kansas and Senior Counsel Marie-Flore Johnson of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section prosecuted the case.
Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to A Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and Transmitting A Communication Containing A Threat to InjureRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster of the FBI's Philadelphia Division announced today that Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, age 20, a U.S. citizen and resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today before Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure.
According to U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, on December 22, 2015, Aziz was charged in an indictment with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization (Counts 1 and 2). A superseding indictment was returned on May 18, 2016, which added Solicitation to Commit a crime of violence (Count 3) and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure (Count 4).
According to the superseding indictment, from July 2014 to December 17, 2015, Aziz knowingly conspired to provide, provided and attempted to provide material support, including personnel and services, to ISIL. The superseding indictment also alleges that during the same time period, Aziz solicited, commanded, induced and endeavored to persuade others to kill and attempt to kill officers and employees of the United States. The superseding indictment further alleges that he knowingly tweeted the names, addresses, photographs and military branches of approximately 100 U.S. service members to followers and viewers of his Twitter account. The communication also contained threats to injure the service members, stating “kill them in their own lands, behead them in their own homes, stab them to death as they walk their street thinking that they are safe.”
Aziz pledged his allegiance to the leader of ISIL and used at least 71 different Twitter accounts to advocate violence against the United States and its citizens, to disseminate ISIL propaganda and to espouse pro-ISIL views. On at least three occasions, Aziz allegedly used his Twitter accounts and other electronic communication services to assist persons seeking to travel to and fight for ISIL. In one instance, Aziz allegedly acted as an intermediary between a person in Turkey and several well-known members of ISIL.
Aziz passed location information, including maps and a telephone number, between these ISIL supporters. A search of a tactical/military style backpack located in Aziz’s closet identified five loaded M4-style high-capacity magazines, a modified straight edge knife, a thumb drive, medication, flashlights, a toothbrush, sunflower seeds, a lighter, nail clippers, fingerless gloves, a pocket watch and a black balaclava, which is like a ski mask and similar to those worn by ISIL supporters.
“Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz conspired to provide material support to ISIL by aiding individuals in their pursuit of traveling overseas to join the designated foreign terrorist organization and by using social media to propagate ISIL’s threats to injure U.S. service members,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism, and we will remain vigilant in our efforts to hold accountable those who seek to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations and threaten members of our military.”
United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler said, “The security of the American people is the highest priority for our office and the Department of Justice. While we cannot eliminate terrorism completely, we can bring to justice those responsible for providing material support and resources to terrorist groups and for spreading hate and destruction in our communities and abroad. Thankfully, the defendant’s activities were disrupted by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force and justice will be served in this case.”
"As evidenced here, ISIL loyalists need not travel to the field of battle to threaten lives and do harm," said Michael Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "An American citizen provided material support to terrorists from American soil, while enjoying all the rights and privileges scorned by ISIL. We are gratified that Mr. Aziz is being brought to justice for these acts."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which includes the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom and Trial Attorneys Robert Sander and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty provided in the statute for Count 1, Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of up to life and a $100 special assessment. The maximum penalty for Count 4, Transmitting a Communication Containing a Threat to Injure, is five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of three years and a $100 special assessment.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Jacksonville Man Who Buried His Dead Mother in Her Backyard so He Could Steal Her Social Security and Pension Benefits Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Brian Lee Adams (57, Jacksonville) to five years and four months in federal prison for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. As part of the sentence, the Court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $33,292.36, the proceeds of the offenses. Adams pleaded guilty on October 31, 2016.
According to court documents, Adams’s mother died in an unknown manner some time before July 4, 2014. To conceal her death and to ensure that he could continue to receive her social security and pension benefits, Adams buried his mother in the backyard of her residence in Green Cove Springs, Florida. He received and used those benefits until authorities received a tip and discovered his mother’s body in June 2015.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the United States Secret Service, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Imperial, Pa., Woman Charged with Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Imperial, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of distribution and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The five-count indictment, returned on January 24 and unsealed today, named Kaitlin Plascjak, 29, of Imperial, Pennsylvania as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about May 5, 2016, May 8, 2016 and June 28, 2016, Plascjak distributed images containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. The indictment further alleges that on or about August 18, 2016, Plascjak knowingly possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 80 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000.00 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office and the Allegheny County Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Human Trafficking Fugitive on ICE’s Top 10 List Extradited to United States from MexicoRead the Press Release
Raul Granados-Rendon, who had been on ICE’s most wanted list since 2010, was arrested in September 2016 in Mexico, following a joint investigation between ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Mexico City, HSI New York and the Mexican Federal Police. He was extradited to the United States on Friday and he was arraigned Saturday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, on a 21-count indictment charging him with racketeering and racketeering conspiracy involving predicate acts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; sex trafficking of minors; interstate prostitution; alien smuggling and related offenses. Granados-Rendon was ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlene Lindsay.
The extradition and indictment was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York.
The extradition, the latest chapter in our multi-year case against the Granados sex trafficking organization, again demonstrates our resolve to seek justice for victims of modern day slavery. We will not rest until those who seek to profit from the forced slavery of others are brought to justice,” stated United States Attorney Capers.
“We at HSI can think of no better way to end Human Trafficking Awareness month than with the extradition of Raul Granados-Rendon, who has been on our most wanted list for numerous crimes including sex trafficking,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez of HSI New York. “This individual is just one of many who allegedly helped run a sex trafficking organization that was responsible for smuggling numerous women into the United States where they were forced to work as prostitutes against their will. We will not rest until all of these individuals face the justice they deserve.”
As set forth in extradition affidavits and other court papers, between October 1998 and June 2011, members of the Granados sex trafficking organization, including Raul Granados-Rendon and others, illegally smuggled young women into the United States where they were forced to work as prostitutes in New York City and elsewhere in the United States. The organization collected profits from the victims’ activities. When victims refused to work or resisted, members of the organization beat and sexually assaulted them, and threatened the victims’ family members in Mexico, including the victims’ children.
HSI special agents have identified and rescued over 20 additional victims – all Mexican nationals – and arrested over a dozen additional traffickers or smugglers, all members or associates of the Granados family. Several victims were sexually assaulted by their traffickers, while others were physically assaulted. All the victims said the traffickers threatened to harm their family members.
To date, 13 members of the Granados organization have been indicted in the Eastern District of New York on sex trafficking charges. Raul Granados-Rendon was the last fugitive to be arrested and extradited to face the charges.
In announcing the extradition and arraignment, U.S. Attorney Capers commended the HSI’s New York Office, the HSI Mexico Attaché Office and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the State Department, and the New York City Police Department for their assistance and praised the government of Mexico for its role in advancing bilateral anti-trafficking enforcement efforts.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Since 2009, the Department of Justice and HSI have collaborated with Mexican law enforcement counterparts in a Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative aimed at strengthening high-impact prosecutions under both U.S. and Mexican law. The initiative is aimed at dismantling human trafficking networks operating across the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing human traffickers to justice, reuniting victims with their children and restoring the rights and dignity of human trafficking victims held under the trafficking networks’ control. These efforts have resulted in successful prosecutions in both Mexico and the United States, including U.S. federal prosecutions of more than 50 defendants in multiple cases in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Texas since 2009, and numerous Mexican federal and state prosecutions of associated sex traffickers. The extraditions in this case are the latest development in the Eastern District of New York’s comprehensive anti-trafficking program, which has to date indicted more than 70 defendants in sex trafficking cases and provided assistance to more than 135 victims, including 39 minors. In addition, through the Eastern District of New York’s anti-trafficking program, 18 children have been reunited with their victim-mothers.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Taryn Merkl and Jennifer M. Sasso are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
RAUL GRANADOS RENDON
Age: 30
Tenancingo, Mexico
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 11-CR-557
Hartford Crack Dealer Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on January 27, 2017, EDUARDO ZAYAS, also known as “Za,” 38, of East Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 65 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing crack cocaine and a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in September 2014, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and Hartford Police Department initiated an investigation into narcotics distribution, firearms trafficking and acts of violence carried out by members and associates Los Solidos in Hartford’s South End. The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of heroin, crack cocaine and firearms, resulted in federal charges against approximately 30 individuals.
On May 15, 2015, Hartford Police arrested ZAYAS after he traveled to a parking lot to meet his drug supplier who was in possession of approximately 320 grams of crack. A subsequent search of an apartment on New Britain Avenue in Hartford that was connected to ZAYAS revealed a .25 caliber handgun, a magazine with four live .25 caliber rounds, approximately 52 grams of crack, items used to process and package narcotics, and $4,120 in cash.
ZAYAS has been detained since his federal arrest on June 15, 2015. On May 5, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”).
Judge Bolden also ordered ZAYAS to forfeit a 2005 Acura RL, a 2002 GMC Denali, and the cash that was seized at the time of his arrest in May 2015.
The FBI Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics unit, Major Crimes unit, Shooting Task Force and South Conditions Unit have provided valuable assistance to the investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service and Capitol Region Emergency Response Team (CREST) assisted with the arrests.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.
This prosecution stems from Project Longevity, a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence. A critical component of the Project Longevity strategy is the “call-in,” a face-to-face meeting where Project Longevity partners engage group members and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.
Members of Los Solidos attended call-ins that were held in April 2014 and August 2014.
Glocester Restaurant Owner Convicted on Federal Arson, Wire Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A federal court jury in Providence on Friday convicted Daniel E. Saad, 51, of Spencer, Mass., of devising and executing a scheme to burn down his Glocester, R.I., restaurant, Snow’s Clam Box Restaurant and Pub, and then attempting to collect on an insurance policy worth nearly one million dollars.
The jury convicted Saad on one count of arson, one count of use of fire to commit wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. The jury found that Saad set fire to his business shortly after 5:00 a.m. on November 30, 2014, and then initiated insurance claims via email later the same day and on the following day.
According to the government’s evidence presented during a three-week trial, Saad, who owed banks, private lenders and venders nearly $2.5 million dollars, entered the building through an unlocked rear door, spread gasoline in and around a bar area and ignited the gasoline before fleeing the building. A woman who was residing in an apartment above the restaurant reported the fire after fleeing from the building.
Saad’s conviction is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Mickey Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of ATF; Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; Rhode Island State Fire Marshal John Chartier; and Glocester Police Chief Joseph S. DelPrete.
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “Acts of arson pose a tremendous public safety threat, to the public generally and to first responders. This case is no exception. That this defendant would deliberately burn a building he owned to the ground, with his tenant living in the building and present at the time, demonstrates his utter disregard for the safety of others. He now faces at least a decade in federal prison for this behavior. Every day is well-deserved.”
According to the government’s evidence, during interviews with law enforcement, Saad on two occasions told investigators he was at his home in Massachusetts when the fire occurred. During a subsequent interview he told investigators that he was at his estranged wife’s home in Webster, Mass. On two occasions during interviews with state and federal investigators, Saad’s wife corroborated Saad’s account. However, after being summoned to appear before a federal grand jury and again when testifying during Daniel Saad’s trial, she changed her story and admitted that Daniel Saad had asked her to provide an alibi for him for the night of the fire. She testified that he was not with her that night.
Cellular data collected and analyzed by law enforcement placed Saad’s cellphone in very close proximity to his restaurant at the time the fire began.
Saad, who had been free on unsecured bond since his arrest on March 31, 2016, was ordered detained in federal custody following the return of the jury’s guilty verdicts. Saad is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27, 2017, by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., who presided over the trial.
Arson and wire fraud are punishable by statutory penalties of up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years; use of fire to commit wire fraud is punishable by statutory minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
The matter was investigated by ATF, Glocester Police Department, Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office and Rhode Island State Police.
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha acknowledges and thanks the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.
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Contact:
Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
email: [email protected]
on Twitter @USAO_RI
Former Pepperell Man Who Fled to Canada on Snowmobile Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Pepperell man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Worcester in connection with concealing $3–$4 million in his bankruptcy filings.
Cyril Gordon Lunn, 68, pleaded guilty today to concealing assets from his bankruptcy creditors and making a false statement under the penalty of perjury in one of his bankruptcy schedules. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for May 3, 2017.
From 1985 until 2001, Lunn was the owner of CY Realty Corporation, a construction and land development business in Pepperell. 1998 to September 2001, Lunn transferred a variety of assets belonging to CY Realty and himself, including $3-$4 million in cash, from the United States to Canada, where he deposited some or all of the funds in safe deposit boxes. In the fall of 2001, Lunn filed for bankruptcy for CY Realty and himself; however, he failed to disclose in either bankruptcy case the asset transfers, including the millions in cash. Lunn’s actions were discovered after he testified about the asset transfers during a 2004 Canadian civil lawsuit. In March 2005, Lunn rented a snowmobile in Maine and fled across the border into Canada where he remained a fugitive until he was extradited from Canada in 2016.
Lunn also pleaded guilty to making a false statement in one of his bankruptcy filings by falsely stating that he had closed all safe deposit boxes by September 2001, when in fact, he had failed to disclose a safe deposit box that he had opened at the Granite Bank in New Hampshire, and which he continued to access after the bankruptcy filing.
The charging statutes provide for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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 and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Balthazard of Weinreb’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Former Belleville Resident Sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Prepubescent Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on January 27, 2017, Eric M. Swancutt, 39, formerly of Belleville, IL, was sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Prepubescent Child Pornography. Swancutt was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 97 months on each count, to run concurrently, to be followed by a 10 year term of supervised release on each count, also to run concurrently. Swancutt was also ordered to a pay a fine of $300 and a $300 special assessment. Swancutt had been in custody since his arraignment on June 24, 2016.
The charges arose when, on October 23, 2015, a Compaq Presario laptop computer was seized from the residence that Swancutt previously shared with other individuals in Belleville. A forensic review of the laptop computer revealed that it contained image and/or video files of child pornography, many of which were of prepubescent children. The forensic review also revealed that on or about July 18, and August 19, 2015, the defendant received image and/or video files of child pornography, including, but not limited to, the video files charged in the Indictment, via the Internet.
On June 21, 2016, Swancutt provided a voluntary statement in which he admitted accessing and viewing child pornography. Swancutt also admitted viewing the child pornography on the
laptop computer, and that he had downloaded the child pornography while living in the Belleville residence.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab Aresources.@
The case was investigated by the Belleville Police Department and the FBI’s Springfield Child Exploitation Task Force. The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
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Former Alburgh Selectboard Member and His Wife Sentenced to JailRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated today that former Alburgh Selectman, Bernard Savage, and his wife, Patricia Savage, both of Alburgh, were sentenced today in the United States District Court in Burlington. U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III sentenced Bernard Savage, 57, to 15 months in prison, and Patricia Savage, 57, to one month in prison. Bernard was also ordered to forfeit $75,000.00 to the government, required to pay a fine of $5000.00 and will be subject to a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. Judge Sessions ordered Patricia to start serving her sentence immediately. The Court ordered Bernard to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on March 7, 2017, to begin serving his sentence.
According to court documents, in August 2014, the Vermont Drug Task Force began an investigation into Bernard Savage for his involvement in distributing powder cocaine and oxycodone. In connection with that investigation, a confidential informant working with the Task Force participated in seven controlled purchases of either oxycodone or powder cocaine from Bernard and/or his wife Patricia. Bernard’s interactions with the CI were recorded and during one meeting, Bernard made statements such as: “I deal coke, I deal pills, I deal pot. I do all that shit.” “I bet you I’ve pumped out about twenty-five hundred pills in the last two weeks.” “I got pills. I got coke, I got pot. I got everything you want. I’m like a walking drugstore.”
On July 1, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Savage residence in Alburgh which recovered, among other things, 103 firearms, cocaine, a variety of opiate pills (oxycodone, morphine, hydrocodone and percocet), marijuana, approximately $20,000 in cash, scales, various cell phones, and the remnants of a meth lab. On September 10, 2015, a grand jury sitting in Burlington indicted Savage with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and cocaine, five counts of distribution of oxycodone and/or cocaine and a count of being a user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. The same grand jury later charged Bernard and Patricia with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and cocaine, distribution of oxycodone and/or cocaine and possession of a firearm by a user of a controlled substance. On April 25, 2016, Savage entered into a plea agreement with the government in which he agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and oxycodone, and agreed to immediate entry of a preliminary order of forfeiture for a money judgment of $75,000, as property constituting or derived from the proceeds obtained as a result of his drug trafficking.
The case was investigated by the DEA, Vermont Drug Task Force and the FBI.
Bernard Savage is represented by Karen Shingler. Patricia Savage is represented by Norman Blais. The United States is represented by Wendy Fuller.
Former Aide at a Prince George’s County Elementary School Pleads Guilty to 15 Counts of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland –Deonte Carraway, age 22, of Glenarden, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography, involving 12 minor victims ranging in age from nine to 13 years old.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.
“Deonte Carraway abused at least 12 child victims,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Fortunately, an alert relative checked a child’s smartphone, found an inappropriate photo and called the police. That call may have prevented more children from being abused.”
“I am extremely proud of the collaborative effort put forth by the FBI Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force in order to ensure this defendant was brought to justice and will no longer be able to terrorize or threaten children again,” said Special Agent Gordon B. Johnson of the FBI’s Baltimore Division. “Knowing the defendant will serve the next 60-100 years in federal prison, signals that the FBI and our partners will not tolerate such behavior. Our community just got a lot safer today.”
“Carraway violated the public’s trust by putting himself in a position to harm children. One of the worst crimes a person can commit is when the victim is an innocent child. I am particularly pleased by the collaboration between the Prince George’s County Police department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office in bringing him to justice,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank P. Stawinski.
“I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts that have ensured that Mr. Carraway is being held accountable for his actions,” Alsobrooks said. “I also want to thank them for the continued collaboration with our office as we work towards our prosecution of Mr. Carraway, which will commence following the conclusion of his case in federal court.”
According his plea agreement, between September 2015 and February 2016, Carraway was an unpaid Dedicated Assistant at a Prince George’s County elementary school. Prior to becoming a Dedicated Assistant, Carraway served as a paid teacher’s assistant at the elementary school since 2014. Carraway also directed a children’s choir at a Prince George’s County church. Through these roles, Carraway gained the trust of parents who entrusted their children to Carraway’s care in their residences.
Carraway admitted that between at least October 2015 and February 2016, he engaged in sex acts with children between the ages of nine and 11 years old, using a cellular phone to record the sexual acts. Carraway also directed the children to engage in sex acts with each other, recording those acts on cellular phones, as well. Carraway directed the children to record sexual acts and provided the victims with cellular phones to use for that purpose. Carraway reached out to minor males and encouraged them to provide Carraway with images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Carraway also sent his child victims images of himself exposing his penis and engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as well as images of other children engaged in such acts. Carraway admitted that he founded a club with children and requested that children who wanted to join the club send Carraway sexually explicit images of themselves via cell phone messenger applications.
Carraway and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Carraway will be sentenced to between 60 and 100 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. Carraway has been detained since his arrest on February 5, 2016. Related charges filed in Prince George’s County Circuit Court are still pending.
The case was investigated by the FBI Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force (MCETF) and the Prince George’s County Police Department. The task force was created in 2010 to combat sex crimes involving children and is made up of members from ten state and federal law enforcement agencies.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Prince George’s County Police Department, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristi N. O’Malley and Daniel C. Gardner, who are prosecuting the case.
Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Rutherford County JailCigs InvestigationRead the Press Release
John Vanderveer, 59, of Marietta, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to federal charges of obstruction of justice, announced Jack Smith, Acting U.S. Attorney for the administration of this case.
Vanderveer was indicted in May 2016 along with his nephew, Robert Arnold, the former Sheriff of Rutherford County and former Chief Administrative Deputy, Joe L. Russell II, for their roles in the formation and operation of JailCigs, LLC. The indictment alleged that the defendants enriched themselves by selling electronic cigarettes, through JailCigs, LLC, to inmates at the Rutherford County jail, while concealing and misrepresenting Arnold and Russell’s ownership of the business, and paying Arnold commission payments that were in fact owed to Rutherford County.
In the hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Kevin H. Sharp, Vanderveer admitted that he, along with Robert Arnold and Joe Russell II, formed JailCigs, LLC on October 3, 2013, and created a business plan wherein they would sell electronic cigarettes to inmates confined to the Rutherford County Jail and market the products to other jails throughout the country. Vanderveer also admitted that he later told the Tennessee sales representative for JailCigs to destroy her commission sheets so the company could provide fraudulent versions that would show the payments going to her, rather than to Sheriff Arnold. Vanderveer also admitted that he received $49, 545.50 from the sale of JailCigs to inmates at the Rutherford County Jail.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the recommended guideline range is 18-24 months in prison. Vanderveer will also pay restitution to Rutherford County in the amount of $52,500. Vanderveer will be sentenced on May 19, 2017.
Arnold and Russell have pleaded guilty to wire fraud, honest services fraud, and extortion under color of official right and are awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecil W. VanDevender of the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Mark Cipolletti of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Massive Conspiracy to Commit Tax Fraud in Battle CreekRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN —Today, Acting United States Attorney Andrew Birge announced that Diallo Dotson, formerly of Battle Creek, Michigan, entered a plea of guilty in federal district court to conspiring with Derrick J. Gibson to file false and fraudulent federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.
In February 2016, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging 34 defendants with federal conspiracy for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service through the filing of false federal income tax returns claiming more than $22 million in false and fraudulent federal income tax refunds. A multi-year joint investigation led by the Internal Revenue Service, Veterans Affairs – Office of the Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Department of Homeland Security, Battle Creek Police Department, Albion Police Department, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, and Michigan State Police resulted in the federal charges.
The Indictment alleged that the defendants utilized other individuals’ personal identification information -- obtained in part from patients and employees of the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center and from inmates of the Michigan Department of Corrections -- to file false tax returns. To date, 33 of the 34 defendants charged with connspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service have entered pleas of guilty. One defendant, Romell Bolden, was dismissed from the indictment when his mother, co-defendant Simone Watkins, admitted that she and Derrick Gibson filed the false federal income tax returns in his name.
DERRICK J. GIBSON
Plea of Guilty on August 16, 2016
Sentenced on January 6, 2017 to 120 months in prison and restitution of $16,000,000CHARMICA GRIFFIN
Plea of Guilty on October 4, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on February 8, 2017STEPHANIE T. BAKER
Plea of Guilty on October 7, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on February 16, 2017LATIA M. WILLIAMS, former employee of Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Plea of Guilty on November 18, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 13, 2017ALVIN E. STEPHENSON II, former employee of Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Plea of Guilty on November 21, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 13, 2017SANDRIA M. BLAKLEY, former employee of Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Plea of Guilty on November 29, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 20, 2017EDWARD WARDEN, JR.
Plea of Guilty on May 4, 2016
Sentenced on October 31, 2016, to 30 months in prison and restitution of $110,004CHANEL MCLENNEY
Plea of Guilty on December 7, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 27, 2017DARWIN GIBSON
Plea of Guilty on November 4, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 3, 2017BOBBY CRABTREE , Michigan Department of Corrections inmate
Plea of Guilty on May 17, 2016
Sentenced on October 11, 2016, to 30 months in prison consecutive to State sentences already being served and restitution of $24,205DEQYNN GIBSON
Plea of Guilty on October 26, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on March 7, 2017DARRIEN GIBSON
Plea of Guilty on October 24, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on March 7, 2017ROCHELLE R. VELASQUEZ
Plea of Guilty on July 11, 2016
Sentenced on November 16, 2016, to 2 years of probation and restitution of $69,156SCHERRIE P. MCNUTT
Plea of Guilty on April 26, 2016
Sentenced on October 11, 2016, to 18 months in prison and restitution of $188,398DEVOINE GIBSON
Plea of Guilty on November 14, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 10, 2017PRENTIS H. GIBSON
Plea of Guilty on October 11, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on February 16, 2017LAMONT JOYNER
Plea of Guilty on November 28, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 27, 2017SHAMEIKA N. CARR
Plea of Guilty on November 29, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on May 3, 2017CHARLEETA CORK
Plea of Guilty on December 8, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on May 15, 2017KEITH CORK
Plea of Guilty on November 29, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on May 3, 2017MAIYA R. JACKSON
Plea of Guilty on July 22, 2016
Sentenced on October 19, 2016, to time served (4 months and 3 days)SHAWN MCKNIGHT, Michigan Department of Corrections inmate
Plea of Guilty on May 13, 2016
Sentenced on October 5, 2016, to 12 months in prison consecutive to State sentences already being servedDAVID HAYMER, Michigan Department of Corrections inmate
Plea of Guilty on March 25, 2016
Sentenced on October 5, 2016, to 18 months in prison consecutive to State sentences already being served and restitution of $34,684DIALLO DOTSON
Plea of Guilty on January 27, 2017
Scheduled for sentencing on May 22, 2017ROMELL BOLDEN
Dismissed from indictmentLABRISHA PORTER
Plea of Guilty on November 1, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on March 16, 2017KYPREE TAYLOR
Plea of Guilty on November 10, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 3, 2017ROSEMARY BOYD
Plea of Guilty on October 5, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on February 9, 2017PATRICIA RIDDLE-MCCLINTON
Plea of Guilty on December 7, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on May 1, 2017JOSEPH JEREMY JOHNSON, Michigan Department of Corrections inmate
Plea of Guilty on June 2, 2016
Sentenced on October 31, 2016, to 24 months in prison consecutive to State sentences already being served and restitution of $34,644KISHA N. EVANS
Plea of Guilty on November 14, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 10, 2017RASHALL FORD
Plea of Guilty on November 2, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on March 16, 2017SIMONE WATKINS
Plea of Guilty on January 26, 2017
Scheduled for sentencing on May 25, 2017ROMARO CARSWELL
Plea of Guilty on November 30, 2016
Scheduled for sentencing on April 20, 2017Acting United States Attorney Birge stated, “This conspiracy involved a wide array of individuals, including three federal employees, who believed that they could steal money from the Internal Revenue Service over a period of years with impunity. But they found out that the Internal Revenue Service is very good at finding those who use the tax system to steal from the government and that my office will hold them responsible.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney B. Rene Shekmer.
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Federal Prosecutors Charge Birmingham CPA in $11 Million EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – Federal prosecutors today charged a Birmingham man in connection with an $11 million embezzlement scheme from a Shelby County scrap metal brokerage company where he was the chief financial officer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger Stanton.
In a five-count information filed in U.S. District Court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged THOMAS L. HINSON JR., 69, with five counts of wire fraud for depositing checks stolen from Strickland Trading Inc., where he worked as CFO, into the account of Strickland Trading Company, LLC, a company Hinson formed for the purpose of perpetrating his scheme.
The five wire fraud counts represent five of the more than 225 checks totaling more than $11.2 million that were intended for Strickland Trading Inc., but which Hinson deposited into his Strickland Trading Company, LLC, account, between April 2007 and April 2016, according to the information. The defendant used the money he embezzled from Strickland Trading Inc. over the years to pay expenses and purchase real estate, automobiles, and other assets for himself, his family and friends.
In conjunction with the charges, prosecutors filed a plea agreement with Hinson in which he acknowledges the embezzlement and agrees to plead guilty to the fraud charges. He also agrees to pay restitution of $11.2 million and to forfeit his interest in properties in Huntsville, Birmingham, Virginia Beach, Va., Lutz. Fla., and Sevierville, Tenn.
According to the court documents, Hinson conducted his scheme as follows:
Hinson was a certified public accountant in private practice who worked for Strickland Trading Inc. from 1991 to April 2016. In 2000, he began working as Strickland Trading Inc.’s CFO. In April 2007, Hinson filed documents with the State of Alabama creating Strickland Trading Company, LLC, and provided the name and address of a friend in Madison County as its organizer so he could conceal his own association with the new company.
Using the similarity in the names of the two companies, Hinson took checks mailed to Strickland Trading Inc. by its customers and deposited the checks into his Strickland Trading Company, LLC, account for his personal use. He made false entries in the financial records of Strickland Trading Inc., prepared false financial statements and made other false representations to Strickland Trading Inc. corporate officers to conceal his embezzlement.
The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney George Martin is prosecuting.
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Fairport Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Lacey ActRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Michael Collalto, 50, of Fairport, NY, pleaded guilty to four violations of the Lacey Act (interstate transport or receipt of illegally taken wildlife) and was sentenced to four years probation, 300 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig R. Gestring and Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, the defendant was a reptile enthusiast and collector who maintained a collection of snakes in his residence. In order to augment and improve his snake collection, Collalto would sometimes trade, barter, buy, or sell snakes and collect snakes in the wild and bring them back to his residence. The defendant’s conviction involves four specific incidents:
• Between April 30, 2011, and June 15, 2011, the defendant traveled from his home in Fairport to a large, regional reptile show and exhibition in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Through a trade, Collalto received one Northern pine snake, a threatened species under New Jersey law which was taken illegally under the laws of New Jersey.
• Between May 1, 2011, and June 1, 2011, the defendant drove from Fairport to southern New Jersey and collected one gravid corn snake, an endangered species under New Jersey law.
• Between December 1, 2011, and December 20, 2011, Collalto received three California mountain kingsnakes, shipped by commercial parcel delivery service, that came from a supplier in Oregon. The snakes were collected illegally in Oregon.
• Between June 1, 2012, and July 1, 2012, the defendant drove from Fairport to southern New Jersey and collected one gravid Coastal Plains milk snake, a species of special concern under New Jersey law.The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under the direction of Honora Gordon, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region.
Executor of Estate Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Sale of CondoRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. B A Wabaunsee County woman who was the executor of her mother’s estate pleaded guilty Monday to fraud in the sale a South Padre Island condo, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Julie D. Woodland, 55, Maple Hill, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of funds obtained by fraud. In her plea, she admitted she served as trustee of trusts set up by her parents, Stephen W. Dibble and Elaine R. Dibble. It was her parents’ intent that proceeds of the trusts be shared equally among Woodland and her siblings, Lance A. Dibble and Stan Dibble. Woodland also was executor of her mother’s estate.
Woodland sold a condo in Texas belonging to the trust for $270,000. She distributed half the proceeds to her brother, Stan Dibble, and she kept the rest. Her brother, Lance Dibble, requested an accounting of the trust funds, but she refused to provide the information.
Sentencing is set for May 8. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.
Errol Woman Convicted of Making False Statements to the U.S. Department of AgricultureRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that on January 26, 2017, a jury found Suzanne Brown, age 51, of Errol, New Hampshire, guilty of twelve counts of making a material false statement to a federal agency in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001(a)(2), after a five-day trial in the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire.
The trial began on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 and ended with the jury’s verdict on January 26, 2017. The guilty verdict means that the jury found that on twelve occasions Brown made false statements and representations in documents submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). Brown, acting as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (“NHIAF”), submitted documents certifying that NHIAF had paid thousands of dollars to employees for services rendered. These statements were made in order to draw down funds from a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant. The statements were false because NHIAF had not paid the employees for their services. In nine of the twelve submissions to the USDA, Brown created fraudulent invoices purportedly prepared by one or more employees outlining the services they performed and money they were owed.
Brown’s sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Joseph N. LaPlante is scheduled for May 11, 2017.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Aframe and Georgiana Konesky. Former Assistant United States Attorney Nick Abramson previously was involved in the matter.
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Eagle Butte Woman Charged with Theft from Indian Tribal OrganizationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Theft from Indian Tribal Organization.
Shanon LeCompte, a/k/a Shanon Morgan, age 41, was indicted on January 19, 2017. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on January 24, 2017, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between May 31, 2016, and October 22, 2016, LeCompte willfully and knowingly stole, embezzled and converted to her own use money and funds belonging to an Indian Tribal Organization, the Lakota Thrift Mart, in an amount greater than $1,000.
The charge is merely an accusation and LeCompte is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case.
LeCompte was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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