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27 February 2017
El Dorado Springs Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Meth Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an El Dorado Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing a firearm.
Daniel A. Crawford, 37, of El Dorado Springs, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 19 years in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 8, 2016, Crawford pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Crawford was arrested on Jan. 22, 2015, when Vernon County, Mo., sheriff’s deputies were called to a burglary in progress. The victim (and caller) had blocked Crawford and another person in the driveway. Crawford was sitting in the driver’s seat of the blocked-in Chevrolet truck when deputies arrived. Crawford had a piece of glass in his pocket that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
Deputies searched the truck and found 11 grams of methamphetamine in a Mountain Dew bottle with a false compartment, scales, baggies, a Mountain Arms .22-caliber rifle, ammunition and stolen property.
Crawford admitted that he and co-defendant Marklee Eugene Bogart, 36, of Nevada, Mo., had an agreement to deal methamphetamine with and for one another. When law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bogart’s residence on Aug. 20, 2014, they found 176 grams of pure methamphetamine, 22 firearms, a grenade and $9,400, which was determined to be the proceeds of drug trafficking. Later in August, after listening to his jail phone calls, law enforcement seized another $41,380 from Bogart.
Bogart was sentenced on Jan. 19, 2017, to five years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine M. Larison. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bates County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robberies of Commercial Establishments in Washington, D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gregory Hull, 22, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to offenses stemming from his role in a series of armed robberies that targeted commercial businesses in Washington, D.C. and Maryland during a four-week period in 2015.
The guilty plea was announced by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Hull pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery and two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery. He is to be sentenced on May 16, 2017, by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 57 to 71 months in prison and a potential fine of $20,000 to $200,000. Hull remains held without bond pending sentencing.
According to the government’s evidence, Hull and his co-defendants, Anthony Burns, 23, Bradley Lee, 21, and Lee’s brother, Breyon Lee, 23, committed a series of armed robberies of commercial businesses in November and December 2015.
On Nov. 27, 2015, at approximately 2 p.m., store surveillance video captured Hull and two other men, who were armed with handguns, as they robbed the City Beats shoe store, located in the 3000 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE. The men ordered everyone in the store to get on the floor, and forced a store employee to open the cash register. Hull and the two other men fled with approximately $1,594 in stolen cash and several pairs of stolen shoes.
On Dec. 21, 2015, at approximately 8:30 p.m., four men entered the Rite Aid pharmacy located in the 4000 block of South Capitol Street SW. Surveillance video showed that two of the men had handguns. One of the men pointed a gun at a store employee and demanded money from a cash register. The employee was unable to open the register before the men fled together from the store. One of the men jumped over a pharmacy counter and grabbed several bottles, including a bottle of promethazine with codeine. Witnesses observed the men enter a stolen white BMW and flagged down MPD officers who were driving nearby. The police officers followed the BMW until it crashed in the Barry Farm neighborhood of Southeast Washington. All of the men fled on foot and escaped, except for Hull who was caught nearby and had the key to the stolen BMW on his person.
The co-defendants, also of Washington, D.C., have pled not guilty to charges.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Acting Chief Newsham commended the actions of those who worked on the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Barr, Paralegal Specialist Catherine O’Neal, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamila Hodge, who is prosecuting the case.
Detroit man pleads guilty to federal gun crimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man pleaded guilty today to a drug-related gun charge, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Thomas Lee Nelson, 48, entered his guilty plea to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
On March 10, 2016, the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted a search at Nelson’s residence located at 1830 10th Avenue in Huntington. During the search, agents located and seized a loaded Cobray Model DD .410/.45 caliber handgun from a room later identified as Nelson’s bedroom. Agents also located and seized heroin from the same room. Nelson admitted that he possessed the handgun as protection for himself and for the heroin.
Nelson faces at least five years and up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced on June 5, 2017.
The Huntington FBI Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney R. Gregory McVey is responsible for the prosecution. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the plea hearing.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by working with existing local programs that target gun crime. This case was also brought as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
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Detroit Man Sentenced to 3 Years for Role in Smash-and-Grab Robbery of Stamford Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRANDON PAUL QUAINTON, 23, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a smash-and-grab robbery of a Stamford jewelry store in November 2014.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 26, 2014, Dajuhn Griffin, stole a Stamford resident’s SUV and then drove with QUAINTON, Richard Mathew Bailey and Brian Moore to the Stamford Town Center Mall during regular business hours. At the mall, QUAINTON stayed in the car while Griffin, Bailey and Moore, armed with hammers, entered Sidney Thomas Jewelers. The three then used hammers to smash open a jewelry display case and removed more than $250,000 worth of Rolex watches. They then fled with security guards in pursuit. Bailey was caught and apprehended inside the mall while fleeing, but QUAINTON, Griffin and Moore eluded capture at that time.
After the robbery, Stamford Police found the stolen SUV running in the mall’s parking garage.
The investigation revealed that QUAINTON and Moore organized the robbery and solicited others to participate in it.
QUAINTON was arrested in Detroit on November 30, 2015. On July 21, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with commerce by robbery.
Bailey, Griffin and Moore, also from Detroit, pleaded guilty to the same charge. On November 23, 2015, Moore was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment; on January 28, 2016, Griffin was sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment and, on September 6, 2016, Bailey was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Stamford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy C. Brown and Gabriel J. Vidoni.
Columbia Man Charged with Sex Trafficking a MinorRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man has been charged in federal court with sex trafficking a minor.
Kenneth Ronald Jones, 25, of Columbia, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. Jones was arrested today at the Boone County Courthouse (where he appeared on an unrelated matter). Jones, who remains in federal custody, will have his initial appearance in federal court at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017.
According to an affidavit that was filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, FBI agents learned on June 29, 2016, that a 17-year-old runaway from Wisconsin – identified in court documents as “L.V.” – was being held against her will and forced into prostitution by Jones. She was located at a residence in Columbia and removed by law enforcement agents.
L.V. told investigators that she met Jones in May 2016 at a party in Milwaukee, Wis., and agreed to travel with him to Columbia to engage in prostitution. Within a few minutes of arriving at a Columbia residence that was used as a brothel, the affidavit says, a man arrived soliciting prostitution. This man selected L.V. from the approximately five prostitutes present, and paid to have sex with her. L.V. subsequently engaged in prostitution almost every day, averaging two or three clients per day.
Although Jones knew that L.V. was 17 years old, the affidavit says, he told everyone else at the brothel that L.V was 18 years old so she would be allowed to work there. L.V. reported that escort advertisements were purchased on Backpage, a classified advertising website frequently utilized by prostitutes.
Jones became increasingly verbally abusive and cruel, the affidavit says, and pressured L.V. to see more clients. L.V. said she wanted to stop prostituting herself after two weeks and told Jones on multiple occasions she did not want to prostitute anymore because it was sad and degrading. Jones did not care, the affidavit says, and instructed L.V. to keep making money. She feared repercussions from Jones if she attempted to leave him.
L.V. told investigators that Jones had left for Milwaukee the day before law enforcement took her from the Columbia residence. Before he left, the affidavit says, Jones instructed L.V. to send the money she earned prostituting herself to him while he was in Milwaukee. L.V. told investigators that she had planned to flee from the residence the following day. Jones was arrested when he returned from Milwaukee for a Boone County court appearance today on an unrelated matter.
Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the FBI.
Columbia Man Charged with Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Steven D. Blosser, 40, of Columbia, IL, was arraigned on February 24, 2017 on federal indictment charging him with receipt of child pornography, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
The indictment alleges that, from on or about September 16, 2015, until on or about February 19, 2016, Blosser knowingly received child pornography, to include four image files listed in the indictment.
Trial is scheduled for May 1, 2015. The penalty for Receipt of Child Pornography is a term of imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than twenty 20 years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not less than five years to life.
An indictment is merely the method by which federal charges are lodged. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 "resources."
The case was investigated by the Columbia, Illinois, Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Springfield Child Exploitation Task Force. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
Columbia County Man Indicted for Two Drug Overdose DeathsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jacob Ebel, age 29, of Niverville, New York, was arraigned today on charges that he distributed heroin and fentanyl that caused two overdose deaths in Columbia County in July 2016.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II, Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett, and Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Ebel appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, who ordered Ebel detained pending a trial scheduled before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Ebel has been in custody since July 26, 2016, when he was arrested on state drug charges.
According to the indictment, on July 3, 2016, Ebel distributed heroin and fentanyl to Victim 1, who died as a result of taking the drugs. Between July 18 and July 23, Ebel distributed heroin and fentanyl to the spouse of Victim 2. Victim 2 took the drugs and died as a result. Ebel is also charged with possessing heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them, and conspiring to possess and distribute heroin and fentanyl. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted of all charges, Ebel would face at least 20 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the DEA, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police, with assistance from the office of Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Co-Defendants in Kidnapping Case of Wake Forest Man Sentenced to 286 Years of ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
- RALEIGH The United States Attorney’s Office announced that today, eight co-defendants in the kidnapping case of a Wake Forest man were sentenced by Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III, for their role in the conspiracy to seize, kidnap, and abduct Frank Janssen from Wake Forest, North Carolina and transport him to Atlanta, Georgia.
The following sentences were imposed:
JAKYM TIBBS, 23 of Atlanta, GA; 52 years imprisonment
TIANNA MAYNARD 33 of Warner Robins, GA; 50 years in conjunction with a life sentence imposed by the State of Georgia for a homicide conviction.
QUANTAVIOUS THOMPSON, 21 of Atlanta, GA; 42 years imprisonment
CLIFTON ROBERTS, 32 of Atlanta, GA; 37 years imprisonment in conjunction with a life sentence imposed by the State of Georgia for a homicide conviction.
PATRICIA ANN KRAMER,30 of Austell, GA; 30 years imprisonment
MICHAEL GOODEN, 24 of Atlanta, GA; 30 years imprisonment in conjunction with a life sentence imposed by the State of Georgia for a homicide conviction.
JENNA MARTIN, 23 of Georgia; 25 years imprisonment
JEVANTE PRICE, 23 of Marietta, GA; 20 years imprisonment
United Blood Nation (UBN) 1-8-Trey Gang Leader KELVIN MELTON was found guilty in a jury trial of Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting, Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting, and Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of, a Crime of Violence, that being Kidnapping and Aiding and Abetting on June 21, 2016. On November 10, 2016 MELTON was sentenced to life imprisonment in a Federal Super Max Facility.
Frank Janssen was taken from his home against his will on April 5, 2014. One Eight Trey Blood member MELTON, used a cell phone that he illegally possessed while serving a life sentence in North Carolina’s Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, to transmit instructions to co-conspirators in the plot who then sent threats to Janssen’s wife. Specifically, MELTON gave instructions on how to kill Mr. Janssen, dispose of his body and sanitize the crime scene.
Through a coordinated effort involving many federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team rescued Mr. Janssen at 11:55 pm on April 9, 2014, at a residence in Southeast Atlanta.
United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce stated, “The federal prosecution of Kelvin Melton’s accomplices is now nearly complete, and justice has been served. The credit for this successful prosecution goes to the hard-working prosecutors in our office, the dedicated agents of the FBI, and scores of officers from state and local agencies who worked together to rescue the victim and solve the case.”
Co-defendants Dewayne Seymore and Shameika Goodall are set for sentencing later this Spring.
The case was investigated by the FBI Charlotte, FBI Atlanta, the Wake Forest Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation with assistance by the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, Durham Police Department, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Garner Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, RDU Police, City County Bureau of Investigation, the Cobb County Police Department, Alpharetta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina is handling the prosecution of these cases.
Clinic Owner Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to Five Years in Prison in $70 Million Scheme to Defraud Medicare and MedicaidRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that VICTOR LIPKIN, a former owner of a health care clinic in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a massive health care fraud scheme through which three medical clinics in Brooklyn and Queens submitted over $70 million in fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare. On August 3, 2016, LIPKIN pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud. LIPKIN was sentenced last Friday, February 24, in Manhattan federal court by the Honorable Ronnie Abrams.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Victor Lipkin spearheaded a scheme that involved recruiting disadvantaged and homeless people to undergo expensive and unnecessary medical tests. Lipkin and his co-defendants submitted over $70 million in bogus claims to Medicare and Medicaid, burdening those programs while enriching themselves.”
According to the Superseding Indictment to which LIPKIN pled guilty, and other publicly filed information in this case:
The Heath Care Fraud Scheme
From 2005 to November 2014, LIPKIN, Vadim Zubkov, Eduard Zavalunov, Nikoloz Chochiev, Anatoliy Fatkhov, Mariana Swaffar, Jacqueline Pinez, Jonathan Oliver, Jason Brissett, Gilbert Trotman, and Giorgi Buleishvili engaged in a scheme to operate three medical clinics in Brooklyn and Queens, through which they recruited financially disadvantaged and homeless people insured by Medicare and/or Medicaid (the “Phony Patients”) to undergo unnecessary medical tests, typically performed by unlicensed personnel, at the clinics in exchange for cash, and then billed the insurers for administering those unnecessary tests. Beginning in or about 2005, LIPKIN and Zubkov recruited and paid a particular licensed physician (the “Doctor”) to act as the nominal owner and/or physician under whose name three purported medical clinics would bill Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance providers (the “Insurance Providers”) for unnecessary services and tests – including sleep tests and stress tests – performed at the clinics. The clinics were located on Avenue V in Brooklyn, New York – the clinic owned and operated by LIPKIN – and on Hillside Avenue and Elmhurst Avenue, respectively, in Queens, New York. LIPKIN and Zubkov were, in fact, the beneficial owners of the clinics, but they concealed their ownership through the Doctor’s nominal affiliation with the clinics, and by laundering the proceeds of the clinics’ operation through shell companies that they owned and controlled. LIPKIN, Zubkov, Zavalunov, and Buleishvili operated and controlled the clinics, and ran the clinics’ day-to-day operations, despite the fact that they were not licensed physicians, as required by New York law.
At the direction of LIPKIN, Zubkov, Zavalunov, and Buleishvili, other members of the scheme, including Oliver, Brissett, and Trotman (the “Runners”), as well as Chochiev, recruited financially disadvantaged individuals with Medicaid and/or Medicare insurance to act as Phony Patients and undergo unnecessary medical tests at the clinics in exchange for cash payments. The Runners often recruited such individuals from soup kitchens and local welfare offices, and coached them on what to say on various medical forms in order to make it falsely appear that the medical tests to which the defendants intended to subject them were medically necessary. In furtherance of the scheme, Chochiev also made threats of physical violence to individuals who Chochiev believed owed money to the scheme members.
Also in furtherance of the scheme, before the medically unnecessary tests were performed on the Phony Patients, Swaffar and Pinez obtained the Phony Patients’ Medicaid and/or Medicare insurance information, and then contacted the Insurance Providers to confirm that the Insurance Providers would reimburse for the tests. Swaffar and Pinez engaged in such conduct knowing that the Phony Patients were being recruited and paid by the Runners to undergo the tests. Once they determined that a particular Phony Patient’s insurance would pay out claims made by the clinic for the planned medical tests, Swaffar and Pinez notified the Runners that the individuals were eligible and could be brought to the clinic to undergo such tests.
After the Phony Patients had been recruited, confirmed to be Medicare and/or Medicaid eligible, and transported to one of the clinics by the Runners or Chochiev, in many instances certain individuals who were not physicians administered a host of unnecessary medical tests to them. In particular, for example, Fatakhov administered unnecessary medical tests, including stress tests, to the Phony Patients of the Elmhurst Avenue Clinic. Fatakhov administered these tests outside the presence and supervision of the Doctor or other licensed physician, despite knowing that the presence or supervision of a licensed physician was required. After the unnecessary medical tests were administered, the Phony Patients were paid cash kickbacks. The defendants, through the clinics, then submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare seeking reimbursement for the unnecessary medical tests. In total, in the course of the scheme, the defendants fraudulently billed over $70 million to Medicaid and Medicare, for which they received over $25 million in reimbursements.
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In addition to the prison term, Judge Abrams ordered LIPKIN, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, to serve three years of supervised release and to pay over $8 million in restitution and forfeiture
As set forth below, all of the other defendants charged in this matter have pled guilty. On January 13, 2017, Pinez was sentenced to six months in prison. The remaining defendants are pending sentencing.
Vadim Zubkov, 49, pled guilty on January 13, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Nikoloz Chochiev, 42, pled guilty on August 11, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Anatoliy Fatakhov, 59, pled guilty on July 28, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Mariana Swaffar, 51, pled guilty on August 15, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Jacqueline Pinez, 33, pled guilty on July 11, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Jonathan Oliver, 53, pled guilty on September 6, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Giorgi Buleishvili, 42, pled guilty on January 31, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Eduard Zavalunov, 35, pled guilty on February 7, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also thanked the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General for its assistance.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Tehrani, Patrick Egan, and Timothy T. Howard are in charge of the prosecution.
Building Contractor Company Executive Sentenced to 68 Months in Prison for Theft from Labor Union, Making Unlawful Labor Payments, Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
The owner and CEO of a Greenbelt, Maryland building contracting company was sentenced to 68 months in prison for stealing more than $1.7 million from Local 657 of the Laborers Union of North America (LIUNA) and other related offenses.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Robin Blake of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Washington, D.C., Regional Office; and District Director Mark Wheeler of the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards Washington, D.C., District Office made the announcement.
Gary Amoes Cooper, 57, of Kettering, Maryland, the owner and CEO of STS General Contracting, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta of the District of Columbia, who also ordered Cooper to pay $1.632 million in restitution to Local 657 and to forfeit $1.734 million of criminally-derived proceeds.
Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Cooper and his co-defendant, Christopher Andrew Kwegan, conspired with Anthony Wendel Frederick Sr., the former business manager of Local 657 of LIUNA, to convert for personal use $1.7 million in funds stolen from Local 657. LIUNA’s Local 657, now merged into LIUNA Local 11, represents construction laborers in Washington, D.C., and five adjacent counties.
According to the evidence at trial, from May 2013 to June 2014, Frederick directed more than $1.7 million in Local 657 funds to STS General Contracting for an unauthorized construction project and other work which STS General Contracting did not intend to perform. Cooper and Kwegan then made a number of financial payments to Frederick with the funds stolen from Local 657, including a down payment of $225,000 on a home Frederick purchased and directed more than $600,000 to a corporation owned in part by Frederick’s wife.
Frederick, 51, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the same offenses and was sentenced to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay $1.632 million in restitution to Local 657 and to forfeit $1.734 million on Feb. 7. Kwegan, 58, of Randallstown, Maryland, also previously pleaded guilty to the same offenses and was sentenced on Feb. 8. Both Frederick and Kwegan were sentenced by Judge Mehta.
The FBI and Department of Labor investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Vincent J. Falvo and David Karpel of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecuted the case.
Buffalo Woman Pleads 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 Rose Smith, 66, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fetanyl, oxymorphone, oxycodone, and hydrocodone, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that on February 7, 2014, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence on Littlefield Avenue in Buffalo. Officers recovered a large number of prescription pills, patches and two firearms. Subsequent analysis determined that the drugs and patches contained oxycodone, fentanyl, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and marijuana. Smith admitted that she sold the majority of her own prescriptions of fentanyl and oxycodone to drug customers. The defendant also sold prescription narcotics she received from at least two other people.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Divison and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Vilardo.
Augusta Man Pleads Guilty to ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Contact Person: John C. Potterfield (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake today announced that Phillip Thompson, age 67, of Augusta, Georgia, pled guilty to his role in a conspiracy involving theft of government funds. Thompson admitted that he and another man conspired to defraud the government by creating fraudulent invoices for payment of what appeared to be goods needed for work at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility at the Savanah River Site. He further admitted that no goods were ever received and that the loss in the case was over $5,000,000.00.
The sentencing date will be set after the court reviews a pre-sentence report.
The case was investigated by Special Agents with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney John Potterfield is prosecuting the case.
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Albuquerque Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Nathan Jensen, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Jensen was arrested in May 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the complaint, Jensen allegedly committed the offense while on supervised release from a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court records reflect that the court issued a warrant for Jensen’s arrest on May 4, 2016, based on a petition filed by the U.S. Probation Office to revoke his supervised release. The petition alleges that Jensen had been released from the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on April 25, 2016, after completing an 84-month prison sentence, with directions to report to his probation officer and a half-way house at which he was to reside for up to six-months. Jensen allegedly failed to report either to his probation officer or to the halfway house. The U.S. Marshals Service’s Southwest Investigative Fugitive Team (USMS-SWIFT) arrested Jensen on the warrant on May 16, 2016.
Jensen was subsequently indicted on June 14, 2016, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the indictment, Jensen was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of several felony offenses in the state courts of New Mexico in addition to his federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
During today’s proceedings, Jensen pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on May 16, 2016, members of USMS-SWIFT arrested him for violating the conditions of his supervised release. Incident to his arrest, USMS-SWIFT seized a firearm and ammunition from Jensen which he was not permitted to possess because of his status as a convicted felon. At sentencing, Jensen faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of ATF and the USMS-SWIFT. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Wishard is prosecuting the case under a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. Because New Mexico’s violent crime rate, on a per capita basis, is one of the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, N.M., under this initiative.
24 February 2017
Younstown store owner sentenced to prison for $2.8 million in food stamp fraudRead the Press Release
A Youngstown convenience store owner was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for nearly $2.8 million in food stamp fraud, including paying cash for food stamps and accepting them for prohibited items, including alcohol and tobacco, said U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon and USDA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Anthony V. Mohatt.
George Rafidi, 62, was sentenced to 33 months in prison. That sentence will be served after he completes a 94-month prison sentenced for using a firearm to assault federal agents. Rafidi was convicted of that crime following a jury trial in which evidence showed he brandished a firearm to federal agents executing a search warrant at Rafidi’s home in Warren as part of the fraud investigation.
“This case sends a message that we will not tolerate the criminal abuse of a system designed to help the most vulnerable in our society meet their most basic needs,” Rendon said.
"SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net, and retailers who prey on the poor by illegally purchasing SNAP benefits erode public trust in the program,” Mohatt said. “As we conduct investigations throughout the State of Ohio, we appreciate the support of our federal and state law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office's long-term commitment to prosecuting SNAP fraud."
Rafidi operated the former Breaden Market since 2010. USDA began investigating the store after audits revealed the store redeemed more than 10 times as much in benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- formerly known as food stamps -- as much larger stores in the area, according to court documents and testimony.
Agents learned Rafidi exchanged food stamps for cash and allowed food stamps to be used to purchase prohibited items such as alcohol and tobacco. On some occasions, agents observed people lined up outside the door to exchange food stamps for case, according to court documents and testimony.
Rafidi was also ordered to pay nearly $2.8 million in restitution and forfeited more than $23,000 in cash.
A store clerk and 29 food stamp recipients, who each received at least $5,000 in cash, were also prosecuted.
This case was being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Toepfer and Benedict S. Gullo following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General.
Youngsville man sentenced to 220 months in prison for distributing, possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Youngsville man was sentenced Thursday to more than 18 years in prison for distribution and possession of child pornography.
Thomas Hanes, 49, of Youngsville, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release. According to the November 7, 2016 guilty plea, Hanes was identified through an investigation as distributing thousands of files of child pornography using an online peer-to-peer network. Law enforcement agents searched his home in Youngsville on February 26, 2016 and found sexually explicit images of children as young as two and three years of age on electronic media.
Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police and the Youngsville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
Wichita Man Convicted on Federal Human Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A jury on Thursday found a Wichita man guilty on federal human trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Daederick Lacy, 25, Wichita, Kan., was convicted on one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of sex trafficking of an adult by force, fraud or coercion and one count of interstate transportation of a minor in furtherance of prostitution.
During trial prosecutors, presented evidence that three female victims – two minors and an adult – worked as prostitutes under Lacy’s direction. Lacy advertised victims on an adult Web site, rented rooms at motels for sex, transported victims to meetings with men who paid for sex, and drove a minor victim from Kansas to Texas to serve as a prostitute.
Sentencing is set for May 11. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years on the first and third counts, and not less than 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the second count. Beall commended the Wichita Police Department, the Mesquite (Texas) Police Department, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
Walla Walla Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Spokane–Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Kevin Michael Dettmer, age 34, of Walla Walla, Washington, was sentenced today for Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. sentenced Dettmer to a five-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a ten-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. Dettmer will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, in the fall of 2015, Dettmer responded to a personal ad posted by an undercover task force officer working with Homeland Security Investigations and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is composed of law enforcement officers from the Richland Police Department, the Kennewick Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. During the course of the communications with the undercover officer, Dettmer repeatedly solicited images of the undercover officer’s fictitious twelve and thirteen-year-old children. Dettmer also provided graphic images of himself and of an adult female that he purported to be fifteen years old. Eventually, Dettmer asked the undercover officer for contact information for the fictitious thirteen-year-old child. The undercover officer provided such information to Dettmer, who proceeded to contact the fictitious child via email and text message.
During his communications with the fictitious child over an approximately one-month period, Dettmer asked the child to take pornographic images utilizing a phone or camera to send to him. Dettmer also encouraged the child to travel to Walla Walla to engage in sexual contact, and discussed providing her with a phone and money upon her arrival. Dettmer was later arrested in Walla Walla, Washington, after arriving to meet the fictitious child. On May 27, 2016, Dettmer pled guilty to Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography.
Michael C. Ormsby said, “This case is an fine example of the great work that can be done when state and federal law enforcement officers work together. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to those who think they are acting with immunity when using email and text messages to send or receive child pornography or attempting to do so; such criminals will be actively and aggressively pursued by federal and state law enforcement.”
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States 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. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
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Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
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Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
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Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
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Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
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Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Laurel J. Holland, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
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Virginia Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISILRead the Press Release
Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 26, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison and 10 years supervised release for attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and making false statements to the FBI.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Elhassan, who is originally from Sudan, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2016. According to court documents, Elhassan aided and abetted the attempt of Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 29, of Woodbridge, to travel from the U.S. to Syria in order to fight on behalf of ISIL. As part of their plan, Farrokh would travel first, followed by Elhassan at a later date. Farrokh and Elhassan spoke in detail about their potential travel, including discussing the different routes each would take to travel to Syria. Farrokh also provided $600 to Elhassan to aid in Elhassan’s future travel to Syria. Both men spoke openly with each other about supporting ISIL and violent jihad, with Farrokh saying on Oct. 2, 2015, that he had no patience and wanted to go right away and “chop their heads.”
According to the statement of facts, in an effort to conceal their plans to support ISIL, Farrokh and Elhassan communicated using apps they believed were safe from law enforcement detection. In the summer of 2015, Farrokh and Elhassan talked more seriously about going to join ISIL and concluded that they needed someone to help them do so. Elhassan contacted like-minded people all over the world and the men pursued two separate plans to travel to Syria to join ISIL, but neither plan worked out.
According to the statement of facts, Farrokh and Elhassan conspired with other persons they believed would help facilitate their travel to Syria. Over the course of many meetings, the men discussed in detail their travel plans and efforts to avoid law enforcement detection, including Farrokh shaving his beard and flying out of Richmond International Airport, where they believed there would be less security. Farrokh and Elhassan agreed that Farrokh should tell his family that he intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to study.
According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2016, Elhassan picked up Farrokh at his home in Woodbridge and drove him to Richmond to a location approximately one mile from the airport. Farrokh then took another cab to the airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and (unbeknownst to Elhassan) was arrested as he was approaching his departure gate. When approached by investigators later that day, Elhassan falsely stated to special agents of the FBI that (a) Joseph Hassan Farrokh had flown out of Dulles Airport earlier that day on a flight to California to attend a funeral; (b) Farrokh had said that he would be back in about two weeks; (c) neither he nor Farrokh supported ISIL; and (d) neither he nor Farrokh ever tried to find someone to help them get to ISIL territory.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and Dennis Fitzpatrick prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorneys Andrew Sigler and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Virginia Man Sentenced for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISILRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 26, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and making false statements to the FBI.
Elhassan, who is originally from Sudan, pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2016. According to court documents, Elhassan aided and abetted the attempt of Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 29, of Woodbridge, to travel from the U.S. to Syria in order to fight on behalf of ISIL. As part of their plan, Farrokh would travel first, followed by Elhassan at a later date. Farrokh and Elhassan spoke in detail about their potential travel, including discussing the different routes each would take to travel to Syria. Farrokh also provided $600 to Elhassan to aid in Elhassan’s future travel to Syria. Both men spoke openly with each other about supporting ISIL and violent jihad, with Farrokh saying on Oct. 2, 2015, that he had no patience and wanted to go right away and “chop their heads.”
According to the statement of facts, in an effort to conceal their plans to support ISIL, Farrokh and Elhassan communicated using apps they believed were safe from law enforcement detection. In the summer of 2015, Farrokh and Elhassan talked more seriously about going to join ISIL and concluded that they needed someone to help them do so. Elhassan contacted like-minded people all over the world and the men pursued two separate plans to travel to Syria to join ISIL, but neither plan worked out.
According to the statement of facts, Farrokh and Elhassan conspired with other persons they believed would help facilitate their travel to Syria. Over the course of many meetings, the men discussed in detail their travel plans and efforts to avoid law enforcement detection, including Farrokh shaving his beard and flying out of Richmond International Airport, where they believed there would be less security. Farrokh and Elhassan agreed that Farrokh should tell his family that he intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to study.
According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2016, Elhassan picked up Farrokh at his home in Woodbridge and drove him to Richmond to a location approximately one mile from the airport. Farrokh then took another cab to the airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and (unbeknownst to Elhassan) was arrested as he was approaching his departure gate. When approached by investigators later that day, Elhassan falsely stated to special agents of the FBI that (a) Joseph Hassan Farrokh had flown out of Dulles Airport earlier that day on a flight to California to attend a funeral; (b) Farrokh had said that he would be back in about two weeks; (c) neither he nor Farrokh supported ISIL; and (d) neither he nor Farrokh ever tried to find someone to help them get to ISIL territory.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gordon D. Kromberg and Dennis Fitzpatrick prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorneys Andrew Sigler and Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-64.
Virginia Beach Man Sentenced for Attempting to Entice a MinorRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – John Francis Aragon, 50, of Virginia Beach, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, followed by 30 years of supervised release, for charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Aragon pleaded guilty on Nov. 21, 2016. According to court documents, in May 2016, Aragon posted an ad on Craigslist seeking “fetish sex with young girl.” A detective with the Virginia Beach Police Department, in an undercover capacity, responded to the ad pretending to be a 14-year-old girl. The “girl” told Aragon that she was 14 years old at the inception of the conversation. The two chatted over a period of time and the conversations became sexually explicit. Eventually, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations took over the alleged 14-year-old’s role.
On three occasions, Aragon left money under a rock at a local park in exchange for a pair of the girl’s underwear. Aragon also expressed his desire to meet the girl in person in order to engage in sexual activity. On August 16, 2016, Aragon showed up at the park in Virginia Beach to meet the girl and was then arrested.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk; and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources” for more information about Internet safety education.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-129.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Obtains Settlement with School District in Bay City to Resolve ADA Investigation Regarding Student's Use of Service AnimalRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has reached a settlement with the Bangor Township School District in Bay City, Michigan, to resolve allegations that the school district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to allow a student with disabilities to use his service dog in school, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
The service dog at issue alerts to the student’s seizures, and mitigates symptoms of his disabilities. The complaint alleged that the school district inappropriately delayed its decision on the parent’s request for the service dog to accompany the student, instead making the parent spend months responding to requests for unnecessary information and documentation.
Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public schools. Under the ADA, public schools must generally modify policies, practices or procedures to permit the use of a service dog by a student with a disability at school and school-related activities. In addition, a public entity may make only two inquiries to determine whether a dog qualifies as a service animal: (1) whether the dog is required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task the dog has been trained to perform. A public entity shall not require documentation, such as proof that the dog has been certified, trained or licensed as a service animal. Nor shall a public entity ask or require an individual with a disability to pay a surcharge for using a service animal.
The school district worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout the investigation.
Under the agreement, the school district will adopt an ADA-compliant service animal policy and provide training to staff and School Board Members on the school district’s obligations under Title II of the ADA, including requirements related to service dogs.
“Use of service animals has evolved beyond simply serving as guide dogs for individuals who are blind, McQuade said. "Service animals now perform a wide range of tasks that can help individuals with disabilities lead fuller lives. This settlement will help ensure that students who use service animals can fully access all of the educational opportunities to which they are entitled, and we commend the Bangor Township School District for recognizing the rights of this student and others who will follow.”
Enforcing the ADA is a top priority of the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Those interested in finding out more about this settlement or the obligations of public entities schools under the ADA may call the Department of Justice’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA website. ADA complaints within the Eastern District of Michigan can be made to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at (313) 226-9151 or [email protected].
Two Albuquerque Residents Plead Guilty to Armed Robbery of Route 66 Casino Xpress in Laguna PuebloRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lorenzo Chavez, 25, and co-defendant James Montano, Jr., 23, both of Albuquerque, N.M., entered guilty pleas yesterday in federal court to violating the Hobbs Act by robbing the Route 66 Casino Xpress, located in Laguna Pueblo, N.M., on Dec. 13, 2015. Chavez additionally entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking, Hobbs Act and firearms charges in a separate case.
Chavez, Montano and co-defendant Sara Ruiz, 39, of Grants, N.M., were charged in a three-count indictment filed on June 30, 2016, with conspiracy to violate the Hobbs Act, violating the Hobbs Act by robbing the Route 66 Casino Xpress, a gas station/convenience store and casino in Laguna Pueblo, at gunpoint; and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The indictment alleged that the trio committed the crimes on Dec. 13, 2015, in Bernalillo County, N.M. The indictment was superseded on Feb. 7, 2017, and alleged the same offenses.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Chavez and Montano pled guilty to Count 2 of the indictment, charging them with violating the Hobbs Act by robbing the Route 66 Casino Xpress at gunpoint on Dec. 13, 2015. Chavez also pled guilty to Count 3 of the indictment, charging him with brandishing a firearm during that robbery.
In addition to his guilty plea to the two charges in the case involving the Route 66 Casino Xpress, Chavez also entered a guilty plea to a Hobbs Act and methamphetamine trafficking charges in a separate case. In that case, Chavez alone was charged in a four-count indictment filed on Feb. 24, 2016. That indictment charged Chavez with possessing distribution quantities of methamphetamine on Dec. 19, 2015, and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. It also charged Chavez with robbing an Allsups convenience store in southwest Albuquerque on Dec. 29, 2015, and with brandishing a firearm during that robbery.
Yesterday, Chavez pled guilty to possessing almost 61 gross grams of methamphetamine on Dec. 19, 2015, which he intended to distribute to others. He also pled guilty to robbing the Allsups convenience store at gunpoint on Dec. 29, 2015.
Both Chavez and Montano remain in custody pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Chavez will be sentenced within the range of 120 to 180 months in prison. Montano faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Ruiz has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in case involving the Route 66 Casino Xpress. She is in custody pending trial, which currently is scheduled for March 20, 2017. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
The case against Chavez, Montano and Ruiz, which arises from the armed robbery of the Route 66 Casino Xpress, was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Pueblo of Laguna Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elaine Y. Ramirez and Kristopher N. Houghton.
The case arising from the armed robbery of the Allsups convenience store and methamphetamine trafficking was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and Letitia Carroll Simms.
Three Men Arrested in Major Narcotics Distribution Ring with Ties to MexicoRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that James Wilkie, 67, Remus Nowak, 47, of Buffalo, NY, and Fernando Rodriguez, 51, of Buffalo, NY, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute over five kilograms or more of cocaine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life and a $10,000,000 fine.
“Though we may be over 2,000 miles away from the Mexican Border, this case illustrates that the threat associated by the illegal flow of controlled substances over that border is very real even here in Western New York,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. “The misery associated with the lives harmed by drugs flowing across the Southwest Border extends across the entire United States. We will remain vigilant in our effort to stem that flow at every point along away.”
DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt stated, “Coordination was the key element throughout this two-day enforcement operation. The objective to identify those responsible for trying to bring nine million dollars’ worth of drugs into Buffalo was met, resulting in 48 kilograms of cocaine being taken off the streets.”Assistant U. S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in February, 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration received information regarding the drug trafficking activities of the defendants. DEA agents identified Wilkie, Nowak and Rodriguez as members of a large scale cocaine distribution organization with direct connections to Mexico. Cocaine was smuggled into the United States from Mexico and eventually brought to Arizona and then distributed throughout the United States by various members of the organization. The complaint states that Wilkie picked up many kilograms of cocaine in Arizona and transported it to Buffalo on a number of occasions. Once, in Buffalo, Wilkie would give the cocaine to Nowak, who, in turn, would provide it to Rodriguez, for distribution throughout the area. Once distributed, the proceeds of the sale would be collected by Rodriguez and Nowak who would provide the money to Wilkie so that he could return it to the Mexican source.
On February 22, 2017, Wilkie was stopped by the Illinois State Police (ISP) in Collinsville, IL for driving with an obstructed license plate. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed that it contained 48 kilograms of cocaine. Thirty kilograms were contained in a suitcase, while 18 kilograms were discovered in a duffel bag. Wilkie was arrested by the ISP. Subsequent investigation revealed that the 18 kilograms were destined for Buffalo, while the remaining 30 kilograms were destined for Chicago.
On February 23, 2017, a controlled delivery of 18 kilograms of “sham” cocaine was made by Wilkie to Nowak at a local hotel. During their meeting, Wilkie and Nowak discussed, among other things, Nowak’s ongoing relationship with the Mexican cocaine source of supply. At one point during the conversation, Wilkie opened the duffel bag to expose the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine. Following the conversation, Nowak took possession of the duffel bag containing the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine and exited the hotel room. As he exited the motel, Nowak was arrested by DEA agents.
Following that arrest, arrangements were made for Nowak to deliver the cocaine to defendant Rodriguez at an automotive shop on Kenmore Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. Once again, drug related conversation preceded the transfer of the 18 “sham” kilograms of cocaine from Nowak to Rodriguez. Rodriguez was arrested in possession of the duffle bag.
The defendants were arraigned this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and are being detained pending a hearing on February 28, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, The Drug Enforcement Administration, Fairview Heights, IL Resident Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tucson District Office, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, the Buffalo Police Department, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, the Niagara Falls Police Department, New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department, the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police Department, the Hamburg Police Department, the Lackawanna Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine unit, and the Cheektowaga Police Department.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Texas man sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for methamphetamine distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a man from Texas was sentenced Wednesday to 140 months in prison for conspiring to sell methamphetamine in the Shreveport area with another Texas man.
Tares Terrell Hearn, 37, of Carthage, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the September 19, 2016 guilty plea, law enforcement agents learned that Hearn had organized a transaction to sell methamphetamine on May 10, 2016 at a Greenwood, La., gas station. Co-defendant Delton Williams Jr., 29, of Deberry, Texas, arrived earlier in a Cadillac Escalade. Hearn was then seen entering the Escalade and exiting the vehicle with a package tucked under his arm. While Hearn was being arrested, Williams was followed to an adjacent business where he was also arrested. Hearn and Williams were found with large sums of money. Hearn was found with a large amount of methamphetamine not intended for personal use. It was later learned that Williams transported methamphetamine from Texas to Greenwood for Hearn who intended to distribute it.
Williams was sentenced on February 1, 2017 to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release for the conspiracy count.
The DEA and Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.
Stafford Man Convicted of Social Security Disability Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Gennaro Mattiaccio, 55, of Stafford, was convicted today by a federal jury on charges of theft of government property, making false statements in relation to obtaining Social Security disability benefits, and concealing events affecting his right to Social Security disability benefits.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Mattiaccio received over $75,000 in Social Security disability benefits from April 2014 through September 2016, despite being gainfully self-employed during that same time period as the owner and sole proprietor of Rock Hill Honey Bee Farms, a commercial migratory beekeeping business. In support of his claim for Social Security disability benefits, Mattiaccio made multiple materially false statements under oath to an Administrative Law Judge from the Social Security Administration, and also submitted false and fraudulent documents, including a fake 2012 tax return, to the Social Security Administration.
Mattiaccio faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on June 16. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael McGill, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General; and Michael J. Missal, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Pedersen and Samantha Bateman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-215.
Spartanburg Domestic Violence Initiative Leads to Three Federal Indictments in FebruaryRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2105
SPARTANBURG, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that three Spartanburg County residents were indicted last week by a federal grand jury sitting in Greenville, with firearms and other offenses.
Rodney Juan Baker, 56, of Spartanburg, was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 922(g)(9). This case was investigated by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Derrick Casey, 37, of Spartanburg, was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This case was investigated by the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Hector Gonzalez, 31, of Spartanburg, was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This case was investigated by the Spartanburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
All charged individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Each of these cases are a direct result of “Home Front”, a focused deterrence-based initiative to combat domestic violence led by 7th Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette. The initiative launched in December of 2016 and has the support and partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
These cases are being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Wells, who is a 7th Circuit Assistant Solicitor specially designated by the United States Attorney’s Office to handle cases from the Seventh Circuit.
Modelled after a program started in High Point, North Carolina, members of the Home Front task force began earlier this fall, meeting with representatives from every police department in Spartanburg county as well as the Sheriff’s Office. The Spartanburg County State Probation office and victim’s advocate stalwart, SAFE Homes, also serve as critical partners in this effort.
Under the guidance of Solicitor Barnette and High Point (NC) Chief Marty Sumner, Home Front has quickly gone from concept to reality. High Point’s model and research suggests that early intervention is key in stopping the cycle of violence. The Home Front strategy identifies and focuses on offenders at the earliest stages of offending, before their violent conduct is entrenched and escalating.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, domestic violence is a community crime problem that costs the United States over $5.8 billion every year. It is a major drain on law enforcement resources as domestic violence generates a high volume of calls and repeated calls to the same location. Domestic violence homicides make up 40–50 percent of all murders of women in the United States. Women who have experienced a history of domestic violence report more health problems than other women and they have a greater risk for substance abuse, unemployment, alcoholism, and suicide attempts.
Research shows that the repeat domestic violence offender tend to have a significant criminal history that includes a wide range of both domestic violence and non-domestic violence offenses. Most of these offenders are readily identified as they are known to the criminal justice system. The Home Front initiative exposes the repeat domestic violence offender to sanctions because of his pattern of criminal behavior.
According to the 2015 Violence Policy Center When Men Murder Women report, South Carolina led the nation in rates of women murdered by men. Sixty-six percent (66%) of the victims were killed with a firearm and ninety-six percent (96%) of women murdered were killed by someone they knew.
In Spartanburg County during the 2015 calendar year, SAFE Homes serviced 6726 victims of domestic violence. In the same time frame, the Spartanburg Police Department charged 907 domestic violence cases and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office charged 1068 domestic violence cases. There were fourteen (14) domestic related deaths in Spartanburg County in 2015.
Solicitor Barnette has had enough. “Domestic violence is violence, period. It continues to plague our community--so costly and harmful to families and children, persisting year after year. It is time for these offenders to get our best shot—our best efforts. That is Home Front.”
United States Attorney Beth Drake agrees. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) welcome the opportunity to partner with Solicitor Barnette and state law enforcement, and to use federal gun laws to pull violent offenders who are abusing their families and loved ones out of the community. The goal is simple – stop the abuse, or swift and sure, the full force of a coordinated law enforcement effort will come to bear to stop you from abusing. Home Front takes the burden of addressing abusers from the victims and shifts it to us – a very engaged group of local, state, and federal law enforcement.”
The Home Front task force began a thorough, eight-step implementation process in the fall. The steps included training officers, synchronizing the coding of calls among the law enforcement agencies to harmonize communication--to create a back stop of sorts so that no domestic calls or offenders slip through the cracks among the sixteen municipal law enforcement entities in Spartanburg County. Very early in the implementation process, the task force began creating a comprehensive list of domestic violence offenders from the previous twelve months of arrests in Spartanburg County for domestic-related incidents. Offenders were categorized from most dangerous (Class A), repeat offender (Class B), first time DV arrest (Class C), and any non-arrest domestic violence interface with law enforcement (Class D).
For the most serious or repeat offenders, pending cases are fast-tracked to ATF and the US Attorney’s Office for immediate federal prosecution or prioritized for expedited state prosecution. One of those fast-tracked offenders, James Lee Sarratt, Jr., age 49, of Spartanburg, was arrested on a federal gun charge by the ATF in October 2016 on conduct stemming from a domestic call in Spartanburg in late September 2016 where an individual had been shot. Sarratt was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2016 and entered a guilty plea at his first opportunity to do so on January 11, 2017 in federal court. Sarratt has been in custody, detained without bond, since his arrest and currently awaits sentencing. He faces up to ten years in federal prison.
See link: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/spartanburg-initiative-combat-domestic-violence-results-first-guilty-plea
For updates follow us on Twitter @USAO_SC
This process incorporated by the Home Front task includes creating an enhanced system of tracking for offenders who are notified at any level or category. Custom notification letters, hand-delivered by law enforcement to offenders within 48 hours of the initial law enforcement contact, serve to alert offenders that they are on the Home Front radar going forward as well as detailing presumptive sentences for future acts of violence or prohibited behavior.
Solicitor Barnette is optimistic about the collaboration and is confident the focus and dedication of this task force will not waiver. “Securing our communities and ensuring that victims and children can feel safe in their own homes—breaking this horrific cycle of violence, that is our charge.”
Home Front Task Force: City of Spartanburg Police Department
City of Campobello
City of Pacolet Police Department
City of Chesnee Police Department
City of Cowpens Police Department
City of Duncan Police Department
City of Greer Police Department
City of Inman Police Department
City of Landrum Police Department
City of Lyman Police Department
City of Wellford Police Department
City of Woodruff Police Department
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Police Department
Victim Advocates
Victim Services Providers
Behavioral Health
SC Dept. of Probation, Pardon and Parole Services
U. S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Seventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office
SAFE Homes
Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Cherokee, & Union
#####South Texas Woman Lands in Federal Prison for Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 30-year-old woman from Harlingen has been ordered to prison following her conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Irma Matamoros-Santillan pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos sentenced Matamoros-Santillan to 120 months imprisonment to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
On Aug. 10, 2016, a Greyhound bus entered the U.S. Border Patrol (BP) Checkpoint outside of Falfurrias for primary inspection. At that time, authorities identified Lisa Rustin, 18, of Ingleside, and discovered approximately 1.3 kilograms of marijuana concealed in her bags.
The follow up investigation revealed Matamoros-Santillan was seated a few rows behind her where authorities also discovered 480 grams of suspected methamphetamine in an unclaimed bag. It was determined the women were traveling together and responsible for the narcotics.
Laboratory analysis determined the methamphetamine had a purity of 94%, yielding 452 grams of actual methamphetamine.
Matamoros-Santillan will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Rustin also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on a later date. She remains in custody.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt is prosecuting the case.
Solen North Dakota Man Sentenced for Theft of Farm Service AgencyRead the Press Release
BISMARCK - US Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on Feb. 23, 2017, Brandon Adam Leingang, 33, Solen, ND., was sentenced before Chief US District Judge Daniel L. Hovland to serve two (2) years of supervised release. Judge Hovland also ordered that Leingang pay restitution to be determined in 60 days, a $1000 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. Leingang pled guilty on Nov. 9, 2016 charging him with Conversion of Mortgaged or Pledged Property.
On Feb. 27, 2008, and May 4, 2009, Leingang signed a security agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Farm Service Agency (FSA) to secure funds to help maintain the family ranch. Leingang made available a list of items to use as collateral to secure the loan from FSA; to include 101 cows. On June 28, 2010, FSA completed a balance sheet which indicated there was a total of 96 cows, and on Nov. 18, 2011, another balance sheet was completed where only 70 cows were counted. Documents revealed during the investigation indicated that Leingang sold multiple heads of cattle on various occasions and failed to notify FSA.
This case was investigated by the US Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG).
Assistant US Attorney Cameron Hayden prosecuted the case.
Sixteen-Defendant Narcotics and Firearms Prosecution Ends with Felony Convictions and Lengthy Periods of IncarcerationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chaka Al-Fatah, 37, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to a federal firearms charge today, concluding the prosecution of 16 defendants for narcotics and firearms offenses that resulted in felony convictions, lengthy periods of incarceration, and the forfeiture of assets.
The plea was announced by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Henry P. Stawinski III, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department; Robert D. MacLean, Chief of the United States Park Police, and Robert Turner, Acting U.S. Marshal for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Al-Fatah pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell to the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics trafficking offense. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of five to eight years in prison. Chief Judge Howell scheduled sentencing for April 21, 2017.
Over the past 18 months, Chief Judge Howell has also accepted felony pleas from 15 others charged in the case. They include Andre Arrington, 34, of Washington, D.C.; Tijuan Arrington, 40, of Washington, D.C.; Donovan Bostick, 32, of Washington, D.C.; Tamara Davies-Henry, 28, of Oxon Hill, Md.; Donnell Ennels, 41, of Washington, D.C.; Earica Hamilton, 34, of Washington, D.C.; Ricco Johnson, 40, of Brandywine, Md.; Rodney Jones, 22, of Washington, D.C.; Kyree Mitchell, 20, of Washington, D.C.; Kevin Morris, 43, of Washington, D.C.; Demetrius Muschetta, 33, of Washington, D.C.; Jonathan Taylor, 33, of Washington, D.C.; Don Whitaker, 22, of Washington, D.C.; Myron Williams, 40, of Oxon Hill, Md., and William Winter, 38, of Suitland, Md.
Notably, Chief Judge Howell sentenced Morris to 10 years of incarceration and Williams to nine years, each followed by multiple years of supervised release. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Muschetta for March 17, 2017, and pursuant to the plea agreement, Muschetta is to be sentenced to a term of 11 to 13 years of incarceration.
As established through the defendant’s guilty pleas, in January 2015, the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force began a long-term investigation into a narcotics enterprise involving Williams and Muschetta that primarily focused in the Barnaby Terrace area of Southeast Washington and extended into Maryland. The investigation revealed that Williams and Muschetta were partners in a drug business and purchased kilogram amounts of cocaine and heroin from multiple sources, including Johnson and Winter, and then in turn supplied it to other co-defendants for eventual distribution.
In addition to numerous recorded telephone calls and text messages that revealed the role of the narcotics enterprise, law enforcement seized large amounts of narcotics, firearms, and cash. On April 6, 2015, law enforcement stopped Morris and recovered from his vehicle a kilogram of heroin. On May 6, 2015, law enforcement stopped Muschetta in Maryland and recovered from his vehicle three kilograms of heroin. Later that evening, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Muschetta’s residence in Washington, D.C. and recovered additional kilograms of narcotics and multiple firearms. During subsequent search warrants of the co-defendants’ residences, law enforcement recovered additional quantities of narcotics, firearms, narcotics paraphernalia, and large amounts of U.S. currency.
The 16 defendants were arrested after months of investigation by the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the United States Park Police, and the United States Marshals Service. The Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force sponsored and supported this complex investigation
In announcing the conclusion of the government’s prosecution, U.S. Attorney Phillips, U.S. Attorney Rosenstein, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, Acting Chief Newsham, Chief Stawinski, Chief MacLean, and Acting Marshal Turner commended the work of the D.C. Safe Streets Task Force.
They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Han and Todd Gee; Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle, Mary Downing, Teesha Tobias, Catherine O’Neal, and Toni Anne Donato, and Legal Assistants Brendan Coyne, Diane Brashears, and Latoya Wade. They also commended those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland including Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sullivan, who prosecuted the Maryland portion of Muschetta’s narcotics seizure prior to the charges being transferred to Washington, D.C. for resolution before Chief Judge Howell.
Shreveport man sentenced to 20 years in prison for methamphetamine chargeRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Shreveport man was sentenced Thursday to 240 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Dondell Pea, 30, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release. According to the October 24, 2016 guilty plea, Pea was arrested on May 26, 2016 after returning home. He had made arrangements to sell methamphetamine with a buyer. Agents found him with 266.3 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle and a .40 caliber handgun in his home.
The DEA and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tennille M. Gilreath and Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.
Second Manufacturer of Defective North Carolina Bridge Parts Sentenced to 35 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH -United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce announced that today in federal court before United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, SANTIAGO DE LA TORRE, 45, of Cicero, Illinois, was sentenced to serve 35 months in federal prison ori harges of Conspiracy to Make False Statements Concerning Highway Projects, and Perjury. The defendant was also ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release and to make restitution.
In October of 2011 a federal highway contractor discovered a defect in a grouping of elastomeric bridge bearings that had been shipped for use on bridges in North Carolina. An elastomeric bridge bearing is a slab of rubber that is reinforced with multiple layers of steel and placed underneath bridges to absorb shock. The bearings were defective because the steel plates were exposed, subjecting them to the elements and creating the potential for deterioration. The North Carolina Department of Transportation began an investigation and found systematic problems with the bearings that had been shipped, and in some instances installed, on bridge projects throughout the state. In total, 1,270 of the shipped bearings were found to be nonconforming and defective. The bearings were shipped in connection with 25 different highway projects in North Carolina between May of 2009 and October of 2011. Upon further investigation , the Department of Transportation found that many of the bridge bearings had come from a company named Delgado Elastomeric Bearings Corporation, located in the Chicago area.
The United States Department of Transportation conducted a criminal investigation into the creation and shipment of the defective bridge bearings. It was discovered that the North Carolina application to supply the bridge bearings to local contractors had been forged. The name of a teenager with no knowledge of how to manufactur e bridge bearings was fraudulently used on the application. This teenager was also held out by Delgado Elastomeric Bearings Corporation as the vice president of the company, when in fact, the teenager had no idea of this title. This same name and title had also been used on all certificates sent to North Carolina highway contractors certifying the conformity of the bearings with applicable state and federal regulations.
Ultimately,the investigation revealed that the defendant, SANTIAGO DE LA TORRE, and his brother Joel De La Torre, had forged the name of the teenager on the documents described above. Inspection of the Chicago facility used to manufacture the bridge bearings revealed that the facility did not contain the required testing devices and machinery which would have revealed the defects in the bridge bearings.
SANTIAGO DE LA TORRE committed perjury in the grand jury when he was asked if he had ever seen testing certification documents. In fact, conversations recorded by the FBI showed that the defendant had seen the certifications and was knowledgeable about the use of the teenager's name on the documents. Prior to the defendant's arrest, the defendant also encouraged his brother to flee to Mexico rather than face prosecution.
Although not presently incurred, costs associated with the replacement of the bearings are expected over time to exceed $5 Million due to the difficulty in removing the bearings from beneath existing structures, engineering costs, and traffic control. Federal and state agencies have reported that there is no immediate threat to safety due to the faulty bearings, which will be monitored and replaced over time.
Joel De La Torre was previously sentenced on April 21, 2016, and ordered to serve 35 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the United States.
Roseville Woman Sentenced to 9.5 Years in Prison for Mortgage Fraud Scheme and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Senior U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced Alla Samchuk, 45, of Roseville, to nine and a half years in prison for a mortgage fraud scheme and obstruction of justice, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
A federal jury returned a verdict in August 2016 finding her guilty of six counts of bank fraud, six counts of making a false statement to a financial institution, one count of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2006 through 2008, Samchuk, a licensed real estate salesperson, orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme involving three properties in the Sacramento area using straw buyers. Two of the houses were purchased so that Samchuk herself could occupy them. She lacked the ability to qualify for a loan, so she instead recruited straw buyers to apply for the loans in their names. Samchuk caused the submission of loan applications containing false representations of income, employment, assets, and a false indication that the straw buyers would occupy the homes as their primary residence.
A second objective of the scheme was to obtain HELOC (home equity line of credit) funds. According to evidence at trial, on two of the properties, Samchuk diverted or attempted to divert HELOC funds to her own benefit. Samchuk caused the HELOC loans to fund by submitting false statements and documents to the lender regarding the qualifications of the straw buyers.
The scheme involved two properties in Roseville and one in El Dorado Hills. In 2007, Samchuk filed an application for a HELOC on one of the properties without the straw buyer’s knowledge or consent. To obtain the HELOC, she forged the signature of the straw buyer on a short form deed of trust that she caused to be notarized and recorded. The stated purpose of the HELOC was home improvement, but once the line of credit was funded, Samchuk quickly diverted all of the funds to her own use, spending the proceeds on a Lexus and the repayment of a substantial personal debt.
Samchuk received a higher sentence because the district court found that she obstructed justice when she threatened a witness not to report the crime to federal authorities. The court found that Samchuk’s statements to the witness constituted a threat that Samchuk purposefully calculated to dissuade the witness from alerting law enforcement about the fraud.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath and Andre M. Espinosa prosecuted the case.
Pittsburgh Teen Charged with Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal drug and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
The two-count indictment, returned on Feb.21 and unsealed today, named Sidney Pack, 18, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about December 31, 2016, Pack possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance. Additionally, Pack possessed a .40 caliber Glock pistol, in furtherance of said drug trafficking crime.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 5 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. Johnston is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Pittsburgh Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent, deter and prosecute gun crime.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Owners of Popular Ocean City, New Jersey, Pizza Restaurants Sentenced on Tax Evasion, Structuring and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – The owners of popular Ocean City, New Jersey, restaurant chain Manco & Manco Pizza were sentenced today for evading taxes, structuring cash payments to avoid reporting requirements and lying to IRS special agents, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Charles Bangle, 57, of Somers Point, New Jersey, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to Count 5 of an indictment charging him with evading taxes with respect to his 2010 personal tax returns and Count 30 charging him with structuring financial transactions in 2011 to avoid reporting requirements. His wife, Mary Bangle, 56, also of Somers Point, was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $3,000. She previously pleaded guilty to Count 7 of the same indictment, which charges her with knowingly making materially false statements to IRS special agents. Judge Kugler imposed the sentences today in Camden federal court.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Manco & Manco Pizza – formerly Mack & Manco – is an iconic restaurant located in the heart of Ocean City’s Boardwalk and maintains three stores on the Boardwalk and one store in Somers Point. Charles and Mary Bangle were employees of Mack & Manco Pizza until they purchased a controlling interest in 2011. Charles Bangle handled the day-to-day operations of the business and Mary Bangle was responsible for handling cash and payroll.
Charles Bangle admitted to substantially underreporting his income on his 2010 U.S. individual income tax return, specifically, failing to report additional taxable income that he deposited in cash into his bank account during that year. According to the indictment, by only reporting $127,955 in 2010 and omitting an additional $263,113 in taxable income, Charles Bangle avoided $91,577 in taxes. Charles Bangle also admitted to making cash deposits into his TD Bank account in February of 2011 in increments of less than $10,000 in order to prevent TD Bank from filing a Currency Transaction Report with the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Mary Bangle admitted that she was interviewed by IRS special agents on May 30, 2012, at which time she was asked questions about her personal bank account. Mary Bangle falsely stated that when cash receipts came into the business she only retained enough to pay that week’s payroll and some bills, when in fact she retained cash receipts for her personal use. Mary Bangle also lied to agents about the amount of cash deposited into her personal banking account, which was substantially more that the net pay listed on her W-2 forms issued by Manco and Manco Pizza.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Charles Bangle to three years of supervised release, ordered him to pay restitution of $248,560 and fined him $5,000. He allowed Bangle until Sept. 10, 2017, to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencings.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.
Defense counsel: Laurence S. Shtasel Esq., Philadelphia
Niagara County Man Sentenced for Threatening the President Second TimeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jared Brown, 20, of Niagara County, NY, has been sentenced to serve 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo for violating the terms and conditions of his supervised release. The violation and sentence arose after Brown, in a 911 call to the Lockport City Police Department on December 26, 2016, threatened to kill then President-elect Donald Trump.
According to Assistant U. S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, who handled the case, at the time of the 911 call, Brown was already serving a three-year term of supervised release, which followed a 15-month prison sentenced that the defendant served for previously threatening to kill former-President Barack Obama.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Lewis Robinson and the Lockport Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Niethe.
Newnan Woman Sentenced for Financial Aid Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Andrea R. Williams has been sentenced to six years and seven months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for using stolen identities to file dozens of fraudulent federal student aid applications.
“Williams stole the identities of dozens of innocent victims, using them to file fraudulent student aid applications,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “Identity theft is a growing problem, one that turns up in every segment of our society. We encourage all citizens to be diligent in checking their credit reports, and monitoring their e-mail and social media for suspicious activity. If something does not seem legitimate, most likely it is not.”
“Federal student aid exists so that individuals can make their dream of a higher education a reality. Ensuring that those who steal student aid – through identity theft or other means - are stopped and held accountable for their criminal actions is a big part of our mission,” said Yessyka Santana, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Southeastern Regional Office. “I’m proud of the work of the Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners for their work in this case and we will continue to work together to stop those who steal Federal education funds. America’s students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: From in or about January 2013 until in or about November 2015, Williams filed dozens of fraudulent financial student aid applications (FSA), mostly with community colleges in Dallas County, Texas. The Dallas County Community College network identified similarities in a series of applications and sought assistance from the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The similarities identified included a common IP address associated with over half of the suspicious applications. Additionally, three of the fraudulent applications listed dependents who were identified as Williams’ minor children. Finally, in one application, Williams signed her own name on paperwork she submitted, instead of the name of the stolen identity she used to file the FSA.
In total, Williams received more than $200,000 in financial aid out of the over $500,000 that she was awarded. When confronted by law enforcement, Williams admitted to this conduct and explained that she stole the identities from the patient database of a healthcare company where she briefly worked. She also admitted to using stolen identities to obtain numerous credit cards which she used to purchase electronics, clothing, and furniture. Finally, she admitted that she forged a doctor's signature on a medical disability statement in order to get approximately $47,000 of her personal education debt discharged.
Andrea R. Williams, 36, of Newnan, Georgia, has been sentenced to six years, seven months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, to pay a $200 special assessment, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $277,434.50. Williams has been convicted on these charges on October 6, 2016, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C. Schulman prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga
New Haven Woman Charged with Fraud and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging LESHANDA LONG, 36, of New Haven, with five counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment was returned yesterday and LONG was arrested today. LONG appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven and was released on bond.
As alleged in the indictment, in August 2016, LONG stole the identity of an individual and used the misappropriated identity to obtain a credit card, rent an automobile, pay personal expenses and obtain cash advances.
The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count, and the charge of aggravated identity theft carries mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of 24 months.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the West Haven Police Department and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.
New Haven Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OMAR POLANCO-MENDEZ, 40, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the fall of 2015, the DEA New Haven Task Force initiated an investigation into a cocaine trafficking organization headed by Halby “Harv” Lopez. POLANCO-MENDEZ and Bernardo “Benny” Roman-Rolan were the second and third in command, respectively. The investigation revealed that Lopez, POLANCO-MENDEZ and Roman-Rolan were obtaining bulk quantities of cocaine from multiple suppliers and redistributing the cocaine to a network of New Haven-area street-level dealers. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of drugs and the seizure of multiple kilograms of cocaine.
On February 11, 2016, POLANCO-MENDEZ arranged for the delivery of approximately two kilograms of cocaine, which was intercepted and seized by law enforcement. On March 2, 2016, POLANCO-MENDEZ arranged and took delivery of one kilogram of cocaine. On March 11, 2016, POLANCO-MENDEZ was arrested after he took possession of approximately two kilograms of cocaine, the delivery of which had been arranged by Lopez.
On March 24, 2016, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 13-count indictment charging POLANCO-MENDEZ, Lopez, Roman-Rolan and seven other individuals with various narcotics offenses. All of the defendants pleaded guilty.
POLANCO-MENDEZ has been detained since his arrest. On September 7, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute between five kilograms and 15 kilograms of cocaine.
Lopez and Roman-Rolan await sentencing.
The DEA New Haven Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, East Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden and Derby Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Caruso and Jennifer Laraia.Nashua Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice today announced that Wilfredo Tanon Rodriguez (56), pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.
According to court documents and statements made during Tanon’s plea hearing, on July 1, 2016, the Nashua Police Department dispatched several officers to a city apartment complex parking lot. The officers were dispatched in response to a citizen complaint about drug dealing activity at that location. The ensuing police surveillance resulted in the traffic stop of a vehicle in which Tanon was riding in the front passenger seat.
Tanon consented to a search and the police found approximately 279 grams of cocaine in his possession. After his arrest, Tanon admitted that, at the time of the traffic stop, he had been delivering the cocaine to a third party. Two firearms were found in a car belonging to Tanon which was parked in the apartment complex that was the focus of the original police surveillance.
Tanon is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2017.
The driver of the car in which Tanon was riding, Luis D. Capo-Nieves, is scheduled to be tried on a related charge on March 8, 2017.
This matter was investigated by the Nashua Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Morse.
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Missouri man sentenced to 57 months in prison for possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a man from Missouri was sentenced Thursday to 57 months in prison for possessing child pornography, including images of children under the age of 12.
Douglas Beer, 49, of Ballwin, Mo., but who previously lived in Lafayette Parish, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of possession of child pornography involving a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. According to the July 25, 2016 guilty plea, law enforcement agents received information that a computer in Lafayette Parish was being used to download child pornography. Agents conducted a search of Beer’s residence in Lafayette Parish on March 9, 2016. Beer admitted to downloading child pornography, and agents found more than 600 images with some depicting children under the age of 12.
Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
Mills County Iowa Man Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On February 24, 2017, Daniel Logan Walden, 69, formerly of Glenwood, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt to 87 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Walden was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.
On October 7, 2016, Walden entered a guilty plea to a federal indictment charging him with possession of child pornography on or about May 9, 2014. The charge was the result of an investigation by the Glenwood Iowa Police Department for an allegation that Walden sexually assaulted a minor female. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant; during the May 9, 2014, search of Walden's residence, numerous images of child pornography were recovered, both in printed form and on computer-storage devices.
This investigation was conducted by the Glenwood Iowa Police Department, the Ralston Nebraska Police Department, the Mills County Attorney's Office, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Cyber Crimes Unit. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Learn more about this release by contacting Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at [email protected]
Meth Dealer Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Marquis Lamambus Polite, also known as “Yogi,” of Mobile, was sentenced on February 15, 2016, for his participation in the distribution of methamphetamine ice. Testimony at the sentencing hearing established that Polite recruited couriers to travel to Decatur, Huntsville and Pensacola to pick up large amounts of methamphetamine ice, which were brought back to Mobile for distribution. Polite also supplied several local distributors who sold the drugs on the street. Polite was arrested when Mobile County sheriff’s deputies received information that he was distributing methamphetamine ice at a local motel. They followed him away from the motel and eventually stopped his vehicle when he committed a traffic violation. He was found in possession of approximately 48 grams of methamphetamine ice at that time. Polite had pled guilty to the charge in August of 2016.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed a sentence of imprisonment of 120 months. She also ordered that Polite commence a three-year term of supervised release when he is discharged from incarceration. As conditions of his supervision, Polite will be subject to testing and treatment for drug abuse. No fine was imposed.
The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Mercer County, New Jersey, School Bus Driver Admits Distributing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Yardville, New Jersey, man today admitted using his e-mail account to distribute images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Christopher Walsh, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From June 15, 2014 through Jan. 10, 2016, Walsh’s email account either sent or received a total of 1,590 files that contained content constituting child pornography. Walsh, who was a school bus driver, admitted today that on Aug. 2, 2015, he knowingly emailed a video depicting child sexual abuse to another individual.
Walsh faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence S. Opiola, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly S. Lorber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Public Defender Lisa Van Hoeck Esq., Trenton, New Jersey.Member of Mexican Sex Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 188 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Paulino Ramirez-Granados, a member of the Granados family sex trafficking ring, based in Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, Mexico, was sentenced to over 15 years’ incarceration and five years’ supervised release by United States District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, based on his guilty plea to trafficking young Mexican women into the United States and forcing them into prostitution. He was also ordered to pay restitution to Jane Doe #1 in the amount of $1,229,760. Paulino Ramirez-Granados is the latest member of the Granados organization to be sentenced in this case since 2013.
The sentence was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York. The sentence was based on the defendant’s guilty plea last July to federal sex trafficking charges.
As established during court proceedings, the defendant, working with other members of the Granados family, smuggled numerous young women from Mexico to New York between 2000 and 2010, and then forced them, using threats and violence, to work as prostitutes in New York City and elsewhere. The male members of the Granados trafficking ring used false promises of romance and marriage to lure the victims into relationships and convince them to travel to the United States to make money so that they could build homes for themselves in Mexico. As further established in sentencing proceedings in this investigation, the victims of the Granados family were also routinely subjected to violence, threats and sexual assaults by the defendants. The defendant Paulino Ramirez-Granados additionally impregnated one of the women and then threatened that she would never see her child again if she did not continue to prostitute for him.
"This extensive Mexican sex trafficking operation has preyed upon countless young women, exploiting and dehumanizing these victims in terrible ways, in order to line their own pockets. This prosecution and sentence signify the dismantling of an exploitative family organization and our continued commitment to seeking justice for its victims,” stated United States Attorney Capers.
“With a promise of companionship and a better life in the United States, Paulino Ramirez-Granados, instead trafficked unsuspecting women from Mexico into a life of exploitation and prostitution here in New York,” said HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “HSI agents will relentlessly pursue human trafficking organizations and its members until they are all dismantled and brought to justice.”
Jane Doe #1 stated that the defendant Paulino and his co-conspirator “made promises that we would escape poverty if I worked in prostitution. But it never happened …. Women who are forced into prostitution never do so. [The defendant and his co-conspirator] were the ones who escaped poverty through the sexual slavery of myself and other women. I see now how I was utilized and forced into prostitution with false promises of love, and I never received that love. I lost the best moments of my life, when I could have been with my family.”
“For years I cried in silence. I carry with me the scars of [the defendant and his co-conspirator’s] abuse every day, but I can no longer be silent. I am here today so that [the defendant] may never be able to force another woman into prostitution. For myself, for the other women he has victimized, and for the women I hope he never has the chance to hurt in the future…”
Since 2009, the Department of Justice and HSI have collaborated with Mexican law enforcement counterparts in a Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative aimed at strengthening high-impact prosecutions under both U.S. and Mexican law. The initiative is aimed at dismantling human trafficking networks operating across the U.S.-Mexico border, bringing human traffickers to justice, reuniting victims with their children and restoring the rights and dignity of human trafficking victims held under the trafficking networks’ control. These efforts have resulted in successful prosecutions in both Mexico and the United States, including U.S. federal prosecutions of more than 50 defendants in multiple cases in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Texas since 2009, and numerous Mexican federal and state prosecutions of associated sex traffickers. In the Eastern District of New York’s comprehensive anti-trafficking program, more than 70 defendants have been indicted in sex trafficking cases to date, and provided assistance to more than 135 victims, including 39 minors. In addition, through the Eastern District of New York’s anti-trafficking program, 18 children have been reunited with their victim-mothers.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Sasso is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
PAULINO RAMIREZ-GRANADOS
Age: 39
Tenancingo, Mexico
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 11-CR-557
Man Charged with Center City Philadelphia Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Stephen Arellano, 59 of Philadelphia, PA was charged yesterday by Indictment with one count of bank robbery, announced Acting United States Louis D. Lappen. The indictment charges that the defendant robbed the Republic Bank, at 1601 Market Street in Philadelphia, on November 16, 2016. Arellano stole approximately $860 in U.S. currency from the victim teller.
If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years’ supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Philadelphia Police Department, and has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Eric A. Boden.
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed
innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Interfering with a Flight CrewRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Jerry Ba Nguyen, 24, of Las Vegas, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty, before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant, Jr., to interference with flight crew members and attendants, announced U.S Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Nguyen, who has been in custody since his arrest in September 2016, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing will be set at a later date by U.S. Senior District Judge Sam R. Cummings.
According to plea documents filed in the case, on September 22, 2016 Nguyen was a passenger on American Airlines flight 2542 in route from Ontario, California, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which was diverted to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, after Nguyen, knowingly interfered and attempted to interfere with the performance of the duties of a flight crew member and flight attendant, lessening their ability to perform their duties, by assaulting and intimidating the flight attendant and flight crew member by refusing to comply with instructions from flight attendants.
Nguyen came to the attention of the flight attendants as the plane was leaving the gate in Ontario, appearing agitated and walking toward the front of the aircraft as it prepared to take off. Flight attendants were able to calm him down, and the plane departed. After takeoff, however, Nguyen’s erratic behavior continued; he mumbled that the SIM card had been stolen from his phone and he made suicidal statements. He also stated that the police were not his friends, and the U.S. government was responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Nguyen was asked to remain in his seat by the flight crew on multiple occasions, but refused. Flight attendants were so concerned about his behavior that they recruited several passengers to assist with physically restraining Nguyen if it became necessary.
Upon final approach, Nguyen walked to the front of the aircraft and was near the cockpit door. Flight attendants instructed Nguyen numerous times that he needed to be seated for landing, but Nguyen refused to take his seat. Due to Nguyen’s proximity to the cockpit door, the lead flight attendant signaled other passengers to subdue Nguyen.
The Captain declared an emergency and diverted the flight to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, where it landed safely. Nguyen was removed from the plane and taken into custody
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Transportation Security Administration, the Lubbock Police Department and the Lubbock International Airport Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag is in charge of the prosecution.
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Lancaster County Woman Sentenced for Straw Purchase of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Contact Person: William Witherspoon (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Lillie Mae Govea, age 26, of Lancaster, South Carolina was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for straw purchasing a firearm. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis of Columbia sentenced Govea to 10 months in federal prison.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on October 21, 2014, a Lancaster County deputy met with Govea about her pistol being stolen. According to Govea, someone had stolen her pistol out of the trunk of her car. She indicated that the only person who had been in the trunk of the car was her boyfriend.
The officer then contacted the boyfriend who told the officer that a friend of his named "Nick" had asked Govea to purchase a pistol for him. Nick gave Govea and the boyfriend money and told them to make the purchase at a named local gun store. Govea agreed. Govea indicated that during the entire drive to the gun store, her boyfriend was on the telephone asking for directions. When they got to the store, he showed her a picture of a specific pistol that had been previously advertised by the store. However, the store did not have the pistol in stock so they urchased a different pistol and ammunition instead.
On the way back home, the boyfriend was talking to someone on the telephone and told them they would be returning shortly. When they returned, a black male that she did not know approached them, gave her additional money for the pistol and took the pistol out of the car. The boyfriend told Govea to wait three (3) days to report the pistol stolen in case Nick did something "bad" with it. Govea waited less than one (1) day to report the pistol stolen. The pistol was later found in the possession of a convicted felon during a search by another police jurisdiction.
The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lancaster County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.
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Keenan Davis Found Guilty by Jury TrialRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that Keenan Davis, 40, of Fort Wayne, Indiana was found guilty, after a 4-day jury trial. Davis was convicted of 2 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to documents filed in this case, Davis had two prior felony convictions on his record and was found to be in possession of a firearm.
This case was prosecuted as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Miller-Lowery.
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Jury Convicts Rio Grande Valley Area Durable Medical Equipment Company Owner of Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas ‐ A McAllen federal jury has convicted the owner of an area durable medical equipment (DME) company owner on all counts for her scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid through fraudulent billings, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. The jury deliberated for six hours following a seven-day trial before convicting Maria Garza, 41, of McAllen, on all 18 counts as charged.
Garza was an owner of the DME company Hacienda DME in McAllen.
She was found guilty of causing others to submit false and fraudulent claims to Texas Medicaid for incontinence supplies that were not provided and/or were not authorized by a physician. Garza and her co-conspirators forged and/or caused others to forge the signatures of physicians on the required prescription forms. She then billed or caused others to bill for larger, higher-paying sizes of pull-ups and diapers regardless of whether those sizes were needed or provided in order to receive higher reimbursements from Texas Medicaid.
The jury heard that from March 2008 through August 2013, Garza sent false and fraudulent claims totaling approximately $2,505,064.50 to Texas Medicaid for DME allegedly provided to Texas Medicaid recipients. The billings were false and fraudulent because the DME was not delivered and/or was not authorized as claimed. Texas Medicaid paid out $1,805,940.12 on the false and fraudulent claims. The jury also heard that Garza and her co-conspirators illegally used the identities of physicians in submitting the unlawful billings to Texas Medicaid.
Garza paid illegal kickbacks in the form of cash and/or checks in exchange for patient information, specifically, the patient Texas Medicaid numbers. Further, she and her co-conspirators bought back supplies that had previously been delivered to Texas Medicaid recipients so that they could utilize the same supplies again in a scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid.
- jury also convicted Garza of threatening the use of physical force and/or attempting to use intimidation against others charged in the conspiracy.
She faces up to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and each of the 11 counts of health care fraud. For the two counts of witness tampering, the punishment is a possible 20-year-maximum sentence. Further, she must face an additional and mandatory 24 months for the four counts of aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to the other sentences imposed.
The Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services‐Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Day and Andrew Swartz are prosecuting the case.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Sheldon Lamont Jackson (43, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. Due to his status as an Armed Career Criminal, he faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop, a deputy with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office discovered a loaded, semi-automatic handgun hidden under the driver’s seat of the car that Jackson was driving. During the investigation that followed, Jackson unsuccessfully attempted to dissuade a witness from providing information to law enforcement. Prior to his arrest in this case, Jackson had multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for sale of cocaine and resisting arrest with violence, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Daryl R. McCrary, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.