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5 January 2017
Huntsville Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Bank Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal judge today sentenced a Huntsville man to three years in prison and ordered him to forfeit $79,619 for his scheme to steal and counterfeit business checks in 2014, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and U.S. Postal Inspector Frank Dyer.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn sentenced BERNARD EUGENE MCKINNEY II, 29, on five bank fraud and two aggravated identity theft charges. A federal jury convicted McKinney on the charges in August. He must report to prison Feb. 6.
According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, evidence at trial showed that McKinney’s scheme involved recruiting various friends and acquaintances to cash fraudulent checks around the Huntsville area. The scheme defrauded BBVA Compass Bank of $79,619 in a series of transactions over several days. “The actions of the Defendant were not a ‘one-time’ mistake, but a well-developed plan and scheme in which the Defendant had to make a conscience decision to act each time a fraudulent check was cashed. He involved five other people in the scheme,” the sentencing memorandum said.
Trial evidence showed that McKinney, with the help of his recruits, counterfeited legitimate business checks that had been stolen from the U.S. mail, changed the payee names to himself or others, and then cashed the checks at Compass Bank branches in north Alabama. McKinney also forged the signature of the person who signed the original checks, which he used to manufacture the counterfeits.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Estes prosecuted.
Haverhill Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy and Gun Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
Concord, N.H. – United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced that Juan Rojas, 32, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty today to (1) conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, oxycodone and cocaine and (2) conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Rojas appeared before United States District Court Judge Steven J. McAuliffe to enter his guilty plea.
According to documents that were filed in court and statements in the plea proceeding, Rojas admitted that he and others participated in the distribution of cocaine and oxycodone pills in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. During a court-authorized wiretap investigation, law enforcement officers intercepted calls in which Rojas obtained quantities of oxycodone and cocaine, which he then supplied to others, including Franklyn and Mara Morillo. The Morillos then arranged to distribute the drugs to customers. Rojas was arrested on August 18, 2015, and approximately 110 grams of cocaine were recovered from a vehicle he was operating.
During the wiretap investigation, officers also intercepted calls indicating that Rojas and another individual (Oscar Rosario) were planning to rob a drug dealer. Intercepted calls showed that Rosario traveled from New Hampshire to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he obtained a firearm from Rojas. A law enforcement officer later stopped Rosario and recovered the firearm before it could be used to commit the robbery.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 10, 2017.
Rojas is one of six individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on September 23, 2015, and charged with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, controlled substances. The other defendants are: Mara Morillo, 41, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Franklyn Morillo, 41, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Jorge Medina, 25, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Justin Bartimus, 35, formerly of Methuen, Massachusetts; and Michael Lally, 28, of Salem, New Hampshire. All of the other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Rojas and Rosario were charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Rosario previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad led the investigation with assistance from the Haverhill, Massachusetts Police Department, the Methuen, Massachusetts Police Department, and the Massachusetts State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Farley.
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Harmony Couple Sentenced for Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Eugene Moulton, 67, and Antoinette Perreault, 48, both of Harmony, Maine, were sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy for conspiring to distribute cocaine. Moulton was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. Perreault was sentenced to 20 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Both pleaded guilty on July 20, 2016.
According to court records, the defendants participated for about three years in a conspiracy run by Roger Belanger and his daughter, Kelli Mujo, that existed between January 2002 and November 2014, to acquire cocaine in Rhode Island and distribute it in the Dexter area. The defendants acquired cocaine from Mujo and distributed it in the Harmony area. Moulton also traded cocaine for stolen property. On August 19, 2016, Belanger and Mujo were convicted following a jury trial and await sentencing.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, with assistance provided by the Dexter Police Department, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine State Police.
Granite Bay Property Investor Sentenced to over 2 Years in Prison for Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — John Stuart Hill, 33, of Granite Bay, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to two years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution to eight victims for wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with a real estate investment scheme, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between August 9, 2011, and April 2013, Hill, acting under the business name Granite Bay Investment Partners (GBIP), solicited and received money from investors who intended that their money would be used to purchase, rehabilitate, and resell residential properties in the Sacramento area. In reality, Hill used the money for his own personal expenses, made false accounting entries on statements he sent to his investors, and misrepresented the purchase and resale prices of the properties in question. In some cases, the properties that Hill alleged his investors to be rehabilitating had never been purchased by Hill or GBIP. In other cases, multiple investors were told that they were partners on the same property in order to increase the amount invested to far above the purchase and rehabilitation costs.
According to court documents, Hill received at least $1.9 million from investors, only $600,000 of which was ever returned, leaving at least $1.3 million unaccounted for. On September 29, 2016, Hill pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud.
This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew G. Morris prosecuted the case.
Four More Conspirators Sentenced as Part of Methamphetamine TakedownRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Four more defendants who were part of a conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine into and around Virginia and Kentucky were sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced. To date, 14 of the 15 defendants charged with being part of the conspiracy have been convicted and sentenced to federal prison terms for the role in the criminal activity.
Julio Cesar Ortiz, 28, of Norcross, Ga., previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine. Today in District Court, Ortiz was sentenced to 148 months in federal prison.
Lloyd Steven Knuckles, 42, of Middlesboro, Kentucky, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine. Today in District Court, Knuckles was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison.
Ralph Marlow, 59, of Lafollette, Tenn., previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Today in District Court, Marlow was sentenced to 123 months in federal prison.
Robert Christopher Rainey, 62, of Sycamore, Ga., previously pled guilty to one of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Today in District Court, Rainey was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison.
“This prosecution dismantled a major methamphetamine operation and made our community safer,” United States Attorney Fishwick said today. “I am thankful for the hard work our partners in law enforcement put in to making this righteous case.”
To date, 14 of the 15 individuals charged with being part of the conspiracy have been convicted and sentenced to federal prison time.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bell County, Kentucky Sheriff’s Office, the Middlesboro, Kentucky Police Department, the Lee County Virginia Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bristol and Atlanta Field Divisions. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case for the United States.
Four Individuals Charged with Importing Steroids from China and Selling them over the InternetRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Four individuals in three states were arrested yesterday in connection with a nation-wide internet steroid distribution business in which raw steroids imported from China were processed and prepared in Florida, and then ordered over the Internet by, and mailed to, customers across the nation. In a series of arrests and searches conducted early yesterday morning, more than 600,000 dosage units of raw steroids, a tableting machine, steroid packaging and shipping materials, approximately $20,000 in cash and several computers were seized. Pursuant to a federal seizure warrant, agents also seized the website ustraininggear.com.
The following defendants were arrested and charged in a criminal complaint in Massachusetts:
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Mark Lopilato, 53, of Sanger, Texas, was charged with distribution of steroids, a Schedule III controlled substance; conspiracy to distribute steroids, a Schedule III controlled substance; importation of a controlled substance; use of a communications facility in the commission of a narcotics offense; and dispensing a controlled substance by means of the internet;
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Rhonda Fulton, 50, of Palm Bay, Fla., was charged with distribution of steroids, a Schedule III controlled substance; conspiracy to distribute steroids, a schedule III controlled substance; use of a communications facility in the commission of a narcotics offense; and dispensing a controlled substance by means of the internet;
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Michael Fulton, 45, of 1208 Palm Bay, Fla., was charged with conspiracy to distribute steroids, a Schedule III controlled substance; importation of a controlled substance; and use of a communications facility in the commission of a narcotics offense;
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Michael Lopilato, 59, of Salem, N.H., was charged with conspiracy to distribute steroids, a Schedule III controlled substance; use of a communications facility in the commission of a narcotics offense; and dispensing a controlled substance by means of the internet.
According to the complaint, from January 2016 to September 2016, an undercover agent purchased steroids over the internet from the website ustraininggear.com, a website that advertises and sells numerous types of steroids. The website provided instructions on how to place orders and pay for steroids, and further provided an email address operated by Mark Lopilato to place orders.
According to court documents, customers ordered steroids from Mark Lopilato who forwarded the orders by email to Rhonda Fulton and Michael Fulton in Florida. Michael Fulton processed and prepared raw steroids according to the customers’ orders, and Rhonda Fulton packaged and mailed them. Mark Lopilato and the Fultons allegedly ordered the raw steroids from China over the internet, then paid for and received the raw steroids by mail. Mark Lopilato paid Rhonda and Michael Fulton for the preparation, packaging and mailing of the steroids to customers, and also paid Michael Lopilato, his brother, to maintain and operate the website.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute steroids, distribution of steroids, importation of a controlled substance, and dispensing controlled substances by means of the internet each provides for a sentence of no more than 10 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. The charge of use of a communications facility in commission of a narcotics offense provides for a sentence of no greater than four years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; and Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher F. Bator of Ortiz’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
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Founder of Fake Prison Charity sentenced for stealing Prisoner Identities, Claiming Millions of Dollars in false Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Qadir Shabazz, a/k/a Deangelo Moore, a/k/a Deangelo Muhammad, has been sentenced to a prison term of 23 years, one month for running a massive, multi-state fraud scheme in which he operated a fake prison charity that stole thousands of prisoners’ identities to apply for millions of dollars in fraudulent income tax refund dollars. Shabazz was found guilty of 33 felony counts following a jury trial in January 2016.
“Shabazz preyed upon prisoners that he promised to help, all in an effort to steal millions from the government,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “He thought he could go undetected by using the identities of prisoners, who would not notice tax irregularities, with no regard for the false hope he created for them through his bogus charity. Shabazz will now have an opportunity to better understand the situation of the prisoners he victimized.”
“Misusing his position of trust at Indigent Inmate, Qadir Shabazz stole the identities of unsuspecting prisoners and filed false tax returns in their names,” said Veronica Hyman-Pillot, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. “Individuals who commit refund fraud and identity theft of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Today, Mr. Shabazz is held accountable for his criminal actions.”
Paul D. Mezzanotte, Acting U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge of the Charlotte Division stated, “This is a great example of a law enforcement partnership that worked together to unravel a sophisticated Identity Theft scheme that stole prisoner’s identities for personal financial gain. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to be vigilant in disrupting criminal organizations who illegally utilize the nation’s mail system.”
“I commend all of the law enforcement personnel in Pennsylvania and around the country that helped to bring down this well-organized identity theft and tax fraud scam,” said Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Secretary Eileen McNulty. “Qadir Shabazz took advantage of prisoners through this multi-state conspiracy and he victimized all of us by stealing tax dollars.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: In 2009, Qadir Shabazz started a fraudulent prison charity called Indigent Inmate. The supposed purpose of Indigent Inmate was to provide religious literature and financial assistance to prisoners serving time in state prisons around the country. Shabazz’s employees at Indigent Inmate mailed out thousands of applications for assistance to prisons around the country, and Indigent Inmate received thousands of completed applications back through the mail. Notably, the applications required the prisoners applying for assistance to provide their name, date of birth, and Social Security Number.
Various inmates testified at trial that they had sent their information to Indigent Inmate because they hoped they would get some type of assistance while they were incarcerated. One prisoner hoped Indigent Inmate would send him stamps so he could write letters to his parents while another hoped he would get religious materials. Once Shabazz was in possession of this identifying information from the prisoners, he and his co-conspirators filed thousands of fraudulent income tax returns in the names of those prisoners between 2010 and 2012. In total, the tax returns requested over $12,000,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
Notably, the tax returns would list as the home address of the alleged person filing the tax return, addresses that Shabazz or one of his associates controlled in the Atlanta, Georgia, Chattanooga, Tennessee, or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania areas. The tax refunds would typically be sent to one of these addresses in the form of prepaid debit cards or checks. For instance, from 2010 through 2012, 668 tax returns in the names of Indigent Inmate applicants were filed listing the home address as the same small house located in the Atlanta area.
Qadir Shabazz, a/k/a Deangelo Moore, a/k/a Deangelo Muhammad, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. to serve 23 years, one month in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Shabazz was ordered to pay $1,680,299 in restitution to the IRS.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and United States Postal Inspection Service. The Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Office of Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Bureau of Criminal Tax Investigations uncovered this scheme and launched a separate state investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas J. Krepp and Mary L. Webb are prosecuting 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.
Former Tribal Officials and Employees Charged with Embezzling $6 Million from Paskenta Band of Nomlaki IndiansRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 69-count indictment today against John A. Crosby, 53, of Redding; Ines S. Crosby, 73, of Orland; and Leslie A. Lohse, 62, of Glenn County, charging them with conspiracy to embezzle tribal funds, embezzlement of tribal funds, false statements to federal agents, and tax charges, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, John Crosby, Ines Crosby, and Leslie Lohse were officers and employees of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians in Tehama and Glenn Counties. The Tribe obtained substantial revenues from the operation of the Rolling Hills Casino located on tribal land. Between January 2009 and May 2014, the defendants, who had access to tribal funds, used that money for their own personal expenses. They sought to conceal the embezzlement, including creating a false line-of-credit document and remotely accessing the Tribe’s computers to destroy evidence.
According to the indictment, in June 2015 during the investigation, each defendant falsely stated to a federal agent that they had received a $5 million line of credit from the Tribe. Further, John Crosby and Leslie Lohse submitted tax returns that omitted the embezzled funds. For her part, Ines Crosby failed to file any tax returns. It is estimated that the defendants embezzled at least $6 million in tribal funds.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd A. Pickles and Matthew M. Yelovich are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, each of the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the charge of falsifying a document in a federal investigation. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of conspiracy, embezzling, and making a false statement to a government agent is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for filing a false tax return is three years in prison and a $25,000 fine, and one year in prison and a $25,000 fine for failure to file a tax return. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Torrington Resident Admits Role in Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARIO PASCUAL AQUINO, 36, formerly of Torrington, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to one count of theft of public money stemming from his role in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, AQUINO was involved in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain U.S. Treasury tax refund checks made payable to individuals other than themselves, whose personal identifying information was stolen by co-conspirators. Typically, the individuals whose identities were stolen were citizens of Puerto Rico.
Between October 2011 and March 2013, AQUINO cashed approximately $650,000 worth of fraudulently-obtained tax refund checks at a check cashing store in Torrington. He also opened his own check cashing store in Hartford, Mega Money Transfers, and, in 2011 and 2012, proceeded to cash more than 300 fraudulently-obtained refund checks valued at a total of $750,926 through that store. Finally, Aquino sold six fraudulently-obtained refund checks valued at a total of $60,929 to an undercover agent. He also provided the undercover agent with a fraudulent Connecticut driver license in the name of an identity theft victim.
AQUINO is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on April 6, 2017, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of up to approximately $2.9 million, and an order of restitution.
AQUINO, who most recently resided in Pasadena, Texas, has been detained since his arrest on May 31, 2016.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Waterbury Police Department, Hartford Police Department and Pasadena (Tex.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarala V. Nagala.
Former Springfield Business Owner Indicted for Alleged Medicaid Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield man whose business supplied incontinence products to Medicaid recipients made his initial appearance in federal court today on charges that he defrauded Illinois’ Medicaid program of more than $500,000. Kevin W. Schaul, 51, of the 3500 block of Tamarak Dr., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins. Trial has been scheduled for Mar. 7, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough. Schaul was released on his own recognizance with conditions.
According to the indictment, Schaul owned and operated Childrite Medical Supply, Inc., from a residence at 201 N. Natchez Trace. Childrite, registered as a corporation in May 2009, supplied incontinence products such as diapers, pull-ups and underpads, to recipients of Medicaid. The corporation was involuntarily dissolved on or about Oct. 10, 2014.
The indictment alleges that from August 2009 through at least September 2013, Schaul repeatedly submitted and caused false claims to be submitted to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services for delivery of incontinence products. Childrite allegedly represented that the products had been delivered to Medicaid recipients, specifically to special-needs adults and children, when he knew no products were delivered or not delivered in the amount claimed. During the period of the alleged scheme, Childrite submitted more than 19,000 claims for 4,000,000 units, measured as one unit equivalent to one diaper, pull-up, underpad, etc., provided. As a result of the claims submitted, Medicaid paid Childrite approximately $2.3 million.
The indictment alleges that Schaul used the fraudulent Medicaid payments for his personal use, including for clothing, food, entertainment, fuel, travel, mortgage payments and payments to a family member. The indictment estimates the amount of loss to the Medicaid program as more than $500,000.
If convicted, the maximum statutory penalty for each count of health care fraud (five counts) is up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
The charges are the result of investigation by the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Office of Inspector General provided assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Former Selmer Police Department Lieutenant Sentenced for Accessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A former Selmer Police Department lieutenant has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for accessing child pornography on a hidden website. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Tony O. Miller, 36, of Finger, Tennessee, was a member of a website dedicated to sharing child pornography. Miller used special technology to access it regularly between early January and March 2015. The website could not be found using traditional search engines, like Google or Bing; members had to use special technology designed to conceal their identity in order to access it. Images of minor children engaging in sexual activity with adults were featured on the website. Some of the minors were under 12 years of age.
An undercover investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified users of a website set up for the purposes of sharing child pornography. Visitors to the website could view, download, and comment on other users' material, as well as upload their own. Miller was identified as one of the website’s users.
At the time of the aforementioned conduct, Miller was a lieutenant with the Selmer Police Department and studying to become a lawyer.
Miller admitted that he used the Internet and work-issued digital devices to access the website and view child pornography. He also admitted to using technology to try to hide his criminal activity.
In September 2016, Miller pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen to one count of accessing with intent to view child pornography.
On Thursday, January 05, 2017, the Court heard testimony that Miller destroyed evidence during law enforcement’s investigation into the case. Judge Breen subsequently sentenced Miller to 30 months in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the FBI Major Case Coordination Unit in Linthicum, Maryland, and the Selmer Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Ireland prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.
Anyone who believes they may have information about related activities is asked to contact the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force at 901.747.4300.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC 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 PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources."
Former Nurse Sentenced for ID Theft and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Capri M. Williams, 26, of Richmond, was sentenced today to three years in prison for identity theft and bank fraud crimes related to her stealing personal identifying information (PII) of hundreds of patients while employed at Commonwealth Primary Care (CPC), Inc., in Richmond. Williams was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $34,906.15 in restitution to the victims of her crimes.
Williams pleaded guilty on June 24, 2016. According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in February 2015, Williams was employed as a licensed practical nurse by CPC, and had access to PII of patients at CPC. On Feb. 11, 2015, Williams accessed the PII of a patient who had received care at CPC. That same day, Williams used the patient’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number to apply for a credit card with Citibank. The application was approved and Williams eventually used the account to issue a balance transfer check made out to her for $4,500. After receiving the check, she deposited it into an account in her name.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Terrence P. McKeown, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather H. Mansfield and David V. Harbach, II 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. 3:16-cr-76.
Former Newspaper Publisher, Mortgage Broker, Title Agent and Others Charged in $10 Million Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A former newspaper publisher, mortgage broker, title agent and other individuals are charged federally for their participation in a $10 million mortgage fraud scheme.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Marco Laureti, 45, of Sunny Isles Beach, and Felix Mostelac, 44, of Miami Beach, are charged by Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and multiple counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 (Case No. 16-60340-CR-ZLOCH). Michelle Cabrera, 48, of Miami Lakes, and Pedro Melian, 39, of Hialeah, are charged by criminal Information with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution (Case No. 16-60354-CR-DIMITROULEAS), If convicted, each defendant faces up to thirty years? imprisonment on each charged count.
According to court documents, defendants Laureti, Mostelac, Cabrera and Melian were involved with a $10 million mortgage fraud scheme. Laureti was a former newspaper publisher and owner of Laureti Publishing Company, in addition to being a licensed real estate sales associate and mortgage broker. Mostelac was Laureti’s associate and also the owner of several companies. Cabrera owned Florida Elite Title & Escrow in Davie and served as the title agent for these transactions. Melian also owned several companies.
According to court documents, the defendants engaged in a fraud scheme involving a condominium complex located at 45 Hendricks Isle in Fort Lauderdale. Defendants Laureti, Mostelac and Melian made false and fraudulent statements to a financial institution on loan applications and closing statements for the multi-million dollar condominiums. Once the loans were approved, defendant Cabrera, at Laureti’s direction, diverted the loan proceeds to fund the cash the borrower was expected to bring to the property’s closing, as well as diverting additional monies from the loan proceeds to various companies owned by Laureti and Mostelac. Furthermore, according to court documents, Laureti and Mostelac utilized the same scheme on the loan applications and closing statements to purchase their own multi-million dollar residential properties in Miami Beach, in addition to Laureti directing Cabrera to divert funds. The defendants’ scheme defrauded the financial institution of approximately $10 million.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Katz.
An Indictment and a criminal Information merely contain allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Miami-Dade County Aviation Department Procurement Employee Charged in Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
A former employee in the Procurement Section of the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department has been charged with accepting bribery payments.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Glenwood Pla, 50, of Miami, a former procurement specialist for the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department, was charged in a criminal Information with bribery in programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666. If convicted, Pla faces a statutory maximum term of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000. Pla had his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry L. Garber.
- set forth in the charging document, Pla was employed in the procurement section of the Aviation Department, creating and sending RFQs for lighting products requested by the Aviation Department to a qualified pool of vendors. Pla collected and tallied the bids and declared the lowest responsive bidder on the RFQs. A co-conspirator owned companies that provided, among other items, lighting products and services to the Aviation Department. The co-conspirator sought contracts for the installation of lighting products for his companies and sought contracts for the sale of lighting products on behalf of a second co-conspirator.
Beginning in or about 2011, Pla would notify one of the co-conspirators that RFQ’s were being issued for lighting products, and the second co-conspirator would then bid on the sale of the lighting products and was awarded a number of the contracts.
From in or about 2011 and continuing through in or about 2015, Pla accepted and received in excess of $35,000 in U.S. currency, which the defendant knew was paid to him with the intent to influence and reward Pla for utilizing his official position to favor his two co-conspirators.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI in connection with the investigation of this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
- criminal Information is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Miami-Dade County Aviation Department Division Director Sentenced to 7 Years Imprisonment for $5,000,000 Fraud and Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
A former Division Director of the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department was sentenced to seven year’s imprisonment for his involvement in a $5,000,000 fraud and kickback scheme.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
- The public has a right to expect that officials who oversee local government agencies are ethical, trustworthy, responsible, and represent the best interests of the community,” stated U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer. “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and our law enforcement partners will continue to identify for prosecution those individuals who choose to betray the public’s trust and steal funds for their own illicit personal gain.”
“Corrupt officials are on notice – breach the public’s trust through stealing or accepting bribes in the course of their official duties and they will be vigorously investigated,” said William J. Maddalena, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami. “The South Florida community can be assured that public corruption will remain a top priority for the FBI.”
Ivan Valdes, 46, of Miami, was sentenced to 7 year’s imprisonment, ordered to pay $5,247,539 in restitution, and must serve 3 years of supervised release after having previously pled guilty to a one-count criminal Information charging him with theft in programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666.
According to the court record, including a stipulated statement of facts, Valdes, a former Miami-Dade County Aviation Department Division Director was involved in a $5,000,000 fraud and kickback scheme. During in or about 2010, Valdes arranged with a co-conspirator to request that the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department purchase light fixtures for the Miami International Airport, in exchange for Valdes being paid a share of the proceeds. Between 2010 and 2015, the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department issued approximately twenty requests for Invitations to Quote for the purchase of over 9,000 LED light fixtures which cost Miami-Dade County millions of dollars. Valdes was paid in cash by a co-conspirator, with whom he split approximately $2 million in fraudulent proceeds from the scheme. Valdes used some of the fraudulent proceeds to pay an employee in the procurement section of the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department, who assisted with the fraud.
On two occasions, Valdes instructed a co-conspirator to bid on an Invitation to Quote for light fixtures, but he further instructed that the light fixtures should not be ordered from the lighting manufacturer. The co-conspirator bid and won the contracts. As a result, Valdes and his co-conspirators were paid approximately $500,000 for light fixtures that were never provided to the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office and its Public Corruption Unit in connection with the investigation of this matter. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Ellsworth Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Illegal Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Contact: Jody Mullis, Andrew McCormack
Assistant United States Attorneys
Tel: (207) 945-0373
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jeffrey Barnard, 53, of Ellsworth, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge on June 7, 2016.According to court records, on May 31, 2014, Barnard barricaded himself in his camper with a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle and ammunition beginning a 14-hour stand-off with police. During the stand-off, Barnard fired the weapon and proclaimed that “this is war.” Near the end of the standoff, Barnard emerged from his camper holding his rifle. Despite commands to put the rifle down, Barnard raised and pointed the rifle in the direction of the police officers. Barnard was prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition because he had been previously convicted of state felony offenses in California and Maine and of being a felon in possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court in Maine.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock said that “short of an actual injury or death from use of a firearm, this type of possession is the most serious and egregious imaginable.”
The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police; the Ellsworth and Bangor Police Departments; the Maine Attorney General’s Office; the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory; and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Duncanville Resident Sentenced to 55 Months in Federal Prison After Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A man residing in Duncanville, Texas, who admitted failing to register as a sex offender, Colby Levell Styles, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 55 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release, a sentence higher than that recommended by the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, in October 2005, Styles, a former resident of Georgia, was convicted of aggravated assault with intent to rape in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia. Around February 2, 2016, and continuing to April 8, 2016, Styles traveled to Texas, where he knowingly failed to register as a sex offender and update a registration, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to information presented at his sentencing hearing, since being released from his aggravated assault with intent to rape conviction, Styles had been convicted twice in Georgia for failing to register as a sex offender. Shortly after being released from custody, Styles moved from Georgia to Texas. At the time of his arrest in April, Styles was living in an apartment complex in Duncanville, next to an elementary school. Prior to his arrest, Styles had been questioned by local police in connection with an unrelated incident, at which time Styles gave the police a fake name to avoid being detected as an unregistered sex offender.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Hoxie was in charge of the prosecution.
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Drug Dealer Who Shot at Police Officers Sentenced to 17 YearsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Stefon I. Malone, 25, of Newport News, was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for various drug and gun crimes related to his involvement in drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Newport News.
Specifically, Malone was sentenced to 84 months for participating in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base, and 120 months for discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Malone pleaded guilty on June 21, 2016. According to court documents, Malone participated in a drug trafficking conspiracy in which he distributed cocaine base and provided security for a drug trafficking operation. On Feb. 28, 2013, Newport News Police officers executed a search warrant at a rooming house on Chestnut Avenue in Newport News where officers had received information about individuals with drugs and firearms. Malone fired his Glock 9mm pistol multiple times, striking one officer in his ballistic vest and striking a second police officer’s ballistic shield. Both officers survived without serious injury.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division; and Richard Myers, Chief of Newport News Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Bradenham II 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. 4:15-cr-65.
Dominican Republic Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Estanislao De Jesus, 47, of the Dominican Republic, to 41 months’ imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Judge Gomez also ordered De Jesus to pay a $100 special assessment and perform 300 hours of community service.
On September 1, 2016, De Jesus pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to the plea agreement, on May 7, 2016, agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested De Jesus and co-defendant Tomas Liriano-Castillo at Hull Bay, St. Thomas. At the time of his arrest, De Jesus had been awaiting Liriano-Castillo’s arrival by boat from Tortola with six kilograms of cocaine. De Jesus admitted that he knew Liriano-Castillo had gone to Tortola to bring back cocaine to sell in St. Thomas. Liriano-Castillo’s sentencing is set for February 2, 2017.
The case was investigated by the DEA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.
District Man Sentenced to Prison for Armed Robbery of Couple at Gas Station in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ojahri Hart, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to four years in prison for robbing a couple at gunpoint of their car at a gas station in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Hart pled guilty in September 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to armed robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. Judge McKenna sentenced Hart to a total of 72 months in prison, but suspended all but 48 months of that time on the condition that he complete three years of supervised probation following his release.
According to the government’s evidence, Hart and an accomplice, who were both armed with handguns, robbed the couple of their 2002 Cadillac DeVille at 2 a.m. May 20, 2016, at a gas station in the 7000 block of Blair Road NW. The male victim was pumping gas, and the female victim was inside the car. Hart and his accomplice seized the car at gunpoint and rode away.
The vehicle was found about 10 hours later in the 100 block of Longfellow Street NW, within three or four blocks of the defendant’s home. Two purses were missing from the vehicle, one from inside the car and one from the trunk. Latent fingerprints were recovered from the vehicle. An examination by the Latent Fingerprint Unit of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences revealed that Hart was the source of a palm print found on the trunk of the vehicle and a fingerprint found on the inside back portion of the driver’s side door handle.
No one else has been arrested in the investigation.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who responded to the crime and investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fourth District. He also expressed appreciation for the work performed by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Romano, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Pleads Guilty in Separate Cases to Sexually Assaulting His Two Daughters and Threatening Special Police OfficersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 33-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to first-degree child sexual abuse of his 14-year-old daughter and attempted first-degree child sexual abuse of his 12-year-old daughter, as well as attempted possession of a prohibited weapon and threats charges against two Special Police Officers, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victims in the sexual assault case, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of 14 years in prison. The Honorable José M. Lopez set a hearing for March 17, 2017 to determine whether the plea and sentence will be accepted.
According to the government’s investigation in the sexual assault case, the defendant had sexually abused his older daughter several times in the past year, while he had been sexually abusing his younger daughter since she was approximately eight years old. On one occasion that took place on or around Sept. 1, 2016, the defendant penetrated his older daughter’s vagina with his penis while they were at her mother’s home. On another occasion, which took place on or about Oct. 2, 2016, the defendant was at their mother’s home when he had his younger daughter perform oral sex on him. The defendant asked his younger daughter if she “liked” performing oral sex, to which she responded, “No.” The defendant then met with both daughters and apologized to them for his actions. It was then that the girls learned they were both victims of the defendant’s sexual abuse. The girls then decided to disclose the incidents to their aunt, ultimately leading to the defendant’s arrest.
In the defendant’s other case, the government’s investigation revealed that the defendant had been barred from a homeless shelter in Northeast Washington on April. 29, 2016. The defendant entered the shelter on Aug. 29, 2016, and was immediately told by two Special Police Officers to leave the facility. The defendant left but returned moments later, at which point he pulled out a knife and threatened to fight and stab the Special Police Officers. After the Special Police Officers ordered the defendant several times to put down the knife, the defendant walked up the street, at which point an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department stopped the defendant and placed him under arrest.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigations Division, which investigated the sexual-assault case, and members of the MPD’s Fifth District who were involved in the threats case. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Angelina Slagle and Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danny Nguyen and Maryam Adeyola, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
DeRuyter Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice a 12-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Floyd Wood, age 48, of DeRuyter, New York, pled guilty today to attempting to entice a 12-year-old girl into a sexual encounter.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Special Agent in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his plea, Wood admitted that in April 2016, while text messaging with someone he believed was a female acquaintance, he arranged to meet with the acquaintance and her 12-year-old daughter at a Syracuse hotel to engage in a sexual encounter with both the mother and daughter. Wood was actually corresponding with law enforcement officers. He was arrested at the Syracuse hotel where he was to meet the child and her mother, after having been observed at an adult store where he purchased items he intended to use in the encounter.
Wood will be sentenced by United States District Judge David N. Hurd on May 4, 2017. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Wood will also be required to register as a sex offender. 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 was investigated by the FBI, Syracuse Resident Agency, together with the New York State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Fletcher as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, and led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Cullman County Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Involving Multiple VictimsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A Cullman County man pleaded guilty today in federal court to producing child pornography involving seven minor victims, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance.
Gregory Jerome Lee, 54, pleaded guilty to four counts of production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins. Sentencing is set for April 12.
- to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, from September 1996 through December 2003, Lee sexually abused at least seven different minors and frequently produced images and videos depicting his exploitation of these children. From approximately September 1996 until August 2007, Lee and his co-conspirators used secret, password-protected chat rooms to discuss their interests in and real-life sexual abuse of children and to trade child pornography, Lee admitted.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Fortune and Trial Attorneys Amy E. Larson and Ralph Paradiso of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Columbia Man Sentenced for Oxycontin TraffickingRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Winston Holliday (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina---- Acting United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Theodore Fulton, age 61, of South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone, a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846. United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs of Columbia sentenced Fulton to 110 months of incarceration. Fulton also was ordered to forfeit a house worth over $400,000 and two Lexus automobiles, all purchased in part with proceeds from his drug dealing.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that between 2008 and 2014, Fulton was the ringleader of a conspiracy that distributed over 31,000 Oxycodone tablets in the Columbia area. Fulton would recruit co-conspirators as patients to go to a particular doctor, complain of pain, and obtain Oxycodone prescriptions. Fulton would then buy the pills from them and sell those pills for profit from another conspirator’s residence.
Co-conspirators Daryal Hipp, age 60, and Calvin Sims, age 55, both of Columbia, were convicted after a trial held in December 2015. Hipp has been sentenced to 50 months in prison. Sims awaits sentencing.
Previously, John Kennedy, age 52, was sentenced to 110 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Winston Holliday and Ben Garner of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.#####
Cochiti Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Migratory Bird Treaty ActRead the Press Release
ALBQUERQUE – Wayne Martin, 45, a member and resident of Cochiti Pueblo, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The guilty plea was entered without the benefit of a plea agreement.
Martin was charged in an indictment filed on June 15, 2016, with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it unlawful to possess, offer for sale, or sell any migratory bird, or any part or product of a migratory bird. The indictment alleged that Martin offered to sell three hawks without previously obtaining permission from the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. According to the indictment, Martin committed the crime on Feb. 29, 2012, in Sandoval County, N.M.
At sentencing, Martin faces a statutory maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment and a $2,000 fine. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Peña.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts.
Clarksville Men Sentenced in Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Three Clarksville, Tennessee men were sentenced yesterday in connection with their involvement in a major drug distribution conspiracy in the Clarksville, Tenn. area between 2013 and 2015, announced David Rivera, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. All were indicted in October 2015 after an investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson imposed the following sentences:
- Lloyd Montgomery, 57, the leader of the conspiracy, was sentenced to 240 months in prison to be followed by six years of supervised release. Montgomery pleaded guilty in August 2016 to conspiracy to distribute Oxymorphone and Oxycodone; 12 counts of distribution of Oxymorphone and/or Oxycodone; and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
- Brian Merriweather, 45, was sentenced to 216 months in prison to be followed by six years of supervised release. Merriweather was convicted after a jury trial of conspiracy to distribute Oxymorphone and Oxycodone, and two counts of distribution of Oxymorphone.
- Dominique Lucas, 28, was sentenced to 180 months in prison to be followed by six years of supervised release. Lucas pleaded guilty in July 2016 to conspiracy to distribute Oxymorphone and Oxycodone, and to two counts of distribution of Oxymorphone.
A fourth individual, Charles Arthur Reeves, III, 54, also of Clarksville, Tenn., and a previously convicted felon, was also indicted as a result of this investigation, after selling a firearm to a confidential informant. Reeves pleaded guilty in October 2016 to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
The government’s evidence showed that, between 2013 and 2015, Montgomery was the leader of an extensive pill distribution network that included Merriweather and Lucas. This network illegally distributed thousands of prescription pills in the Clarksville, Tenn. area. The government’s evidence also showed that Montgomery illegally sold firearms as part of this operation, and that sellers in Montgomery’s network traded pills for a variety of stolen items and sponsored visits to doctors’ offices for the purpose of illegally obtaining prescription pills for resale.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the 19th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarksville Police Department and the Tennessee Department of Correction-Probation and Parole. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Schrader and Brent Hannafan.
Charles City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison on Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Randy Patrie, age 44, from Charles City, Iowa, received a 20-year prison term after a September 6, 2013 guilty plea to possessing sawed-off shotguns and being a felon in possession of firearms.
Patrie had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment but, because of a subsequent Supreme Court decision in an unrelated case, his life sentence was overturned on appeal. As a result of the Supreme Court decision, at yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Patrie could no longer be sentenced to life imprisonment because the maximum potential sentence was 20 years’ imprisonment. The court sentenced him to that maximum sentence.
Patrie was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Patrie was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $200 was imposed. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Patrie is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Chickasaw and Floyd County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Charles City Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 13-CR-2016.
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Cassville Man Sentenced to 16 years for Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Cassville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a child.
Chase Trevor Norman, 26, of Cassville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 23, 2016, Norman pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of enticing a minor for illicit sex. Norman admitted that, from Sept. 21 to Oct. 10, 2014, he enticed a 12-year-old girl into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Norman used social media, via the Internet and a cell phone, to communicate with the child victim. She transferred numerous pornographic images of herself to Norman, and he sent pornographic images of himself to the child victim.
Norman attempted to persuade the child victim to engage in sexual activity with him. However, the child’s mother saw pictures of Norman on her daughter’s iPod and contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement officers took over the child’s iPod and exchanged text messages with Norman. Believing he was still text messaging the child victim, Norman arranged to meet with the child so that they both could return to his apartment and engage in sex.
When Norman arrived for the arranged meeting, he was arrested. Norman later told investigators that he had used the same techniques a year earlier to meet another child, who was only 14 years old, with whom he engaged in sexual activity.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Purdy, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Casey County, Kentucky, Convicted Felon Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Sale and Distribution of A Controlled Substance, Illegal Possession of Firearms and Being an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Casey County, Kentucky convicted felon was sentenced today in United States District Court by District Judge Greg N. Stivers, to 180 months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges including being an armed career criminal, possession and distribution of a controlled substance, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Jerry Wayne Threatt II, age 39, of Liberty, Kentucky pleaded guilty to all charges in a ten count indictment and agreed to today’s sentence of 180 months in prison, on October 11, 2016. Threatt remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
According to information presented in court, Threatt sold a firearm and crystal methamphetamine, from his Liberty, Kentucky, home to a confidential informant on September 8, 2015, and on September 30, 2015. Further, on October 23, 2015, Threatt was observed and recorded selling a firearm and crystal meth to an informant in a grocery store parking lot located in Liberty.
In addition to the prison sentence, Threatt will forfeit a vehicle; U.S. currency totaling $3,290; a Jimenez Arms 9millimeter semi-automatic handgun; a KELTEC 9millimeter semi-automatic pistol; a Para-Ordinance, Model P16, 40 caliber pistol; a Hi-Point, Model JH 45 caliber pistol; a Ruger, 9 millimeter semi-automatic pistol; and Remington, Model 110012 gauge shotgun.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ream and was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Kentucky State Police (DESI West), and Casey County (Kentucky) Sheriff’s Department.
California Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Drugs on the InternetRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury has found Julian Villa-Gomez Lemus (31, Visalia, CA) guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. In the past week, his co-defendants Fadhle Muqbel Saeed (31) and Alfonso Bojorquez-Vazquez (30), both of Porterville, California pleaded guilty to related charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing hearings are scheduled for March 23, 2017. The individuals were indicted on May 11, 2016.
According to evidence presented at trial, between May 2012 and October 2013, Saeed, Villa-Gomez Lemus, and Bojorquez-Vazquez were involved in a conspiracy to distribute drugs over the Internet using illicit online drug marketplaces such as “Silk Road.” Payment for these transactions was conducted using “Bitcoin,” a semi-anonymous electronic form of payment.
Members of the conspiracy used the pseudonym “darkexpresso” to conduct over 1,300 Silk Road drug transactions, resulting in gross proceeds of more than $1.9 million. These transactions included methamphetamine, hydrocodone, marijuana, steroids, cocaine, and other controlled substances. The drugs were sent to purchasers throughout the United States and Australia.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vincent S. Chiu and Alejandro J. Salicrup.
Business Owner Sentenced to 10 Months in Federal Prison for PerjuryRead the Press Release
A Palo business owner who provided false testimony before the federal grand jury was sentenced on January 4, 2017, to 10 months in federal prison.
Daniel L. Davidson, age 32, from Palo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 25, 2016, guilty plea to one count of perjury.
In a plea agreement and at the plea hearing, Davidson admitted he provided false testimony regarding his financial transactions with another person that was material to an ongoing criminal investigation.
Davidson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Davidson was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment and fined $20,000. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Davidson was released on the conditions previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on a date yet to be set.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Cole and investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 16-CR-00070-LRR.
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Bergen County, New Jersey, Woman Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Role in Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergenfield, New Jersey, woman was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for her role in a conspiracy to traffic approximately two kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Sasha Melendez, 38, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging her with one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Melendez was the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of an ongoing conspiracy to import cocaine from Puerto Rico. She was arrested on March 24, 2015 in Bergen County after she accepted delivery of a mail parcel from Puerto Rico containing approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Melendez admitted at her plea hearing that she conspired with co-defendant Ramis Esteves, 33, of New York, to distribute the cocaine.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Melendez to three years of supervised release.
Estevez previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and awaits sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge James V. Buthorn, and special agents of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Peck of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit.
Defense Counsel: Stacey Van Malden, Esq.
Athens Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the VARead the Press Release
Contact: Jim Moore
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Lisa-Marie Watson, 25, of Athens, Maine pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”).
According to court records, the defendant conspired with her father-in-law to illegally obtain VA compensation benefits. Watson and her father-in-law submitted documents to the VA falsely claiming she had suffered from mental disabilities that were connected to her service in the U.S. Army. Watson also falsely described her mental condition to VA doctors. On November 18, 2016, the defendant’s father-in-law, David Watson, pled guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the VA and awaits sentencing.
The defendant faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced after completion of a presentence report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the VA Office of the Inspector General.
Alamogordo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE –William Allen Patterson, 34, of Alamogordo, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a federal child pornography charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Patterson will be sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Patterson will also be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
Patterson was arrested on August 10, 2016, on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed and received visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity from 2002 to 2012 and Aug. 10, 2016, in Otero County, N.M. According to the criminal complaint, the investigation into Patterson began in Aug. 2016, after Patterson admitted to a polygraph examiner that he was addicted to child pornography while undergoing a polygraph examination as part of the application process to be a Border Patrol Agent. On Aug. 9, 2016, law enforcement searched Patterson’s residence and found a hard drive containing at least 10,000 images of child pornography.
During today’s proceedings, Patterson pled guilty to a felony information charging him with receiving child pornography. In entering the guilty plea, Patterson admitted that on Aug. 9, 2016, he possessed a hard drive that contained numerous images and videos of child pornography which he had downloaded from the internet. Patterson remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa A. Ong of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The case also was brought as a part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 82 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Involving Multiple VictimsRead the Press Release
An Alabama man pleaded guilty today to producing child pornography involving seven minor victims, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance of the Northern District of Alabama.
Gregory Jerome Lee, 54, formerly of Cullman County, Alabama, pleaded guilty to four counts of production of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins of the Northern District of Alabama. Sentencing is set for April 12, 2017.
According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, from September 1996 through December 2003, Lee sexually abused at least seven different minors and frequently produced images and videos depicting his exploitation of these children. From approximately September 1996 until August 2007, Lee and his co-conspirators used secret, password-protected chat rooms to discuss their interests in and real-life sexual abuse of children and to trade child pornography, Lee admitted.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Amy E. Larson and Ralph Paradiso of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Fortune of the Northern District of Alabama prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Air Force Reservist Pleads Guilty to RapeRead the Press Release
DAYTON – Kyle Jordan, 31, of Franklin, Ohio pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual abuse.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Lt. Col. Randal Pendleton, Commander, Air Force Office of Special Investigations 10th Field Investigations Squandron, and Angela L. Byer, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), announced the plea entered into today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Newman.
According to the signed Statement of Facts attached to the plea agreement, in December 2015, Jordan knowingly had sex with an unconscious woman while staying at a Temporary Lodging Facility located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Jordan raped the victim in a bedroom after they both consumed alcohol.
Sexual abuse carries a potential maximum sentence of up to life in prison and at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Air Force OSI and FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Andrew J. Hunt, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith, who are representing the United States in this case.
Agents Seize Approximately $20 Million and Arrest Brazilian National in Scheme to Launder TelexFree FundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON –Approximately $20 million in cash hidden inside a box spring in a Westborough, Mass. apartment, was seized late yesterday, and a Brazilian man was arrested in connection with conspiring to launder proceeds of the massive TelexFree pyramid scheme.
Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, 28, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. Rocha was detained following an appearance today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein.
According to the complaint, in April 2014, federal agents searched the headquarters of TelexFree, Inc., in Marlborough, Mass. Later that day, Carlos Wanzeler, one of the founders of the company, allegedly fled to Brazil, his native country, where he has remained. Wanzeler and TelexFree co-founder James Merrill were indicted in July 2014 on charges that they operated TelexFree as a massive pyramid scheme. Merrill pleaded guilty to those charges in October 2016 and is awaiting sentencing.
The complaint alleges that an intermediary working on Wanzeler’s behalf contacted an associate for help transferring millions of dollars of TelexFree money – still hidden in the greater Boston area – from the United States to Brazil. The associate, who subsequently became a cooperating witness for the government, allegedly arranged with Wanzeler’s nephew in Brazil to launder the cash through Hong Kong, convert it to Brazilian reals, and transfer it to Brazilian accounts.
According to court documents, Rocha, acting as a courier for Wanzeler’s nephew, flew from Brazil to JFK Airport in New York City a few days ago. Yesterday, Rocha met the cooperating witness at a restaurant in Hudson, Mass., and allegedly gave him $2.2 million in a suitcase. After the meeting, agents followed Rocha to an apartment complex in Westborough, Mass., and later arrested him. That night, federal agents searched an apartment at the Westborough complex and seized a massive stockpile of cash hidden in a box spring. The cash appears to total approximately $20 million.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew E. Lelling and Neil J. Gallagher, Jr., of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details in the complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
4 January 2017
Windsor Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JONATHAN RHOADES, 32, formerly of Windsor, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to one count of distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in December 2014, a member of the Connecticut State Police’s Computer Crimes squad, operating in an undercover capacity, accessed a peer-to-peer file sharing network and downloaded six videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct from an Internet Protocol (IP) address that was subsequently linked to RHOADES’s residence in Windsor.
On March 10, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant RHOADES’s residence and seized a desktop computer, laptop computer and other items. Forensic analysis of the seized computers revealed at least 1,535 images and 49 videos of child pornography, most of which featured children younger than the age of five.
RHOADES has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on March 18, 2015. On November 10, 2015, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging RHOADES with one count of distribution of child pornography.
Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2017, at which time RHOADES faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This matter has been investigated by the Connecticut State Police and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
United States Announces Settlement with YMCA of Metro Chicago to Ensure Compliance with Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The United States Attorney’s Office today announced a settlement with the YMCA of Metro Chicago to resolve a complaint of discrimination filed on behalf of a child with type 1 diabetes.
The settlement agreement requires the YMCA of Metro Chicago to administer the emergency medicine glucagon to program enrollees with diabetes who have requested it. Glucagon is a potentially lifesaving treatment for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). It is pre-measured and injectable and is intended to be administered to unconscious or unresponsive individuals by properly trained laypersons.
The settlement agreement also requires the YMCA of Metro Chicago to adopt and implement a comprehensive policy on diabetes management.
The settlement agreement was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office received a discrimination complaint on behalf of a nine-year-old girl with type 1 diabetes who participates on a YMCA swim team. The girl has been prescribed glucagon injections for use in the rare event that she develops severe hypoglycemia and cannot self-administer diabetes treatment. The YMCA of Metro Chicago initially refused to administer glucagon. As a result, the girl could not participate on the YMCA swim team without being accompanied by a family member who could administer glucagon in an emergency.
An investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office concluded that the YMCA of Metro Chicago discriminated against the girl by denying her, on the basis of disability, the opportunity to participate in the program, and by failing to make reasonable modifications in its policies regarding the administration of medication.
The YMCA of Metro Chicago denied the allegations of discrimination and made no admission of liability in this matter. Nevertheless, to ensure full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the YMCA of Metro Chicago agreed to implement a comprehensive training program and establish several other procedures to afford individuals with disabilities, including diabetes, an equal opportunity to participate in its services.
The settlement agreement became effective on Dec. 21, 2016. Although the United States agreed not to presently institute a civil action alleging discrimination under the ADA, it may review the YMCA of Metro Chicago’s compliance with the settlement at any time during the two-year duration of the agreement. If the government believes the agreement has been violated, it reserved the right to institute a civil action in the appropriate U.S. District Court to enforce the agreement.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Hancock.
U.S. Postal Service Worker Pleads Guilty to Importing a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An employee of the United States Postal Service (USPS) pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with purchasing and importing anabolic steroids.
John A. Psehoyas, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of importation of a controlled substance. According to the terms of the plea agreement, Psehoyas has agreed to resign from the USPS. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for April 6, 2017.
Psehoyas was a customer service supervisor at the Lynnfield, Mass. Post Office. From August 2014 to March 2016, Psehoyas purchased anabolic steroids, a controlled substance, from online sources. He had the parcels containing steroids shipped to him from China, Poland, Turkey and Romania. The parcels were addressed to multiple addresses to avoid suspicion, but Psehoyas tracked the parcels using a USPS tracking system.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Eileen Neff, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit is prosecuting the case.
Two More Sentenced as Part of Federal Methamphetamine CaseRead the Press Release
Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Another pair of defendants who were part of a conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine in and around Virginia and Kentuck, were sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.
Silas Fee, 34, of Rose Hill, Va., previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Today in District Court, Fee was sentenced to 195 months in federal prison.
Charlinda Harber, 37, of Jonesville, Va., previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine. Today in District Court, Harber was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.
“These defendants made our community less safe by trafficking in addictive substances and in many cases possessing firearms while they did it,” United States Attorney Fishwick said today. “We will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to stop the flow of this dangerous drug into our communities.”
Along with the two individuals sentenced today, a total of 15 defendants have been charged with being part of the conspiracy, eight of which have already been sentenced to federal prison terms.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bell County, Kentucky Sheriff’s Office, the Middlesboro, Kentucky Police Department, the Lee County Virginia Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bristol and Atlanta Field Divisions. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case for the United States.
Two Men Plead Guilty in Conspiracy to Traffick MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that MELVIN STEEN, a/k/a “SKEET,” age 35, of Slidell, and RYAN ELLENDER, age 36, of New Orleans, pled guilty today to one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Under STEEN’s plea agreement, STEEN is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a possible fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release upon his release from prison. Pursuant to ELLENDER’s Rule 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement, which the Court may accept or reject, ELLENDER will be sentenced to a term of supervised release of between one year and five years. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance will sentence STEEN and ELLENDER on April 19, 2017.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Louisiana State Police (LSP), and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon S. Long is in charge of the prosecution.
Thirteen Members and Associates of the Blood Hound Brims Gang Charged in Federal Court with Racketeering, Narcotics and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging a total of 13 members and associates of the Blood Hound Brims gang (“BHB” or the “Gang”), a subset of the national Bloods street gang, with various racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses, including three attempted murders.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, the Blood Hound Brims gang was built for crime, with a leadership structure, subgroups known as ‘pedigrees,’ a system to impose discipline, and dues paid to cover prison guns, drugs, commissary funds, and lawyer fees. The Blood Hound Brims’ brand of havoc that allegedly included drugs, guns, and violence affected several neighborhoods in New York City and Westchester and reached as far as Pennsylvania. Thanks to the work of the FBI and NYPD, today we arrest and put federal charges on thirteen of this violent gang’s alleged members and associates, including its founder and leader.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney stated: “The violence that accompanies the drug trade doesn’t just impact the gang members who make the choice to pick up a firearm and aim it at their rivals, or allegedly in this case, at their fellow gang members. Many times innocent people get caught in the crossfire during turf wars. The FBI NY Metro Safe Streets Task Force works day in and day out to track these violent offenders and get them out of the communities they terrorize.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
The BHB was a criminal enterprise that operated principally in the greater New York area, from at least 2005 up to and including 2016. The BHB was a faction of the Bloods street gang, which operates nationwide, and is under the New York Blood Brim Army (“NYBBA”). The BHB operated within and around various locations in New York, including New York City, Westchester County, Elmira, and in Pennsylvania, as well as within and outside federal and state penal systems.
The BHB used a hierarchical structure that was organized, in part, by New York City borough, and that was maintained, in part, through the payment of dues. The founder and leader of the Gang was LATIQUE JOHNSON, and other members and associates of the BHB referred to JOHNSON as the “Godfather.” The Gang was divided into several “pedigrees,” each of which had its own leadership structure which was approved by JOHNSON. Leadership positions within the pedigrees included, among others, treasurers who collected dues from members of a particular pedigree, and individuals who performed security and disciplinary functions for the pedigree. In addition to JOHNSON, GREEN, SANCHEZ, MURRAY, MORTON, CHERRY, KAID, GRAYSON, ROSATIO and EVANS all held leadership positions within the Gang at different times.
Members of the BHB had regular meetings, sometimes called “pow wows” or “9-11s,” at which members were required to pay dues. Some of the meetings were among members of a particular pedigree, and other meetings were for all members of the Enterprise. Word of the meetings was disseminated via text message, word-of-mouth, and flyers. The BHB’s business, including rivalries with other gangs, shootings, the arrest of gang members, guns, and drugs, was regularly discussed at these meetings. “Kitty dues” – money that paid for commissary funds, lawyers, guns, and drugs, and that served as tribute to JOHNSON – were collected at these meetings. The BHB maintained its own rules and constitution that new members were required to learn. Members of the BHB also used code words and secret phrases to communicate with each other both while in prison and on the street in order to avoid detection by law enforcement.
One of the BHB’s principal objectives was to sell cocaine base, commonly known as “crack cocaine,” powder cocaine, and heroin, which members and associates of the BHB sold throughout the greater New York area and in Pennsylvania.
Members and associates of the BHB engaged in multiple acts of violence against rival gangs. These acts of violence included assaults and attempted murders, and were committed to protect the Gang’s drug territory, to retaliate against members of rival gangs who had encroached on the territory controlled by the BHB, and to otherwise promote the standing and reputation of the Gang vis-à-vis rival gangs. These acts of violence also included assaults and attempted murders against members and associates of the BHB itself, as part of internal power struggles within the Gang.
For example, on or about April 3, 2009 in Greenburgh, New York, CHERRY and MORTON attempted to murder KAID during a power struggle within the BHB, during which MORTON shot and injured KAID, who survived the shooting. Then, on or about January 28, 2012 in the Bronx, New York, JOHNSON and MURRAY attempted to murder two members of a rival gang when JOHNSON fired into a fried chicken restaurant, injuring two individuals who survived the shooting. The violence continued, and on or about September 26, 2012 in the Bronx, New York, JOHNSON, KAID and CANNON attempted to kill two other members of a rival gang at whom KAID fired gunshots.
Count One of the Indictment charges LATIQUE JOHNSON, BRANDON GREEN, INES SANCHEZ, DONNELL MURRAY, THOMAS MORTON, DAVID CHERRY, SAEED KAID, ERIC GRAYSON, MARQUES CANNON, MANUEL ROSARIO, MICHAEL EVANS, and TERRELL PINKNEY with participating in a racketeering conspiracy.
Count Two charges JOHNSON and MURRAY with assault and attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering in connection with the January 28, 2012 shooting at members of a rival gang.
Count Three charges JOHNSON, KAID and CANNON with assault and attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering in connection with the September 26, 2012 shooting at members of a rival gang.
Count Four of the Indictment charges JOHNSON, GREEN, MURRAY, MORTON, CHERRY, KAID, GRAYSON, CANNON, ROSARIO, EVANS, and PATRICK DALY with participating in a narcotics conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine and heroin.
Count Five of the Indictment charges GREEN, MURRAY, MORTON, CHERRY, KAID, GRAYSON, CANNON, ROSARIO, EVANS and PINKNEY, with firearms offenses in connection with the racketeering and narcotics conspiracies charged in Counts One and Four, respectively.
Counts Six and Seven of the Indictment charge JOHNSON with firearms offenses in connection with the racketeering and narcotics conspiracies charged in Counts One and Four, respectively, and with use of a firearm in connection with assault and attempted murder in aid of racketeering in connection with Count Two.
* * *
Nine of the 13 defendants, INES SANCHEZ, THOMAS MORTON, DAVID CHERRY, ERIC GRAYSON, MANUEL ROSARIO, MICHAEL EVANS, and TERRELL PINKNEY were taken into federal custody yesterday or this morning and will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Henry Pittman later today. MARQUES CANNON was arrested in the Northern District of New York and was presented before a magistrate judge. PATRICK DALY was arrested in the Western District of New York and was presented before a magistrate judge. SAID KAID is currently incarcerated in state custody on other charges, and will be presented at a later date. LATIQUE JOHNSON is already in federal custody on prior charges and will be presented on the new charges at a later date. BRANDON GREEN and DONNELL MURRAY remain fugitives. The case of United States v. Latique Johnson, et al, S1 16 Cr. 281 (PGG) has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
Charts containing the names, ages, residences, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara thanked the FBI and the NYPD, as well as the Criminal Investigators at the United States Attorney’s Office, for their work on the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Abigail S. Kurland, Jared Lenow and Max Nicholas are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
17-003 ###
COUNT
CHARGE
DEFENDANTS
MAX. PENALTIES
1
Racketeering conspiracy
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
LATIQUE JOHNSON
BRANDON GREEN
INES SANCHEZ
DONNELL MURRAY
THOMAS MORTON
DAVID CHERRY
SAEED KAID
ERIC GRAYSON
MARQUES CANNON
MANUEL ROSARIO
MICHAEL EVANS
TERRELL PINKNEY
20 years in prison
2
Assault and attempted murder and Conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering activity
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959 & 2
LATIQUE JOHNSON
DONNELL MURRAY
10 years in prison
3
Assault and attempted murder and Conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering activity
18 U.S.C. §§ 1959 & 2
LATIQUE JOHNSON
SAEED KAID
MARQUES CANNON
10 years in prison
4
Narcotics conspiracy
21 U.S.C. § 846
LATIQUE JOHNSON
BRANDON GREEN
DONNELL MURRAY
THOMAS MORTON
DAVID CHERRY
SAEED KAID
ERIC GRAYSON
MARQUES CANNON
MANUEL ROSARIO
MICHAEL EVANS
PATRICK DALY
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
5
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
BRANDON GREEN
DONNELL MURRAY
THOMAS MORTON
DAVID CHERRY
SAEED KAID
ERIC GRAYSON
MARQUES CANNON
MANUEL ROSARIO
MICHAEL EVANS
TERRELL PINKNEY
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
6
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
LATIQUE JOHNSON
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
7
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
LATIQUE JOHNSON
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
DEFENDANT
AGE
RESIDENCE
LATIQUE JOHNSON
a/k/a “La Brim”
a/k/a “Straight 2 Business”
a/k/a “Breezy”
a/k/a “Boss Dog”
36
In Custody
BRANDON GREEN
a/k/a “Light”
a/k/a “Moneywell”
33
Bronx, NY
INES SANCHEZ
a/k/a “Meth”
36
Bronx, NY
DONNELL MURRAY
a/k/a “Don P”
37
Bronx, NY
THOMAS MORTON
a/k/a “10 Stacks”
40
Elmhurst, NY
DAVID CHERRY
a/k/a “Showtime”
35
Queens, NY
SAEED KAID
a/k/a “O-Dog”
36
In Custody
ERIC GRAYSON
a/k/a “Gistol”
33
Bronx, NY
MARQUES CANNON
a/k/a “Paper Boy”
31
Syracuse, NY
MANUEL ROSARIO
a/k/a “Top Dolla”
37
New York, New York
MICHAEL EVANS
a/k/a “Puff”
36
Bronx, New York
TERRELL PINKNEY
a/k/a “BX”
37
Bronx, New York
PATRICK DALY
54
Middleport, New York
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictments, and the description of the Indictments set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Texas man sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for drug crimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Texas man was sentenced today to seven years and three months in federal prison for a drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Mason Earl Gonzales, 28, of Pasadena, previously pleaded guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Gonzales admitted that on June 13, 2016, he traveled with a confidential source working with the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) to the Boone Motor Inn in Boone County and searched behind the motel for methamphetamine. Gonzales further admitted that he was unable to locate the methamphetamine and that he planned to return the next day to find the drugs. MDENT went to the same area the following day, located the methamphetamine buried under a rock, and replaced the drugs with a substance resembling methamphetamine. MDENT also set up a surveillance camera in the area. Gonzales admitted that he returned to the area of the motel later that evening and found the bag containing the substance resembling methamphetamine. MDENT then conducted a traffic stop of his vehicle and Gonzales admitted that he went to the area of the motel to get what he believed was methamphetamine and that he intended to distribute the drugs. Lab testing of the methamphetamine seized by MDENT confirmed a weight of over 270 grams and a purity level greater than 97%.
MDENT conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is in charge of the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence.
This case was brought as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat illegal drugs in our communities, including methamphetamine. 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 illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.
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Springfield Man Charged with Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with robbing the Bank of America yesterday afternoon.
Anthony Carlton Dunlap, 40, of Springfield, was charged with one count of bank robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Dunlap entered Bank of America, 633 W. Kearney St., Springfield, at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. Dunlap allegedly handed a bank teller a note, which began with “Stay calm.” The teller did not read any further, but made eye contact with Dunlap, the affidavit says. Dunlap allegedly looked toward his hand, which was in his coat pocket, as if to indicate he was armed.
The teller removed cash from her teller drawer and placed it on the counter. Dunlap allegedly said, “Give me more,” and she removed more cash from the drawer. Dunlap took the cash, the affidavit says, stuffed it into his pockets, and left the bank. According to the affidavit, Dunlap took $3,910 in the robbery.
Law enforcement officers found Dunlap hiding in the back seat of a vehicle parked in a residential driveway and arrested him. As Dunlap was removed from the car, a large amount of loose cash was dragged out with him. Cash was also on the back floor boards of the car, along with a loaded Hi Point .40-caliber pistol.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
Six Members of Violent Chicago Street Gang Convicted on Federal Racketeering Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury today convicted six members of a Chicago street gang known as the Hobos of participating in a criminal organization that engaged in narcotics distribution and committed murders, attempted murders and armed robberies.
The verdicts were rendered after a 15-week trial in federal court in Chicago. In convicting the six defendants of racketeering conspiracy, the jury found the Hobos were a criminal enterprise that robbed from other drug dealers, retaliated against rival gangs, and violently prevented witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. For nearly a decade the gang engaged in murders, attempted murders, robberies and narcotics distribution, primarily on the south and west sides of Chicago.
Federal, state and local authorities uncovered the gang activity through an extensive investigation conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Task Force (HIDTA). The Task Forces have been responsible for disrupting some of the Chicago area’s most sophisticated drug-trafficking organizations.
The verdicts were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Eddie T. Johnson, Chicago Police Superintendent; and James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. The Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Corrections and Illinois Secretary of State Police provided assistance.
Convicted of racketeering conspiracy were GREGORY CHESTER, of Chicago; ARNOLD COUNCIL, of Chicago; PARIS POE, of Chicago; GABRIEL BUSH, of Chicago; WILLIAM FORD, of Chicago; and DERRICK VAUGHN, of Chicago. Council, Bush, Poe and Vaughn were also convicted of committing murder in aid of racketeering. Poe was convicted of committing murder to obstruct justice, and the jury convicted Council of using a firearm during a robbery of a clothing store. The jury also convicted Ford on a gun charge and a drug charge.
The convictions carry maximum sentences of life in prison. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp Jr. scheduled sentencing hearings for June 23, 2017.
The guilty verdicts bring to ten the total number of Hobos convicted in the case. Four members of the gang, including Chester’s cousin, pleaded guilty prior to trial. An eleventh Hobo was identified in the indictment as a coconspirator, but he died before the charges were brought.
Evidence at trial revealed the Hobos were comprised of members from other street gangs that were once rivals. The Hobos allied together in order to more profitably distribute narcotics, accumulate wealth, and establish control of territories on the south and west sides of Chicago. The Hobos were violent and ruthless, often using high-powered guns and assault rifles. Members of the gang shared the wealth with each other, buying luxury items and taking trips to Hawaii and Florida. Although the Hobos lacked a traditional hierarchy, Chester was recognized as its leader. From 2004 to 2013 the Hobos engaged in narcotics trafficking, home invasions and armed robberies, often of rival drug dealers.
When the Hobos learned that individuals were cooperating with law enforcement, the gang resorted to murder in order to prevent it. In 2006 Council and Poe fatally shot Wilbert Moore, whose cooperation with Chicago Police had led to state gun and drug charges against Council. In 2013 Poe shot and killed Keith Daniels after Daniels cooperated with the federal investigation that led to today’s convictions.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Otlewski, Derek Owens and Timothy Storino.
Sissonville man sentenced to federal prison for methamphetamine crimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Sissonville man was sentenced today to three years and five months in federal prison for a drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Jacob Reed, 43, previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Reed admitted that on February 14, 2016, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Reed’s vehicle. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, law enforcement discovered a camera bag in the floor of the front passenger side that contained cash and several plastic bags of methamphetamine. Law enforcement also found additional cash and a set of digital scales in the center console of the vehicle. In total, officers recovered over 230 grams of methamphetamine and nearly $15,000 in cash.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is responsible for the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence.
This case was brought as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat illegal drugs in our communities, including methamphetamine. 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 illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.
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San Antonio Mother Awaits Sentencing While Son Receives Federal Prison Term for Roles in a Million Dollar Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Scheme Involving Relative’s ChurchRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, 24-year-old Brennan R. Diaz was sentenced to a total of 56 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for scheming with his mother to steal over $1 million from a local church owned by his grandfather, announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Lee Dotson, and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge William Cotter.
United States District Judge Xavier Rodriguez also ordered that Diaz pay $985,346.06 in restitution. The restitution figure does not include seized assets valued at more than $100,000 which were returned to the victim.
On September 20, 2016, Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of money laundering. His mother, Deborah A. Diaz, pleaded guilty on June 30, 2016, to one count of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
By pleading guilty, both defendants admitted that between February 2015 and October 2015, they conspired to defraud the La Obra Milagrosa Church (aka “The Miracle Center Church”) (TMC). Neither defendant had authority to sign TMC Church checks, however, they forged the family member’s signature on dozens of TMC business checks.
Deborah Diaz, who is currently on bond, is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30pm on January 11, 2017.
This joint investigation was conducted by the Financial Crimes Section of the U.S. Secret Service South Texas Regional Task Force and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Other agencies involved in the Task Force include the San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Bexar County District Attorney’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety-Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. Moore is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Roanoke Man Sentenced on Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
Roanoke, VIRGINIA – A Roanoke man, who conspired with his son, and others, to distribute methamphetamine in and around the Roanoke region, was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.
William Arthur Morgan Sr., 58, of Roanoke, Va., previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Today in District Court, Morgan Sr. was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison.
“Methamphetamine is a dangerously addictive drug that destroys lives,” United States Attorney Fishwick said today. “We will continue to do all we can to stop the flow of it into Southwest Virginia.”
According to evidence presented at previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Bassford, Morgan Sr. conspired with his son, William Morgan Jr., to have packages of methamphetamine mailed from California to Morgan Sr.’s address in Roanoke. Morgan Jr. would then sell the methamphetamine and split the profits of the sales with his father. Morgan Jr. was previously sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Roanoke City Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Roanoke HIDTA and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Bassford prosecuted the case for the United States.
Roanoke Man Sentenced on Federal Heroin, Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Roanoke, VIRGINIA – A Roanoke man who was selling heroin out of his home and other location in Southeast Roanoke was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.
Jerome Tyler Lottier, 50, of Roanoke, Va., previously pleaded guilty to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing heroin and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Today in District Court, Lottier was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison.
“The heroin problem has grown from a simple law enforcement issue into a true public health crisis across Virginia and the country as a whole,” United States Attorney Fishwick said today. “We must continue to be vigilant in seeking justice against all individuals who prey on the addictions of others for their own profit.”
According to evidence presented at previous hearings by Special Assistant United States Attorney Kari Munro, law enforcement became aware that Lottier was selling heroin out of his Stewart Avenue home in Southeast Roanoke in or about February 2016. After observing several individuals enter the home, officers obtained a search warrant for the residence and seized approximately 150 bags of heroin, digital scales and packaging material, as well as a 9 mm pistol. Lottier later admitted that he had been distributing heroin in the Roanoke area for a period of several months.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Roanoke City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Wolthuis and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kari Munro prosecuted the case for the United States.