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Tuesday 28 June 2016
Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a GrenadeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Keyton Wayne Lieber, 37, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court to the unlawful possession of a destructive device. The guilty plea was entered without the benefit of a plea agreement.
Lieber was arrested on Jan. 21, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with possessing a destructive device, an explosive grenade, on April 21, 2015, in Doña Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) officers found the grenade in Lieber’s residence while executing a search warrant. Upon discovering the grenade, the NMSP Bomb Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were contacted to safely dispose of the destructive device.
During today’s proceedings, Lieber pled guilty to possessing a destructive device, which was not registered to him. Court documents indicate that inquiry into the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) notified law enforcement that Lieber had no firearms or devices registered to him in the NFRTR.
At sentencing, Lieber faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. Lieber remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the ATF and the NMSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
KC Man Sentenced for Throwing Molotov Cocktails at Congressional OfficeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for throwing Molotov cocktails at the local congressional office of U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II.
Eric G. King, 29, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On March 3, 2016, King pleaded guilty to using explosive materials to commit arson.
On Sept. 11, 2014, at 2:52 a.m., a window was broken and two Molotov cocktails were thrown at Cleaver’s congressional office located at 101 W. 31st Street, Kansas City, Mo. The office was unoccupied at the time of the incident. A hammer used to break the window was recovered from the scene, as well as two broken Molotov cocktails. There was no fire damage to the building.
Video footage shows King, wearing a large backpack, walking to the congressional office. King retrieved two Molotov cocktails from his backpack, then walked around the parking lot for a few minutes in an apparent effort to hide from cars that were passing by. The video footage shows King throwing a hammer through the west window then lighting the two Molotov cocktails. The first Molotov cocktail bounced off the side of the building. King threw the second Molotov cocktail through the window then sprinted away from the office.
Detectives with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department were investigating King in connection with a series of anti-government related incidents of vandalism in the immediate vicinity of the congressional office. The incidents occurred over the Labor Day weekend in 2014 and involved the spray painting of anti-government/anarchy graffiti. One of the incidents was at a Bank of America, from which investigators obtained video surveillance footage that showed King spray painting the bank.
Investigators reviewed social media and Facebook posts by King and noted one post from Sept. 3, 2014, that read, “KC Fight Back celebrated its first labor day with a lovely variety of action, action and more action against a series of government and Financial properties.” Other posts included King posting “KC Fight Back Insurrectionist Collective is alive,” and “these cops aren’t going to kill themselves, get to the streets.” On Aug. 10, 2014, King posted “I want to leave kc better than I found or an ashes.” A social media post by King on the day before the congressional office was attacked read, “KC Fight Back has been in serious in its Insurrection activity, and that is the thing that is giving me the most pride in my life.”
King was arrested as he was leaving his apartment on Sept. 16, 2014. When officers opened the backpack King was carrying at the time, they found a can of red spray paint, Kingsford Charcoal Lighter fluid, and a clear plastic soda bottle (containing a clear liquid) with a tube sock placed over it.
Officers searched King’s apartment and found a hand-written letter entitled “Operation House Committee.” The letter, in part, was a list that contained the following: “(1) Paint thinner/alcohol, (2) face cover/hand cover/all tattoos covered, (3) Three bottles glass, (4) paper towels, old rags/lighter, (5) drive/driver, must be someone trust with.” The letter then mentioned the steps to light the devices, then said to “use hammer/sledgehammer to break door,” “light bottles, throw them, light curtains,” and repeat these steps on “government buildings, all things police, certain law firms, corporations…” The first part of the backside of the letter read, “The arsons committed on Sept 11, 2014 were committed solely by the KC FIGHT BACK Insurrectionist Collective.”
The Molotov cocktails recovered from the congressional office were analyzed by the ATF crime lab in order to identify any DNA that might be present and a profile was developed from one of the bottles and one of the wicks. A sample of King’s DNA was obtained via a search warrant; King’s DNA matched the DNA found on both the wick and bottle.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Federal Protective Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Jury Finds Delmar Woman Guilty of Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A jury today convicted Carol-Lisa Gutman, age 62, of Delmar, New York, of conducting a 15-year fraud scheme in which she received about $429,000 in federal disability benefits.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Eileen Neff, Special Agent in Charge for the Northeast Area of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
Following a 6-day trial, Gutman was convicted of five counts of wire fraud, two counts of federal employees’ compensation fraud, and one count of theft of government money.
The evidence at trial demonstrated that Gutman began receiving federal workers’ compensation benefits in 1987, after claiming to have injured her back while working for the United States Postal Service. From that time forward, Gutman claimed to be completely disabled, regularly reporting to her doctors that she was essentially housebound and lacked the ability to do any substantial amount of bending, lifting, carrying, or even sitting. Gutman also reported that she spent 15 hours each day in a large hot tub in order to obtain relief for her back pain and that she did not perform household-related tasks.
The evidence at trial included hours of video recordings from 2011, 2012 and 2013, showing Gutman working in her yard, performing activities such as raking leaves, mowing the lawn, carrying large pails of yard waste, and bending over repeatedly. Gutman received more than $429,000 in workers’ compensation benefits between September 2001 and April 2016, the time period covered by the indictment.
Gutman will be sentenced in Syracuse on October 26, 2016, by Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., who presided over the trial. Gutman faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, along with an order that she pay restitution to the government. 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 United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Jury Convicts Owner of DTS Medical Supply Company in Devine, TX, and Office Manager in Connection with $3.5 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
In Waco, a jury returned guilty verdicts against 55–year-old DTS Medical Supply Company owner Daniel Thomason Smith and 45-year-old DTS office manager Kathleen Marina Kelly-Tuorila in connection with an estimated $3.5 million Health Care Fraud scheme announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The jury convicted both defendants of one count of conspiracy to commit Health Care Fraud, one count of aiding and abetting Health Care Fraud, eleven counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft and eight counts of aiding and abetting false statements related to a Health Care matter. A third defendant in this case, 60–year-old Robin Renee Haigler of Waco, TX, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on August 17, 2015.
Both Medicare and Medicaid provide qualified beneficiaries with financial remuneration for the purchase of prescribed and necessary medical equipment. Such medical equipment would include powered wheelchairs, powered scooters and accessories related to those two devices. Medicare and Medicaid set a rate of compensation for each of these devices and the rate of compensation differed between devices and was to be based on the type of device that was prescribed for the beneficiary and delivered to the beneficiary.
Evidence presented during trial revealed that that between May 2006 and January 2010, the defendants conspired to submit numerous false and fraudulent benefit claims to Medicaid and Medicare seeking compensation for powered wheelchairs. Smith employed Haigler on a commission basis to recruit customers primarily in the Waco area. Kelly-Tuorila used the collected customer information from Haigler to generate and submit fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicaid and Medicare for powered wheelchairs. According to court testimony regarding the aggravated identity counts, names of physicians were used to support claims for reimbursement when the named physician never prescribed a powered wheelchair for the customer and, in some instances, didn’t even know the customer and had never had them as a patient. Evidence also revealed that even though DTS billed for powered wheelchairs, they delivered less-expensive powered scooters to customers, which resulted in a larger payment from Medicaid/Medicare and a larger percentage of profit for DTS and Smith.
Following the reading of the verdict yesterday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Alia Moses remanded Smith and Kelly-Tuorila into federal custody. Both face up to ten years imprisonment on the conspiracy count; up to ten years imprisonment on the aiding and abetting Health Care Fraud count; up to two years in federal prison for each aggravated identity theft count; and, up to five years in federal prison for each false statement count. Sentencing for Smith and Kelly-Tuorila has yet to be scheduled. Haigler, who remains on bond pending sentencing in September, faces up to ten years in federal prison.
This investigation was conducted by the agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation together with investigators from the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Surovic and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rex Beasley are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Jordan Davis Convicted of Conspiring to Steal Money from Community Action of MinneapolisRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced the conviction of JORDAN JAMES DAVIS, 35, for conspiring with his father, WILLIAM JAMES DAVIS, to steal funds from Community Action of Minneapolis (CAM). JORDAN DAVIS was convicted today after a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minn. WILLIAM DAVIS pleaded guilty on June 16, 2016 to all of the charges against him.“Jordan Davis took more than $140,000 in salary that he did not earn,” said Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen. “The agreement this defendant made with his father to steal from CAM destroyed opportunities for underprivileged youth to learn valuable job skills. I am thankful to the jury for the time and attention they gave to this case, and hope that this verdict brings some measure of justice for those harmed by Jordan Davis’ crimes.”
As proven at trial, WILLIAM DAVIS used CAM funds to pay his son JORDAN DAVIS for a no-show job at a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop operated by CAM as a PartnerShop near the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Ben & Jerry’s waived its standard franchise fees so that CAM could operate the store to provide job and entrepreneurial training to underprivileged youth facing barriers to employment.
As proven at trial, between 2002 and October 2006, JORDAN DAVIS worked as the manager of the Ben & Jerry’s PartnerShop. In October 2006, JORDAN DAVIS obtained employment with the Minneapolis Police Department, and thereafter stopped working at the Ben & Jerry’s.
As proven at trial, WILLIAM DAVIS instructed CAM’s fiscal staff to continue issuing JORDAN DAVIS the full paycheck he had been receiving for managing the ice cream shop. Even though JORDAN DAVIS never again worked a shift at the Ben & Jerry’s, from at least March 2007 until January 2011, he continued to receive his full paycheck, $1,320 biweekly. In fact, while DAVIS was receiving paychecks for his no-show job, CAM hired four other managers for the Ben & Jerry’s store, three of whom were paid less in the full-time jobs than JORDAN DAVIS received for his no-show role.
As proven at trial, during the time JORDAN DAVIS was receiving a paycheck for his no-show job, the Ben & Jerry’s store was consistently losing money, forcing CAM to transfer approximately $100,000 in federal grant funds each year in order to keep the doors open.
As proven at trial, WILLIAM DAVIS also gave JORDAN DAVIS a CAM vehicle for his personal use, and JORDAN DAVIS also had a Ben & Jerry’s debit card that he used to pay personal expenses such as gas and cell phone bills.
In April 2011, CAM closed the Ben & Jerry’s PartnerShop because CAM could no longer afford the rent for the store, and CAM terminated its youth job skills training program.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the United States Department of Energy Office of the Inspector General.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly A. Svendsen and Amber M. Brennan.
Defendant Information:JORDAN JAMES DAVIS, 35
Ostego, Minn.Convicted:
• Conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, 1 count
• Mail fraud, 5 countsHolland Area Man Sentenced for Identity Theft and Mail TheftRead the Press Release
Tracy Lee Rudisel Lived and Worked in Holland While on the Run from Colorado Authorities
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — Tracy Lee Rudisel, 49, originally from Colorado but who resided in Holland, Michigan, in 2013 and 2014, was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment today by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney for identity theft and possession of stolen mail. The identity theft conviction resulted in a two-year mandatory minimum sentence to be served after Rudisel’s 15 months’ imprisonment for his possession of stolen mail. In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Maloney noted that identity theft remains a serious problem throughout our district, as well as across the country.
Rudisel resided in Colorado for most of his adult life before moving to Michigan in order to live with a woman he met over the internet and to evade warrants for his arrest in Colorado. After arriving in Michigan, Rudisel stole the social security account number of another individual and obtained employment and an apartment in that individual’s name. Over the next several months, Rudisel repeatedly stole the mail of Holland area residents from post-office boxes on the north-side of Holland. Rudisel’s mail theft focused upon residents’ bank statements, bank checks, driver’s licenses, investment accounts, and other mail containing personal identifying information. At the time of his arrest, Rudisel possessed the Michigan driver’s license of several different individuals, as well as information about how to make fraudulent driver’s licenses and other fraudulent identification documents.
"Unfortunately, identity theft continues to be a common offense in our digital age. My office will vigorously prosecute those who commit identity theft and cause innocent victims to suffer serious, and sometimes long-lasting, effects on their financial and personal lives," said U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. "This case is especially troubling given the large-scale mail theft that went along with Rudisel’s intent to commit identity theft against many victims for his own gain. As in this case, we will continue to seek mandatory two-year minimum sentences, consecutive to any sentence for other criminal conduct, to deter others from committing identity theft against the citizens of this district."
"I applaud the interagency cooperation and the expeditious prosecution," said E.C. Woodson, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "Rudisel targeted communities in Colorado and Michigan and will now answer for his conduct. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to vigorously investigate acts of identity theft. We urge all citizens to review their credit reports and report incidences of identity theft immediately."
The investigation of this case was handled by the Holland Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Stella.
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Harrison County man sentenced for oxycodone distributionRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Suhip E. Ebrahim, 26, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for distribution of oxycodone, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Ebrahim was arrested in Wheeling, WV after being found in possession of a large quantity of oxycodone pills. He previously pled guilty in May 2016 to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Oxycodone.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert H. McWilliams and Jarod J. Douglas prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, the Marshall County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Greater Harrison County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, all HIDTA-funded initiatives, investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.
Greenfield Man Pleads Guilty to Enticing Two Teens for Illicit SexRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Greenfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to attempting to entice two teenage victims to engage in illicit sexual activity.
Christopher L. Johnson, 37, of Greenfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to both counts of a Sept. 30, 2015, federal indictment.
According to today’s plea agreement, Johnson engaged in text messages and Facebook messages that were sexual in nature with two victims, both under the age of 17, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. Johnson admitted to engaging in sexual contact with Jane Doe 1 at his residence.
Under federal statutes, Johnson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Dade County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Grandview Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Craigslist Robberies, Shooting Two VictimsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Grandview, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies against victims who were contacted via craigslist, which culminated in the shooting of two victims.
Troy Wright, 23, of Grandview, pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a Sept. 19, 2014, federal indictment. Wright pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, six counts of aiding and abetting a robbery and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
By pleading guilty today, Wright admitted that he participated in a conspiracy between May 1 and Sept. 19, 2014, to rob several individuals at gunpoint. Wright participated in six armed robberies that occurred after conspirators posted false advertisements to buy or sell items on craigslist.org in order to entice their victims to meet so that conspirators could steal money and electronics. Wright also admitted that he was involved in the shooting of two of their victims during their final armed robbery on July 16, 2013.
Co-defendant Debvon Buckner, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., has also pleaded guilty to his role in the armed robbery conspiracy, five counts of aiding and abetting the robberies and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Buckner was the primary point of contact with the victims. Buckner made initial contact with the victims, while his co-conspirators robbed them at gunpoint.
July 16, 2014, Armed Robbery and Shooting
On the evening of July 16, 2014, Wright and his co-defendants robbed and shot two victims (identified as M.N. and M.K.N.) near 5500 E. 84th Terrace, Kansas City, Mo. The two victims, along with their minor son, identified as D.N., had agreed to look at a Hyundai Sonata that was listed for sale in a craigslist advertisement. M.N. and D.N. took a test drive in the vehicle with Buckner and M.N. made a purchase offer. Buckner stated that he needed to call his wife about the purchase and walked away. As he walked away, Wright and another co-conspirator appeared and each pointed a firearm at the victims and demanded money.
The victims tried to return to their car, but Wright and his co-conspirator began shooting M.N. and M.K.N. multiple times. Conspirators took money and personal property (including a purse that contained $500) from the victims then shot one of the victims again, striking him an additional time. One of the victims was transported to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries from multiple gunshot wounds.
July 16, 2014, Armed Robbery
Earlier on the same day, on the afternoon of July 16, 2014, Wright and his co-conspirators robbed a victim who had listed an XBOX One for sale on craigslist. The victim arranged to meet Buckner at Ridge Pointe Apartments in Kansas City, Mo. When he arrived, Buckner approached him and asked to see the XBOX. When the victim handed him the XBOX, Wright and a co-conspirator then appeared and each pointed a firearm at the victim and demanded the XBOX One, XBOX games, and the accessories. They took those items then fled to their vehicle.
July 3, 2014, Armed Robbery
On July 3, 2014, another victim was robbed while trying to buy an XBOX from a craigslist advertisement. The victim met Buckner at Ridge Pointe Apartments after he had agreed to give him $160 and a Samsung Galaxy watch to buy the XBOX. Buckner refused to make the trade after examining the watch. When the victim began walking back to his car, Wright approached, pointed a gun at him and demanded the cash and watch. After taking the cash and watch from the victim, Wright and his co-conspirator fled from the area.
June 30, 2014, Armed Robbery
Wright and co-conspirators posted an advertisement for a phone for sale and made arrangements to meet the victim, identified as “D.B.,” after she responded to the advertisement. When the victim met with a co-conspirator, she decided not to purchase the phone and began to walk away. Two co-conspirators approached her, pointed guns at her and demanded money. After she gave the men $100 they demanded her car keys, cellphone and purse. She pressed the panic button on her car keys and when alarm sounded all three of the conspirators ran away.
June 30, 2014, Armed Robbery #2
Another victim met Buckner later that night on the same date. She had been contacted about purchasing an XBOX One that she posted for sale on Craigslist. When she arrived (with two minor children in her vehicle) at Ridge Pointe Apartments in Kansas City, Mo., Buckner told her that he wanted to see the XBOX. She got out of the vehicle, opened the trunk, and put the XBOX on the vehicle. Buckner grabbed the XBOX One and fled on foot. Wright and another co-conspirator, armed with handguns, approached and pointed the guns at the victims in the vehicle. They demanded all of their money, purses, and XBOX games and controllers. One of the victims asked for her purse back and one of the conspirators said, “Get back in the car or I’ll shoot you” and racked the slide on his gun.
June 26, 2014, Armed Robbery
Wright posted a Samsung plasma TV for sale on craigslist and, the same day, conspirators communicated with a victim for its purchase. The victims, including their infant child, were led to an apartment on E. 42nd Street, Kansas City, Mo. When they pulled out $170 to pay for the television, a co-conspirator came out from the bedroom armed with two handguns, pointed the guns in their face and demanded all their money. The victims gave them all their money and fled from the apartment.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Wright is subject to a sentence of at least 20 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 27 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Wolesky and Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Grand Jury Indicts Man in IRS Impersonation Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A federal grand jury in Dallas has indicted a 42-year-old man from Miami, Florida, on various felony offenses stemming from his role in an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) impersonation fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Arnoldo Perez Mirabal was arrested in Miami on May 23, 2016, on charges outlined in a federal complaint filed the previous week in federal court in Dallas. After making an initial appearance in federal court in Miami, yesterday he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Horan in Dallas and pleaded not guilty to an indictment that was returned last week. Trial is set for August 29, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle. He remains in federal custody.
The indictment charges Mirabal with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. If convicted, each of the three counts carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Restitution could also be ordered. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation that would require him, upon conviction, to forfeit any property derived from proceeds of the offense to the U.S.
According to the indictment and complaint filed in the case, from approximately September 2015 until April 2016, Mirabal or other individuals would make unsolicited phone calls to unsuspecting taxpayers claiming to be IRS agents or employees, telling the taxpayer they owed the IRS an outstanding debt that must be paid immediately. This IRS impersonator would typically threaten the taxpayer with arrest or a lawsuit if the funds were not immediately paid.
Then, Mirabal or others would direct the taxpayers to settle this purported IRS debt by wiring funds to Mirabal via MoneyGram or Walmart-2-Walmart services at a location in the Northern District of Texas or elsewhere. As a result of these representations, according to the indictment, Mirabal received a total of $7,005.00 from taxpayers who believed they were required to wire funds to satisfy an outstanding tax debt.
A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. An indictment is merely an allegation and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dana is in charge of the prosecution.
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Former Paramedic Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Attempting to Have Sex with a ChildRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Scott Driscoll Bailey was sentenced for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The defendant admitted he planned to use prescription muscle relaxers as part of a sexual encounter he sought to have with a young girl.
“Bailey expected to sexually abuse a young girl for his own perverse pleasure,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Thankfully, he was caught by the FBI before he could prey on a child.”
“Today’s sentencing to federal prison will firmly hold Mr. Bailey accountable for his criminal behavior of attempting to prey on a minor child. It is reprehensible cases such as this that necessitates a vigilant and proactive posture by trained law enforcement officers and agents in protecting our nation’s children from those who would target and exploit them,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: On August 18, 2015, Bailey responded to an advertisement on the Internet in which a mother said that she was looking for someone to teach her 9-year-old daughter to have sex. Over the next 10 days, Bailey communicated with the mother and said that he had had numerous sexual encounters with young girls. He told her that he was a paramedic, and he said that he would bring something powdered to put in the daughter’s drink to relax her.
Bailey made arrangements to meet with the mother and her daughter at a fast food restaurant in Brookhaven, Georgia, on August 28, 2015. Unbeknownst to Bailey, he was communicating with an undercover FBI agent. He was arrested when he arrived at the restaurant. Agents searched his car and found condoms, lubricant, and a prescription muscle relaxer. Bailey had told the undercover agent that he would bring a muscle relaxer to grind into a powder to give to the child. He also said that he intended to have sex with the child.
Scott Driscoll Bailey, 45, of Fayetteville, Georgia, was sentenced to ten years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release. Bailey was convicted on these charges on March 1, 2016, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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 Joplin Little League President Pleads Guilty to Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that the former president of the Joplin South Little League has pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing approximately $50,000 from the Joplin, Mo., organization.
Diane L. Heikkila, 41, of Joplin, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Monday, June 27, 2016, to a federal information that charges her with wire fraud.
By pleading guilty, Heikkila admitted that she engaged in a scheme to defraud and embezzle approximately $50,000 from the Joplin South Little League from September 2010 through January 2014.
Heikkila, while president, used the organization’s bank debit/credit card to make numerous purchases for personal gain. Heikkila often received “cash back” from the point-of-sale purchases when utilizing the debit/credit card. There were 217 incidents identified where “cash back” from point-of-sale transactions took place, with a total of $17,360 received as “cash back,” but these monies were never returned to the organization.
Heikkila also used the organization’s debit/credit card at ATMs to receive cash unrelated to the expenses of the Joplin South Little League. For example, on June 10, 2013, Heikkila fraudulently used the Joplin South Little League’s debit/credit card to conduct a $503 ATM withdrawal ($500 with a $3 fee) at Downstream Casino in Quapaw, Okla.
Heikkila also wrote and cashed checks to herself from the Joplin South Little League and often made cash withdrawals from the Joplin South Little League bank account.
The treasurer for the Joplin South Little League began reviewing account statements for the organization and in early 2014 discovered suspicious transactions taking place at retail stores, ATMs and casinos. The concerns were brought to the attention of the executive board for the Joplin South Little League and after a review Heikkila was removed from her position in March 2014.
Under the terms of her plea agreement, Heikkila must pay a money judgment in the amount of $50,000.
Under federal statutes, Heikkila is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the FBI.
Former Chief Investigator at Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Admits Role in Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DALLAS — The former Chief Investigator at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Anthony L. Robinson, appeared in federal court this morning and pleaded guilty, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney, to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in June 2016 and unsealed today charging one count of conspiracy to bribe or reward an agent of an organization receiving federal funds. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Robinson, 53, of Mesquite, Texas, will remain on bond pending sentencing. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, and as part of the plea agreement, he agrees to pay $31,708 in restitution in addition to any other restitution that the Court may order. Sentencing is set for October 12, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade.
According to documents filed in the case, between approximately September 13, 2012, and May 24, 2013, Robinson solicited, demanded, and accepted from an individual a bribe, disguised as an investment in a cattle business, to use his position to assist in the dismissal of criminal charges that had been filed against this individual by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
On approximately September 13, 2012, Robinson traveled to Las Vegas, at Dallas County expense, to take custody of this individual and return him to Dallas County to face a criminal charge. On the return trip, Robinson told this individual that he wanted to enter the cattle business. This individual told Robinson that he was wealthy and would be willing to enter into business with Robinson if Robinson would assist in getting his criminal charges dismissed. Robinson agreed.
In late February 2013, Robinson drafted a proposed business partnership specifying that this individual would supply the initial funding for the partnership, while Robinson would handle all day-to-day activities. On March 26, 2013, this individual deposited $200,000 into a joint checking account, and on March 27, 2013, Robinson signed paperwork adding himself as a co-owner of the joint checking account. The next day, Robinson wrote a $5,000 check from that joint account to his wife. Robinson also made additional withdrawals from the account that he used for personal expenses, and he also withdrew some money that he sent back to this individual.
On approximately May 24, 2013, Robinson used his position as Chief Investigator to persuade an Assistant District Attorney to dismiss the criminal charge pending against this individual.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation.
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Final Two Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Sophisticated Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – The final two defendants involved in a sophisticated tax conspiracy to defraud the United States government were sentenced last week in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced today.
Richard Powers, 68, and Diane Powers, 58, both of Gate City, Virginia, each previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States government and one count of filing a false claim. Last week the District Court sentenced Richard Powers to 37 months in federal prison and his wife, Diane Powers, to 27 months in federal prison.
“Protecting the integrity of our tax system is of the utmost importance to the law enforcement community,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “This investigation showed just how serious we take the investigation and prosecution of those who attempt to undermine that system. I am thankful to all of our partner agencies who worked together to dismantle this sophisticated conspiracy.”
The other defendants involved in the conspiracy, who were all related to each other in some manner, have previously been convicted and sentenced for their roles in the scheme on related charges. David Witt, 36, of Jonesville, Virginia, who masterminded the conspiracy while an inmate in a Tennessee State prison, was sentenced to 96 months in Federal Prison. William Ziehler, 38, of Pennington Gap, Virginia, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. Tommy Witt, 57, of Jonesville, Virginia, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. In addition, each defendant was ordered to pay the United States $67,356 in restitution, jointly and severally.
According to evidence presented in District Court by Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Jayne, David Witt, his four codefendants (father, mother, uncle, and brother), and others, participated in a sophisticated conspiracy to defraud the federal government. The scheme began when Witt, at the time an inmate in a Tennessee state prison, gathered personally identifiable information (including birth dates and social security numbers) belonging to other inmates, which he then used that information to complete Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040s. These Form 1040s contained false information, including false addresses outside of prison and false claims that the inmates were due a tax refund based on wages never earned by those inmates. Subsequently, these Form 1040s were sent to persons outside of the prison who then forwarded the Form 1040s to the IRS for processing. Based on these Form 1040s, the IRS issued tax refund checks in the names of these inmates and sent the checks to addresses associated with Witt’s accomplices in the scheme. Many of these tax refund checks were cashed at banks throughout Southwest Virginia by persons using fraudulent power-of-attorney forms. Return payment was made to Witt and others by use of electronic transfers, such as MoneyGram, and by other means.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and United States Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Jayne prosecuted the case for the United States.
Ferris, TX Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that HARVEY LEE STONE, age 52, of Ferris, Texas, was sentenced to 57 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release for FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
The charge arose from an investigation by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police, the Durant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Indictment alleges that on or about January 23, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, firearms, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which he will serve his nonparoleable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.
Federal and State Authorities Arrest 20 Individuals Today in Connection with Austin-Based Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
This morning, federal, state and local authorities arrested 18 individuals in the Austin area and two individuals in the Houston area on federal drug trafficking charges announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr. and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed in Austin this afternoon charges 19 of those arrested with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Allegedly, these defendants are responsible for the distribution of multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics since May 2014. The 20th individual, 30-year-old Julianne Maynard of Austin, was arrested this morning and charged by federal criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Those arrested this morning include:
NAME AGE RESIDENCE
Harold Lee Urias, III (aka “Hero”) 38 Austin
Nancy Urias-Jaimes 32 Austin
Anthony Acosta 41 Austin
Aaron Anderson 41 Austin
Joe Beltran 40 Austin
Edward Cortinas (aka “Cort”) 58 Austin
Alfred Escobar 44 Austin
Virgil Fernandez, Jr. 57 Austin
Alfredo Garza 32 Austin
John Carl Garza (aka “Juanillo”) 50 Austin
Jesus Gonzalez 24 Katy, TX
Wayne Limon 44 Buda, TX
Jose Ortiz, II 28 Austin
Angelo Perez 37 Austin
Phillip Anthony Rivera (aka “AntDog”) 41 Austin
Seaton Scott Salazar (aka “Saul”) 39 Austin
Mark Selvera 45 Austin
Luis Miguel Villanueva 22 Houston
Paul Villanueva (aka “Ponka”) 49 Austin
Julianne Maynard 30 AustinUpon conviction, the defendants face sentences of between ten years and life in federal prison. All of the defendants remain in federal custody pending detention hearings beginning on Friday morning before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin.
In addition to today’s arrests, authorities have seized over four kilograms total of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine; nine firearms, two vehicles, and approximately $50,000 in U.S. Currency during this operation.
This two-year-old investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force comprised of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Office of Inspector General, Travis County Sheriff’s Office and the Round Rock Police Department.
“Partnership is essential to the success of investigations, and we thank our law enforcement partners for their efforts during this operation that culminated in today’s arrests,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division. “Removing dangerous drugs and violent criminals from our neighborhoods is essential to ensure a bright future for our families. The FBI and its task force partners are committed to disrupting violent gang activity and improving the quality of life in our communities.”
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Gardner is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Jury Finds Wilmington Man Guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Two Counts of Distribution of HeroinRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced today that a federal jury in Raleigh found TARCARLOS ANTIGO MILLER guilty of one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and two counts of Distribution of Heroin.
MILLER was named in a Superseding Indictment filed on October 8, 2015. Evidence presented at trial proved that MILLER sold heroin to a confidential informant (CI) on November 6, 2014 and again on January 26, 2015. Additionally, a witness testified MILLER supplied him with heroin to sell and asked him to store MILLER’S firearms. Officers executed a search warrant at the witness’ residence and found approximately 34 grams of raw heroin and five firearms. The witness testified he purchased the heroin from MILLER.
On April 22, 2015, the Wilmington Police Department searched a silver Infiniti which had been repossessed and found drug packaging materials. This silver Infiniti turned out to be the same silver Infiniti that MILLER was driving during the November 6, 2014 controlled buy. On May 6, 2015, officers observed Miller make hand to hand transactions which were consistent with drug sales in a vehicle. Upon MILLER’S arrest, they located on his person $3,384.36. A search warrant was later executed at a residence associated with the defendant and officers located an additional $6,283. MILLER was interviewed after waiving his Miranda rights. MILLER was told that law enforcement had him on video selling heroin; he responded by saying “that may be, but I’m not as big a deal as everyone makes me out to be.”
At sentencing, MILLER faces a up to 20 years imprisonment for the Conspiracy Charge and 20 years each for the two Distribution Charges.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Wilmington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence Cameron prosecuted the case for the government.
Federal Inmate Charged with Resisting and Assaulting Corrections OfficersRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that that a federal grand jury in Scranton has indicted Jamel Rosa, age 27, a federal inmate at the United States Penitentiary Schuylkill (“USP Schuylkill”), in Minersville with resisting and assaulting corrections officers during an incident on July 1, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and officers from USP Schuylkill. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Evan Gotlob.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law is 25 years of imprisonment for Rosa, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Essex County, New Jersey, Man Sentenced to 47 Years in Prison for Multiple Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Newark man was sentenced today to 564 months in prison for his role in three gunpoint carjackings and an attempted carjacking within a 10-day period, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jamie Manning, 31, was previously convicted on all nine counts of a superseding indictment: one count of conspiracy to commit theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence and intimidation; three counts of carjacking; one count of attempted carjacking; and four counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Manning was convicted following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Dec. 20, 2012, Manning and another conspirator approached the owner of 2004 Honda Accord. Manning pressed a firearm into the victim’s side and demanded that the victim give him keys to the car. Manning and the other conspirator took the victim’s keys and purse, demanded the PIN to the victim’s debit card and attempted to push the victim into the Accord’s trunk. Manning and the other conspirator got into the Accord and fled.
During the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 2012, Manning and Corey Thermitus, 24, of Newark, approached two individuals entering a parked, 2002, four-door Nissan Altima on a street in Newark. Manning pointed a firearm at one of the victims and both Manning and Thermitus ordered the victims to get out of the car. After robbing and threatening the victims, Manning and Thermitus fled the area in the carjacked vehicle.
On Dec. 28, 2012, Thermitus approached an individual sitting in a 2011, four-door Honda Accord that was parked in the driveway of a home in Newark. Thermitus pointed a firearm at the victim and ordered the victim out of the car. After threatening to shoot the victim, Thermitus, Manning and another man fled the area in the victim’s car.
Later that night, Thermitus, Manning and a third man drove in the carjacked Honda Accord to a residential area in Newark. Thermitus and Manning approached two individuals, one of whom was a young child, who were sitting in a parked, 2006, four-door Nissan Pathfinder in the driveway of a residence. Thermitus pointed a gun at the driver of the vehicle while Manning approached the rear passenger side of the vehicle, but the driver managed to escape in the car. As the assailants fled in the Honda Accord, Thermitus fired a gun in the direction of an individual who had come outside of a residence to investigate.
In addition to the prison term Judge Walls sentenced Manning to five years of supervised release.
Thermitus previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with three counts of theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence and intimidation; one count of attempted theft of a motor vehicle by force, violence and intimidation; and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. He was sentenced to 255 months in prison on Dec. 2, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray; and the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Anthony Ambrose, with the investigation leading to today’s verdict.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dara Aquila Govan of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark and Senior Litigation Counsel Vincent Grady O’Malley of the Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Frank Arleo Esq., West Orange, New Jersey
Eight Defendants Charged with Firearms Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
A ten-count indictment was unsealed today in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging eight defendants with conspiring to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms and/or with related firearm acquisitions or trafficking offenses. One of the defendants, Curtis Clark, was also charged as being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Clark was previously arraigned before Magistrate Judge Viktor V. Pohorelsky in Brooklyn on June 15, 2016. Four of the remaining defendants were arrested earlier today in South Carolina, and their initial appearances are scheduled this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Kaymani D. West at the federal courthouse in Florence, South Carolina. The government will seek to remove to New York for prosecution the defendants arrested out of state.
The charges were announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Delano A. Reid, Special Agent-in-Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“This office is committed to preventing the flow of illegal firearms up the Interstate 95 corridor, also referred to as the ‘Iron Pipeline,’ into New York,” stated United States Attorney Capers. “Today’s arrests are another example of our resolve to prosecute those who illegally traffic firearms, as well as the straw buyers who enable the traffickers to engage in this potentially deadly and illegal business.”
“As alleged in the indictment and complaint, Curtis Clark thought that he could supply firearms along the Iron Pipeline to the streets of New York City. His co-conspirators acted as straw purchasers, buying firearms on Clark’s behalf from dealers in South Carolina and falsifying the required Federal forms in order to make it appear that they were the actual purchasers. This ensured that if any of the firearms were recovered in crime scenes, they could not be traced directly back to Clark. As a result of the investigation by the ATF Joint Firearms Task Force, Clark and his co-conspirators will now face the consequences of the charged crimes. Today’s indictment carries two messages: To those who would traffic the instruments of violent crime, we are watching and you will be caught. To those that think straw purchasing firearms is a victimless crime, your actions can have severe consequences, both to you, and to the community where those firearms eventually wind up. We’d like to extend our gratitude to the NYPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts and commitment during this investigation,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Reid.
As alleged in the indictment and in a complaint previously unsealed against Clark, his co-defendants Jonathan Grant, Shamika Cross, Alexis Gilbert, Ganika McCollum, Alexis Morris, Ashley Sowells, and Angel Wheeler agreed to purchase firearms for him at firearms stores in South Carolina, falsely claiming that they were purchasing the guns for themselves. Clark and others then illegally transported the guns to New York for sale in Brooklyn. On May 28, 2014, Clark was stopped in a vehicle in Brooklyn, and nine firearms were seized, including six Glock semi-automatic pistols. ATF agents then began the investigation into the source of the seized firearms, including reviewing the federal forms required to be completed when a firearm is purchased from a licensed firearm dealer, interviewing personnel at the gun stores involved in the sales, and interviewing the individuals who had purchased the firearms seized from Clark’s vehicle. The investigation established that the seized firearms had been purchased for Clark by Cross, Gilbert, McCollum, Morris, Sowells, and Wheeler at firearms stores in and around Marion, South Carolina, in April and May 2014.
On January 1, 2016, Clark, a previously convicted felon, was arrested in Marion, South Carolina, in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber pistol.
The charges in the indictment and complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Bini and Nomi D. Berenson.
The Defendants:
CURTIS CLARK
Age: 21
Marion, South CarolinaJonathan Grant
Age: 21
Marion, South CarolinaShamika Cross
Age: 25
Marion, South CarolinaAlexis Gilbert
Age: 24
Atlanta, GeorgiaGanika McCollum
Age: 25
Dillon, South CarolinaAlexis Morris
Age: 34
Marion, South CarolinaAshley Sowells
Age: 25
Marion, South CarolinaAngel Wheeler
Age: 23
Marion, South CarolinaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-315
Duquesne Man Charged with Heroin PossessionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Duquesne, Pa., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of Possession with Intent to Distribute 100 grams or more of Heroin, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count superseding indictment named Carloto Neal, Jr., age 21, as the sole defendant.
According to the superseding indictment, on or about March 17, 2015, Neal possessed with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Street Task Force conducted the investigation leading to the superseding indictment in this case.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Disbarred New York Attorney Gets More Than Three Years in Prison for Phony Ticket Resale, Real Estate Investment SchemesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A disbarred New York attorney was sentenced today to 43 months in prison for his involvement in a ticket resale fraud scheme and a real estate investment fraud conspiracy that bilked multiple victims out of more than $3 million, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Pasquale Stiso, a/k/a “Pat Stiso,” 55, of New Rochelle, New York, was previously convicted of all 10 counts of a superseding indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six substantive counts of wire fraud, and three counts of money laundering. He was convicted following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and evidence at trial:
Since 2011, co-defendant Paul Mancuso, 49, of Glen Rock, New Jersey, held himself out as an investor, broker, and developer of various purported investments. Mancuso obtained from his victims substantial investments for various projects that, in fact, either did not exist at all or in which Mancuso had no actual involvement. Stiso held himself out as an individual who was working with Mancuso on various purported projects. Many of the victims of Stiso and Mancuso’s schemes lost all or substantially all of the money they invested with Mancuso and Stiso. Many even lost all or most of their life savings.
Stiso and Mancuso falsely represented to some victims that they would purchase event tickets, such as tickets to New York Giants football games, New York Yankees playoff games, the Super Bowl, and other sporting events and concerts, at a lower or wholesale rate, and then resell them to members of the public at an inflated rate, creating profits for their investors. In reality, Stiso and Mancuso did not buy tickets with their victims’ money.
In one of the real estate schemes, Stiso and Mancuso falsely represented to victims that they were investors in a real estate development project in Valley Cottage, New York, and that investor money would be used to purchase an interest in real property. The real property interest would then be resold at an increased price, creating profits for their investors.
In reality, Stiso and Mancuso did not invest in any such real estate project with their victims’ money. Instead, they engaged in monetary transactions designed to funnel, and in many instances launder, the victims’ investments for their own benefit, including paying illegal gambling debts and money owed to loan sharks. Stiso and Mancuso were heavily involved in illegal gambling pursuits and both owed substantial sums of money to loan sharks and one of their bookmakers.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Stiso to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $460,000.
Mancuso previously pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring with Stiso to commit wire fraud and awaits sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher, special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, and criminal investigators of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro and Anthony J. Mahajan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Henry E. Klingeman Esq., Newark
Ernesto Cerimele Esq., Newark
Dead Man Inc. Member Admits to Retaliating Against a Federal WitnessRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland –Anthony E. Alascio, age 31, formerly of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today, before jury selection began in his trial, to retaliating against a witness who had testified in a federal criminal trial involving Dead Man Inc. (DMI).
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Colonel Woodrow Jones, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police; Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; and Secretary Stephen T. Moyer of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
On November 26, 2013, Alascio was an inmate at the Chesapeake Detention Facility (CDF) in Baltimore, awaiting trial in federal court on charges stemming from a December 28, 2012 armed robbery of a pharmacy in case number ELH-13-0153 (Robbery Case).
According to his plea agreement, Alascio was a member of Dead Man, Incorporated (DMI), a criminal gang founded in Maryland prisons in the 1990s. On November 26, 2013, during a series of recorded telephone call made from CDF, Alascio informed several individuals that he would soon be going into secure detention because of something he was about to do.
Later that day, Alascio assaulted another inmate at CDF using a sock filled with batteries and dominoes that had been taped together. The victim was seriously injured, including serious bleeding, lacerations that required stitches, and bruising. The victim was admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment and discharged two days later.
During the assault, Alascio called the victim a “snitch.” The assault was captured on video and the weapon was later found in Alascio’s cell. In a letter written in detention later that evening, Alascio admitted to beating the victim. Alascio referred to the victim as a “RAT” and stated that the victim “told on my peoples so he got what he deserved.”
Several weeks before the assault, the victim testified in the federal trial of Jose Morales. Evidence introduced at the Morales trial established that Morales paid DMI to murder Robert Long. Jose Joaquin Morales, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, was convicted at that trial by a federal jury for using a cell phone to arrange the murder-for-hire of Robert Long. Morales was sentenced to life in prison on December 9, 2013. The prosecution of Morales resulted in the exoneration of Demetrius Smith, who was serving life in state prison for the murder -- a crime he did not commit.
Alascio faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus has scheduled sentencing for October 14, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.
On December 23, 2013, Alascio pled guilty to robbery in the Robbery Case and was sentenced on March 28, 2014 to 135 months in federal prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, ATF and Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Myers and Sandra Wilkerson, who are prosecuting the case.
Convicted Felon Charged with Guns, Ammo and Body ArmorRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on charges of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The two-count indictment named Stanley James Patterson a/k/a Robert Cook, 63, of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, Patterson possessed firearms and/or ammunition on or about Dec. 16, 2015, after having been convicted of multiple crimes punishable by more than one year in prison. Those cases include one robbery conviction and two burglary convictions. The indictment further charges that on Dec. 16, 2015, Patterson possessed body armor despite his status as a convicted violent felon.
Defendants who have three prior convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses face a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison, under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case with valuable assistance from the Allegheny County Police Department, the Carnegie Police Department and the Allegheny County Fire Marshal. This case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent, deter and prosecute gun crime.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Constable Stole More than $1 Million in Tax Payments from Baden Borough and Ambridge School District, Filed False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Baden, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of mail fraud and tax fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Keith Kristek, age 57, of Baden, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from approximately January 2007 through February 2015, Keith Kristek, who was the elected Constable for Baden Borough, devised and executed a scheme to steal approximately $1,060,678.11 in tax payments from Baden Borough and the Ambridge Area School District. Additionally, Kristek failed to report his receipt of the stolen funds and filed false income tax returns with the IRS for tax years of 2011 through 2014.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for Nov. 1, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 23 years in prison, a fine of $500,000.00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Keith Kristek.
Columbia Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Bribing Letter Carriers to Divert Packages Containing MarijuanaRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Suleiman Pasha, age 33, of Columbia, Maryland, today to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with a bribery and drug conspiracy in which he bribed letter carriers to divert packages of marijuana sent through the mail and deliver the packages to him and other co-conspirators. Judge Motz also ordered Pasha to forfeit $14,700.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Postal Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Commissioner Kevin Davis of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson.
According to his plea agreement, Pasha conspired with letter carriers Antoinette McDaniels and Hilary Gainey, paying them bribes in exchange for diverting packages containing marijuana and delivering those packages to him, and co-conspirators Gary Coleman and Cyril Boodoo.
Specifically, Pasha admitted that in February 2014 and April 2014, he approached Antoinette McDaniels and Hilary Gainey, respectively, while they were employed by the U.S. Postal Service as letter carriers, and offered to pay McDaniels and Gainey $100 per parcel if they would divert specific packages sent through the U.S. mail that contained marijuana, and deliver those packages to him and other co-conspirators. McDaniels and Gainey agreed to this arrangement. Pasha introduced McDaniels and Gainey to Coleman and other co-conspirators, and directed McDaniels and Gainey to deliver certain packages to those co-conspirators as well. Pasha and his co-conspirators paid the letter carriers up to $100 for each parcel diverted and delivered to them. According to court documents the packages were sent via the U.S. mail from Arizona, California, Florida, and elsewhere, to addresses along McDaniels’ route in Baltimore and Gainey’s route in Columbia, Maryland.
Gainey and McDaniels delivered approximately 100 packages and 30 packages, respectively, to Pasha, Coleman and Boodoo. Gainey was paid a total of $10,000 by the co-conspirators and McDaniels was paid a total of $4,700 by the co-conspirators. Pasha admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana were distributed.
Gary Coleman, a/k/a “Short,” age 45, and Cyril Boodoo, age 55, both of Baltimore, Antoinette McDaniels, age 47, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, and Hilary Gainey, age 27, of Baltimore previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. Judge Motz sentenced Coleman to nine years in prison, Boodoo to six months in prison, and sentenced McDaniels and Gainey each to three years’ probation.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA, Maryland State Police, Baltimore City Police Department and Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who prosecuted the case.
Columbia Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Selling Synthetic MarijuanaRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columia, Mo., business owner pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing synthetic marijuana.
Rafiqul Islam Khan, 62, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth to participating in a conspiracy to violate the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by trafficking in misbranded drugs.
Khan was the owner of Mari’s Gas Station at 1210 E. Prathersville Rd., Columbia. Khan admitted that he purchased synthetic marijuana from a co-conspirator and distributed synthetic marijuana at his business. Khan falsely and misleadingly referred to his synthetic marijuana products as “incense,” “herbal incense,” “potpourri,” “therapeutic potpourri,” and other erroneous names when, in fact, such products were intended for consumption in order to obtain a physiological effect of a “high.”
The synthetic marijuana products were misbranded drugs because they had false and misleading labels (which indicated they were not for human consumption); they did not bear adequate direction for use; or they did not bear a label containing the name and place of the business, the manufacturer, packer or distributor.
Boone County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Mari’s Gas Station on June 25, 2012, and seized numerous packages of synthetic marijuana, totaling approximately 16.191 kilograms. Khan admitted that he sold and purchased for sale, in aggregate, at least 30.4 kilograms of synthetic marijuana.
Under federal statutes, Khan is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Children’s Cardiac Charity Treasurer Admits to Stealing $186,000Read the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Robert Lonardo, 67, of Burrillville, treasurer of the Rhode Island Association for Cardiac Children (RIACC), admitted in federal court today that he converted nearly $186,000 from the charity for his own personal use. RIACC, founded by Lonardo’s mother, raised funds to purchase hospital equipment, support children’s cardiac treatment and research, and help meet the needs of Rhode Island families whose children were undergoing surgery for cardiac disease.
Lonardo’s guilty plea to one count of wire fraud is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the FBI, and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., Lonardo admitted to the court that beginning in January 2013, following the death of his mother, he began withdrawing funds from RIACC bank accounts and converted the money for his own personal use. Lonardo admitted to the court that from January 2013 to August 2015 he converted RIACC funds totaling $185,945.77.
Lonardo is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell. Jr., on September 14, 2016. Wire fraud is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.
The matter was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.
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Contact:
Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
email: [email protected]
on Twitter @USAO_RI
Chelmsford Financial Planner Sentenced to 20 Years for Attempting to Hire “Hit Man” to Kill State Trooper and Another WitnessRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelmsford financial planner was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with attempting to hire an individual to murder a Massachusetts State Police Trooper and another individual, both of whom were scheduled to testify against him in a separate state trial.
Andrew S. Gordon, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 20 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $20,000. In March 2016, Gordon was convicted following a five-day trial of five counts of using the mail or the telephone with the intent that a murder-for-hire be committed.
In 2014, Gordon was incarcerated at the Middlesex County House of Correction awaiting trial on state charges for attempting to hire a “hit man” to kill his estranged wife. The “hit man” was actually an undercover Massachusetts State Police Trooper. After being arrested, Gordon hatched a plot to have the trooper and a second Massachusetts man, who was to be a second witness against him, killed. Gordon hired a man he believed to be a gang member living in New Hampshire to kill the two witnesses. Gordon agreed to pay $10,000 to have the Trooper killed and $5,000 for the murder of the second witness. Through mail, phone calls, and by passing messages through another inmate, Gordon instructed the “gang member” that both deaths should appear as accidents. Gordon instructed the “gang member” to make the Trooper’s murder appear to be a line-of-duty incident, and that the murder of the other witness should be staged as a house fire. In actuality, Gordon was communicating with an undercover federal agent posing as the “gang member.”
On April 14, 2015, federal agents posing as the “gang member” delivered a Congratulations Card to Gordon at the Middlesex House of Correction, informing Gordon, in coded language, that the second witness was dead and that the Trooper would be killed the following week. After receiving the news that one of the witnesses was allegedly dead, Gordon was recorded stating that he wanted the Trooper’s body to disappear. He then stated, “If they don’t find the body … The cop. If they don’t find his body, there’s no suspicion. He’s gone.” The following day, Gordon was charged for initiating the murder-for-hire plot.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Boston Field Division; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan; and Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Rachel Y. Hemani of Ortiz’s Criminal Division.
Carnegie Man Involved in High-Speed Chase Charged with Possessing Heroin Packaged for ResaleRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count superseding indictment named William Thompson, 33, of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, on Aug. 7, 2015, law enforcement officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Thompson, who was driving a Porsche Cayenne without a valid license. Thompson refused to stop and fled from officers. A high-speed chase with speeds of more than 100 miles per hour ensued. Thompson eventually crashed and abandoned his vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and discovered in excess of one kilogram of heroin packaged for re-sale.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, a fine of $20,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force consisting of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, Wilkinsburg Police Department, Allegheny County Police Department, Oakdale Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the superseding indictment in this case.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Buffalo Man Sentenced on Money Laundering ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Wilfred Wylie, 35, of Buffalo, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, was sentenced to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney George C. Burgasser, who handled the case, co-defendant Franklin Richards supplied cocaine to the LRGP Gang which operates in the area of Lombard, Rother, Gibson and Playter Streets in Buffalo. Wilfred Wylie was searched by security at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and found with $112,00 in U.S. currency, which he intended to take to Houston, Texas for the purchase of cocaine on behalf of Franklin Richards.
Franklin Richards has been convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen.Buffalo Man Sentenced on Marijuana and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Nichole Crosson, 22, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer to opening mail without lawful authority. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John D. Fabian, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant, a former United States Postal Service mail carrier, opened mail and removed gift cards and cash while working as a mail carrier. For instance, Crosson removed $50 in cash from a greeting card intended for delivery to a resident in West Seneca, NY in April 2016. Between January 1, 2016 and April 15, 2016, the defendant removed cash and gift cards totaling $1,729.21 from a number of mailings.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler, Eastern Area Field Office, Philadelphia, PA., with the assistance of the Eden Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael J. Felschow.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 27, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. before Judge Roemer.
Buffalo Man Sentenced on Marijuana and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Raymond Lee, 50, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribute, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and money laundering conspiracy, was sentenced to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who handled the case, stated that Lee was part of an operation that shipped at least 100 kilograms of marijuana, including by mail, from California for sale in the Buffalo area. The marijuana was then paid for by the deposit of U.S. currency into “funnel” bank accounts.
A search of an apartment in Hamburg, NY associated with the conspiracy in August 2013 uncovered 37 metal cans, sealed like canned vegetables in grocery stores, containing approximately 37 pounds of marijuana, each worth over $1,000. In addition, a search of Lee’s residence uncovered over $38,000 in cash, as well as funnel account deposit slips and receipts. Law enforcement surveillance captured Lee repeatedly visiting the Hamburg apartment and sometimes retrieving cans. Undercover purchases of marijuana were also made directly from Lee.
Lee is the fifth defendant to be sentenced in this investigation. Defendants Mark Moodie, Wilfred Taylor, Oneil Bennett, and William Key have also been convicted and sentenced in this case.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Border Enforcement Security Team, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero, the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel, and the Hamburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gregory Wickett.
Buffalo Man Sentenced in Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Brian Avery Smith, 43, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of bank fraud, was sentenced to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maura K. O'Donnell and Russell T. Ippolito, who handled the case, stated that Smith caused fraudulent loan applications and supporting documentation to be submitted to banks, credit unions, peer to peer lenders, and other business entities. The defendant also defrauded individuals out of funds under the guise of investing their money in real estate, when, in fact, he personally spent the money and did not purchase real estate. Smith also used fraudulent applications to open a credit card and to obtain a Land Rover vehicle. The defendant applied for over $1,000,000 in fraudulent loans. Smith also perpetrated a mortgage fraud scheme, using a straw borrower from Buffalo to obtain fraudulent mortgages for properties in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
A co-defendant, Kelly Atkinson, 32, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, also caused fraudulent loan applications and supporting documentation to be submitted to credit unions and other businesses for the purpose of obtaining loans. The fraudulent loans applied for by Atkinson totaled approximately $460,000. He was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Today’s sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen.
Buffalo Man Sentenced for Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Kenneth Dykes, 50, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of three counts of bank robbery and for violating the terms of supervised release for a 2006 bank robbery conviction, was sentenced to 175 months in prison by U.S. District Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that the defendant robbed three separate locations of M&T Bank: on January 14, 2015 on Seneca Street in Buffalo; on January 15, 2015 on Lake Avenue in Blasdell, NY; and on January 20, 2015 on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Amherst, NY. During each robbery, Dykes verbally demanded money from a teller. On two occasions, the defendant led the teller to believe he had a firearm.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Adam S. Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, the Amherst Police Department, under the direction Chief John Askey and the Village of Blasdell Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Lieutenant Joseph Gramaglia.
Brooke County man sentenced for methamphetamine distributionRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles A. Marker, 40, of Wellsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 120 months in prison today for distribution of methamphetamine, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Marker previously pled guilty in February 2016 to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Vogrin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Hancock, Brooke, Weirton Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
British Man Sentenced to 85 Years in Prison for Trafficking Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A citizen of the United Kingdom was sentenced today to 85 years in prison for his part in a child pornography trafficking conspiracy, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler of the Southern District of Indiana.
Domminich Shaw, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence of the Southern District of Indiana, who ordered that he also serve a lifetime term of supervised release. Shaw pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2015, to 26 counts, including conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography. He was indicted by a grand jury in Indianapolis on Feb. 23, 2011, and was extradited from the United Kingdom on Dec. 20, 2014.
In 2005, Shaw was convicted in the U.K. of “indecent assault” on four different females under the age of 13.
According to plea documents, Shaw created and administered a website that contained child pornography involving infants and toddlers. This website allowed Shaw and other co-conspirators to distribute and advertise to each other images and videos, and send one another related messages, so that the child pornography would be shared with other members. Shaw participated on the website under aliases, including “Nepi” and several variations of that word. The word “nepi” is associated with nepiophilia, the sexual attraction to babies, toddlers and very young children.
This case is part of Operation Bulldog, in which nine individuals have been convicted in the Southern District of Indiana.
The FBI’s Indianapolis Division and London’s Metropolitan Police Service investigated the case. Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Senior Litigation Counsel Steven DeBrota of the Southern District of Indiana prosecuted the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance in this matter.
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.
Bedford County Felon Admits Illegally Possessing 19 Firearms and AmmoRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Everett, Pa., pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Gene F. Bussard, 41, of Everett, Pa., pleaded guilty to the indictment before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, on Nov. 7, 2013, Bussard, who had been convicted in 2003 in Allegany County, Md., of theft, unlawfully possessed 19 firearms and ammunition. Federal law prohibits persons who have been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year from possessing ammunition or firearms. Theft is such a crime.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 20, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
According to Mr. Hickton, Bussard is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime.
Baltimore Heroin Importer Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Adedeji Ajala, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland today to seven years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to import heroin.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Postal Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.
According to the evidence presented at his six day trial, two international parcels, one sent in July 2014 to the name “Wayne Adams,” at an address on Whittier Avenue in Baltimore; and one sent in August 2014 to the name “Bobby Mills,” at 3814 Old Frederick Road in Baltimore, are associated with Ajala. Both packages were intercepted by investigators, searched pursuant to a federal search warrant, and found to contain a total of approximately 382.5 grams of heroin.
On August 12 and August 14, 2014, undercover postal inspectors placed calls to an individual, later identified as Ajala, to arrange for a controlled delivery of the Old Frederick Road package. During those calls, Ajala portrayed himself as “Bobby Mills,” and inquired about the whereabouts and pickup of the Old Frederick Package. According to trial testimony, Ajala provided fraudulent identity documents, including a driver’s license and social security card in the name of “Bobby Mills,” to a co-conspirator, so that the co-conspirator could pick up the Old Frederick Road package.
According to evidence presented at trial, Ajala drove the co-conspirator to the Carroll Station Post Office on August 15, 2014, to attempt to pick up the Old Frederick Road package. The co-conspirator went inside to get the package and was arrested almost immediately. Shortly thereafter, several investigators approached Ajala, who was sitting outside in his car. Ajala sped off, striking two unmarked police cars with officers inside, and then fled on foot down an alley.
Witnesses testified that law enforcement recovered several cell phones from Ajala’s abandoned vehicle. One of those phones, found on the driver’s side floor, contained both the tracking number for the Whittier Package and the tracking number for the Old Frederick Package. That same cell phone showed the two incoming calls, in which the undercover postal inspectors had spoken with Ajala about that package. Another phone, found in the center console, contained the full address found on the Old Frederick Package.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised HSI Baltimore, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and DEA for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew C. Sullivan and Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted the case.
Arlington, Texas, Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FORT WORTH, Texas — Bryan Kendall Pittsinger, 39, of Arlington, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means to the statutory maximum of 30 years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in March 2016 to one count of production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, between approximately January and April 2014, Pittsinger knowingly used a minor female, MV1, to engage in sexually explicit conduct that he photographed at his Arlington residence.
In August 2014, officers with the Arlington Police Department executed a search warrant at Pittsinger’s residence and seized numerous pieces of digital media, to include computers, flash drives, CD/DVDs, mobile phones and cameras. Sexually explicit images of MV1, who was approximately six years old at the time, were located on his computer.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative. PSC is a department initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, tribal and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. Since FY 2011, the Department of Justice has filed 20,260 PSC cases against 19,111 defendants. These cases include prosecutions of child sex trafficking; sexual abuse of a minor or ward; child pornography offenses; obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children; selling or buying of children; and many more statutes. To learn more about PSC’s work, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc
The Arlington Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem was in charge of the prosecution.
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Angleton Texas Tax Return Preparer Sentenced for False ReturnsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Stanshelle Renique Gaul has been ordered to prison following her conviction for preparing false client tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Special Agent in Charge D. Richard Goss, of IRS - Criminal Investigation (CI). Gaul pleaded guilty in September 2015.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes handed Gaul a 24-month prison sentence. She was further ordered to pay $284,569 in restitution and will also be required to serve one year of supervised release following completion of the prison term.
Court documents show that Gaul included false deductions and credits in at least 59 client tax returns for tax years 2007 through 2010, which generated fraudulent refunds totaling approximately $284,569. The most egregious fraudulent refund was obtained in a 2009 tax return that claimed a business loss of $21,340 loss and a charitable contribution deduction of $21,300 without the client’s knowledge or consent. The fraudulent tax return also claimed a $1,200 dependent child care credit for children who were unknown to the client. This one tax return alone caused an estimated loss to the U.S. Treasury of $9,803.
Gaul was permitted to remain on bond pending the issuance of an order to surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated in the near future.
The investigation leading to these charges was conducted by IRS-CI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Sledge Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Ada Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Possession of Material Involving Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that ADRIAN MICHAEL SEAL, age 37, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release for POSSESSION OF CERTAIN MATERIAL INVOLVING THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF MINORS, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and 2252(b)(2).
The charges are a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The defendant was indicted in December, 2015 and pled guilty in January, 2016.
The Indictment alleged that between in or about October 2014 and on or about July 16, 2015, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, ADRIAN MICHAEL SEAL, did knowingly possess and attempt to possess matters which contained visual depictions, as that term is defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256(5), the production of said visual depictions involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct and said visual depictions were of such sexually explicit conduct and had been transported in interstate commerce by computer.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which he will serve his nonparoleable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.
23 People Indicted in Decades-Long, $126 Million Telemarketing Scheme involving Sale of Toner for Copiers and PrintersRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – Federal authorities and Huntington Beach Police officers this morning arrested 20 defendants indicted by a grand jury on charges of participating in a long-running telemarketing scheme that targeted small businesses and charities by selling them toner products for printers and photocopiers at grossly inflated prices.
The indictment unsealed after this morning’s arrests alleges that participants in the scheme fraudulently induced over 50,000 victims to send more than $126 million to telemarketers who posed as the victims’ regular supplier of toner products at prices as much as ten times the normal retail price.
The 30-count indictment, which charges 23 defendants, alleges a conspiracy that started in 1988 and was orchestrated by Gilbert N. Michaels, a West Los Angeles man who had previously been ordered by federal and state court judges to cease fraudulent and deceptive business practices related to toner sales. Michaels owned and operated IDC SERVCO, a Culver City-based business that sold toner to small businesses, charities (such as Easter Seals Disability Services and the United Way), schools, churches, city governments and other entities in the United States and Canada.
In addition to the 20 defendants arrested this morning, two other defendants have agreed to surrender in the coming days. Authorities continue to search for the final defendant. Those taken into custody in this district this morning are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
“This toner fraud has been a tremendous burden on small businesses across America for many years,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “The fraud had a tremendous impact on some victims, who reported a severe impact on their finances, and the collective losses caused by the fraud were massive.”
“This case originated from the initiative of the Huntington Beach Police Department,” said Special Agent in Charge L. Robert Savage of the U.S. Secret Service’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Their long-term partnership and steadfast collaboration with the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies led to the dismantling of a large-scale fraud operation, which impacted victims throughout the United States.”
“The teamwork and tenacity of the agencies, investigators and prosecutors involved in this complex investigation is a testament to law enforcement’s united commitment to pursue accountability for criminals and justice for victims,” said Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy.
“I’d like to commend our partners at the Huntington Beach Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service for their initiative and tenacity in following the evidence to what ultimately amounted to an enormous scheme. It is an honor to work with these agencies,” said Deirdre Fike, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The actions of the defendants, some of whom became millionaires through the scheme, specifically targeted and victimized America’s small businesses and charities.”
The indictment outlines a scheme in which telemarketers at a series of companies called victim organizations and claimed to be their regular supplier of toner or affiliated with those suppliers. The telemarketers typically told employees at the victim companies that the price of toner had increased and they had not been notified, however, the victims now had a chance to purchase toner at the previous, lower price. Believing that they were dealing with their regular supplier of toner supplies, employees at the victim companies signed order confirmation forms, which prompted Michael’s company to ship toner to victims and send invoices that demanded payment at inflated prices.
When the victim companies realized they had been scammed, they called IDC to complain. The victims were told IDC could not cancel the order or refund money because the victims had signed order confirmation forms, according to the indictment, which further alleges that IDC failed to disclose its relationships to the telemarketing companies that had actually brokered the fraudulent deals.
In many cases, the indictment alleges, IDC employees threatened victims with collections or legal action if they did not pay an invoice. In the cases where IDC agreed to take toner back, victims were forced to pay significant “restocking fees.”
The indictment alleges that most victims received toner at no extra cost as part of their printer or copier service agreements. The indictment alleges the telemarketers knew there had not been a price increase for toner, and failed to disclose that the prices they were charged were two to ten times the regular cost of toner.
Another aspect of the fraud was that the telemarketers failed to disclose that they were affiliated with IDC. In a series of court orders dating back to November 1988, Michaels and his companies were prohibited from making false statements – such as that they were a usual supplier of photocopier supplies or that there had been price change – and they were required to provide oversight to “independent sales companies.” Michaels allegedly violated these court orders by working with and providing financing to independent sales companies that were engaged in deceptive and fraudulent practices, despite the fact that IDC received thousands of complaints from victims claiming they had been defrauded.
The defendants named in the indictment are:
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Gilbert “Gil” N. Michaels, 73, of West Los Angeles, the owner of G.N.M. Financial Services Inc., doing business as IDC SERVCO and Mytel International, Inc.;
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Jerry P. Feldman, 61, of Mar Vista, a longtime associate of Michaels who is the vice president of IDC;
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Anjanette S. Lester, 60, of Garden Grove, who owned Supply Processing Center, Inc. and Invoice Processing Center, Inc.;
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Glen K. Katayama, 48, of Fullerton, who owned GK Ventures, Inc., Supply Management Center, and Copier Products Center;
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Tiffany M. Ostrander, 32, of Newport Beach, who owned Epic Distribution, Inc. and Supply Fulfillment Center;
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Ostrander’s husband, Sean S. Moustakas, 35, of Newport Beach, who also owned and/or controlled Epic Distribution, Inc. and Supply Fulfillment Center;
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James R. Milheiser, 49, of Huntington Beach, who owned and/or controlled Material Distribution Center, PDM Marketing, Bird Coop Industries, Inc., and Copier Products Center;
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Thomas A. Sanetti, 49, of Huntington Beach, who also owned and/or controlled Material Distribution Center; Bird Coop Industries, Inc.; and Copier Products Center, as well as West Coast Distribution and Uncaged Industries, Inc., who has agreed to surrender to authorities in the coming days;
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Cynthia A. Weekes, 47, of Pacific Palisades, who owned Coastal Distribution Center, Inc.;
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Cynthia Weekes’ husband, Michael B. Weekes, 44, of Pacific Palisades, who also owned Coastal Distribution Center, Inc., the one defendant who is still being sought by authorities;
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Daniel C.J. Ellis, 59, of Folsom, who owned Turner Supply Company, Inc. and Tech Transfer, Inc. (doing business as Delray Supply Company), who is expected to appear this afternoon in federal court in Sacramento;
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Leah D. Johnson, 52, of Ignacio, Colorado, who owned Capital Supply Center and LJT Distribution, Inc., who is expected to appear this afternoon in federal court in Durango, Colorado;
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John A. Buzzard, 60, of San Diego, who also owned and/or controlled Capital Supply Center and LJT Distribution, Inc.;
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Jonathan M. Brightman, 49, of West Lake Village, who owned Copy Com Distribution, Inc.; Independent Cartridge Supplier; and Corporate Products, who has agreed to surrender to authorities in the coming days;
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Stephen D. Paine, 51, of Hollywood, who owned Case Distribution Services, Inc.;
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Sharon Scandaliato Virag, 51, of West Hills, who owned XL Supply, Inc.;
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Glen M. Diamond III, 38, of Carlsbad, who owned Specialty Business Center; Specialty Office Products, Inc.; and Elite Office Supplies, Inc.;
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Tammi L. Williams, 41, of Chino Hills, who was the office manager at Elite Office Supply, and also worked at Specialty Business Center, Rancho Office Supply and Select Imaging Supplies;
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Christina M. Cadena, 49, of Vista, who owned Warehouse Service Center, Inc. and Resource Processing Center, Inc.;
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Michelle C. Nunez, 53, of Menifee, who also owned and/or controlled Warehouse Service Center, Inc. and Resource Processing Center, Inc.;
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Francis “Frank” S. Scimeca, 51, of Woodland Hills, who owned Supply Central Distribution, Inc. and Priority Office Supply;
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Cynda L. Hill, 43, of Rancho Cucamonga, who owned and/or controlled Distribution Service Center, Inc. and C&H Management; and
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Cynda Hill’s husband, Henry L. Hill II, 44, of Rancho Cucamonga, who also owned and/or controlled Distribution Service Center, Inc., and C&H Management.
All 23 defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Each of the 23 is charged in at least one of the two dozen mail fraud counts alleged in the indictment. Michaels is additionally charged with five counts of money laundering.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
All of the charges in the indictment carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, except for two of the money laundering against Michaels, which carry a 10-year maximum prison term.
The four-year investigation into this toner fraud case was conducted by the Huntington Beach Police Department, the United States Secret Service, the FBI and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Several other agencies assisted with today’s arrests and search warrant executions as well as at various points during the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Staples.
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Monday 27 June 2016
Woman Caught Smuggling Cocaine at Charlotte Airport Pleads Guilty to Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Shavona Danisha Pyatt, 28, of Conway, N.C., appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler presided over today’s plea hearing.
Nick Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas and Patti Fitzpatrick, Port Director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Area in Charlotte join U.S. Attorney Rose in making today’s announcement.
According to filed plea documents and today’s hearing, on November 13, 2015, Pyatt arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (Charlotte Douglas Airport) on a direct flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Upon entering the United States, Pyatt presented herself to CBP agents at primary inspection at the airport. Pyatt acknowledged packing her own luggage. At secondary inspection, CBP agents discovered that Pyatt was attempting to smuggle cocaine pellets hidden both in her luggage and pants. Court records indicate that CBP agents recovered additional cocaine pellets hidden in Pyatt’s body cavities. A total of 61 pellets containing between 400 grams to 500 grams of cocaine were recovered from Pyatt. Pyatt was interviewed by HSI agents and stated that she intended to deliver the cocaine to Myrtle Beach, S.C. in exchange for $12,000.
Pyatt was detained following the plea hearing. The charge levied against her carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $1,000,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been scheduled yet.
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In a separate case, Winston Sherif Richards, 40, of Jamaica, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney to 30 months in prison, and one year of supervised release on federal drug conspiracy charges. According to court records, in October 2015, Richards was arrested when he attempted to smuggle cocaine through customs security at Charlotte Douglas Airport. Court records show that law enforcement found two bags of cocaine weighing approximately 822 grams, hidden within the lining of Richard’s backpack. Richards told law enforcement that he was hired by a man to bring some “stuff” to the United States and to deliver it to an unknown man in New York. Richards later admitted in court that he actively participated in the drug conspiracy. Richards pleaded guilty in March 2016 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
In handing down Richards’ sentence, Judge Whitney said that this prison sentence will help deter future drug trafficking at the Charlotte airport. In addition to the prison term imposed, the court ordered Richards be deported upon completion of his sentence.
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In a third prosecution involving drug smuggling at the airport, Tamara Williams-Kelly, 37, of Jamaica has also pleaded guilty to federal drug charges. According to court records, in February 2016, Williams-Kelly flew into Charlotte Douglas Airport from Jamaica. At the airport, CBP agents recovered a total of 1.57 kilograms of packaged powder cocaine hidden in the defendant’s carry-on luggage and on her person. Court records show that Williams-Kelly told law enforcement she was promised $7,000 as payments for delivering the drugs to Norfolk, Virginia. Williams-Kelly pleaded guilty on April 29, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of unlawful importation of cocaine conspiracy and one count of unlawful importation of cocaine. She is currently in federal custody awaiting sentencing.
All three cases are the result of HSI’s Airport Drug Interdiction initiative that targets international drug smuggling and financial crimes, including money laundering, bulk cash smuggling, and unlicensed money transmitters/transporters that utilize air travel to further their criminal enterprise. Through this initiative, HSI incorporates the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, to include CBP, North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Divisions of Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) and Department of Correction (DOC), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Pineville Police Department and Cornelius Police Department. In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Rose thanked these agencies for their joint investigation of these cases.
The prosecution for the government is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sanjeev Bhasker of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Winter Springs Man Sentenced to Eighteen Years for Attempted Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States District Judge Carlos Mendoza today sentenced George Adrien Brooks (73, Winter Springs) to 18 years in federal prison for attempting to induce a child to engage in illicit sexual conduct. A federal jury found him guilty on March 4, 2016.
According to evidence presented at trial, between September 5 and September 10, 2015, Brooks engaged in online communications with the purported father of a 10-year-old boy about engaging in sexual conduct with the child. The “father” was an undercover FBI agent. On September 10, 2015, Brooks traveled to Seminole County to meet the child for sex and was arrested. During the trial, the government presented evidence that Brooks had sexually abused another child 44 years ago.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
West Des Moines Man Sentenced to 70 Years in Prison for Retail Theft Scheme, Child Pornography, and Witness Tampering ChargesRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – On June 23, 2016, Bradley J. Prucha, 39, of West Des Moines,
Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to a total of 840
months, or 70 years, in federal prison for executing a multistate retail theft scheme, producing
and possessing child pornography, distributing Xanax to minors, and attempting to bribe minor
witnesses to change their trial testimony, announced United States Attorney Kevin E.
VanderSchel. Prucha was previously convicted by a Southern District of Iowa jury on March 1,
2016, on multiple counts, including conspiracy, mail fraud, production of child pornography,
possession of child pornography, distribution of Xanax to persons under the age of twenty-one,
and witness tampering. Prucha was ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release to
follow his release from prison, pay restitution to the business victims, and $1,900 to the Crime
Victims’ Fund.
Over the course of a six day jury trial, the government presented evidence showing
Prucha was the leader of a retail theft scheme from at least October 2013 until his arrest on June
4, 2015. To execute his scheme, Prucha printed UPC bar code stickers, and then placed the
stickers on items in stores so they would ring up at a lower price. He then returned the items to
stores for their full price, or sold them online through eBay, Craigslist, or directly to bulk buyers.
Prucha committed the thefts between Florida and Iowa, where he maintained separate residences,
and in Nebraska and Illinois. At trial, witnesses described how Prucha recruited adults and
teenagers to place stickers on items, purchase them for the fraudulent price, and make the returns
so as to avoid detection himself. At the time Prucha orchestrated and executed his retail bar
coding scam, he was on probation for having committed a nearly identical bar code switching
scheme in Florida. Prucha admitted to committing the bar code fraud scheme during his trial
testimony.
The evidence at trial also established Prucha used teenage girls to commit thefts for him,
and paid the girls to have sex with him using proceeds from the scheme as well as Xanax. One
witness testified she committed thefts for Prucha starting as young as fifteen years old; multiple
witnesses testified Prucha’s nephew also committed thefts for him from an even younger age. At
trial, the minor victims testified that Prucha gave them Xanax and money to have sexual relations
with him. Prucha filmed three sexually explicit videos of himself engaged in sexual activity with
minors. He maintained possession of the videos on his electronic devices and multiple witnesses
testified that Prucha showed them the videos. Testimony and Prucha’s own recorded statements
played at trial, proved he threatened the victims with physical harm when one victim learned
about the video of her (which had been taken without her knowledge) and threatened to tell the
police.
A former inmate at the Polk County Jail testified that Prucha directed him to offer money
to the minor witnesses for them to sign false affidavits, which would have contradicted their
statements and the evidence in the case. Prucha provided the inmate, someone he knew was a
convicted sex offender, with personal details about the minor witnesses, including hand-drawn
maps to the girls’ homes, their telephone numbers, details about their personal lives, names of
family members, and the hours and location of their jobs.
“The evidence in this case showed Bradley Prucha is a dangerous predator who
manipulated vulnerable teenage girls to commit fraud for him and to have sex with him by
providing them Xanax, money and gifts, and through threats, intimidation, and emotional and
mental manipulation,” said United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. “The significant term
of incarceration Prucha will serve is appropriate and necessary to protect the public and other
potential victims.”
At sentencing, Chief United States District Judge John A. Jarvey imposed a total sentence
of 840 months. Prucha received the maximum term of imprisonment of five years as to the
conspiracy count, 20 years as to six mail fraud counts, 20 years for possession of child
pornography, and 10 years for the distribution of Xanax to persons under the age of twenty-one.
He additionally was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment on each count of production of child
pornography, a consecutive thirty years for committing those offenses while required to register
as a sex offender, and 30 years for each of the four counts of witness tampering.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from
the Asset Protections teams at various retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Toys R Us,
and Best Buy. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern
District of Iowa.
Washington County Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine and HeroinRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – LeeVaughn Walls, formerly of Bulger, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine and at least 100 grams of heroin in Western Pennsylvania, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Walls, age 37, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti. Judge Conti also sentenced Walls to serve four years of supervised release following his prison sentence. In support of the conviction and sentence of Walls, the Court was informed that Walls was involved in the distribution of kilogram quantities of cocaine and 10- to 50-brick quantities of heroin.
Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine A. King and Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
A task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation leading to the conviction in this case. The task force also included several other federal, state, and local agencies from multiple states, including the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Allegheny County Police Department, the Penn Hills Police Department, the Monroeville Police Department, and the McKees Rocks Police Department. The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. Attorney's Office and Other Area Leaders Travel to Washington for National Summit on Preventing Youth ViolenceRead the Press Release
Representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office and Detroit’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative traveled today to Washington, D.C. to join with other cities from around the country to discuss strategies for reducing youth violence and gang activity at the Fifth National Summit on Preventing Youth Violence.
The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, established at the direction of President Obama in 2010, is a network of communities and federal agencies that work together and build local capacity to prevent and reduce youth violence. Boston, Camden, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Salinas, San Jose, Long Beach, Cleveland, Louisville, Seattle and Baltimore are the 15 cities participating in the Forum. This national convening will bring together over 600 participants representing more than 30 cities, including many communities that have accepted President Obama’s MY Brother's Keeper Community Challenge.
President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative in February of 2014 to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. Through this initiative, the Administration is joining with cities and towns, businesses, and foundations who are taking important steps to ensure that every child has a clear pathway to success from cradle to college and career. Learn more at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper.
"In light of the intolerable level of violence committed against children and teens in Detroit, we need to explore all ideas for protecting their safety," McQuade said. The National Forum brings together the best practices from around the country, and we hope to bring home the best ways to give our kids the safe environment they deserve."
U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente Issues Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in McDonnell v. United StatesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s ruling in McDonnell v. United States:
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing the Supreme Court’s decision in the McDonnell matter and does not have any further comment at this time.”
Two defendants plead guilty to Federal drug chargesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two men pleaded guilty today to federal drug crimes, announced Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto. Matthew Michael Meadows, 31, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin. In a separate prosecution, Arthur James Canada, 25, of Huntington, entered his guilty plea to using a phone to facilitate a felony drug offense.
Meadows admitted that from the summer of 2014 to the spring of 2016, he conspired with others to distribute heroin in the Huntington and Charleston areas. Meadows frequently met with his co-conspirators and received amounts of heroin ranging from five grams to one ounce. He subsequently distributed the heroin and returned a portion of the drug proceeds back to his co-conspirators. Meadows admitted that he was responsible for the distribution of up to 400 grams of heroin. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 26, 2016.
In a separate drug prosecution, Arthur James Canada admitted that from February 2016 to May 2016, he conspired with other individuals to distribute marijuana that had been transported from California. Members of the conspiracy were also involved in the distribution of other controlled substances, including heroin, crack, and pain pills. During the conspiracy, Canada further admitted to receiving marijuana that he sold in the Huntington area. On March 28, 2016, he placed a call to a co-conspirator that was intercepted by law enforcement. During the call, Canada and the co-conspirator discussed the price at which to sell a certain type of marijuana. Canada faces up to four years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 29, 2016.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted both investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is handling the prosecutions. The plea hearings were held before Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
These prosecutions were brought as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
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