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Thursday 5 May 2016
Former Savannah Pastor Charged with Defrauding Church and Church MembersRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA – Corey Megill Brown, 46, the former Senior Pastor of Second African Baptist Church in Savannah, has been indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah on 97 counts of mail fraud and wire fraud.
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, between March 2005 and February 2014, Brown stole more than $250,000 from the Second African Baptist Church and from church members. Brown allegedly opened a separate bank account in the name of the Church without the Churches knowledge or permission. Brown would then allegedly intercept tithes and offerings from church members; deposit those monies into the account he fraudulently opened; transfer those monies to his own personal account; and then spend the stolen church donations on personal items, including items purchased from a men’s clothing store and from Victoria’s Secret.
Brown faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release on each of the 97 fraud charges. An indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Charlie Bourne and Scarlett Nokes are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. Any questions should be directed to First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.
Former New Jersey Attorney Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Generating $1 Million in Profit from Phony LawsuitsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former attorney in the Haddonfield, New Jersey, office of a firm specializing in toxic tort litigation was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for falsifying defendants’ names in more than 100 asbestos suits filed in New York State courts in order to increase business and his standing in the firm, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Arobert C. Tonagbanua, 47, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud. Judge Hillman imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2008 through April 9, 2012, Tonagbanua worked at the Haddonfield office of a firm specializing in toxic tort litigation, workers’ compensation and immigration law, during which time he engaged in the wire fraud scheme.
Tonagbanua admitted he obtained copies of legitimately filed asbestos complaints and fraudulently altered them by deleting a named defendant and inserting the name of one or more of his firm’s clients. Unbeknownst to anyone else at the firm, he forwarded those fraudulently altered complaints by email, fax and otherwise to the firm’s clients, their representatives and insurance companies.
After notifying the firm’s clients of the suits, Tonagbanua – and others at the firm who were not involved in the scheme – undertook the representation of the clients, by attending depositions, answering discovery and even settling claims. It is estimated that Tonagbanua inserted his firm’s clients’ names into more than 100 lawsuits, resulting in the generation of more than $1 million in fraudulent fees, costs and settlements. Tonagbanua personally benefitted from the scheme through bonuses and increased compensation.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Tonagbanua to three years of supervised release. Tonagbanua must also pay remaining institution of $232,643.92.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. in Philadelphia, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Defense counsel: Michael Miller Esq., Turnersville, New Jersey
Former Millington Reserve Police Officer Pleads to Child Pornography Production, Transporting Minor for Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A former Millington reserve police officer has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography of three female minors and transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the guilty plea today.
According to information presented in court, on July 13, 2015, a Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Deputy responded to a call at the Millington residence of Rickie Friar, 67. The call was made by Friar’s housekeeper, who had stopped by the defendant’s residence to do some chores. Friar was out of town at the time. While there, a female minor who accompanied the housekeeper opened Friar’s iPad and showed the housekeeper sexually explicit images of children who regularly spent time with Friar.
A forensic examination of Friar’s iPad, along with other electronic devices seized during a search of his residence revealed additional videos and images of female minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Friar is visible in some of the images and videos, and his voice can be heard in others. The videos and images were produced between July 2013 and May 2015. Two of the victims were under 12 years old at the time; one was under the age of 18 years old.
Hours after his housekeeper notified law enforcement of what had been seen on Friar’s iPad, Friar was located in Arkansas, returning from a trip to Oklahoma. He had a female minor with him. Law enforcement agents found receipts, dated a day or two earlier, for sex toys and lubricant in Friar’s vehicle.
On Wednesday, May 4, 2016, Friar pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. to:
• one count of knowingly transporting a minor under the age of 18 years old between the states of Tennessee and Oklahoma for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity;
• two counts of attempting to and knowingly using a female minor under 12 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct;
• one count of attempting to and knowingly using a female minor under the age of 18 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct.When sentenced for the aforementioned charges, Friar faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum of life. He also faces a fine of up to $1 million.
Friar is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Fowlkes on Thursday, August 11, 2016.
This case is being investigated by the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force. The collective is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; Shelby County Sheriff's Department; Memphis Police Department; U.S. Postal Investigation Service; U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Ireland is prosecuting this case on the government’s behalf.
Anyone who believes they may have information about this case or related activities is asked to contact the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force at 901.747.4300.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources."
Former Executive Director of B.W. Cooper Resident Management Corporation IndictedRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that DARRELL J. WILLIAMS, of Houston, was charged today in a one-count Indictment for conspiracy to misapply, embezzle federal funds and to commit access device fraud.
According to the Indictment, from a time unknown, but prior to January 2009, and continuing through on or about May 19, 2011, WILLIAMS, embezzled in access of $5,000 from B.W. Cooper Resident Management Corporation (B.W. Cooper RMC). The Indictment continues to allege that WILLIAMS used the B.W. Cooper RMC credit card for personal expenses.
If convicted, WILLIAMS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of up to $250,000, three years supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that an Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of HUD-OIG in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is in charge of the prosecution.
Former D.C. Government Employee Pleads Guilty in Bribery Scheme Involving Towing CompanyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Vernita M. Greenfield, a former customer services representative for the District of Columbia’s Department of Public Works, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which she accepted more than $35,000 in bribes in return for giving favorable treatment to a towing company.
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.
Greenfield, 56, of Washington, D.C., was arrested by the FBI at her office on Nov. 23, 2015. She pled guilty to a charge of receipt of a bribe by a public official. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Greenfield faces a likely range of 24 to 30 months in prison and a fine of $10,000 to $95,000. She also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $35,300. The Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2016.
“This government employee took advantage of her position for her own financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The prosecution of this case reflects our commitment to rooting out corruption whenever it exists, as it is imperative for citizens to have faith in their government.”
“Ms. Greenfield admitted in federal court today to unfairly steering towing contracts in exchange for monetary bribes. Through her actions, she violated the public’s trust for her own personal gain,” said Assistant Director in Charge Abbate. “The FBI will continue to investigate and fight public corruption at all levels of government, including unfair, preferential treatment at the expense of honest American businesses.”
“I would like to recognize the efforts of the D.C. OIG Investigations Unit in conducting this investigation that has ultimately brought Ms. Greenfield to justice,” said Inspector General Lucas. “This investigation is just one example of how the D.C. OIG, along with our oversight partners, continue to combat corruption, fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement within the District, and aggressively pursue prosecution and/or administrative action when and where warranted.”
According to a statement of offense submitted in the plea proceedings, Greenfield worked in the Parking Enforcement Management Administration, a branch of the Department of Public Works. The branch is responsible for the removal of abandoned and dangerous vehicles, as well as ticketing, towing, booting, and impoundment of vehicles that are in violation of District of Columbia parking regulations. The branch also tows vehicles that pose a danger to the police or that impede the flow of traffic, particularly after vehicle accidents.
The branch uses a computer-aided dispatch system in which customer services representatives communicate with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) when police determine vehicles need to be towed. However, the Department of Public Works did not have enough tow trucks in its fleet to meet demand. The Department of Public Works subcontracted towing services from a list of approximately 22 authorized tow truck companies to assist with vehicle removals. Customer Services representatives were required to rotate assignments so that all towing services were fairly distributed in an equitable manner.
In her guilty plea, Greenfield admitted disregarding the rotational towing assignment system to send extra business to a towing company that was among the 22 on the list. According to the statement of offense, on or about July 1, 2011, Greenfield and the owner of the towing company came to an agreement that the owner would deposit between $200 and $500 per week into Greenfield’s bank account. In exchange, she agreed to divert towing assignments from other companies on the rotational list, thereby increasing his company’s weekly towing assignments and profits. She provided the towing company owner with her bank account information.
From July 2011 through May 2013, according to the statement of offense, the towing company’s owner provided Greenfield with more than 60 such payments, totaling $35,300. During this time period, Greenfield diverted over 450 towing assignments to the company to which it was not entitled, depriving other companies of this valuable business.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for those who investigated the case from the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, including Special Agent Ray Malengo. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mervin A. Bourne, Jr. and Lionel André, who are prosecuting the case.
Former Army Contractor Sentenced for Making False Statement and Damaging Computer SystemsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Westfield resident who previously served in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Springfield for lying on his security clearance form and damaging U.S. Army computers.
Wei Chen, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to six months of home confinement, five years of probation and a fine of $8,000. In December 2015, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement and damaging a U.S. Army computer.
Prior to immigrating to the United States and becoming a citizen in 2006, Chen served in the People’s Liberation Army. In 2010, Chen applied for a job as a computer system administrator for a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor, which required him to have a Secret-level security clearance. To obtain that clearance, Chen completed a questionnaire on which he certified that he understood that a false statement could be punished by imprisonment. Nonetheless, in response to the form’s question about whether he had ever served in a foreign country’s military, Chen falsely answered, “no.” Chen lied on this form because he believed that a truthful answer would reduce his chances of receiving the security clearance he needed to work as a DOD contractor. After submitting the form with false information, Chen received a secret level security clearance and was assigned to work for the U.S. Army as a system administrator at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.
On June 15 and 16, 2013, Chen connected one or more of his own thumb drives to computers at Camp Buehring that were connected to the Army’s unclassified network and the classified Secret-level network. Chen then made an effort to cover his tracks and hide his security violation. Specifically, he cleared network logs on the server that would have documented the connection of the thumb drive to the network server. Chen also copied a computer file, containing saved e-mail and documents, from his Secret-level workstation onto his thumb drive.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Daniel Andrews, Director of the Computer Crime Investigative Unit of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, made the announcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Bookbinder and B. Stephanie Siegmann of Ortiz’s Criminal Division.
Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Diet Pill SchemeRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today that U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced JOHN WESLEY HOAG, age 52, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to fifty (50) months in federal prison for his scheme to sell illegal and mislabelled diet pills to victims throughout the United States, including Louisiana. HOAG was ordered to serve a two year term of supervised release following his release from imprisonment. HOAG was also ordered to pay a fine of $7,500 and to forfeit all property traceable to the gross proceeds of the scheme, including but not limited to $679,116.33.
At the conclusion of the sentencing, the Court ordered HOAG to begin serving his sentence immediately and remanded HOAG to the custody of the United States Marshal.
On July 29, 2015, HOAG pled guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute sibutramine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846 and 2, and introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 331(a) and 2. This conduct was part of a multi-state scheme to illegally distribute diet pills containing sibutramine, a Schedule IV controlled substance, which were falsely labeled and marketed as “all natural” dietary supplements. Sibutramine was the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Meridia, a prescription weight loss drug removed from the market in 2010 following studies that showed significantly increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. Since the removal of Meridia, no drug containing sibutramine has been approved for use in humans in the United States.
In a related case, on March 22, 2016, following a seven-day trial, a federal jury convicted DARLENE V. KRUEGER, age 54, of Destrehan, Louisiana, on three counts of distribution of sibutramine and three counts of introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. The sentencing date has not yet been set.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “Today’s sentence sends a strong message to the community that my office and our law enforcement partners take the distribution of illegal drugs, in all forms, extremely seriously. Those who peddle illegal substances in this district for profit will face stiff penalties, regardless of whether they peddle those drugs on our street corners or over the internet. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated law enforcement agents and the prosecution team who investigated and prosecuted this complex case and dismantled this defendant’s drug distribution ring.”
“Consumers are put at serious risk when they are unknowingly exposed to undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients in products falsely labeled as natural dietary supplements,” said Robert J. West, Special Agent-in-Charge, Miami Field Office, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations. “Our office will continue to defend the public’s health by ensuring that dietary supplements are accurately labeled, and do not contain dangerous undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients.”
This matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, with the assistance from other FDA components; the Louisiana State Police; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Slidell, Louisiana, Police Department; and the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cam T. Le and Paul L. Pugliese.
Health care professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA. For more information regarding dietary supplements and to report adverse events, please visit the FDA’s website at http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/.
Five Defendants Charged in White Plains Federal Court with Robbery and Murder in Swan LakeRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James R. Farrell, the Sullivan County District Attorney, Diego Rodriguez, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Joseph A. D’Amico, the Superintendent of the New York State Police (“NYSP”), Michael A. Schiff, the Sullivan County Sheriff, Robert Mir, the Chief of the Village of Monticello Police Department, and Scott Kinne, the Chief of the Village of Liberty Police Department, announced the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging JEFFREY HERRING, TRAVIS DAVIS, JESSE HUMMEL, MARK MACK, and ANDREW REYNOLDS with the October 12, 2015, robbery and murder of Michael Northcote, 34, in Swan Lake, New York.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “As alleged, these defendants undertook a violent home-invasion robbery, which resulted in the senseless murder of Michael Northcote. I want to thank all our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, especially Sullivan County District Attorney James Farrell for his extraordinary partnership with our office in this important case.”
Sullivan County District Attorney James R. Farrell stated: “This indictment reflects the tireless work of all of the police officers, detectives, investigators, special agents and prosecutors assigned to this case, and their dedication to bringing those allegedly responsible for the robbery and homicide of Michael Northcote to justice. It is the product of unparalleled cooperation among local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies committed to holding accountable those who allegedly perpetrated these violent acts against Northcote, who was just 34 years old when he was killed during a home invasion. I would like to thank my colleagues in the United States Attorney's Office for their unwavering commitment to working together with my office and all of Sullivan County's law enforcement agencies. Our joint efforts make each of our agencies more effective than we would be if we worked independently of one another, which only enhances the safety of the Sullivan County community and strengthens our ability to do the right thing. This indictment is a step toward justice for Michael Northcote and his family, and I look forward to continued collaboration with our United States Attorney in this and other important cases.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez stated: “Violence isn’t limited to the big cities in this day and age. However, when someone is robbed and murdered in their own home in a small town, it sends shockwaves through the community. Our Safe Streets Task Forces work with our local law enforcement partners to keep this type of crime out of every neighborhood, big or small.”
New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico stated: “This indictment is the direct result of the continued collaboration between the State Police and our law enforcement partners on the local and federal level. Because of this partnership, five alleged dangerous criminals are now off the streets and will be fully prosecuted for their involvement in this case.”
Sullivan County Sheriff Michael A. Schiff stated: “Through the coordinated effort of all of the participating law enforcement agencies, we were able to have a multiplier effect on this case and were able to bring these defendants to justice. I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, for taking on this case and ensuring that justice is served.”
Village of Monticello Police Chief Robert Mir stated: “Cooperation between all levels of law enforcement and the community are required to solve crimes. This impressive collaboration between the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, F.B.I., Monticello Police, Liberty Police, Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney General’s Office, has brought to justice several individuals who allegedly senselessly and viciously robbed and murdered a man. The Monticello Police Department is committed to our sworn oath and will continue to dedicate resources and work with our local, state and federal partners, in order to deliver the best police services. Too many people in our community have been lost to drugs and violence, and too many family members and friends are grieving. I hope that these arrests will bring some comfort and closure to the Northcote family.”
Village of Liberty Police Chief Scott Kinne stated: “The Village of Liberty Police remains committed to sharing our resources and working with all levels of law enforcement. All crimes, especially a violent crime of this nature, affect the residents of our county as a whole. Interagency cooperation is key in a case like this and because of this cooperation several violent criminals have been taken off the streets of Sullivan County.”
As alleged in the Superseding Indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court,[1] on October 12, 2015, the defendants carried out a home-invasion robbery of Michael Northcote, a marijuana dealer, at 177 Cohen & Cohen Road, Swan Lake, New York. In the course of the robbery, JEFFREY HERRING shot and killed Northcote.
* * *
TRAVIS DAVIS and ANDREW REYNOLDS were taken into federal custody this morning. JEFFREY HERRING and MARK MACK were already in state custody. These four defendants were presented in White Plains federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy. JESSE HUMMEL was taken into federal custody last night in the District of Arizona and will be presented there today. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth M. Karas.
Charts containing the names of the defendants who were charged today, and the charges and maximum penalties they face, are attached. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the respective judges.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, the New York State Police, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, the Village of Monticello Police Department, the Village of Liberty Police Department, the Town of Fallsburg Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the New York City Police Department, and the Casa Grande, Arizona, Police Department. Mr. Bharara also thanked the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Gerber and Lauren Schorr are in charge of the prosecutions.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
CHARGE(S)
DEFENDANT(S)
MAXIMUM PENALTIES
Robbery conspiracy
JEFFREY HERRING,
TRAVIS DAVIS,
JESSE HUMMEL,
MARK MACK, and
ANDREW REYNOLDS
20 years in prison
Robbery
JEFFREY HERRING,
TRAVIS DAVIS,
JESSE HUMMEL,
MARK MACK, and
ANDREW REYNOLDS
20 years in prison
Murder
JEFFREY HERRING,
TRAVIS DAVIS,
JESSE HUMMEL,
MARK MACK, and
ANDREW REYNOLDS
Life in prison, or the death penalty
Mandatory minimum:
5 years in prison, to be imposed consecutively to any other sentence
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment and the descriptions of the Superseding Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Federal Jury Convicts Boise Doctor Charged with Controlled Substance DeliveryRead the Press Release
BOISE – A Boise jury today returned guilty verdicts against Michael Minas, 50, of Boise, Idaho, on charges that he unlawfully distributed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge set Minas’s sentencing for July 26, 2016, at the federal courthouse in Boise. The jury deliberated five days before reaching its verdict.
“Today’s verdict sends the clear message that where medical professionals behave more like drug dealers than doctors, they will be investigated and prosecuted, just like drug dealers,” said Olson. “The evidence in this case proved that Michael Minas prescribed highly addictive controlled substances, including oxycodone 30 mg and fentanyl, without obtaining proper medical histories, without performing proper physical examinations, and without proper, if any, medical documentation. His patients often became even more addicted to these powerful substances, and he repeatedly allowed early refills for those on extraordinarily high dosages.”
A federal grand jury initially indicted Minas in June 2014 charging him with 17 counts of distributing a controlled substance. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment in November 2014, charging Minas with 112 counts of distributing a controlled substance. The charges involved 12 patients, three of whom were undercover law enforcement officers. Later, in April 2015, the grand jury returned a second superseding indictment charging Minas with 146 counts of distributing a controlled substance. During the jury trial, after the government’s case in chief, the government dismissed seven of those counts. The jury returned a verdict of 80 counts guilty and 59 counts not guilty.
Evidence at trial showed that Minas knowingly and intentionally prescribed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. The controlled substance Minas illegally distributed was primarily oxycodone 30 mg, but the jury also found Minas guilty of distributing fentanyl and hydromorphone. The jury heard evidence that Minas wrote prescriptions for extraordinary dosages, such as 240, 300, and even 420 oxycodone 30 mg. It also heard evidence that he often wrote prescriptions at intervals of two or three weeks, but wrote dosage instructions on the prescriptions indicating that it was a month’s supply. The jury also heard evidence that Minas wrote prescriptions for drugs that present a risk of negative interaction with oxycodone, such as benzodiazepines, sedatives, and muscle relaxers. Minas generally charged $100 cash for an appointment. Several former employees testified that the Minas’s practice transitioned over time from a standard family practice to one catering to patients claiming chronic pain and seeking opioid narcotics. Many of the Minas’s patients testified that the prescriptions issued by the defendant fed the patients’ addiction and resulted in substantial negative effects on their lives.
Minas operated the River Medical Family Practice in Eagle until his arrest in June of 2014. He had been released pending trial. During that time, Minas has been prohibited from writing prescriptions and from engaging in the practice of medicine except for the limited purpose of transferring patient records so that patients may see other providers. He also was required to relinquish any prescription pads in his possession.
Minas faces a maximum prison sentence of up to twenty years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000.00 and at least three years of supervised release on each count of conviction.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led Tactical Diversion Squad which is comprised of law enforcement personnel from the DEA, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, Idaho State Police, Meridian Police Department, Nampa Police Department and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Eight Named in Indictment that Outlines Scheme to Launder over $60 Million in Narcotics Proceeds through ‘Black Market Peso Exchange’Read the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Mexican national who allegedly led an organization that assisted international narcotics traffickers launder more than $60 million in illicit drug proceeds has been taken into custody, as have three of his associates.
Gustavo Barba, 59, of Guadalajara, was arrested Tuesday evening as he attempted to enter the United States through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego. Barba made an initial court appearance in San Diego federal court yesterday and will remain in custody there until a detention hearing scheduled for May 10.
Following Barba’s arrest, special agents with IRS Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration began arresting other defendants named in a 32-count money laundering indictment. A federal grand jury in Santa Ana returned the indictment under seal on July 22, 2015, and the indictment was unsealed today after three other defendants were taken into custody. Federal authorities are continuing to search for three fugitives.
Barba, who is also known as “Gus” and “Gustavo Barba Casillas,” is the lead defendant in the indictment that alleges a series of money laundering crimes, including conspiring to launder narcotics proceeds. Barba operates Barba International, Inc., which has offices in Guadalajara and the Los Angeles Jewelry District and is also charged as a defendant. The indictment describes how Barba’s organization allegedly used a “Black Market Peso Exchange” (BMPE) scheme to convert millions of dollars generated by drug sales in the United States into pesos that are delivered to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.
The BMPE is one of the primary methods used by drug cartels to launder proceeds generated by drug sales in the United States and return the proceeds to where the cartels are located. The BMPE involves both illegal drug trafficking and legitimate businesses operating throughout the Americas, and the scheme solves problems faced by both groups. Drug cartels have massive amounts of U.S. currency – often in small denominations – that is difficult to transport in bulk or to deposit into financial institutions. At the same time, some legitimate businesses in Mexico want U.S. dollars in the United States to pay domestic suppliers and manufacturers so they can avoid incurring fees and taxes that would result if they wired the money to the United States through legitimate channels.
In a BMPE scheme, a “peso broker” or professional money launderer unites these entities to solve their problems. The peso broker receives narcotics proceeds in the United States and uses this money to pay United States businesses for goods ordered by Mexico-based businesses, which, in turn, pay the peso broker for the goods that will be shipped to Mexico. The peso broker then delivers the money, minus the service charge, to the narcotics traffickers in Mexico. Through a BMPE scheme, narcotics proceeds generated in the United States are moved to Mexico without having to physically cross the border or be sent through the banking system.
“Cutting off the flow of illicit profits to drug cartels is a key component in the battle against international drug traffickers,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “As banks implement controls to shut down money laundering and as regulations make it more difficult for drug cartels to move money, these organizations seek out new ways to collect money from illegal drug sales. We are responding accordingly and will continue to target new methods of laundering drug proceeds.”
In addition to Barba, three other defendants have been taken into custody since yesterday. They are:
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Isaias Navarro, 37, of Fullerton, who operated Barba International’s office in Los Angeles, was arrested last night;
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Vidal Gutierrez Vargas, 58, of Whittier, who allegedly facilitated the money laundering operation, was arrested this morning; and
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Gervork Hagopian, 61, of the Windsor Square District of Los Angeles, the owner of a business in the jewelry district, who allegedly received money being laundering by the organization and facilitated the money laundering operation, was arrested this morning.
The three defendants arrested in the Los Angeles area are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
“This week’s arrests should send a clear message to the Mexican drug cartels that IRS Criminal Investigation and our partners will not tolerate the exploitation of U.S. financial institutions and businesses for the purpose of illicit financial transactions that fund the distribution of narcotics,” stated IRS Criminal Investigation’s acting Special Agent in Charge Aimee Schabilion. “In addition, this week’s actions should send a warning to American businesses that turn a blind eye to the crime they facilitate in an attempt to avoid bank currency reporting requirements, taxes and law enforcement scrutiny.”
Three other individual defendants named in the indictment are fugitives:
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Roberto Castaneda, also known as “the Engineer,” 77, of Guadalajara, who is Barba’s father in law and allegedly coordinated the delivery of narcotics proceeds and tracked the money being laundered by the organization;
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Jose Luis Guizar, 43, of East Palo Alto, a courier for the organization; and
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Leo Alfonso Alvarez, 35, of Edinburg, Texas, who also was a courier.
“This organization was laundering narcotics proceeds for multiple cartels under the guise of legitimate business,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis. “Along with targeting the narcotics trafficking activities of criminal organizations polluting our society with deadly drugs, we will continue efforts with our law enforcement partners to attack the trade-based money laundering schemes these organizations engage in.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Each defendant is named in various counts in the indictment. The money laundering charges alleged in the indictment each carry statutory maximum sentences of either 20 years or 10 years in federal prison.
This case is the result of an ongoing investigation being conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The following agencies provided assistance during the investigation: the Torrance Police Department, the Santa Ana Police Department, the Placentia Police Department, the Irvine Police Department, the Orange Police Department, the Seal Beach Police Department, the Cypress Police Department, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
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District of Columbia Man Indicted for Environmental CrimesRead the Press Release
James Powers, 59, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today for violating the Clean Air Act and for fraud stemming from a scheme to improperly remove asbestos from a historic building in the District of Columbia.
The seven-count indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia, and Jennifer Lynn, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criminal enforcement program in the Mid-Atlantic States. It charges Powers with violations of the Clean Air Act, wire fraud and first-degree fraud, which is a District of Columbia offense. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be traced to the fraud scheme.
According to the indictment, asbestos, a once-popular fireproofing insulation, is now known to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma in people who inhale the fibers released when asbestos is disturbed. Congress has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. The Clean Air Act requires that renovation in asbestos-containing properties follow specific protocols designed to safely remove asbestos from the property prior to any renovation or demolition activity, so as not to expose workers to the risk of deadly respiratory diseases.
“The Clean Air Act asbestos standards exist to protect the public, especially demolition and renovation workers, from harmful and potentially fatal exposure to asbestos,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden. “The Justice Department and the EPA will fully investigate and prosecute those individuals who skirt the law and put workers in danger.”
“This businessman is accused of endangering his own work crew by not taking the proper steps to renovate a building containing asbestos,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The indictment in this case reflects our determination to enforce the federal Clean Air Act and other laws that protect the health and safety of workers and citizens of the District of Columbia.”
“Asbestos must be removed and disposed of safely and legally,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lynn. “The federal Clean Air Act helps protect not only workers’ health and safety, but that of the entire community. Today’s charges demonstrate that EPA and its partner agencies are committed to enforcing important environmental and public health protection laws.”
The development project at issue involved renovating the historic Friendship House, located at 619 D Street SE in Washington, D.C., into condominiums, a development known as the Maples. The indictment alleges that, in March 2010, Powers formed a partnership with a local real estate development firm to purchase and renovate the property. According to the indictment, an asbestos survey of the property documented asbestos throughout the property, including in floor tiles, wall board, and pipe insulation. After the survey, the partnership received bids from licensed professional asbestos abatement and renovation firms in the area. The indictment alleges that, despite receiving those bids and despite knowing that the building contained asbestos, Powers hired Larry Miller, 58, of Palmetto, Georgia, a general contractor from Atlanta with no training, certification, or experience in asbestos abatement, to conduct interior demolition and renovation of the building. Powers represented to his partners that a qualified entity would conduct appropriate asbestos abatement at the property and emailed them a proposed contract, but the contract was with a corporation that, unbeknownst to his partners, was an alter-ego for Powers.
The indictment further alleges that Miller and his crew of workers conducted interior demolition at the Maples during September and October 2011, without any asbestos abatement having occurred. Even after an inspection by local environmental authorities revealed asbestos in the building, Powers had the workers continue demolition. Over the course of the project, the workers disturbed substantial quantities of asbestos, exposing themselves to a substantial risk of serious illness later in life.
Miller pleaded guilty on Nov. 19, 2015, to one count of negligent endangerment under the Clean Air Act. He is awaiting sentencing by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a maximum sentence of not more than one year of imprisonment, a fine of up to $100,000, and a term of supervised release and/or probation.
If convicted, Powers faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss to victims under the Clean Air Act, and a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss to victims under the wire fraud statute.
After the acts described in this Indictment, a licensed asbestos abatement firm conducted abatement at the Maples. The District of Columbia Department of the Environment subsequently conducted inspections and found the property to be free of all asbestos-containing materials.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, Assistant Attorney General Cruden, U.S. Attorney Phillips, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Lynn expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents from EPA and the Department of Transportation. They also acknowledged the efforts of Trial Attorney Cassandra J. Barnum, Senior Trial Attorney Lana Pettus and Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Longmire of the Environmental Crimes Section and those working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kaitlyn Krueger, John Lowell, and former Paralegal Specialist Krishawn Graham and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hooks and Zia Faruqui.
District of Columbia Man Indicted for Environmental CrimesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James Powers, 59, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today for violating the Clean Air Act and for fraud stemming from a scheme to improperly remove asbestos from a historic building in the District of Columbia.
The seven-count indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Jennifer Lynn, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criminal enforcement program in the Mid-Atlantic States. It charges Powers with violations of the Clean Air Act, wire fraud and first-degree fraud, which is a District of Columbia offense. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be traced to the fraud scheme. An arraignment date has not yet been set.
According to the indictment, asbestos, a once-popular fireproofing insulation, is now known to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma in people who inhale the fibers released when asbestos is disturbed. Congress has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. The Clean Air Act requires that renovation in asbestos-containing properties follow specific protocols designed to safely remove asbestos from the property prior to any renovation or demolition activity, so as not to expose workers to the risk of deadly respiratory diseases.
“This businessman is accused of endangering his own work crew by not taking the proper steps to renovate a building containing asbestos,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The indictment in this case reflects our determination to enforce the federal Clean Air Act and other laws that protect the health and safety of workers and citizens in the District of Columbia.”
“The Clean Air Act asbestos standards exist to protect the public, especially demolition and renovation workers, from harmful and potentially fatal exposure to asbestos,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden. “The Justice Department and the EPA will fully investigate and prosecute those individuals who skirt the law and put workers in danger.”
“Asbestos must be removed and disposed of safely and legally,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lynn. “The federal Clean Air Act helps protect not only workers’ health and safety, but that of the entire community. Today’s charges demonstrate that EPA and its partner agencies are committed to enforcing important environmental and public health protection laws.”
The development project at issue involved renovating the historic Friendship House, located at 619 D Street SE in Washington, D.C., into condominiums, a development known as the Maples. The indictment alleges that, in March 2010, Powers formed a partnership with a local real estate development firm to purchase and renovate the property. According to the indictment, an asbestos survey of the property documented asbestos throughout the property, including in floor tiles, wall board, and pipe insulation. After the survey, the partnership received bids from licensed professional asbestos abatement and renovation firms in the area.
The indictment alleges that, despite receiving those bids and despite knowing that the building contained asbestos, Powers hired Larry Miller, 58, of Palmetto, Georgia, a general contractor from Atlanta with no training, certification, or experience in asbestos abatement, to conduct interior demolition and renovation of the building. Powers represented to his partners that a qualified entity would conduct appropriate asbestos abatement at the property and emailed them a proposed contract, but the contract was with a corporation that, unbeknownst to his partners, was an alter-ego for Powers.
The indictment further alleges that Miller and his crew of workers conducted interior demolition at the Maples during September and October 2011, without any asbestos abatement having occurred. Even after an inspection by local environmental authorities revealed asbestos in the building, Powers had the workers continue demolition. Over the course of the project, the workers disturbed substantial quantities of asbestos, exposing themselves to a substantial risk of serious illness later in life.
Miller pleaded guilty on Nov. 19, 2015, to one count of negligent endangerment under the Clean Air Act. He is awaiting sentencing by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a maximum sentence of not more than one year of imprisonment, a fine of up to $100,000, and a term of supervised release and/or probation.
If convicted, Powers faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss to victims under the Clean Air Act, and a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss to victims under the wire fraud statute.
After the acts described in this indictment, a licensed asbestos abatement firm conducted abatement at the Maples. The District of Columbia Department of the Environment subsequently conducted inspections and found the property to be free of all asbestos-containing materials.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Attorney General Cruden, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Lynn expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents from EPA and the Department of Transportation. They also acknowledged the efforts of Trial Attorney Cassandra J. Barnum, Senior Trial Attorney Lana Pettus, and Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Longmire of the Environmental Crimes Section, and those working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kaitlyn Krueger, John Lowell, and former Paralegal Specialist Krishawn Graham, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hooks and Zia Faruqui.
Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates Statement on the President’s Recent Clemency DecisionsRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates released the following statement following President Obama’s clemency announcement today:
“As a result of the President’s actions today, 58 more individuals, 18 of whom had been sentenced to life in prison, have been granted a second chance to lead productive and law-abiding lives. Our clemency work is continuing as part of our broader efforts to effectuate criminal justice reform and ensure fairness and proportionality in sentencing. That includes supporting the bipartisan efforts in Congress to pass criminal justice reform legislation, working with the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and continuing the department’s successful Smart on Crime initiative.”
Crownpoint Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Federal Assault Conviction Arising from Ax AttackRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Edwin C. Johnson, 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Crownpoint, N.M., was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his assault conviction. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.
“This case and others like it are important reminders on why we must continue to work together to address the disproportionately high rates of violent crimes against Native American women and children,” said U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez. “I commend the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety for an outstanding investigation that made the defendant account for his criminal conduct and helped the victim and her family move forward with their course of healing.”
Director Jesse Delmar of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety said, “The Navajo Nation is very grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement officers in Crownpoint for pursuing this case and bringing justice to the victim.”
Johnson was arrested on Dec. 9, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the complaint, Johnson assaulted his girlfriend, a San Carlos Apache woman, with an ax on Dec. 7, 2015. The victim suffered a gash about four centimeters long and bloody discharge from both ears; she also experienced cranial pressure and swelling. Because the victim’s injuries were life threatening, she was flown by helicopter to the trauma hospital at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.
Johnson was subsequently indicted on Dec. 17, 2015, and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, an ax, with intent to do bodily harm, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and attempt to commit murder. The indictment alleged that Johnson committed the crime on Dec. 7, 2015, in Indian Country in McKinley County, N.M. On Jan. 25, 2016, Johnson pled guilty to all three charges.
This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Adams.
This case was brought as part of the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native American women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Covington Man Charged with Breaking into Gun Store, Stealing FirearmsRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Federal Grand Jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke has indicted a Covington man on federal gun charges related to the theft of a number of guns from a local business, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced today.
The Grand Jury has charged David Christopher Martin, 40, of Covington, Va., with one count of being a previously convicted felon illegally in possession of a firearm, one count of transporting stolen firearms and one count of stealing firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer.
According to the indictment returned today, on or about April 4, 2016, Martin broke into Mountain Top Hunting and Fishing, a federally licensed firearms dealer located in Covington, Virginia. After allegedly breaking into the business, Martin stole 24 firearms. Martin, who is a previously convicted felon and therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm, is accused of transporting the firearms in interstate commerce to South Carolina.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offices in Roanoke, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida, the Covington Police Department, the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office, the Bloomingdale, Georgia Police Department, Colleton County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina and the Nassau County Florida Sheriff’s Office. United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. and First Assistant United States Attorney Anthony P. Giorno will prosecute the case for the United States.
A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Coventry Man Charged with Providing False Information on Federal Firearms FormRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Bradley Allen, 25, of Coventry, was arrested on Wednesday and ordered to home confinement with GPS monitoring following his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on a federal criminal complaint charging him with making false statements on a federal firearms form and to a federally registered firearms dealer. It is alleged that, while attempting to purchase a firearm, Allen denied that he was the subject of a domestic violence restraining order issued by the Family Court, when in fact he is.
Allen’s arrest and initial appearance are announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of ATF.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, it is alleged that on February 13, 2016, Allen expressed an interest in purchasing a firearm from a licensed firearms dealer in West Warwick. Allen claimed on an ATF form, required to be completed by the purchaser of a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer, that he was not the subject of a protective order. A background investigation by law enforcement revealed that, according to court records, Allen is the subject of a domestic violence restraining order issued by the Rhode Island Family Court on December 1, 2014. The restraining order remains in effect for three years.
According to court records, on March 28, 2016, an ATF agent spoke by telephone with Allen regarding the information he allegedly provided on the ATF form. As a follow-up to that conversation, Allen was scheduled to appear in person at a local ATF office within the next two days to further discuss his alleged claim that he was not subject to a protective order. Allen failed to respond to the ATF office or contact the agent.
A federal criminal complaint charging Allen with one count of providing false statements to a firearms dealer and one count of making false statements on a federal firearms form was filed with the U.S. District Court on Monday. Allen was arrested on Wednesday by ATF agents, with the assistance of Coventry Police, and made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah. The matter was investigated by ATF.
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Contact:
Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
email: [email protected]
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Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Six Bank Robberies in Three StatesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that David Sandy Lee Parks, age 60, of New Haven, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to six bank robberies in Pennsylvania and two other states.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, in July 2015, a grand jury in Scranton returned a two-count Indictment alleging that Parks committed the armed robbery of the Peoples Security Bank, Duryea, on July 3, 2015 and the armed robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank, Plymouth, on July 10, 2015.
A subsequent Criminal Information charged Parks with four additional bank robberies:
- the Savings Institute Bank & Trust, Westerly, Rhode Island, on February 20, 2015;
- the Coastway Community Bank, Warwick, Rhode Island, on June 16, 2015;
- the Citizen’s Bank, Stonington, Connecticut, on June 24, 2015; and
- the First Niagara, Upper Macungie Township, PA, on July 17, 2015.
Today, Parks appeared before Senior United States District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik in Federal Court in Scranton, and pleaded guilty to all six robberies.
Parks has been in custody since July 17, 2015, the day officers from the Upper Macungie Police Department arrested and charged him with the robbery of the First Niagara Bank which occurred earlier that day.
The case was jointly investigated by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, the Duryea, Plymouth Township, Upper Macungie, Pittston, Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre Township, Plains Township, Jenkins Township, West Pittston, Edwardsville, Warwick, Rhode Island, Hanover, Kingston Police Departments, and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. The prosecution was conducted and coordinated by Assistant United States Attorney John Gurganus.
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. No date has been set for sentencing.
The maximum penalty under federal law for all the charges is 135 years of imprisonment, 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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Columbus Man Sentenced to 160 Months in Connection with Drug Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ramiro Nonato Mendoza, 39, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 160 months in prison for heroin and cocaine charges.
Benjamin C. Glassman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Timothy Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Paul Pride, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Donald J. Soranno, Special Agent in Charge, Columbus Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Marlon V. Miller, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott, announced the sentence handed down today by Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
Mendoza was one of 22 individuals charged by a superseding indictment in April 2015. According to court documents, the group operated a drug trafficking ring that involved numerous kilograms of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. The case also involved the illegal employment of unauthorized aliens and the possession of numerous firearms.
The defendants in this case attempted to launder their drug proceeds by purchasing vehicles, including a Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Sierra and Acura TSX. More than $208,000 and 11 firearms were seized during federal search warrants in connection with this case.
Mendoza pleaded guilty on November 4, 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin and more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of money laundering.
Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by law enforcement, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and David J. Bosley, who are representing the United States in this case.
Cleveland woman charged with filing false tax returns of friends and relatives, fraudulently claiming $131,000Read the Press Release
A Cleveland woman was named in a 21-count indictment, accused of filing false income tax returns on behalf of friends and relatives and fraudulently claiming more than $131,000, said Acting U.S. Attorney Carole Rendon and Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.
Monique Kirk, 39, held herself out as a tax preparer and offered to prepare returns from friends and relatives. Kirk used the personal information they provided to file false and fictitious returns, including false wage income and tax credit information, many for claimants who earned little or no money, according to the indictment.
Kirk requested some of the refunds be paid by direct deposit into bank accounts in the name of third parties that she controlled. Kirk converted his money to her own personal use, according to the indictment.
Kirk filed 21 false tax returns between 2012 and 2014 in which she claimed approximately $131,871 in tax refunds to which neither she nor the claimants were entitled, according to the indictment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Kendra Klump following an investigation by the IRS-CI.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Cleveland Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting Minors to California to Engage in Commercial Sex ActsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jarrail Lamont Smith, 23, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to two counts of interstate transportation of a minor for the purpose of prostitution, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in August 2015, Smith traveled from Cleveland to California with two minor victims with the expectation that they would engage in commercial sex acts with others for his benefit. Once they arrived in Northern California, he directed them to post advertisements for sexual services online. The investigation revealed multiple advertisements posted in the Bay area and Sacramento that featured photographs of both victims. After receiving a tip that one of the minors was being trafficked at a motel in Sacramento, the FBI initiated a sting operation to recover her. The operation was successful, and agents also found the other minor victim in the same hotel room. One of the minors had two black eyes when the FBI located her.
This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which is made up of FBI agents and detectives from the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michele Beckwith is prosecuting the case.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Troy L. Nunley on August 4, 2016. Smith faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Chicago-Based Financial Advisor Admits Steering Clients into Phony Investments and Pocketing the CashRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago-based financial advisor pleaded guilty in federal court today to pocketing her clients’ money after counseling them to purchase phony securities.
DELORES J. MOSIER admitted in a plea agreement that she advised her clients to invest in bogus debt securities purportedly called “Chicago Anticipatory Notes.” Mosier falsely represented that the notes were issued by the City of Chicago and would earn annual interest of 7% or higher, according to the plea agreement. The securities did not exist, and Mosier pocketed the investment money, the plea agreement states. The government contends that Mosier fraudulently obtained more than $4.2 million from approximately nine victims.
Mosier, 72, of La Porte, Ind., pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greater.
U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman scheduled a sentencing hearing for Aug. 12, 2016, at 9:30 a.m.
Mosier is a licensed financial broker and investor who operated Chicago-based D.J. Mosier and Associates Inc. According to the plea agreement, Mosier told her clients to make their investment checks payable to “Chicago Anticipatory Note,” knowing that she had opened a bank account in her name that was titled “CAN.” Mosier deposited the clients’ checks into the account and used the money for her own benefit, including purchasing household expenses and making mortgage payments on a property in La Porte, Ind., according to the plea agreement.
Mosier concealed the scheme by using some of the money to make purported interest payments to other victims who had also purchased the fictitious notes. She attempted to make the scam appear legitimate by providing the victims with fraudulent documents that she created, including fictitious disclosure statements, phony quarterly interest statements, and bogus balance statements that purported to reflect the clients’ growing investment proceeds.
The guilty plea was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yusef Dale.
Cape Coral Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John E. Steele has sentenced Yaisel Rodriguez (25, Cape Coral) to 20 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The Court also ordered him to forfeit his computer, tablet, a thumb drive, and two DVDs that were used to commit the offense. Rodriguez pleaded guilty on January 5, 2016.
According to court documents, on four separate occasions between April 2014 and January 2015, an FBI agent was able to download files depicting child pornography that Rodriguez had made available for sharing over the Internet.
On March 5, 2015, the FBI executed a search warrant at Rodriguez’s home. During the course of an interview with agents, he disclosed that he had been downloading and viewing child pornography since he was a teenager. He also told agents that he had recently ended a two-year relationship with a minor boy who lived in Ohio. Rodriguez said that he had met the boy in a chat room and the two later communicated via Skype and Facebook. Rodriguez also told the agents that he and the boy had exchanged naked photographs and videos.
Rodriguez further admitted that he had traveled to Ohio on at least three occasions to visit the boy, stayed in his home, and that one of his visits had lasted for a month. According to Rodriguez, in the summer of 2013, the boy and his mother traveled to Cape Coral and stayed in Rodriguez’s home for two weeks. Rodriguez said that he and the boy had shared a bedroom, and that he had taken sexually explicit images of and with the minor during this stay.
A subsequent digital forensic examination of the computer and media found in Rodriguez’s bedroom revealed that he had collected more than 120 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, more than 500 images and 20 videos depicting the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct were recovered.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Cape Coral Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
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.
California Man Sentenced to over 16 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A California man was sentenced today to 16 years and three months in prison for producing child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert of the Eastern District of California, Special Agent in Charge Ryan Spradlin of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Francisco Field Division and Chief of Police Robert D. Landon of the Yuba City, California, Police Department.
Nathan Penner, 26, of Yuba City, California, pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2015, to one count of production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley of the Eastern District of California sentenced Penner today and also ordered him to serve a lifetime term of supervised release.
In connection with his plea, Penner admitted to producing sexually explicit images and videos of a five-year old minor in September and October of 2012. Evidence revealed that Penner shared hundreds of files of child pornography located on his computer and distributed such material using an online chat messaging service.
This case was investigated by HSI and the Yuba City Police Department. Trial Attorney Reginald E. Jones of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh F. Sigal of the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case. CEOS’ High Technology Investigative Unit assisted with computer forensic analysis for the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
California Man Pleads Guilty in Biofuels Stock Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A southern California man has pleaded guilty to defrauding 157 persons of over $4 million from 2009 through 2011 by selling them worthless, unregistered stock in a number of purported biofuels development businesses, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada.
Gilbert R. Rousseau, 57, of North Hollywood, Calif., pleaded guilty on May 4, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and agreed to pay restitution of approximately $4.4 million. Rousseau is released on a personal recognizance bond pending sentencing, and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the plea agreement, from January 2009 to February 2012, Rousseau and five conspirators defrauded the victims, many of whom were elderly, by selling them worthless, unregistered securities in the form of stock and stock purchase warrants in four Nevada limited liability companies. The companies, Go Green Home Stores, U.S. Biofuels, Vista Biofuels, and G-Tec Biofuels, were not established or operated to sell goods or services, but were actually fronts for the fraud scheme. Rousseau and the conspirators also created and used two other Nevada companies, G.G.H. Marketing and A.G.M. Marketing Group, to market the worthless securities. Rousseau and the conspirators set up and operated websites for the companies that contained material misrepresentations and false promises to make them look legitimate and designed to get the victims to part with their money. The victims were solicited throughout the United States by telephone from call rooms operated by conspirators in California and Las Vegas. Some of the companies used Las Vegas addresses to receive funds from the victims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Cowhig.
This prosecution is part of efforts underway by President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. For more information about the task force visit: www.stopfraud.com.
Buffalo Men Arrested on Drug 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 Peter Stallworth, 40, and Dwayne Posey, 41, both of Buffalo, NY, have been charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in October 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Cheektowaga Police began an investigation after learning that Stallworth was allegedly distributing cocaine and methamphetamine in the Western New York area. The complaint further states that Stallworth’s source of supply was Posey.
During the course of the investigation, a confidential source (CS) made multiple purchases of methamphetamine from Stallworth which he received from Posey. The investigation also utilized court ordered wiretaps of the defendants’ cellular telephones.
Posey made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and is being held pending a detention hearing on May 6, 2016. Stallworth was arrested on state charges in Pennsylvania and will be brought to the Western District of New York for his initial appearance on the federal charge at a later date.
The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, new York Field Division and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Buffalo Man Sentenced on Drug 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 Ivan Hernandez, 24, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who handled the case, stated that law enforcement officers intercepted a package mailed from Puerto Rico to a residence on Hudson Street in Buffalo. The package contained a set of audio speakers, secreted inside, four packets of cocaine, each weighing approximately one-eighth of a kilogram. Hernandez attempted to retrieve the package as it was delivered and was arrested after a sensor alerted that the package was opened.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division.
Broker Admits Lying to Investigators and Obstructing La Jolla Bank Bribery InvestigationRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily W. Allen (619) 546-9738 and Nicholas W. Pilchak (619) 546-9709
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – May 5, 2016
SAN DIEGO – Jocelyn J. Brown, a loan broker for the now-defunct La Jolla Bank, pleaded guilty today to making false statements in relation to an investigation into bribes paid to the bank’s Vice President and Small Business Administration (“SBA”) lending department manager Amalia Martinez.
As part of her guilty plea, Brown admitted that she paid cash bribes in return for the banker’s assurance that the loans Brown referred would be approved and funded, and, therefore, that Brown’s commissions would be paid. Brown collected tens of thousands of dollars in referral fees from La Jolla Bank, and kicked back a portion to the bank manager, in cash, every time she was paid.
La Jolla Bank was a bank and financial services company that provided consumer, business, and construction loans. It opened its SBA lending department in 2005. In February 2010, the bank failed, and was taken over by the FDIC. At the time of its failure, the bank had outstanding debt of over $1 billion, which the FDIC absorbed—and ultimately passed on to the American taxpayers.
According to the plea agreement, Brown worked as an unofficial broker for La Jolla Bank, referring business loan customers to the bank’s SBA department. As part of this job, Brown helped her borrowers compile their loan application packages and submit them to the bank. In return for generating business, La Jolla Bank paid Brown a commission or referral fee, calculated as a percentage of each loan she referred.
Brown admitted that in 2006, Martinez asked her to kick back a portion of her commissions, in cash, after her clients’ loans were funded. In turn, Martinez would make sure that Brown’s clients’ loans were approved so that Brown could collect commission payments, regardless of the soundness of the loans and their benefit to the bank. In addition, the Martinez arranged to pay Brown a fraudulent $30,000 “commission” for a loan she in fact had no part in brokering. Brown went so far as to generate a fake invoice, pretending that she had earned the commission.
Brown admitted that she lied to law enforcement agents by concealing these bribe payments and hiding her relationship with Martinez. During the investigation, she told federal agents, falsely, that she never saw Martinez accept money in exchange for loans. And despite the fact that she and Martinez traded several phone calls and text messages and had a sit-down meeting in June 2014, Brown falsely reported to federal agents in September 2014 that she had not spoken to or seen Martinez since before she learned about the federal investigation. In her plea agreement, Brown acknowledged that her false statements significantly impeded the investigation of Martinez.
Since then, however, Martinez has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, and admitted that she and other senior La Jolla Bank executives accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash bribes and kickbacks from borrowers in return for issuing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans. The bank management issued the loans knowing that the borrowers were unqualified and unlikely to repay, and their mismanagement contributed to the bank’s billion-dollar collapse. Martinez admitted that she participated in a conspiracy with the bank’s senior executives to line their own pockets with bribe money.
Two other defendants have been charged in related cases. SBA borrower Annand Sluman pled guilty and admitted paying cash bribes to Martinez in return for several SBA loans he was issued between 2006 and 2008. By 2008, Sliuman was not financially qualified to borrow money, so he submitted fraudulent documents as part of his loan application that made his businesses appear to be financially sound. Sliuman’s assistant, Laura Ortuondo, assisted in creating the fraudulent loan documents. She pled guilty to making false statements to investigators about her involvement in the case; as part of her plea, she also admitted that she destroyed evidence and instructed her then-husband to testify falsely on her behalf to help cover up the crime.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19, 2016 at 9 a.m. by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia.
DEFENDANT Case Number 15CR2049-AJB
Jocelyn J. Brown, Age: 60 San Diego, CA
CHARGE
Making a false statement to a federal agent, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001
Maximum Penalties: 5 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, $100 special assessment, restitution.
RELATED DEFENDANTS AND CHARGES
Amalia Martinez, 15CR2471-AJB Age 52 San Diego, CA
Conspiracy to misapply bank funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371
Maximum Penalties: 5 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary loss or gain, three years supervised release, $100 special assessment, restitution.
Annand Sliuman, 13CR3673-AJB Age 37 Spring Valley, CA
Bank bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 215
Maximum Penalties: 30 years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine or three times the value of the thing given, offered, or promised, five years’ supervised release, $100 special assessment, restitution.
Laura Ortuondo, 13CR3879-AJB Age 36 Cupertino, CA
Making a false statement to a federal agent, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001
Maximum Penalties: 5 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, $100 special assessment, restitution.
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General
Department of the Treasury – Office of Inspector General
Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General
Brighton Man Sentenced in Child Pornography CaseRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Joseph Lamica, 26, of Brighton, NY, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to 168 months in prison and 40 supervised release by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that Lamica was a babysitter who advertised his services on Care.com and Craigslist.com. A family the defendant was working for discovered that Lamica was engaging in inappropriate behavior with the family’s nine-year-old child and terminated the babysitting contract. Thereafter, the defendant attempted to approach the child at school.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant and searched Lamica’s residence. Deputies found materials and notebooks with writings expressing the defendant’s interest in young children. Another search warrant was obtained for Lamica’s digital media hardware which contained images of child pornography, and a video of another minor the defendant babysat in 2014.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Child Exploitation Task Force which includes the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations.
Allen Man Pleads Guilty to Domestic Assault by StrangulationRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that CHANCE ADRIAN GRIFFIN, age 21, of Allen, Oklahoma pled guilty to DOMESTIC ASSAULT BY STRANGULATION, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1153, 1151 and 113(a)(8), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about January 20, 2016, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Indian Country, within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, the defendant, CHANCE ADRIAN GRIFFIN, an Indian, assaulted an intimate partner, by strangulation.
The charge is a result of an investigation by the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Sentencing will be scheduled following its completion. The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Shelly Harrison represented the United States.
Airgas Doral, Inc. Convicted of Hazmat Transportation and Permit ViolationsRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Marlies Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Transportation (DOT-OIG), Office of Inspector General, announced that Airgas Doral, Inc. (Airgas Doral) pled guilty today before United States District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr., to a fourteen count criminal information, charging the corporation with willfully and recklessly violating the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, Title 49, United States Code, Sections 5124(a), (c)-(d), based on its violations of hazardous materials regulations (HMR), and DOT Special Permit (SP) 11186. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Airgas Doral and the government agreed to recommend the imposition of a $7,000,000 fine ($500,000 per count of conviction) to be paid by Airgas Doral, and guaranteed by its corporate parent and 100% owner, Airgas, Inc. and that Airgas Doral be subject to a two year term of probation.
“The safe transport of hazardous materials is of paramount importance,” stated U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer. “Working as partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Transportation are committed to the prosecution of individuals and corporations that willfully and recklessly violate the hazardous materials laws, regulations, and permits which are in effect to protect the nation and our community from potential harm.”
"The guilty plea entered into today by Airgas Doral, resulting from the company’s violation of hazmat laws, regulations, and a special permit demonstrates that ensuring the safety of the Nation’s transportation systems remains a high priority for both the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Transportation (DOT),” said Marlies T. Gonzalez, DOT-OIG regional Special Agent-in-Charge. “Working with our Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and prosecutorial colleagues, we will continue our efforts to enforce the hazardous materials laws against those who compromise the integrity of DOT’s hazmat safety program.”
According to the court record, Airgas Doral, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airgas, Inc. which is a leading U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases and hard-goods, and is the successor in interest to the former Airgas South, Inc. (Airgas South), pertaining to the Miami fill plant business.
According to court documents, including the information and an agreed upon factual statement in support of the plea, between March 12, 2008 and May 14, 2008, the Miami fill plant then operated by Airgas South, made eight shipments of argon, cryogenic liquefied gas in intermodal portable tanks, or ISOs, covered by requirements of SP 11186 and the HMR, but failed to comply with HMR and SP 11186 requirements pertinent to transporting refrigerated liquefied gas, under pressure, in such containers, including: recording the applicability of SP 11186 on shipping papers; failing to provide carriers a copy of SP 11186; and failing to conduct physical inspections of ISOs, and to take and record required readings of the ISO’s pressure and ambient temperature, as well as required computations of travel time. Airgas South also failed to provide Miami fill plant hazmat employees and managers, required function specific training concerning their handling of the argon shipments in ISOs covered by SP 11186.
According to the court record, including the factual statement, the violations at the Miami fill plant were discovered when the means of containment of an ISO offered for transportation by Airgas South on May 14, 2008, failed, releasing argon gas in the hold of a vessel at Port Everglades. Three stevedores who entered the vessel’s hold were asphyxiated and died as a result of their exposure to argon gas in that confined space. Although other parties handled the ISO after it left the Miami fill plant, Airgas South was the shipper of record and offeror of the ISO for transportation, making it responsible for performing pre-transportation functions, including preparing shipping papers complying with the HMR and SP 11186 requirements, and certifying the hazmat was in proper condition for shipment. However, subsequent investigation revealed Miami fill plant hazmat employees and managers failed to perform required physical inspections of the ISOs, including a visual inspection of all emergency pressure relief devices for corrosion, distortion, or any damage or defect that could prevent normal operation, which resulted in Airgas South offering for transportation, an ISO which should not have been shipped, as it failed to meet the pre-transportation requirements of SP 11186 and the HMR necessary for legal shipment. Additionally, shipping papers accompanying the container failed to include a copy of SP 11186, as required, or to reference SP 11186, or include any notation of the tank’s pressure, ambient temperature, or computation of travel time. The investigation also revealed Airgas South hazmat employees and managers were unfamiliar with SP 11186 requirements, despite Airgas South, its corporate parent and related corporate group holding and operating under, in excess of 100 similar special permits, and having a training and compliance division intended to address training issues for all subsidiaries and members of the corporate group.
Judge Scola scheduled sentencing for May 26, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. At sentencing Airgas Doral faces a criminal fine of up to $7,000,000, or twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss caused to any victims of the offense, whichever is greater; restitution; and up to 5 years of organizational probation.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of DOT-OIG, and the technical and support assistance provided by the DOT-Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Bonau of the Economic and Environmental Crimes Section.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
ABT Member Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison on Methamphetamine Trafficking Conspiracy and Firearm ConvictionsRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Convicted Aryan Brotherhood of Texas member Casey Rose, 36, of Mesquite, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to life in federal prison, following his conviction at trial in September 2015 on conspiracy, drug trafficking and firearm charges, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Specifically, the jury convicted Rose on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Boyle sentenced him to life in federal prison on the conspiracy conviction, 240 months on the possession conviction and 120 months on the firearm conviction, all to run concurrently.
Rose has been in custody since his arrest in mid-November 2014 following a law enforcement operation led by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division (DPS-CID). During that operation, 37 individuals were arrested and charged with similar federal offenses, stemming from their respective roles in a drug distribution conspiracy that operated in North Texas and elsewhere from January 2013 to October 2014. Of those arrested, each defendant pleaded guilty, except Rose, who elected to go to trial. One defendant remains a fugitive.
In November 2015, during the second phase of that investigation, an additional 54 individuals, members and associates of various white supremacist organizations, were charged with federal offenses stemming from their roles in the same drug distribution conspiracy that operated in North Texas and elsewhere from January 2013 to November 2015. Most of these defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Rose was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT). Many of the defendants were members of, or associated with white supremacist organizations, such as the ABT, the “Aryan Circle,” the “Irish Mob,” and the “Dirty White Boys.” Despite their differences, they would often collaborate for purposes of drug distribution or other illegal ventures.
The government presented evidence at trial that Rose purchased and distributed methamphetamine throughout the Dallas metroplex and used violence in obtaining large quantities of methamphetamine. The trial also included expert testimony regarding the formation, history, and mission of the ABT.
The DPS-CID Gang Unit and the Dallas Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit led the investigation. Officer and agents from the Garland Police Department Neighborhood Police Officer Unit, the Mesquite and Rockwall Police Departments and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also provided assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney P. J. Meitl is in charge of prosecuting the nearly 100 defendants charged in these two cases.
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Wednesday 4 May 2016
Webb City Man Indicted for Transporting a Minor for Illicit SexRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Webb City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for transporting a minor across state lines for illicit sex.
Ricky Raymond Ball, 49, of Webb City, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that Ball transported a minor under the age of 17, identified as “Jane Doe,” across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual activity.
Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, the Webb City, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
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."
Washington, Pa., Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Heroin and FentanylRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Washington, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violation federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Quenten Vaden, 33, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on or about Feb. 11, 2016, Vaden distributed and possessed with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing for Aug. 22, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, 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 Attorneys Katherine A. King and Ross E. Lenhardt are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington County Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, and numerous local police departments including the Canonsburg Police Department, the Donora Police Department, the Monessen Police Department, and the Charleroi Police Department, as well as the Washington County Coroner’s Office, and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Quenten Vaden.
Wapato Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Sexually Assaulting ChildRead the Press Release
Yakima – Today, Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Charles Pete Eyle, age 52, of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation, was sentenced after having previously been being convicted of two counts of Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor and one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Separately, Eyle was convicted of being a previously convicted felon in possession of ammunition. Senior District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Eyle to a life term of imprisonment.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on July 3, 2014, Eyle sexually assaulted a young child. The assault was reported to law enforcement later that day. A family member transported the young child to the hospital where a sexual assault examination was completed. Evidence obtained from the examination was subsequently sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, where Eyle’s DNA was recovered.
The Yakama Nation Police Department and the FBI investigated the matter. During the investigation, law enforcement officers quickly discovered that Eyle had two prior convictions, which had involved sexual acts with children. The officers applied for and obtained a court-authorized warrant to search Eyle’s residence. Among other items, the officers discovered a box of ammunition in Eyle’s bedroom.
On June 3, 2015, following a three day trial, a jury found the Eyle guilty of the sexual abuse charges. In a separate trial, on November 23, 2015, a jury found him guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of ammunition.
Michael C. Ormsby said, “I commend the Yakama Nation Police Department, the Wapato Police Department, the FBI and the ATF for their thorough investigation of this case and exemplary working partnership. The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to protect children who live within the Eastern District of Washington. My Office will continue to prosecute aggressively and seek lengthy sentences to remove dangerous sex offenders from our streets.
In this case, the Wapato Police Department and the ATF were instrumental in following through with the investigation. The Yakama Nation Police Department and the FBI conducted a lengthy investigation, conducted dozens of interviews, spent countless hours developing the case, and processed all of the evidence to ensure that justice would prevail.”
This investigation was completed by the Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department, the FBI, the Wapato Police Department, and ATF. The case was prosecuted by Tom Hanlon, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 28 Months in Prison for Traveling into the District of Columbia to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a MinorRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Wesley Breeden, 30, of Springfield, Va., was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Breeden pled guilty to the charge in February 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Upon completion of his prison term, Breeden will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years.
According to the government's evidence, on July 30, 2015, Breeden contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. Over the next several days, Breeden engaged in e-mail and text-messaging conversations with the undercover officer. During the course of these conversations, Breeden arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with a female who was a minor. On Aug. 4, 2015, Breeden traveled from Virginia to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C. When he arrived, he was arrested. He has been in custody ever since.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Chief Lanier commended the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case.
Violent Felon Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Illegal GunRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA –United States Attorney Walt Green announced that Michel Keith Lands, age 42, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been sentenced to a total of 125 months in federal prison as a result of possessing a firearm while a convicted felon and violating the terms of his supervised release.
In the early hours of November 14, 2014, Baton Rouge City Police (BRPD) was called to a home on Byron Street. The caller told police that Lands had a gun, had fired a shot, and was attempting to kill the occupants of the home. After a struggle, BRPD apprehended Lands and recovered two spent .40 caliber shell casings and recovered one expended bullet slug all from inside the house. The BRPD also recovered a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with four live .40 caliber rounds in the magazine. Lands had previously been convicted of federal and state felony offenses which prohibited him from ever possessing any type of firearm.
Based on the November 2014 incident, Lands was indicted and convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Senior U.S. District Court Judge James J. Brady today sentenced Lands to 110 months imprisonment. Also, because Lands was on federal supervised release at the time of the November 2014 incident, the Court found that Lands violated the terms of his supervised release and sentenced him to an additional 15 months in federal prison for the violation.
U.S. Attorney Walt Green stated: “This is another example of the danger posed by felons with guns. Keeping our communities safe from such criminals will continue to be one of my office’s highest priorities.”
This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III and investigated by the Baton Rouge Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Verona Man Charged with Robbery of First Commonwealth Bank in EdgewoodRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of bank robbery, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count indictment, returned on May 3, named Christopher Gregg, age 44, of Verona, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on or about Feb. 22, 2016, Gregg robbed First Commonwealth Bank, located at 1105 S. Braddock Avenue, in Edgewood, PA 15218. The bank is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Allegheny County Police and Edgewood Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney's Office and DEA announce Prescription Drug Take-Back results for West VirginiaRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration announced today that over 5,800 pounds of unwanted, unused, and expired prescription drugs were collected throughout West Virginia as part of the most recent National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. As a result of the April 30th Take-Back event, participating law enforcement agencies in West Virginia took in a total of 5,876 pounds from citizens and households around the state.
“Prescription drug abuse is an issue that touches all West Virginians,” said Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto. “DEA’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Day events continue to be successful here because all of us want to take an active role in preventing drug abuse. Removing unused prescription medication from the home and properly disposing of it helps keep our communities safer.”
“This event works because of the strong partnerships between DEA and federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said DEA Resident Agent in Charge Suzan Williamson. “National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day allows us to work together to cut off a significant source of the drug supply. We will continue fighting drug abuse by providing a safe place for West Virginians to get rid of their unused prescription medication.”
As part of DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day held in April, there were over 100 collection sites throughout West Virginia for the disposal of unused, unwanted, and expired prescription medication.
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Topeka Man Sentenced for Armed Robbery of ATM AttendantRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka man was sentenced Wednesday to 40 months in federal prison for robbing a man whose job was to stock ATMs with cash, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Pattrick J. Towner, 26, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery. In his plea, he admitted the robbery took place Sept. 16, 2014, at the Low Cost Plus Convenience Store at 3101 S.E. 6th Street in Topeka. When the victim tried to restock the ATM machine in the store with cash, Towner entered the store wearing a mask and brandishing a firearm. Towner took the victim’s money and keys and then fled the scene driving the victim’s vehicle.
Co-defendant Ahmad Salim Salti, 21, Topeka, was sentenced to 24 months after pleading guilty to helping plan the robbery.
Beall commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.
Toledo man faces firearm chargeRead the Press Release
An indictment was filed charigng Antwuan T. Lawson, 35, of Toledo, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, said Carole S. Rendon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigating agency in this case is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. Weldon.
This case is being prosecuted as part of "Project Safe Neighborhoods," a gun violence reduction program administered by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio. The program targets armed criminals for federal prosecution.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The burden of proof is always on the government to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Tohono O’odham Man to Serve a Combined Sentence of 39 Months of Imprisonment for Domestic Violence AssaultRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On May 2, 2016, Kyle Wesley Street, 29, of Sells, Ariz., a member of the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 27 months of imprisonment, consecutive to a tribal sentence of 12 months’ incarceration. Street had previously pleaded guilty to assault of an intimate partner by attempted strangulation.
On Oct. 17, 2014, Tohono O’odham police officers responded to a 911 call about a domestic incident involving attempted strangulation where victim lost consciousness during the assault. Citing prior instances of domestic violence by Street upon the victim, the need to protect the public and the victim from further acts of domestic violence, and noting that the defendant had served 12 months of tribal custody for the offense, the court sentenced Street to 27 months in prison with a term of supervised release to follow. The total tribal and federal sentence for the offense is 39 months of imprisonment. The victim is also a member of the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Tohono O’odham Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Raquel Arellano, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.
CASE NUMBER: CR-15-00434-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2016-041_Street
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Three Men Indicted Federally on Heroin Related ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Curtis Mitchell, age 37, Harrisburg, Eddie Viera, age 42, Shippensburg, and Brandon Brooks, age 26, York, were indicted in three separate cases today by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg.
According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Mitchell is charged with the sale of heroin and possession of a short-barreled shotgun. He was arrested by the Harrisburg Police Department at his residence during the execution of a search warrant on November 16, 2015. Police had previously observed Mitchell allegedly selling heroin out of his home. During the search, police allegedly found a short-barreled shotgun under Mitchell’s mattress. Short-barreled shotguns violate the Federal Firearms Act if not properly registered, and, as a convicted felon, Mitchell is prohibited from possessing any firearm.
The matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Harrisburg Police Department. The maximum penalty for this offense is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
Viera is charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin. He was arrested by the Pennsylvania State Police on February 15, 2016 near mile marker 77 of Interstate 81 after a high speed pursuit for nearly 20 miles. Along the route of the pursuit, Troopers found over 950 individual packets of heroin which Viera allegedly had thrown out the window of his car. Viera was already the subject of an arrest warrant after members of the Franklin County Drug Task Force observed him allegedly distributing heroin and found over 70 individual packets of heroin in his apartment in December 2014.
The matter was investigated by the Franklin County Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The maximum penalty for this offense is up to 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
Brooks is charged with possession with the intent to distribute heroin. He was stopped by West York Police for Driving Under the Influence on November 27, 2015. During the arrest, officers found 9 bundles, or 90 individual packets, of heroin on Brooks.
The matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the West York Police Department and York County District Attorney’s Office. The maximum penalty for this offense is up to 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
All three cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Ford.
These cases were brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the heroin initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
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.
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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Thirty-Two Gangster Disciples Members Federally Indicted on RICO ChargesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Federal agents have arrested multiple members and associates of the national gang The Gangster Disciples on RICO charges stemming from an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on April 27, 2016. Agents also arrested Gangster Disciples members on a separate indictment handed down in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Atlanta has historically been resistant to the incursion of these national gangs, but unfortunately today’s indictment shows how this landscape has changed in just the last few years, as the Gangster Disciples are only one of several gangs that now boast a strong foothold,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “These charges show how a national gang like Gangster Disciples can wreak havoc here and in communities across the country, with crimes that run the gamut from murder to drug trafficking to credit card fraud. Within Georgia, the leadership of the Gangster Disciples resided mostly in metro Atlanta, yet the reach of the crimes committed extended into far south and west Georgia. We hope this indictment warns the leaders of these gangs that Atlanta is not a good place to do business.”
“It is the very of core of law enforcement’s mission to ensure that everyone feels safe in their homes and neighborhoods, and it is a hard reality that many people across our country simply do not enjoy this basic sense of security because of gangs like the Gangster Disciples,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. “That is why it is so significant that today’s indictments charge top leaders within the Gangster Disciples. There are a lot of people out there willing to join gangs, and eager to get easy money from criminal activity. But there are far fewer people with the wherewithal to lead organizations like the Gangster Disciples. These are the people who keep gangs like the Gangster Disciples alive, year in and year out, generation after generation. Cases like these make a difference, and I want to thank all the law enforcement and U.S. Attorney Office and Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecutors who worked so hard to build this case.”
“Today’s Gangster Disciple arrests across nine states merely marks the first wave of the FBI’s strategic campaign to dismantle this violent criminal organization. The Gangster Disciples are a highly-organized and ruthless gang that recognizes no geographical boundaries, and its members have far too long indiscriminately preyed upon and infected the good people of our communities like a cancer. The FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Forces recognize no boundaries either, and we are committed to identifying, disrupting and dismantling the most violent gangs that seek to harm our communities. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to seeing this campaign through, and once and for all putting an end to the Gangster Disciples’ reign of violence,” 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: Beginning in 2009, the defendants named in the RICO conspiracy charge committed murder, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, arson, firearm crimes, drug trafficking, wire fraud, bank fraud, credit card fraud, prostitution and obstruction of justice and other crimes in furtherance of the Gangster Disciples.
The Gangster Disciples are a national gang active in approximately 24 states, including Georgia. The Gangster Disciples brought money into the gang through, among other things, drug trafficking, robbery, carjacking, extortion, wire fraud, credit card fraud, insurance fraud and bank fraud. The gang protected its power and operation through threats, intimidation and violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault, and obstruction of justice. It also promoted the Gangster Disciples enterprise through member-only activities, including conference calls, celebrations of the birthday of the Gangster Disciples founder, the annual Gangster Ball, award ceremonies, and other events.
The gang also provided financial and other support to members charged with or incarcerated for gang-related offenses, and members who were fugitives from law enforcement would be provided “safe houses” in which to hide from police. To introduce the criminal nature of the Gangster Disciples to a new member, older members and leaders in the various local groups ordered newer members to commit crimes, including murder, robbery and drug trafficking. Further, Gangster Disciples members would teach other members how to commit certain crimes, including fraud crimes, and would provide drugs on discount to other Gangster Disciples members who would then resell the drugs.
Members were organized into different positions, including board members and governor-of-governors who each controlled geographic regions; governors, assistant governors, chief enforcers, and chief of security for each state where Gangster Disciples were active; and coordinators and leaders within each local group. To enforce discipline among Gangster Disciples and adherence to the strict rules and structure, members and associates were routinely fined, beaten, and even murdered, for failing to follow rules.
The indictment alleges that Gangster Disciples members committed 10 murders, 12 attempted murders, two robberies, the extortion of rap artists to force the artists to become affiliated with the Gangster Disciples, and fraud resulting in losses of over $450,000. In addition, the Gangster Disciples trafficked in large amounts of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, illegal prescription drugs, and marijuana. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of 34 different firearms seized as part of the investigation.
In the Georgia indictment alone, the grand jury indicted Gangster Disciples members from multiple cities in the state to include Atlanta, Decatur, Stone Mountain, Marietta, Valdosta, Macon, and Cochran. They also arrested gang members in Birmingham, Alabama; Denver, Colorado; Wichita, Kansas; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Madison, Wisconsin; and San Jose, California.
The RICO conspiracy charge names the following defendants and their alleged roles within the Gangster Disciples:
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Shauntay Craig, 37, of Birmingham, Alabama, held the rank of Gangster Disciples “Board Member”.
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Vancito Gumbs, 25, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples while at the same time serving as a police officer with the DeKalb County Police Department.
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Alonzo Walton, 47, of Atlanta, Georgia, held at different relevant times the positions of governor and governor of governors, the latter position controlling Georgia, Florida, Texas, Indiana, and South Carolina.
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Mangwiro Sadiki-Yisrael, 43, of Marietta, Georgia, held at different relevant times the positions of a first coordinator, assistant governor of Georgia, and governor of Georgia.
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Kevin Clayton, 43, of Decatur, Georgia, was the chief enforcer for the State of Georgia.
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Donald Glass, 26, of Decatur, Georgia, served as a first coordinator of the eastside group of the Gangster Disciples.
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Lewis Mobely, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, was an enforcer.
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Vertious Wall, 40, of Marietta, Georgia, was a first coordinator for the Macon Gangster Disciples group.
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Adrian Jackson, 37, of San Jose, California, was the national treasurer for the Gangster Disciples.
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Terrence Summers, 45, of Birmingham, Alabama, held at different relevant times the positions of governor of Alabama and governor of governors for Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida.
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Markell White, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, was a regional leader in Macon.
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Ronald McMorris, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was first coordinator of the Atlanta group.
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Perry Green, 29, of Decatur, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples and acted as enforcer of a Gangster Disciples group.
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Dereck Taylor, 29, of Macon, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples and acted as security for a Macon group.
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Alvis O’Neal, 37, of Denver, Colorado, was a senior member of and drug trafficker for the Gangster Disciples.
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Jeremiah Covington, 32, of Valdosta, Georgia, was a first coordinator for the Valdosta region.
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Antonio Ahmad, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia, was the chief of security for the state of Georgia.
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Eric Manney, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples and stored multiple guns at his house.
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Quiana Franklin, 33, of Birmingham, Alabama, served as treasurer for the state of Alabama.
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Frederick Johnson, 37, of Marietta, Georgia, was a chief enforcer for a Gangster Disciples group.
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Charles Wingate, 25, of Conyers, Georgia, was chief of security for a Covington, Georgia, group.
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Thomas Pasby, 42, of Cochran, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Denise Carter, 41, of Detroit, Michigan, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Carlton King, JR., 25, of Cochran, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Kelvin Sneed, 26, of Cochran, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Arrie Freeney, 32, of Detroit, Michigan, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Myrick Stevens, 26, of Madison, Wisconsin, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Curtis Thomas, 45, of Cochran, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Yohori Epps, 36, of Marietta, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
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Michael Drummound, 49, of Marietta, Georgia, was a member of the Gangster Disciples.
In addition to the RICO conspiracy:
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Defendant Lewis Mobely was charged with committing attempted murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during that shooting; possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug charge.
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Defendant Donald Glass was charged with committing a murder in aid of racketeering and using a firearm during that murder.
Defendants Alonzo Walton and Antonio Ahmad were also charged with carjacking. A third defendant, Laderris Dickerson, 45, of Chicago, Illinois, has been charged with the carjacking, but is not charged in the RICO conspiracy.
Defendant James Travis Riley, 35, of Wichita, Kansas¸ has been charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it, but is not charged in the RICO conspiracy.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Atlanta’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force (composed of members of the FBI, Alpharetta Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, DeKalb Police Department, Forest Park Police Department, Georgia Dept. of Community Supervision, Georgia Dept. of Corrections, Gwinnett County Police Department, and Marietta Police Department), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the United States Marshal’s Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Services.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kim S. Dammers, Stephanie Gabay-Smith, and Ryan K. Buchanan, and DOJ Organized Crime & Gang Section Trial Attorney Hans B. Miller are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga
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Tennessee Man Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Operating Sex Trafficking EnterpriseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that Granville Robinson, 27, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 294 months in prison for his role in operating a sex trafficking scheme out of the Riviera Motel in New Orleans, using force and threats to compel multiple women to engage in prostitution for the defendants’ profit in New Orleans and elsewhere.
On Feb. 3, 2016, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking. A restitution hearing is scheduled for July 13, 2016. Six other defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the case, and are awaiting sentencing.
“Trafficking in human beings is abhorrent to our nation’s belief in freedom, dignity, and individual rights,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is deeply committed to seeking justice on behalf of vulnerable individuals, and we will continue to be unwavering in our commitment to restoring the lives of human trafficking victims and survivors, and to holding human traffickers accountable.”
“Of the seven defendants convicted in this prosecution, Robinson was the most violent,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite of the Eastern District of Louisiana. “He regularly used physical abuse to coerce vulnerable victims – including a pregnant woman – into a life of prostitution for his benefit. Today's lengthy sentence was certainly warranted, and it reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that human traffickers like Robinson are held accountable for their criminal actions.”
“Today, we have removed Granville Robinson not just off of the streets of Louisiana, but also from the streets of America,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet of the FBI’s New Orleans Office. “He is nothing short of a predator who took advantage of and abused vulnerable women. His need for control and greed comes to an end today with this lengthy sentence he so justly deserves.”
“Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that ICE Homeland Security Investigations fights as one of its highest priorities via a coordinated global effort with the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans. “The results speak for themselves; over the past two years HSI has doubled its number of human trafficking arrests. HSI will continue to investigate and seek prosecution of these criminals while also ensuring the victims of this terrible crime are rescued and get the care they need.”
On Oct. 3 2014, Robinson and co-defendants Duane Phillips, Christopher Williams, Anthony Ellis and Laquentin Brown were charged in a second superseding indictment with sex trafficking conspiracy and varying counts of sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. An additional defendant, Kanubhai Patel, who owned the Riviera Motel where the sex trafficking scheme was based, was charged in the same indictment with benefitting financially from sex trafficking. A seventh defendant, Zacchaeus Taylor, was charged separately on March 28, 2014.
According to Robinson’s admissions during his plea hearing and other court documents, he enforced strict rules on the women he trafficked as part of his conspiracy. These rules included requiring the women to earn a minimum amount each day, to provide him with all of their earnings and to seek his permission to stop prostituting for the night. Robinson confiscated some women’s identification to make it harder for them to leave, and forced some to get tattoos signifying that they belonged to him. When the women broke the rules or did not earn enough money, Robinson physically assaulted them.
Robinson acknowledged compelling and coercing more than 10 different women to engage in prostitution for his profit from 2012 through January 2014 in connection with the charged conspiracy. Robinson admitted to using force to punish and control the women, including one instance of punching and kicking a woman in the abdomen, knowing she was pregnant, to punish her for texting without his permission, and another instance of shoving a woman into a toilet tank hard enough to break it, then striking her repeatedly with a wooden board, to punish her for reportedly planning to escape.
Robinson and his co-defendants aided each other by posting bond for each other following arrests, monitoring the women and reporting to each other any violations of the rules the defendants imposed on the women and transporting women together from New Orleans to Texas, Tennessee, Maryland and Washington, D.C., for prostitution. When two women tried to escape on one such trip, Robinson and a co-defendant found them, forced them into a car, and brought them back to New Orleans to continue prostituting.
Robinson and his co-defendants operated out of certain motels, including the Riviera, which generally did not report their activities to the police. The defendants rented multiple rooms at the Riviera where women would meet prostitution clients, and paid the Riviera above-market rates to reflect the high traffic through the rooms.
On July 1, 2015, Patel pleaded guilty to benefitting financially from human trafficking. In March and April 2015, Phillips, Williams, Ellis and Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Ellis and Brown also pleaded guilty to interstate transportation for prostitution. On June 25, 2014, Taylor pleaded guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy and interstate transportation for prostitution.
This case was investigated jointly by the FBI’s New Orleans Division and HSI’s New Orleans Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s Memphis Division. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christine M. Siscaretti and Former Special Litigation Counsel John Cotton Richmond of the Civil Right Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia K. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to over 24 Years in Prison for Operating Sex Trafficking EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Sex Trafficking Scheme Used Threats, Violence and Coercion to Compel Women into Prostitution in New Orleans and Elsewhere
The Justice Department announced today that Granville Robinson, 27, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to 294 months in prison for his role in operating a sex trafficking scheme out of the Riviera Motel in New Orleans, using force and threats to compel multiple women to engage in prostitution for the defendants’ profit in New Orleans and elsewhere.
On Feb. 3, 2016, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking. A restitution hearing is scheduled for July 13, 2016. Six other defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with the case, and are awaiting sentencing.
“Trafficking in human beings is abhorrent to our nation’s belief in freedom, dignity, and individual rights,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is deeply committed to seeking justice on behalf of vulnerable individuals, and we will continue to be unwavering in our commitment to restoring the lives of human trafficking victims and survivors, and to holding human traffickers accountable.”
“Of the seven defendants convicted in this prosecution, Robinson was the most violent,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite of the Eastern District of Louisiana. “He regularly used physical abuse to coerce vulnerable victims – including a pregnant woman – into a life of prostitution for his benefit. Today's lengthy sentence was certainly warranted, and it reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that human traffickers like Robinson are held accountable for their criminal actions.”
“Today, we have removed Granville Robinson not just off of the streets of Louisiana, but also from the streets of America,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey S. Sallet of the FBI’s New Orleans Office. “He is nothing short of a predator who took advantage of and abused vulnerable women. His need for control and greed comes to an end today with this lengthy sentence he so justly deserves.”
“Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that ICE Homeland Security Investigations fights as one of its highest priorities via a coordinated global effort with the FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans. “The results speak for themselves; over the past two years HSI has doubled its number of human trafficking arrests. HSI will continue to investigate and seek prosecution of these criminals while also ensuring the victims of this terrible crime are rescued and get the care they need.”
On Oct. 3 2014, Robinson and co-defendants Duane Phillips, Christopher Williams, Anthony Ellis and Laquentin Brown were charged in a second superseding indictment with sex trafficking conspiracy and varying counts of sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. An additional defendant, Kanubhai Patel, who owned the Riviera Motel where the sex trafficking scheme was based, was charged in the same indictment with benefitting financially from sex trafficking. A seventh defendant, Zacchaeus Taylor, was charged separately on March 28, 2014.
According to Robinson’s admissions during his plea hearing and other court documents, he enforced strict rules on the women he trafficked as part of his conspiracy. These rules included requiring the women to earn a minimum amount each day, to provide him with all of their earnings and to seek his permission to stop prostituting for the night. Robinson confiscated some women’s identification to make it harder for them to leave, and forced some to get tattoos signifying that they belonged to him. When the women broke the rules or did not earn enough money, Robinson physically assaulted them.
Robinson acknowledged compelling and coercing more than 10 different women to engage in prostitution for his profit from 2012 through January 2014 in connection with the charged conspiracy. Robinson admitted to using force to punish and control the women, including one instance of punching and kicking a woman in the abdomen, knowing she was pregnant, to punish her for texting without his permission, and another instance of shoving a woman into a toilet tank hard enough to break it, then striking her repeatedly with a wooden board, to punish her for reportedly planning to escape.
Robinson and his co-defendants aided each other by posting bond for each other following arrests, monitoring the women and reporting to each other any violations of the rules the defendants imposed on the women and transporting women together from New Orleans to Texas, Tennessee, Maryland and Washington, D.C., for prostitution. When two women tried to escape on one such trip, Robinson and a co-defendant found them, forced them into a car, and brought them back to New Orleans to continue prostituting.
Robinson and his co-defendants operated out of certain motels, including the Riviera, which generally did not report their activities to the police. The defendants rented multiple rooms at the Riviera where women would meet prostitution clients, and paid the Riviera above-market rates to reflect the high traffic through the rooms.
On July 1, 2015, Patel pleaded guilty to benefitting financially from human trafficking. In March and April 2015, Phillips, Williams, Ellis and Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Ellis and Brown also pleaded guilty to interstate transportation for prostitution. On June 25, 2014, Taylor pleaded guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy and interstate transportation for prostitution.
This case was investigated jointly by the FBI’s New Orleans Division and HSI’s New Orleans Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s Memphis Division. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christine M. Siscaretti and Former Special Litigation Counsel John Cotton Richmond of the Civil Right Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia K. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Tango Blast Gang Member Sentenced in Two Federal CasesRead the Press Release
VICTORIA, Texas – A 31-year-old Tango Blast gang member has been ordered to federal prison for 15 years following his convictions in two separate indictments, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. William Chance Wallace, of Victoria, pleaded guilty Feb. 10, 2016, to witness retaliation and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
At a hearing before U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey in Victoria yesterday, Wallce received a sentence of 180 months in federal prison on both convictions to be served concurrently. The 15-year-sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.
On May 12, 2015, law enforcement executed an arrest warrant for a state parole violation, at which time they found ammunition in Wallace’s pocket as well as a weapon he had tossed away from his body. They also found the holster for the weapon in his vehicle. Wallace is a five-time convicted felon – three for drug-related crimes as well as two convictions for aggravated assault with deadly weapon. As such, Wallace is prohibited from possession firearms or ammunition.
During the investigation and while he was in custody, Wallace ordered an associate to post a picture of a criminal complaint with the name of a witness in a different investigation. Additionally, Wallace had the individual write a comment on the post calling the witness a snitch. As a result of the Facebook post, there were a number of threats of violence made against the witness.
Wallace remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Booth prosecuted the cases.
Sutter County Man Found Guilty of Two Violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty ActRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury found William Louis Filter, 46, of Live Oak, guilty on Tuesday of unlawful baiting and unlawful taking of a migratory game bird by aid of bait, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
The evidence at the two-day trial showed that Filter baited a field on his family’s hunting ranch in the Sutter Buttes by covering it with birdseed to attract mourning doves. On September 1, 2015, which is opening day of mourning dove season, Filter returned to that baited field with his three hunting buddies. Altogether, Filter and his friends shot and killed 34 mourning doves over the baited fields.
Mourning doves are a migratory game bird. It is lawful to hunt mourning doves during the appropriate hunting season. It is unlawful, however, to hunt mourning doves using bait. Baiting means placing, distributing, or scattering of salt, grain, or other feed that could serve as a lure or attractions for migratory game birds to any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.
This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Special Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Nelson and Elliot Wong prosecuted the case.
Filter is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6, 2016, by United States Magistrate Judge Allison Claire. Filter faces a maximum statutory penalty of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, and a one-year term of supervised release. The actual sentenced will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Suffolk Man Indicted for Distribution of Heroin Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Carlos A. Brown, 45, of Suffolk, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges of distribution of heroin resulting in death, distribution of heroin resulting in serious bodily injury, distribution of heroin and distribution of fentanyl.
According to the indictment and other filed documents, the investigation of Brown’s drug activities began in November 2015 after an investigative team was dispatched to the scene of a suspected heroin overdose death in Chesapeake. Over the course of the next six months, members of the law enforcement team, which includes the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, the Virginia State Police, and the Chesapeake Police Department, began gathering various sources of information including Confidential Human Source (CHS) interviews, as well as arrest and police reports related to the drug distribution activities of Brown. The interviews were corroborated with undercover controlled buys of heroin and fentanyl from Brown as well as physical and electronic surveillance. Documents filed with the court indicate that in late November 2015, Brown contacted one buyer describing his heroin as a “missile.” Brown told one CHS that he was aware of three or four of his customers overdosing, yet he continued to sell heroin, which lead to a fatal overdose the following day. Even after learning of the fatal overdose, Brown continued to sell heroin.
Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; and John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the grand jury returned the indictment. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse and Joseph E. DePadilla are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-67.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Springfield Latin Kings Leader Pleads Guilty to Heroin DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former “Inca” of the Springfield Latin Kings gang pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Springfield to distributing heroin.
Jose Cartagena, 38, of Springfield, Mass., pleaded guilty today to distributing heroin. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Aug. 3, 2016.
In October 2014, an investigation was initiated in an effort to disrupt and dismantle the Latin Kings’ criminal activity in Springfield and Holyoke. According to court documents, members and associates of the Latin Kings were engaged in the distribution of narcotics, particularly heroin. Furthermore, disputes with rival gangs over criminal activity and drug turf were on the rise and resulted in serious crimes of violence, including armed assaults with firearms and murder. The investigation led to the arrest of 12 alleged Latin Kings members in connection with drug and firearms offenses in November 2015.
As alleged in court documents, Cartagena held the position of “Inca,” or chief, of the Springfield chapter of the Latin Kings gang at the time of his arrest on Nov. 9, 2015. Cartagena pleaded guilty today to distributing 300 bags of heroin in Springfield on July 31, 2015.
The charge of distribution of heroin provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine A. Wagner of Ortiz’s Springfield Branch Office.
Six Arrested on Federal Charges Related to the Attempted Delivery of Contraband into the Montgomery, Alabama City JailRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama– Rasheen Jahmal Smith, 30, Curtis Caffie, 24, Derreana Gray, 24, Curtis Jackson, 54, Peggy Caffie Jackson, 48, and Jeremy Terrell Caffie, 28, all from Montgomery, Alabama were arrested this weekend, announced George L. Beck, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. The arrests followed the return of a federal indictment charging each for their involvement in an attempt to smuggle contraband cellular telephones into the Montgomery City Jail. The indictment resulted from an investigation conducted by the United States Marshals Service.
According to court documents, Rasheen Smith, Curtis Caffie and Joshua Jackson devised a scheme to smuggle cellular telephones into the City Jail where they were then being held on unrelated charges. Aided by family members and others, a package purportedly containing legal documents but actually containing cellular telephones was delivered to the Montgomery City Jail addressed to Rasheen Smith. The package was intercepted by employees of the Montgomery City Jail who became suspicious of the package’s contents. While investigating the matter, several of the defendants made false statements to deputy United States Marshals concerning their roles in the conspiracy.
On April 25, 2016, Joshua Jarrell Jackson entered a guilty plea before United States Magistrate Judge Terry F. Moorer for his role in the plan and for attempting to influence a witness to provide a false statement to deputy United States Marshals during the course of their investigation.
An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
“A cell phone these days is an essential part of the daily affairs of most law abiding citizens,” stated U.S. Attorney Beck. “However, a cell phone in the hands of prisoners presents a serious threat to public safety, the safety of correctional officers, and other inmates as well.”
“At one time, drugs and tobacco were the contraband of choice by prisoners. Now, wireless telephones are becoming increasingly popular,” stated U.S. Marshall Tom Hession. “The correctional personnel that intercepted the devices are to be commended. Correctional institutions must continue to maintain their vigilance toward detection of smuggling and possession of the devices by inmates, excellent intelligence gathering and uphold effective practices to minimize the dangers posed by inmate wireless telephone possession.”
“An inmate’s illegal activity may involve discussions with fellow criminals outside the prison walls about drug trafficking, money laundering or intimidating witnesses – or worse, plotting their murders,” said Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley. “Jail personnel involved with this incident are to be commended for their attention to detail and subsequent efforts to protect our community, their fellow officers and all those incarcerated at the Montgomery City Jail.”
A conviction for conspiracy to commit the charged offenses carries a potential sentence maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Montgomery Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney’s Curtis Ivy and Rand Neely are prosecuting the case.