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17 June 2016
Sacramento Man Found Guilty of Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a five-day trial, a federal jury found Albert Lee Mitchell, 69, of Sacramento, guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On November 15, 2012, Mitchell was indicted on a single count of receipt of child pornography. According to the indictment, between April 16, 2012, and November 5, 2012, Mitchell received images of child pornography via the internet.
According to evidence produced at trial, on November 5, 2012, a search warrant was executed at Mitchell’s residence after law enforcement identified an IP address located there offering files of child pornography. At the time of the search, dozens of images of suspected child pornography were set to be downloaded on a file-sharing network on a computer located at the search site. Mitchell admitted to ownership of the computer and to being its sole user. A forensic review of the computer and other devices found in Mitchell’s home office revealed a collection of thousands of depictions of child pornography.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath and Josh F. Sigal are prosecuting the case.
After the jury announced its verdict, Mitchell was taken into custody as a danger to the community. Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28, 2016, by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller. Mitchell faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison. 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.
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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.
Roanoke Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking, Methamphetamine, and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Roanoke man, who conspired with others to distribute drugs and engage in sex-trafficking, pled guilty this afternoon, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.
Brandon Scott Thomas, a.k.a. “Gambino,” age 25, of Roanoke, Virginia, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, two counts of sex trafficking by fraud, force or coercion, one count of conspiring to commit sex trafficking by fraud, force or coercion, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
“These women were trapped by addiction and the violent nature of a man who preyed upon their vulnerabilities,” United States John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “We are proud of the work law enforcement did to bring this defendant to justice and hopefully bring these victims of sex-trafficking to a brighter future.”
“Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes we investigate,” said Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Washington, D.C. field office. “Traffickers have no regard for human life, and they treat their victims as commodities. In this case, Thomas sold women just like he sold drugs. Today’s guilty plea ensures justice for his victims and makes southwest Virginia a safer place with one less trafficker on the streets.”
According to evidence presented at today’s and previous hearings by Assistant United States Attorneys Donald R. Wolthuis and Laura Day Rottenborn, Thomas conspired with others from at least July 2015 until his arrest in March 2016 to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs, and he periodically possessed firearms in connection with his drug trafficking.
In addition, Thomas admitted today that he ran a prostitution business involving multiple women that operated out of hotels in Roanoke and Charlottesville. To promote the business, Thomas posted prostitution advertisements on the website, www.backpage.com. Thomas admitted that several of the women who worked for him engaged in prostitution as a result of Thomas’ fraud, force, and/or coercion. Thomas admitted that he prostituted women identified as V1, V3, and V4 in Roanoke and elsewhere in the Western District of Virginia, and admitted that he beat and threatened to beat the women, and took advantage of their drug dependencies, to compel their prostitution services.
Thomas admitted that beginning in September 2015 and continuing through February 2016, he was physically abusive to V4 on a regular basis. He admitted to slapping, punching, and choking her. On at least one occasion, Thomas admitted he held a knife to the throat of V4. On a separate occasion, Thomas used a taser on V4 and also beat V4 while she was pregnant. Many of these actions took place in front of other victims.
The investigation of the case was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Salem Police Department, and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Donald R. Wolthuis and Laura Day Rottenborn prosecuted the case for the United States.
Riverhead Physician Assistant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Illegally Prescribe OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Michael Troyan, a physician assistant who operated two urgent care clinics on the east end of Long Island, today pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription pain medication. The guilty plea was entered before United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley at the U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip. When sentenced, Troyan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $1 million fine.
In announcing the guilty plea, United States Attorney Robert L. Capers expressed his grateful appreciation to the DEA’s Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad, which led the government’s investigation in this case.
According to court filings and statements made in court during the guilty plea, between November 2011 and October 2015, Troyan, who was authorized to prescribe controlled substances, issued prescriptions for thousands of oxycodone pills to co-conspirators for the purpose of illegally re-selling the pills. During the investigation, Troyan was captured on video in an undercover operation writing phony prescriptions at his Riverhead medical office for oxycodone and receiving large quantities of cash – half the profit from prior illegal sales. As part of his guilty plea, Troyan agreed to forfeit $710,290 attributable to illegal prescription sales.
One of Troyan’s co-conspirators was Southampton Town Councilman Bradley Bender, who is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2016. Bender’s resignation as a Councilman was accepted by the Southampton Town Board on the day of his guilty plea, November 24, 2015.
This case is part of a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in the Eastern District of New York, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the New York City Police Department, and New York State Police, along with other key federal, state, and local government partners, launched the Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the United States Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention has called an epidemic increase in the abuse of opioid analgesics. To date, the Initiative has brought over 160 federal and local criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 18 health care professionals, taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy, and a pharmacy chain, removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors, and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers. The Initiative also is involved in an extensive community outreach program to address the abuse of pharmaceuticals.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Allen Bode and James Knapp.
The Defendant:
Name: MICHAEL TROYAN
Age: 37
Residence: Riverhead, New YorkPeoria Man to Serve 30 Years in Prison and Lifetime Supervised Release for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Peoria, Ill. – U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm sentenced Jacob T. Burmood, 24, of the 6800 block of N. Fawndale Drive, Peoria, Ill., today to serve 30 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release for the offense of distribution of child pornography.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Peoria Police Department, acting in participation with the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Hanna prosecuted the case.
On Jan. 25, 2016, Burmood pled guilty to the offense. According to court documents, on Oct. 14, 2015, Peoria police officers executed search warrants on Burmood’s person, his residence, and various computers and electronic media. A subsequent forensic analysis of Burmood’s computer showed that he possessed more than 3,000 images and approximately 200 video files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct with other minors and adults. The forensic review further revealed that Burmood distributed child pornography to others using an e-mail account.
Burmood is a registered sex offender as a result of a prior conviction for a sex crime in Illinois in 2011. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Oct. 16, 2015.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Oswego County Man Charged with Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Richard S. Buffham, 48, of West Monroe, New York, was arrested yesterday on charges of distribution of child pornography following an investigation by Special Agents of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), the New York State Police-Computer Crime Unit and the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI-Pulaski), announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian.
The criminal complaint alleges that from September through November of 2015, Buffham posted files containing child pornography on a social media site.
The defendant appeared yesterday in federal court in Syracuse, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge David E. Peebles and was ordered detained without bail.
If convicted of distributing possessing child pornography, Buffham faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. Sentences are imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown.
Oakland Man Charged with Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OAKLAND –D’mar Dwain Jennings Conway appeared in court today and was arraigned on charges he produced and possessed child pornography, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin. The appearance follows an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury yesterday and a complaint and affidavit filed May 26, 2016.
Conway, 28, is a resident of Oakland. According to the indictment and complaint, during a search of Conway’s Fruitvale neighborhood residence, HSI agents seized a video camera and a digital storage card for the video camera. On the storage card, agents found numerous digital images that allegedly show Conway abusing a young boy between the ages of 3 and 6 years old by engaging in various sex acts with him in Conway’s residence. In the indictment, Conway is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2251(a) and (e); and one count of possession and access with intent to view child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252(a) and (b). The indictment alleges Conway abused the child between the years of 2007 and 2010.
Conway was arrested on May 26, 2016, and made his initial appearance in federal court on the federal complaint on May 27, 2016. He was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal on May 26, 2016, and remains in custody. The defendant’s next scheduled appearance is at 1:00 p.m. on July 19, 2016, before the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Judge.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. § 2251, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years, a maximum sentence of 30 years, and a fine of $250,000 plus restitution, if appropriate. If convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4), the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, a fine of $250,000, plus restitution, if appropriate. Additional fines and a term of supervised release also may be imposed, however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise Marie Barton and Brian Lewis are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Trina Khadoo. The prosecution is the result of an ongoing investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
If members of the public have any information relevant to this investigation or to suspected child predators or suspicious activity, HSI encourages them to contact HSI through the toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form at https://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may also be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
Nine Arrested for Running Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Marijuana Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Nine west Texas residents, including four alleged members of the Texas Syndicate, remain in federal custody following their arrests earlier this week on federal charges stemming from their roles in a methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
The arrests were made by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Texas Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the Big Spring, Sundown and Levelland Police Departments, the Howard County and Lubbock County Sheriff’s Offices, the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The nine defendants made their initial appearances in federal court, and detention hearings are scheduled throughout the month of June. There remain several fugitives in the case.
Each of the below-listed defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, 500 grams and more of cocaine and marijuana, as well as one count of using a communication facility to facilitate the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting:
Cruz Perez, aka “Travieso,” 40
Christopher Lee Gonzalez, aka “Gonzo,” 43
Victor Manuel Castillo, aka “Victor Manuel Garza,” 43
Christopher David Gonzales, aka “Chris,” 41
Evan Cruz Parson, aka “Evan,” 21
Alexander Alfonzo Mendoza, aka “Alex,” 20
Jose Gutierrez, III, aka “Baby Joey,” 21
Jasmine Pillar Hernandez, aka “Crazy,” 32
Crystal Dimas, aka “Babe,” 28According to the indictment, defendants Perez, Gonzalez, Gonzales and Parson are allegedly members of the Texas Syndicate, a prison-based street gang involved in various criminal activities.
Defendants Perez, Gonzalez, Castillo, Gonzales, Mendoza, Gutierrez and Hernandez are also each charged with at least one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting
Defendant Perez is also charged with two counts, and defendants Parson and Mendoza are each charged with one count of managing a drug premise and aiding and abetting.
A federal indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. However, if convicted, the conspiracy count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years. Each of the methamphetamine distribution counts carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years. The use of a communication facility count carries a statutory minimum penalty of four years. The managing a drug premise count carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years. Fines could range from $250,000 to $4,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Juanita Fielden is in charge of the prosecution.
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New Yorker Marcus Delille Imprisoned for Possessing Counterfeit Credit Cards and Driver's LicensesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Marcus Delille, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to four months of imprisonment for possessing counterfeit credit cards and identification documents. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered that Delille serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. The court directed that Delille surrender to the U.S. Marshal in Vermont on June 22 to begin serving his sentence.
On June 17, 2015, a federal grand jury in Rutland returned a two-count indictment charging Delille with fraudulently possessing 15 or more counterfeit access devices and unlawfully possessing five or more false identification documents. In March, Delille pled guilty to the access device count. According to court records, Delille was stopped for speeding by a Vermont State trooper on April 23, 2015 just north of Brattleboro. During the course of the traffic stop, the trooper discovered that Delille had in the rental car he was driving and on his person 39 counterfeit credit cards that had not been issued to him, as well as five counterfeit driver's licenses which appeared to have been issued by California, Texas, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Delille was originally charged in state court with identity theft but those charges were dismissed after the federal indictment was returned. Delille is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
New York Man Charged with Sex Assault on AirplaneRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Monsey, New York, man appeared in federal court today to face charges that he sexually abused a woman on a flight from Israel to Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Yoel Oberlander, 35, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of abusive sexual contact on an airplane. Oberlander had his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court and was detained.
According to the complaint:
While on a May 29, 2016 El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Newark, Oberlander was seated next to a female passenger and her mother. During the flight, Oberlander repeatedly placed his hand on the female passenger’s thigh and breast without her consent.
Oberlander is a registered sex offender. He was previously convicted in 2002 in New York for sexual abuse in the second degree, arising from his sexual assault of an eleven-year-old girl.
The abusive sexual contact charge carries a statutory maximum of up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, and the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Hafetz of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: David Goldstein Esq., Montvale, New Jersey
Mill Creek Man Sentenced to Prison for Importing Drug Paraphernalia and Receipt of Misbranded DrugsRead the Press Release
A Mill Creek, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to six months in prison for importing drug paraphernalia and receipt of misbranded drugs, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. JAE SEON YOON, (AKA: Jason YOON), 56, was the president or vice-president of multiple companies doing business in Washington State over the years including J&J, Inc. (d/b/a “Top Wholesale, Inc.”), Smomax, Inc. (d/b/a “346 Glass Pipe/Master Trading”) and Three People Corp. (d/b/a/ “Cigar USA”). YOON pleaded guilty in March 2016. Following YOON’s arrest in July 2015, his assets were seized and his most recent business venture in Lynnwood, Top Wholesale, was shuttered. YOON imported and distributed drug paraphernalia and other goods with counterfeit markings that made them appear to be from established suppliers. YOON also sold ‘sex pills’ claiming to enhance sexual prowess. Such pills contained a variety of ingredients in combinations and at dosage amounts that were never approved by the FDA and were never listed on the labels. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton said “You were persistent in your decisions to circumvent customs and counterfeit laws. This is an affront to the rule of law.”
YOON imported drug paraphernalia from China, sometimes via Canada, by marking them as vases, laboratory glassware, or oil and vinegar dispensers. Multiple shipments were seized by law enforcement; one shipment was addressed to a wholly fictitious company in an attempt to evade discovery by law enforcement. While the items were made in China, they were falsely marked with the logos of companies who manufacture similar goods in Germany and Canada. YOON also imported e-cigarettes and chargers which bore counterfeit Underwriters Lab (U/L) markings. U/L is an American worldwide safety consulting and certification company that provides safety standards for electrical devices and components. YOON then sold the counterfeit items at Top Wholesale to small “mom and pop” type retail stores.
YOON also imported counterfeit logo stickers to apply to items to increase their resale value, including Seattle Seahawks and other NFL team stickers. YOON also trafficked in “Hello Kitty” logo items despite being served with a cease and desist letter by the registered trademark owner.
In addition to the counterfeit goods and ‘sex pills,’ YOON trafficked in ‘spice’- a synthetic form of marijuana. ‘Spice’ that was seized in the course of the investigation tested positive for controlled substances. When YOON learned that the FDA was coming to discuss his operation, he had his staff move all the ‘sex pills’ and ‘spice’ to an off-site location. He then moved the contraband back to the business for its continued sale when he thought the danger from the FDA visit had passed.
In June 2015, law enforcement executed search warrants at YOON’s operations. Agents seized 200,000 items of drug paraphernalia, more than 50,000 counterfeit items of all sorts, more than 10,500 ‘sex pills,’ and hundreds of packages of spice. All told, it took more than four extended-length semi-truck trailers to remove all of the contraband and counterfeit merchandise from Top Wholesale. Agents also seized nearly $800,000 in criminal proceeds; YOON had hidden $647,900 of that amount, in cash, in a safety deposit box rented in someone else’s name. Revenue agents from the State of Washington assessed a fine in excess of $30 million for YOON’s sales of untaxed tobacco and other tobacco products since 2011.
YOON will likely be deported to his native Korea when he finishes his prison term.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marci L. Ellsworth.
Mexican Man Sentenced for Illegal Reentry After DeportationRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Jose Zepeda-Del Toro, 35, of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to illegally reentering the United States after having been previously deported. Zepeda-Del Toro was sentenced to time served since his arrest on March 24, 2016. He will now be deported.
On March 24, 2016, Deportation Officers encountered Zepeda-Del Toro in Nashua, New Hampshire as part of an investigation involving the defendant’s brother. One of the Deportation Officers asked the defendant if he was legally present in the United States, whereupon the defendant admitted he was not, and that he last entered the U.S. illegally sometime after April of 2014. Zepeda-Del Toro was then taken into ICE custody for being illegally present in the U.S. and transported to the ICE-ERO office in Manchester, New Hampshire for administrative processing.
Fingerprints taken at the time of the defendant’s arrest were compared to known fingerprints of the defendant on file as the result of previous deportations. The defendant’s prints matched the known prints and identified the defendant as having been deported on April 19, 2014 and again on April 25, 2014.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega.
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Meriden Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Hate Crime OffenseRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that TED HAKEY, JR., 48, of Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for firing shots into the Baitul Aman Mosque in Meriden in November.
“We all have a right to worship freely and without fear of violence, and individuals who commit hateful, divisive and violent acts against others need to know that a prison term will be the end result,” said U.S. Attorney Daly. “This is an appropriate sentence that balances the need for justice with the defendant’s genuine expressions of remorse and the victims’ plea for a sentence that didn’t include jail time. Since the time of the shooting, the congregation of the Baitul Aman Mosque has turned this senseless and hateful crime into something positive – using their story as a way of raising awareness about the peaceful message of Islam. Rather than just letting themselves be victims, they took a stand, reached out to the defendant, and offered him forgiveness and reconciliation. Their generosity of spirit serves as a role model for all of us. I thank the FBI, ATF, Connecticut State Police and Meriden Police Department whose superb efforts not only solved a hate crime, but also helped both heal and empower the victims in this case and the broader Muslim community in Connecticut.”
“This case highlights how law enforcement, the judicial system and our community working together can affect positive social change,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Ferrick. “This incident should serve as an educational tool and illustrate to everyone that ignorance and hate should never prevail.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of November 14, 2015, officers from the Meriden Police Department responded to citizen complaints about shots being fired around the area of 410 Main Street in Meriden, the location of the Baitul Aman Mosque. On Sunday, November 15, 2015, a family who entered the Mosque to worship noticed damage to the interior walls and the drop ceiling of the Mosque and called the police. Investigators determined that approximately three rounds shot from a high-powered rifle had penetrated the building, and another had hit an exterior area. A preliminary analysis of the trajectory of the bullets indicated that they likely came from a high-powered rifle shot from the area of 380 Main Street, the house located closest to the Mosque, which is HAKEY’s residence.
In subsequent interviews with authorities, HAKEY admitted that he had shot a Springfield M1A rifle at the Mosque on November 14, 2015.
The investigation revealed that after HAKEY had learned about terrorist attacks that had occurred in Paris on November 13, 2015, he posted the following status to his Facebook account: “What is gonna be the breaking point to go “weapons free” against Islam?”
“Weapons free” is a military command to shoot at will.
HAKEY also sent a Facebook friend a private message saying: “I hate ISLAM!.”
HAKEY’s Facebook account also contained other evidence of animus toward Muslims and Islam. For example, earlier in 2015, HAKEY had told a Facebook friend that he has “a mosque right next door” and that he had “observe[d] them with [his] binos [binoculars].” In the same conversation, he said “All Muslims must die!!! I hate them all.” In July 2015, he posted to Facebook: “If we all kill just 1 Muslim each tonight it will make a dent!.”
HAKEY was arrested on December 17, 2015. On February 11, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally damaging religious property through use of a dangerous weapon.
During today’s sentencing proceeding, Dr. Mohammed Qureshi, the president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, spoke on behalf of the Baitul Aman Mosque congregation. Dr. Qureshi discussed the congregation’s interactions with HAKEY since the shooting occurred, detailed HAKEY expressions of remorse and asked Judge Shea to impose no additional term of incarceration. Judge Shea noted that the congregation’s victim statement was both “rare and inspiring,” but also stated the need for general deterrence in sentencing HAKEY to a term of imprisonment.
HAKEY, who is released on bond, was ordered to report to prison on August 15, 2016.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Connecticut State Police and the Meriden Police Department.
Last of 4 defendants in Bossier City casino cash advance theft conspiracy sentencedRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that four men from Illinois were sentenced Thursday for their roles in a wire fraud conspiracy to steal tens of thousands of dollars using Bossier City casino ATMs.
Darus Sutton, 26, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with 18 months of supervised release; Jamal Campbell, 24, of Maywood, Ill, was sentenced to 30 months in prison with three years of supervised release; Jeremy L. Coleman, 25, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with three years of supervised release; and Nicholas Coleman, 27, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with three years of supervised release. Additionally, Campbell was sentenced to a consecutive six-month sentence for one count of identity theft, which was a charge that arose out of a similar scheme in the Northern District of Indiana. All defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote presided over the hearing.
According to the guilty pleas, Sutton, Campbell, Jeremy Coleman, Nicholas Coleman and six other defendants visited the Horseshoe, Diamond Jacks and Harrah’s Louisiana Downs casinos on July 3 and 4 of 2014. The defendants used counterfeit credit cards at ATMs inside the gaming areas to make cash advances. The cards displayed the names of the defendants but the account numbers of actual victims who had their credit card information stolen. The defendants performed 53 cash advances with a total of $61,438.86 stolen.
The other six defendants who previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count and have been sentenced are:
Charlie Nicholson, 25, of Melrose Park, Ill., was sentenced on February 12, 2016, to 22 months in prison with three years supervised release;
Ralphael Cassibery, 24, of Chicago, Ill., was sentenced on February 12, 2016, to 24 months in prison with three years supervised release;
Jeremiah J. Scott, 24, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 12, 2016, to 23 months in prison with three years supervised release;
Ray L. Holmes Jr., 28, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 19, 2016, to 30 months in prison with three years supervised release;
Tarnasha Harden, 35, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 19, 2016, to 18 months in prison with three years supervised release; and
Ashley Thomas, 26, of Harvey, Ill., was sentenced on February 19, 2016, to 12 months and one day in prison with three years supervised release.
All defendants must pay $61,438.86 in restitution joint and severally with each other.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Louisiana State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.
Jury Convicts Lockport Contractor of Defrauding City of Chicago’s Women-Owned Business Entity Procurement ProgramRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury today convicted a Lockport subcontractor on fraud charges for scheming to help a general contractor falsely satisfy its female hiring requirement on city of Chicago construction projects.
As the owner of a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, ELIZABETH PERINO agreed to allow her company to be claimed as a subcontractor on city projects so that the general contractor could satisfy its requirement to assign a portion of the work to female-owned businesses. Perino falsified paperwork to conceal the fact that her business, Perdel Contracting Co., would perform no actual work on the projects. As a result of Perino’s fraud, Perdel expected to receive payment equivalent to a percentage of the work that Perdel fraudulently claimed to have performed.
Perino, 62, of Willowbrook, was convicted on three counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of 80 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman will schedule a sentencing hearing at a later date.
A city of Chicago ordinance establishes an overall goal of awarding at least 5% of total annual funding of all city contracts to WBEs. For contracts with values exceeding $10,000, each contractor has to commit a certain percentage of labor to WBEs, either as a joint venture or subcontractor, or by purchasing goods or services from a WBE. In addition to being a WBE, Lockport-based Perdel, which specializes in concrete and carpentry work, also qualified to participate in city projects as a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.
Evidence at the four-day trial revealed that Perino and a co-worker agreed to act as a “pass-through” WBE/DBE on two city projects, meaning that Perdel’s employees would perform no work and Perdel’s equipment would not be used. For one of the projects – at O’Hare International Airport – Perino agreed to place the general contractor’s employees on Perdel’s payroll to perform the work that would be credited to Perdel. Perino also entered into a sham contract to “purchase” street sweepers from the general contractor and title them in Perdel’s name while the general contractor’s workers performed the street sweeping as purported employees of Perdel. Perino and the general contractor further agreed that, at the conclusion of the O’Hare project, the street sweepers would be returned to the general contractor for $1 per machine, and Perdel would receive 18% on top of the labor costs and $20 per hour for the street sweepers.
The conviction was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Thomas Ullom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General in Chicago; James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; and Joseph M. Ferguson, Inspector General for the City of Chicago.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Cunniff Church and Matthew Kutcher.
Irish Citizen Sentenced on Misuse of Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Francis J. Moloney, 43, of Marlborough, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Denise J. Casper to 12 months probation, with the first three months of that period in home confinement, as well as 80 hours of community service. In February, 2016, Moloney pleaded guilty to misuse of a social security number.
On March 20, 2013, Moloney, an Irish citizen living in Massachusetts, fraudulently obtained a driver’s license using the identity and social security number of an Irish national and former permanent legal resident, after that person renounced his legal status in the United States and returned to Ireland.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; David Hall, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration, of the Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.Howard County Gymnastics Coach Charged in Federal Court with Possessing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Howard County gymnastics coach Paul Daniel Bollinger, age 56, of Windsor Mill, Maryland was charged by federal complaint today with possessing and distributing child pornography.
The complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to the affidavit supporting the complaint, on May 15, 2016, an undercover Baltimore County Police detective downloaded from the internet at least 10 movie files from Bollinger’s IP address that contained child pornography.
On May 25, 2016, investigators executed a state search warrant at Bollinger’s residence and seized a desktop computer, hard drives and other digital media which contained at least 47,130 images and videos of child pornography, child modeling and child erotica. Next to Bollinger’s bed, detectives found over 100 pages of handwritten stories about “P” having sex with young children.
Bollinger was present during the execution of the search warrant and advised that he is a youth gymnastics coach and for over 30 years has coached hundreds of children. Throughout the residence were pictures of young girls in gymnastics leotards.
Bollinger faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for possessing child pornography; and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for distributing child pornography. An initial appearance is scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
A complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, HISI Baltimore and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who is prosecuting the federal case.
Harrisburg Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG –The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a Harrisburg man indicted by a grand jury in Harrisburg in April 2016 on drug trafficking and firearm charges pled guilty on June 16, 2016 before United States District Court Judge William W. Caldwell.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Andre Hairston, age 34, of Harrisburg, pled guilty to a charge of being a convicted felon illegally in possession of four firearms which were also stolen. The charges in the indictment arose out of the arrest of Hairston on July 16, 2015 in Harrisburg when he sold a stolen handgun to a cooperating individual. Another stolen handgun was recovered from Hairston’s car. Further investigation led to the October 23, 2015 search of an apartment in Lower Paxton Township that resulted in the recovery of two other stolen handguns and synthetic marijuana that was packaged for distribution.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Violent Crimes Task Force, the Harrisburg Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Lower Paxton Township Police, and the Dauphin County Probation and Parole Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe.
This case was brought as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Partnership (“VCRP”), a district wide initiative to combat the spread of violent crime in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the VCRP consists of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose mission is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The penalty under federal law for this offense is a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years up to a maximum of life 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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Guam LGBT Community and Supporters Respond to Orlando ShootingRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Alicia A.G. Limtiaco, Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), was invited by ISA Guam to the Lighting of the Latte of Freedom in Anigua, held June 16, 2016, in memory of the victims of the Orlando shooting and in support of the LGBT community. U.S. Attorney Limtiaco was also invited to give remarks at the candlelight vigil held later that night at Club Icon in Tumon. ISA Guam is an organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) equality, specifically Guam’s LGBT community and supporters.
The theme for this year’s the Department of Justice (DOJ) LGBT Pride Month Program was “The Struggle for Equality Continues.” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch at the Annual Justice Department LGBT Pride Month Observance Program, stated, “Every year during Pride Month we take a moment to commemorate the accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who have spurred this country to make strides toward the stronger, more equal and more perfect Union that all Americans deserve. We talk about the road we’ve taken, the challenges we’ve faced and the obstacles we’ve overcome. And we look ahead to the journey that still stretches out before us.”
Photo of the Lighting of the Latte of Freedom Photo taken at the Candlelight Vigil in memory of the victims of the Orlando shooting Photo taken at the Candlelight Vigil in memory of the victims of the Orlando shootingGrand Jury Indicts Ohio Man for Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
BOISE – Timothy Raymond Schmidt, 34, of Cincinnati, Ohio was indicted June 15, 2016 by a federal grand jury sitting in Boise for two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
The indictment alleges that between January 28, 2015 and April 9, 2015, Schmidt knowingly used, persuaded, induced, enticed or coerced two minor children in Idaho to take part in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing visual depictions and live visual depictions of that conduct.
Each count of sexual exploitation of a child is punishable by not less than 15, and up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.00, and at least 5 years up to a lifetime of supervised release.
Schmidt is currently in custody in Fayetteville, Ohio, and is charged by the State of Ohio with one count of rape, and two counts of sexual imposition of a minor. Those charges are unrelated to the investigation in Idaho.
The case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security in Boise, Idaho, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Valley County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Ohio, and the Fayetteville, Ohio Police Department.
An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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.”
Former Loudoun County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Frank Michael Pearson, 45, a former Loudon County Sheriff’s Deputy from Winchester, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for embezzling $229,381.01 from the asset forfeiture fund at the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office. Pearson was also ordered to pay $229,381.01 in restitution to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and complete three years of supervised release after he is released from prison.
Pearson was found guilty after a bench trial on March 31. According to court documents, court records and evidence presented at trial, beginning in 2006 Pearson was designated as the deputy responsible for overseeing the asset forfeiture program for the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office. The evidence presented at trial showed that beginning in or about February 2010, and continuing through October 2013, Pearson engaged in a scheme to embezzle and steal money that had been seized by other members of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office for potential asset forfeiture. The evidence showed that Pearson embezzled money from 80 separate cases over this period, taking in excess of $229,000 that had been entrusted to him.
The evidence further proved that Pearson concealed his embezzlement scheme by making false statements to his coworkers and others about the timing and fact of whether he had deposited seized money into an escrow account maintained by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at a local bank. For example, the evidence showed that on two separate occasions, Pearson re-used an old deposit slip from an unrelated case and passed it off as a new deposit slip to conceal the fact that he had not deposited all of the money entrusted to him. The evidence further showed that in at least one instance, Pearson took money seized in one case and passed it off as money that had been seized in another case, to hide his ongoing embezzlement. Financial records admitted at trial also showed that Pearson increased his personal cash deposits and cash spending during the more than three-year period of the embezzlement scheme.
The evidence also proved that late on the evening of Oct. 30, 2013, and in the early morning hours of Oct. 31, 2013, after being confronted by his supervisor about the location of missing money that had been entrusted to him, Pearson removed several boxes of money from the narcotics office where he worked, and never returned to work again.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Burke and Mark D. Lytle prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:15-cr-193.
Former Financial Advisor and Securities Broker Admits Stealing More Than $1.2 Million from ClientRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ROBERT N. TRICARICO, 60, of Milford and formerly of Darien, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty yesterday in Hartford federal court to one count of wire fraud related to his misappropriation of more than $1.2 million from an elderly client.
Until April 2015, TRICARICO was a registered securities broker with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. He was formerly employed or associated with various financial firms, including RNT Wealth Management, Northstar Wealth Partners, LPL Financial, and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from January 2010 to June 2013, TRICARICO acted as a financial advisor for an elderly and infirm victim who had substantial assets. TRICARICO misappropriated more than $1.1 million from the victim by writing numerous checks to himself or for his benefit without the victim’s authorization. TRICARICO also liquidated a coin collection belonging to the victim, and he misappropriated checks made payable to the victim. TRICARICO used the stolen funds to make personal expenditures.
In pleading guilty, TRICARICO also admitted that he defrauded two additional victims of $20,000 by falsely representing to them that he would use their investments for a business venture and guaranteed a rate of return. In fact, TRICARICO used the victims’ funds for his own personal use.
As part of his plea, TRICARICO has agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $1,220,763.90 to the victims of his crime.
TRICARICO is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea on September 20, 2016, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Greenwich Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking and Interstate ProstitutionRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that Abdullah Hamidullah, 42, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; two counts of enticing a person to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution and one count of interstate transportation for prostitution. On Feb. 10, 2016, a grand jury in the Middle District of Florida returned an indictment charging Hamidullah with five counts of sex trafficking and related violations.
According to admissions in his plea agreement, Hamidullah compelled an 18-year-old woman to prostitute for his profit. After enticing the victim to travel to Florida under false pretenses, he forced her to have sex with multiple customers a day over a period of several months and provide him the proceeds. Hamidullah isolated her in his apartment, took away her money and phone and installed an alarm without providing her the code. He also assaulted her, showed her his handgun and branded her with a tattoo.
“Hamidullah preyed on a vulnerable young woman and cruelly exploited her for his profit,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to aggressively enforce our human trafficking laws to restore the rights, freedom and dignity of victims of modern-day slavery.”
“Rescuing human trafficking victims and bringing the criminals who enslave them to justice is a top priority for special agents with Homeland Security Investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge Susan L. McCormick of HSI Tampa. “HSI will continue to work with our local, state, federal and international law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute human traffickers.”
“As a multi-agency task force, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation participates with its local, state and federal partners to bring human traffickers to justice and seek restoration for victims of this terrible crime,” said Director Ron Stucker of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. “The investigation and prosecution of Abdullah Hamidullah is another example of close cooperation between local and federal authorities to protect the community.”
Hamidullah faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 15, 2016. As part of his plea agreement, Hamidullah agreed to pay restitution to six women identified as victims of his sex trafficking scheme.
This case was investigated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations’ Orlando Field Office and Orlando’s Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilianys Rivera of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Florida Couple Sentenced to Prison for Involvement in Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Pembroke Pines, Florida couple was sentenced to prison for their role in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Special Agent in Charge Kelly Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
On June 16, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Rhonda Perry Gittens, 35, to serve 75 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Gittens’ boyfriend and co-conspirator, Walther Wilson Godfrey, 37, was previously sentenced on April 15 to serve 75 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Bloom also ordered Godfrey and Gittens to pay $792,442 in restitution to the IRS. Godfrey and Gittens pleaded guilty in January to one count of a multi-object conspiracy to defraud the United States, commit wire fraud and commit aggravated identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of access device fraud.
U.S. Attorney Ferrer stated: “This sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who seeks to commit tax fraud or identity theft that federal law enforcement resources will be marshalled against them to discover their crimes and bring them to justice. We will continue to work tirelessly with all our law enforcement partners to prosecute those crimes.”
“The sentences imposed by Judge Bloom reflect the serious harm caused by the defendants’ scheme to enrich themselves at the expense of the U.S. Treasury and their identity theft victims,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “The defendants attempted to hide behind a veneer of corporate and nominee identities that ultimately provided no bar to the investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners. Return preparers who seek to profit through false tax returns face harsh punishment and the result in this case should deter other individuals from engaging in similar schemes.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) will continue to investigate those who attempt to defraud our nation’s tax system, and we will continue to fight for the innocent victims whose identities are being used in these stolen identity tax refund fraud schemes,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jackson of IRS-CI. “We are pleased with these sentences, as the defendants are being held accountable for attempting to steal more than $1.5 million from the IRS, possessing device-making equipment for driver’s licenses and credit cards, and recruiting another individual to participate in the crime.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, between July 2009 and August 2014, Godfrey, Gittens and others conspired to defraud the United States by filing false federal income tax returns using stolen identities. Gittens owned and operated 2G, Inc., a tax return preparation business, and G&G Check Cashing Inc., a check cashing business, both of which were located in Pembroke Pines. Godfrey and Gittens obtained the personal identification information of actual individuals, some deceased, including names, social security numbers, addresses and dates of birth, without the individuals’ authorization, to prepare and file false income tax refund claims for the years 2009 through 2011. Godfrey and Gittens recruited a co-conspirator, Marc Brown, to put Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) in his name through which fraudulent income tax returns would be filed. In addition, Godfrey and Gittens directed Brown to set up companies and bank accounts in his name to negotiate the fraudulently obtained income tax refund checks. Godfrey and Gittens filed more than 700 fraudulent tax returns requesting more than $1.5 million in income tax refunds. In addition, Godfrey and Gittens possessed device-making equipment including an identification card printer, a credit card embosser, hologram stickers for driver’s licenses and credit cards and blank credit cards.
U.S. Attorney Ferrer and Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo commended special agents of IRS-CI, who investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Karadbil of the Southern District of Florida and Assistant Chief Greg Tortella of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
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.
Federal and State Authorities Arrest 15 Individuals on Federal Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
Federal, state and local authorities have arrested 15 individuals charged in connection with a drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy occurring in South Texas, Central Texas and Oklahoma.
That announcement was made today by United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Western District of Texas; United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge William Cotter, San Antonio Division; and, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division.
Those arrested include:
Name Age Residence
Juan Villarreal-Arelis (aka “Juando”) 43 Mission, TX
Reymundo Villarreal-Arelis (aka “Mundo”) 45 Mission
Jose Luis Villarreal-Gonzalez (aka “Nune”) 32 Mission
Manuel Villarreal-Garcia 40 Mission
Sergio Guadalupe Adame-Ochoa 65 McAllen, TX
Norma Leticia Villarreal-Garcia 47 Mission
Iza Corina Flores-Alanis 36 Mission
Jovanna Villarreal-Diaz 37 Mission
Raymundo Villarreal, Jr. (aka “Mundito”) 23 Mission
Gilberto Villarreal-Villarreal 27 Mission
Juan Antonio Villarreal 24 Mission
Jesus Jaime Andrade 37 Mission
Denis Winn 54 Tecumseh, OK
Jose Luis Villarreal-Arelis (aka “El Cosas”) 57 Mission
Nancy Isela Villarreal-Gonzalez 51 MissionA nine–count federal grand jury indictment, returned in San Antonio in April and unsealed today, charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the indictment, since January 2000, the defendants have conspired to: (1) engage in financial transactions using proceeds derived from the importation, receiving, concealment, buying, and/or selling cocaine; and (2), transport or transmit monetary instruments to locations outside of the United States in an effort to conceal the source, ownership and control of proceeds derived from unlawful activity.
Sergio Guadalupe Adame-Ochoa is also charged with four counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution. According to the indictment, on multiple occasions beginning in 2006, Adame-Ochoa refinanced an almost $1.7 million note with Texas Regional Bank (formerly Border Capital Bank and McAllen National Bank) for the purchase of a property called Riverside Plaza in Mission. The indictment alleges that Adame-Ochoa falsely represented to the bank that he had a non-taxable annual cash flow income in excess of $500,000.
Raymundo Villarreal, Jr., Jesus Andrade, and Denis Winn are also charged with one count of conspiracy to structure transactions to evade reporting requirements. The indictment alleges that beginning in 2011, the defendants purchased American Quarter Horses from an auction house in Oklahoma using drug proceeds collected in San Antonio. The indictment specifically identifies six occasions in October and November 2011, where payments were made for horses. Each payment was under $10,000 so as to avoid having to complete an IRS form 8300, which would have alerted the IRS and possibly raised suspicion about the source of the funds.
Juan Villarreal-Arelis, Reymundo Villarreal-Arelis, Jose Luis Villarreal-Gonzalez and Manuel Villarreal-Garcia are also charged with one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that since January 2000, the defendants have conspired to possess and distribute cocaine.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of twelve (12) real estate properties in Cameron and Hidalgo counties with an estimated value of $15 million. The indictment also seeks a money judgment against the defendants in the amount of $30 million representing the alleged proceeds derived from their criminal enterprise.
Throughout this investigation, authorities have seized over 100 kilograms of cocaine. Yesterday, authorities seized approximately $500,000 in farm equipment; approximately 20 vehicles; more than 60 firearms; over 30 horses; and, more than $50,000 in U.S. Currency.
Yesterday, authorities arrested Sergio Adame-Ochoa in San Antonio and Denis Winn in Austin. The rest of the defendants were all arrested in the McAllen/Mission, TX, area. All of the defendants remain in federal custody awaiting detention hearings.
This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Waco Treasury Task Force comprised of IRS-CI, Irving Police Department, Woodway Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office together with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s McAllen, San Antonio and Houston field offices and Homeland Security Investigations. The United States Marshals Service in both the Western and Southern Districts of Texas assisted with yesterday’s arrests.
Upon conviction, the defendants face sentences of between ten years and life in federal prison on the drug conspiracy charge; up to 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering conspiracy charge; and, up to five years in federal prison on the structuring charge.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Jury Convicts Former Non-Profit Health Clinics CEO for Funneling Millions in Grant Money to Private CompaniesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal jury today convicted the former chief executive of two non-profit health clinics for the poor and homeless for funneling millions in federal grant money to private companies he formed to contract with the clinics. U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson announced the verdict.
The jury convicted JONATHAN WADE DUNNING, 52, of Hoover, for conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering after deliberating about three days following three weeks of testimony before U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein. Dunning’s sentencing should be scheduled in about 90 days.
The guilty verdicts came on 98 of 112 charged counts related to Dunning’s involvement with Birmingham Health Care, Central Alabama Comprehensive Health in Tuskegee, Birmingham Financial Federal Credit Union, and a group of for-profit businesses known as the “Synergy Entities.” Over the years, BHC and CACH received millions of dollars in federal grant funds through the Health Resources & Services Administration to further their missions of providing healthcare services to underserved populations.
Jurors found Dunning guilty of conspiracy to commit federal program fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and two kinds of money laundering. They also found him guilty on 62 of 67 counts of wire fraud, two of three counts of bank fraud and 33 of 41 counts of money laundering.
"Dunning relentlessly stole taxpayer dollars that were meant to provide critical medical care to the poor and homeless in Birmingham,” Vance said. “His shameless devotion to purchasing luxury items like a Jaguar for himself, while leaving to suffer the people he committed to serve, is deplorable." Vance said. “My office is committed to prosecuting cases where tax dollars are criminally misused by those the public entrusts to be good stewards. I applaud the commitment of the agents of the FBI, IRS and HHS, and the prosecution team in my office, who all worked long hours to unsnarl the tangle of companies, contracts, real estate and financial dealings that Dunning used in an unsuccessful effort to conceal his criminal conduct.”
“Mr. Dunning took money intended to help the less fortunate in our area and used it for his own personal bank account -- actions that are simply inexcusable and hard to comprehend,” Stanton said. “I am extremely proud of the work on this case, and I want to personally thank the agents and prosecutors for their tireless efforts in bringing Dunning to justice. The public can be assured that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue those who would violate the public trust.”
“The guilty verdict of Jonathan Dunning is a victory for the American public,” Hyman-Pillot said. “Jonathan Dunning used taxpayer funds from Birmingham Healthcare to enrich himself. As a result, he built his fortune on a foundation of greed and deceit. IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners exposed every layer of financial fraud Jonathan Dunning attempted to conceal. Today, justice has been served.”
“The jury's verdict speaks volumes,” Jackson said. “Stealing federal money meant to treat the poor and homeless will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the vulnerable beneficiaries of these taxpayer-funded programs from greed-fueled schemes."
Dunning was the chief executive officer of BHC and CACH for a period of time and left those jobs to run his for-profit businesses. Even after leaving his post as CEO, however, Dunning continued to exercise control over BHC and CACH, according to testimony. Between October 2008 and October 2011, Dunning served as president, board chairman and loan officer of Birmingham Financial Federal Credit Union.
From those various positions, Dunning participated in a conspiracy and executed schemes that defrauded BHC, CACH, and others of substantial resources, including federal funds. Dunning laundered money in a variety of ways to conceal and promote his crimes and to spend the money for himself.
The maximum prison penalty for conspiracy is five years, for wire fraud and money laundering the maximum is 20 years, and for bank fraud, 30 years.
FBI, IRS-CID, and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa K. Atwood, Tamarra Matthews-Johnson and John B. Ward are prosecuting.
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Federal Court Bars Florida Man from Preparing Tax Returns for Others and Enters $1 Million Disgoregment JudgmentRead the Press Release
A federal court in Orlando, Florida, has permanently barred a Florida man from preparing tax returns for others and owning or operating a tax return preparation business, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced today.
The court also entered a $1 million judgment against Demetrius Scott of Orlando on the United States’ claim for disgorgement of the proceeds that he received for the preparation of tax returns. The civil injunction and disgorgement judgment were signed by Judge Anne C. Conway of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Scott agreed to entry of the injunction and disgorgement judgment, but did not agree to any of the facts alleged in the United States’ civil complaint.
In September 2014, the United States filed a civil injunction complaint against Scott alleging that he and his employees prepared fraudulent tax returns for customers. Scott was allegedly a former franchisee of LBS Tax Services and operated a tax preparation company called Neighborhood Tax Pros and Tax Giant with locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The complaint alleged that return preparers in Scott’s business targeted primarily low-income customers with deceptive and misleading advertisements; prepared and filed fraudulent tax returns to fraudulently increase their customers’ refunds; and profited through unconscionable, exorbitant and often undisclosed fees—all at the expense of their customers and the U.S. Treasury. According to the complaint, Scott and his employees prepared federal tax returns on which they falsely claim the earned-income credit and bogus education credits, report improper filing statuses, claim income and expenses related to non-existent businesses and fabricate job-related expenses, while charging their customers deceptive and unconscionable fees.
Return preparer fraud is one of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2016. The IRS has some tips on their website for choosing a tax preparer. In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Family Running Non-Profit Indicted for Conspiracy and Theft of Federal Funds Intended for Needy IndividualsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that RICKEY ROBERSON, age 48, his wife ADA CRAIGE-ROBERSON, age 42, and her mother MELANIE DUPLECHAIN, age 69, of New Orleans, were charged today in a three-count Indictment for conspiracy and theft of federal funds.
According to the Indictment, from at least 2009 to the present, ROBERSON, CRAIGE-ROBERSON, and DUPLECHAIN, operated Alternatives Living, Inc., a non-profit that received federal funds from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the form of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). Alternatives Living provided affordable housing to the elderly, families who were homeless, and individuals suffering from mental disabilities. As a condition to receiving federal funds, Alternatives Living agreed to comply with applicable rules and regulations governing the manner and use of the CDBG funds. Applicable program rules, including OMB Circular No. A-122, prohibited the use of CDBG funds for entertainment purposes (i.e., social activities and tickets to shows and sporting events), fundraising, personal tuition costs, and costs of goods or services for personal use. Rules allowed reimbursement for travel costs and conferences only if those costs were related to the mission of the organization and consistent with those costs normally allowed.
Count 1 of the Indictment alleges that prior to in or around January 2009 and continuing through July 2015, ROBERSON, DUPLECHAIN, and CRAIGE-ROBERSON, and others, did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire, confederate, and agree to embezzle, steal or knowingly convert to their own use or the use of another, any money or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, in excess of $1,000.
Count 2 alleges that on or about June 20, 2011, ROBERSON willfully and knowingly did steal, purloin, and convert to his own use Community Development Block Grant funds, which were designated for use by Alternatives Living for program related expenses, and which were property of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, when he purchased football tickets to see the New Orleans Saints, totaling more than $1,000.
Count 3 of the Indictment alleges that on or about December 29, 2012, CRAIGE-ROBERSON willfully and knowingly did steal, purloin, and convert to her own use Community Development Block Grant funds, which were designated for use by Alternatives Living for program related expenses, and which were property of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, when she purchased personal travel expenses on the Royal Caribbean Cruise line, totaling more than $1,000.
If convicted of the conspiracy in Count 1, ROBERSON, CRAIGE-ROBERSON, and DUPLECHAIN face a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a special assessment of $100. If convicted of theft of federal funds in Counts 2 and 3, ROBERSON and CRAIG-ROBERSON respectively face a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a special assessment of $100.
U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, the Office of State Inspector General, and with the assistance of the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman is in charge of the prosecution.
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announces that the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the district court in appeal no. 15-2576, United States of America, appellee, v. Cody Allen Nowak, appellant.
Cody Allen Nowak was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The district court denied his motion to suppress and sentenced Nowak to 27 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release. Nowak alleged in his appeal that police officers violated his Fourth Amendment rights by searching his backpack without a warrant.
Nowak was a passenger in the front seat of friend Harry Madsen’s car. He had placed his backpack on the floor in front of him. Madsen was pulled over by a Sioux Falls police officer because his license plate tags were expired. While the officer was contacting dispatch, Nowak exited Madsen’s car and ran from the scene.
Madsen gave the officer permission to search the car where the officer found Nowak’s backpack. Madsen told the officer that the backpack belonged to Nowak. Inside the backpack, the officer found a Hi-Point .45 caliber handgun wrapped in a bandana.
Nowak moved to suppress evidence of the firearm alleging that the warrantless search of his backpack was a violation of his Fourth Amendment right to be free of unreasonable searches. The district court found that Nowak had abandoned the backpack and thus had no privacy interest in its contents. Nowak appealed.
In today’s published opinion, the federal court of appeals affirmed the decision of the district court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Mammenga prosecuted the case at trial, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koliner handled the appeal for the government.
District Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Teenage GirlRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Craig Allen Lee, 44, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to an 18-year prison term for sexually assaulting a teenage girl at an apartment in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Lee, a convicted sex offender, was found guilty in February 2016 of attempted first-degree child sexual abuse, with aggravating circumstances. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin. Upon completion of his prison term, Lee will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the attack took place Sept. 18, 2011, at an apartment that the girl was visiting in Southeast Washington. Sometime in the middle of the night, Lee crept into the bedroom where the victim was sleeping. The victim woke to find Lee rubbing her buttocks as she was on her stomach. He then pulled down her sweat pants and underwear and sexually assaulted her. Two days later, the victim told a counselor and her mother. They called the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The girl was taken to Children’s National Medical Center. A thigh swab showed DNA consistent with the defendant’s.
Lee was arrested in 2012 and has been in custody ever since. He was convicted in 1997 of second-degree rape of a 12-year-old girl in Prince George’s County, Md.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. He also expressed appreciation for the work performed by Children’s National Medical Center and the assistance that was provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Bode Technologies.
U.S. Attorney Phillips acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key, Troy Griffith, and Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Litigation Technology Supervisor Joshua Ellen; Information Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia, Aneela Bhatia, William Henderson, and Thomas R. Royal; Investigative Analysts William Hamann, Sharon Johnson, Shannon Alexis, and Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Bates, Sharon Donovan, and Chrisellen Kolb. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter V. Taylor and Kara Traster, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Taylor and Sarah McClellan, who prosecuted the matter.
Detroit man pleads guilty to heroin distributionRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Darrin Lawrence Broadnax, 49, of Detroit, Michigan pled guilty to heroin distribution and trafficking today, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Broadnax pled guilty to “Distribution of Heroin within 1,000 feet of a Protected Location.” Specifically, Broadnax sold heroin in January 2015 near an elementary school in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Broadnax also admitted to transporting heroin for redistribution and sale across state lines from Michigan to West Virginia. He faces between one and 40 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crime Task Force investigated.U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Daughter of Former Federal Employees Sentenced to Prison for Stealing over $700,000 in Retirement BenefitsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stephanie Carethers, 47, of Capitol Heights, Md., was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for taking approximately $702,000 in federal retirement pension benefits after her mother’s death, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Carethers pled guilty in March 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree theft. She was sentenced by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Following her prison term, Carethers will be placed on three years of supervised release. She also must pay $668,934 in restitution. Other losses earlier were recovered.
According to a statement of offense submitted at the time of the plea and signed by the defendant, OPM manages pension benefits for retired employees of the U.S. government. The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) is a retirement system covering federal employees who entered covered federal service before Jan. 1, 1987. Upon retirement from civil service, the federal employees covered by CSRS become CSRS annuitants and are entitled to CSRS benefits throughout their lifetimes. In addition, a CSRS annuitant has the option to elect a survivor benefit for his/her spouse; if selected, a spousal benefit allows for the annuitant’s surviving spouse to continue to receive a reduced amount of benefits throughout the spouse’s lifetime.
OPM pays retirement annuity benefits to the retired federal government employee only during his/her lifetime; payments cease upon the employee’s death. OPM pays survivor annuity benefits to the annuitant’s spouse only during his/her lifetime; payments cease upon the spouse’s death.
The defendant’s mother worked for the federal government from 1941 to 1986. From 1941 to 1945, she worked for the Executive Office of the President for Emergency Management, and then worked for the U.S. State Department from 1945 to 1986. She died on April 23, 2001. The defendant’s father also worked for the U.S. government until his retirement in June 1986. He died on March 7, 2002, surviving his wife by about one year.
Although Carethers notified Maryland’s Division of Vital Records that her mother died, she did not notify OPM. Unaware of the death, OPM paid approximately $495,967 in retirement annuity benefits from 2001 until March 2010 by way of direct deposits into a SunTrust Bank savings account solely in the name of the defendant’s parents.
Although Carethers likewise notified Maryland’s Division of Vital Records that her father died on March 7, 2002, she did not notify OPM. However, OPM learned of his death and suspended his retirement annuity benefits in July 2002. Carethers subsequently called OPM’s Office of Retirement Programs, identifying herself as the daughter. She requested that survivor annuity benefits application forms be sent to her mother, not disclosing that her mother actually was deceased. She then caused an application to be sent to OPM fraudulently requesting survivor annuity benefits for her mother; the application contained the forged signature of her mother. Because her mother was deceased, she was not eligible for survivor annuity benefits. Based on this application and unaware of the death of the defendant’s mother, OPM paid approximately $206,982 in survivor annuity benefits. These payments were directly deposited into a SunTrust Bank checking account solely in the name of the defendant’s parents.
From 2001 to 2010, Carethers used the fraudulently obtained payments that OPM sent after her mother’s death to buy items and services for herself and others.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Inspector General Vint expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents and analysts from OPM’s Office of Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kaitlyn Krueger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.
Crosby County Man Sentenced to More than 12 Years in Federal Prison on Extortion and Firearms ConvictionsRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Shannon Dale Smith of Crosbyton, Texas, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to serve a total of 147 months in federal prison on extortion and firearms convictions, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Smith, 46, was convicted at trial in March 2016 on one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence, and in January 2015, he pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communications with the intent to extort more than $500,000 from a Crosby County man. Today, Senior Judge Cummings sentenced Smith to 60 months on the firearms conviction and 87 months on the extortion conviction, to run consecutively
On October 29, 2015, Smith possessed three firearms − a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Rock River Arms .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Ruger .22 caliber rifle − in furtherance of transmitting communications to Crosbyton resident, Nathan Royce Boardman, threatening to kidnap and injure his wife, his daughters and his granddaughters.
Smith was carrying the Glock, .40 caliber pistol when he went to the drop location to see if Boardman had paid the extortion money. Smith also had the .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle and the .22 caliber rifle in his pickup truck as part of a hunting ruse in case he was stopped by law enforcement.
On Tuesday morning, October 27, 2015, Smith called Boardman and left a message on his answering machine that said: “We are watching you, there is a note on your north door.”
Boardman found the note that stated: “Follow these Instructions and no one will get Hurt. We Have a man watching your daughter. We Have a man watching your Granddaughter. We Have a man watching you and your wife. We are monitering [sic] your home and cell phone. If you call the police, we will know and someone will be taken from you. If you choose not to participate, someone will be taken from you. You have till Thursday at 9pm to put $525,000 in cash and or gold coins in a bag, duffel style. we [sic] will call you with further instructions. We are watching you. Do what you’re told and no one will be Hurt”.
On the morning of October 29, Boardman received another phone call from Smith in which Smith advised him that he had 14 hours left to get the money or else he would see what Boardman’s granddaughter looked like naked and correctly identified Boardman’s granddaughter by her first name. That evening, Smith called and left a message advising they’d better answer the phone or if they didn’t, it would be the last thing they would remember.
At approximately 6:44 p.m. that evening, Smith called Boardman and provided instructions to drop the extortion money. A short time later, Smith called Boardman again to confirm he had the correct instructions and advised Boardman if “we get a GPS tracker or a dye pack, there’ll be hell to pay.”
At approximately 8:55 p.m., that evening, law enforcement officers departed Boardman’s residence using Boardman’s vehicle and proceeded to the location Smith provided and threw a duffel bag in the weeds next to the boiler, as instructed. Law enforcement officers returned to Boardman’s residence in Boardman’s vehicle. Law enforcement identified a 2011 white GMC pickup truck in the area of the drop location, and they identified the two individuals in the truck as Smith and his minor son. At the time of his arrest, Smith had a semi-automatic pistol on his person.
The FBI, Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division, Crosby County Sheriff’s Office and the Crosbyton Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Haag was in charge of the prosecution.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to 100 Months for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announces that United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Robert Brent Goodwin on June 17, 2016 to serve a term of imprisonment of 100 months followed by 3 years of supervised release for illegally possessing four firearms in Bay Minette, Alabama on June 28, 2015 in violation of 18 USC § 922(g)(1). The defendant, who was a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history consisting of three prior felony convictions pled guilty before the Court on March 17, 2016.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Fairhope Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence J. Bullard for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Colombian Man Sentenced More Than 17 Years in Prison for International Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Anderson Bryan Lever (39, Colombia, South America) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring with others to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, onboard vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
According to court documents and information presented at sentencing, between 2009 and 2013, Lever worked with his co-defendant and others to smuggle cocaine. Lever repeatedly dispatched vessels carrying between 550 and 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from San Andres Island, Colombia. On each occasion, He recruited and paid at least four mariners per vessel.
Lever’s co-conspirators received cocaine shipments in Honduras, then provided bales of United States currency (containing as much as $500,000 each) to the mariners who had just smuggled the cocaine. The mariners then smuggled the money back to Lever in Colombia. In total, the mariners successfully smuggled more than 10,000 kilograms of cocaine.
Lever was previously convicted for importing cocaine in Guerrero, Mexico. In September 2001, he was sentenced to more than 13 years’ imprisonment in Mexico, but escaped and fled to Colombia in November 2002. He was arrested in Colombia and subsequently extradited to the United States in November 2015.
This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, a standing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, comprised of agents and analysts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray. The Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs, assisted with Lever’s extradition.
Collierville Man Sentenced for Defrauding Loan Companies of $121,000Read the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A Collierville man has been sentenced for executing a scheme that defrauded two loan companies of approximately $121,000. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Preston E. Byrd, 45, of Collierville, Tennessee, was a real estate developer. Byrd owned multiple businesses, including Horizon Financial Group; Eagles Landing Development; Affordable Rental Housing of Shelby; and Y-Politic.
Between March and May 2014, Byrd fraudulently applied for business loans with two loan companies, Rapid Advance and Windset Capital. He made false statements and submitted false documents to the two companies. Following receipt of the loan proceeds, Byrd engaged in multiple transactions with the fraudulently obtained money.
When Rapid Advance and Windset Capital requested to visit and physically inspect the location of Byrd’s establishments, he had another individual obtain office space for him to use temporarily. Byrd falsely represented the rented space as the headquarters for his establishments.
In March 2016, a federal jury convicted Byrd of three counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering.
On Thursday, June 16, 2016, Chief U.S. District Judge Jon P. McCalla sentenced Byrd to 42 months in federal prison. Byrd was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $96,237.14, and to forfeit $166,245.14.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service Economic Crimes Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carroll L. Andre III prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.
Bucks County Settlement Agent Charged with Stealing FundsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Alfred Drechsel, 47, of Voorhees, NJ was charged by Information with one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme that defrauded borrowers and title insurance companies, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.
Drechsel was an owner of Lenders Edge Settlement Services, LLC, (“Lenders Edge”) and Integrity Assurance Inc. (“Integrity Assurance”), located in Feasterville, PA. The information alleges that Drechsel, who was responsible for making the loan disbursements, diverted settlement funds into various Lenders Edge and Integrity Assurance bank accounts and used the diverted loan proceeds to pay off other unrelated mortgages, to pay other business expenses, and for personal expenditures. According to the information, the total amount of mortgages that the defendant failed to pay off as required by the settlement statements was approximately $2,919,186.61.
If convicted, the defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, restitution, a period of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and a possible fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Barry.
An Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
British Man Previously Charged with Coming to U.S. to Have Sex with Pre-Teen Boys Now also Faces Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A British man who was previously charged with travelling to the Coachella Valley to have sex with pre-teen boys was charged today in a superseding indictment that adds child pornography charges.
Paul Charles Wilkins, 70, of Littleport in East Cambridgeshire, England, a dual United States-United Kingdom citizen, was named today in a four-count superseding indictment that now includes charges of transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
The indictment reiterates charges contained in the original indictment that was filed in February – traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and attempted sex trafficking of children.
Wilkins allegedly travelled to the Coachella Valley in late January in order to engage in illicit sexual conduct with boys who were 10 and 12 years old.
While the first count of the indictment relates to Wilkins travel to the United States to allegedly have sex with two pre-teen boys, the attempted sex trafficking charge stems from a deal he allegedly brokered with an undercover investigator in which Wilkins allegedly paid $250 to have sex with a 9-year-old boy at an apartment he had rented in Palm Springs.
The child pornography counts related to images found on a laptop computer and a digital storage device that were seized when Wilkins was arrested on February 11 at his rented apartment after allegedly paying the money to the undercover operative.
“Child predators – whether foreign or domestic – threaten the most vulnerable members of society, which is why we devote considerable resources to stopping them,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “The new indictment adds additional charges that more fully reflect the totality of this defendant’s conduct and could subject him to a longer prison term.”
Wilkins, who has been ordered held without bond, is currently scheduled to go on trial before United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee on July 19.
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.
The charge of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years.
The charge of attempted sex trafficking of children carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and statutory maximum penalty of life without parole.
The two child pornography charges each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years, and the transportation count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
The investigation into Wilkins was conducted by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
“Pedophiles in the United States, or anywhere in the world, who believe they can escape the detection of law enforcement by traveling to another county to commit heinous crimes against children should take note,” said Robert Goetsch, acting special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “HSI and its law enforcement partners around the globe will pursue those criminals who subject children to this torment and bring them to justice by using every tool at our disposal.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christina T. Shay.
Brazilian Man Sentenced for Illegal Reentry After DeportationRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE –United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice announced today that Elismar Dasilva-Gomes, 40, of Brazil, pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after having been previously deported. He was sentenced to the time served since his arrest on February 29, 2016. Dasilva-Gomes will now be deported.
A law enforcement officer conducting a routine investigation observed the defendant’s vehicle backed right up to the front door of a Verizon Wireless store. The officer approached the defendant, who was employed at the store, and asked for identification. Dasilva-Gomes provided a Brazilian passport as his only form of identification.
The officer sought the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations in positively identifying the defendant. An ICE-ERO officer ran complete criminal and immigration histories and found a record for a Brazilian national who was arrested and deported in 2005. The ICE-ERO officer sent a photo of the individual who was deported in 2005 to the local law enforcement officer, who confirmed that it matched the defendant.
On February 29, 2016, Dasilva-Gomes was booked and processed at the ICE office in Manchester. Fingerprints obtained from at that time were compared to fingerprints on file with ICE and were determined to match known fingerprints of the defendant on the occasion of his previous deportation in 2005.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred Rubega.
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Alleged Bank Robbers Ordered to Remain in Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Four members of a crew allegedly responsible for 20 armed bank robberies in the greater Houston and San Antonio areas will remain in federal custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
A federal grand jury returned the 15-count indictment May 25, 2016, against Eric Beverly, 27, Gregory Babers, 25, Julien Francis, 25, and Jerrick Hoskins, 26, all of Houston. They are charges with conspiracy to commit bank robbery and multiple counts of aiding and abetting bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Authorities took Beverly into custody June 3, while Francis was arrested June 8. Babers and Hoskins were taken into custody June 9.
On June 10, all four defendants appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo for a detention hearing, after which it was determined that they should be held in custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings. During the hearing, evidence was presented indicating that the crew committed 20 take-over style robberies between July 25, 2014, and May 2, 2015. During the alleged crimes, two or more men wearing masks would enter the banks while at least one of them brandished a firearm. Inside, one or more of the men allegedly demanded money from employees at gunpoint, jumped over teller counters and would grab money from the teller drawers. It is alleged that the conspirators robbed three of the banks on more than one occasion.
Today, Judge Palermo issued detention orders indicating probable cause the crimes were committed. The court further found them to be a danger to the community.
Each faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the conspiracy to commit bank robbery. For aiding and abetting bank robbery, they also face a maximum of 25 years in federal prison upon each conviction. In addition, they face a mandatory seven-year sentence for the first conviction of brandishing a firearm, plus 25 years for every subsequent firearm conviction which must be served consecutively to each other and to the other sentences. All 15 counts also carry a possible fine of $250,000.
The FBI Violent Crime Task Force investigated, which included agents and officers of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carrie Wirsing and Jill Stotts are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
16 June 2016
Youngstown man sentenced to 15 years in prison for having firearmRead the Press Release
A Youngstown man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, said Carole S. Rendon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Bradley Earman, Acting ATF Special Agent in Charge for the Columbus Field Division.
Lawrence J. Johnson, 52, was found to be an armed career criminal. He illegally possessed a Bryco 9 mm pistol on Aug. 12, despite four felony convictions in state court – attempted robbery in 1982 in Mahoning County, robbery in 1983 in Mahoning County, robbery in 1997 in Trumbull County and complicity to aggravated robbery with a firearm in 2005 in Trumbull County.
“We will continue to prosecute those who carry firearms despite convictions that forbid them from having guns,” Rendon said. “These are people that everyone agrees should not have access to firearms.”
“ATF is committed to combating gun violence in our communities,” Earman said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to arrest violent criminals and make our communities safer.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Filiatraut following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Winnfield men plead guilty to firearms chargesRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that two Winnfield men pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing stolen firearms.
Ashton L. Howard, 33, and Aaron Thomas, 26, both of Winnfield, La., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen firearm in a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes. Thomas also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Their pleas will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. According to the guilty pleas, Howard and Thomas received and possessed 14 firearms, ammunition and other items from a Winnfield firearm seller on March 22, 2015. Howard drove four juveniles to a store where they loaded eight rifles, five shotguns, a revolver, ammunition, firearms parts, knives and other items into Howard’s van. Thomas later helped them unload the stolen items and store them under his house and in various locations. They both were aware the firearms were stolen.
Each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison, one to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of September 12, 2016 was set.
This investigation and prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative to promote firearm safety and to reduce firearm crimes by preventing the possession and use of firearms by dangerous and persistent felons and others not authorized to possess a firearm.
The ATF and the Winnfield Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Gillespie Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Williamson County Heroin Seller Faces Long Prison TermRead the Press Release
A Williamson County, Illinois man was recently sentenced to a long term in federal prison on heroin charges, James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
On June 15, 2016, Antoine B. Shaw, a/k/a "Scan," 42, of Herrin, IL, was sentenced to 228 months’ imprisonment and five years’ supervised release following his imprisonment. Shaw had previously pleaded guilty to one count in a federal superseding indictment which charged that from August 2014, until on or about June 5, 2015, in Williamson and Franklin Counties, Shaw and others conspired to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Illinois State Police, the Marion, Illinois Police Department, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
Wilkes-Barre Man Pleaded Guilty to Transporting A Minor for Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Trevon Jackson, age 24, of Wilkes-Barre pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik in Scranton pursuant to a plea agreement.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Jackson was charged in a Criminal Information in May 2016 with transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The Information alleged that in December 2013, Jackson transported an individual under the age of 18, from Pennsylvania to New York, with the intent that the individual engage in prostitution.
The case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.
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."
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute for transportation of minors for criminal activity is imprisonment for life, with a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment for 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following imprisonment. 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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Water Treatment Chemicals Manufacturer Pleads Guilty in Conspiracy Aimed at Eliminating CompetitionRead the Press Release
Company to pay $5 Million Criminal Fine
GEO Specialty Chemicals Inc., an Ohio company, has pleaded guilty for its role in a conspiracy to eliminate competition involving contracts to supply liquid aluminum sulfate to municipalities and pulp and paper manufacturers in the United States, the Department of Justice announced today.
GEO’s Water Treatment Chemicals Division, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a manufacturer and supplier of water treatment chemicals, including liquid aluminum sulfate. The company has admitted to conspiring to fix prices, rig bids, and allocate customers involving contracts for liquid aluminum sulfate, a coagulant used by municipalities to treat drinking and waste water, and by pulp and paper manufacturers in their manufacturing processes. GEO has been sentenced to pay a fine of $5 million. GEO is the first corporate defendant, and fourth defendant overall, to be charged with participation in this decade-and-a-half-long conspiracy. One individual previously pleaded guilty and two others have been indicted in connection with the conspiracy.
“GEO and its co-conspirators deprived municipalities and paper manufacturers of the competitive prices they rightly expected from their suppliers of liquid aluminum sulfate,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Renata Hesse, head of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This prosecution continues our efforts to hold criminally responsible those who collude to cheat their customers.”
“The FBI is committed to protecting the American consumer’s right to expect the benefits of free and open competition. However, GEO Specialty Chemicals and their co-conspirators colluded to circumvent competitive bidding and independent pricing for liquid aluminum sulfate contracts, and conspired to raise prices by submitting artificially inflated bids to their customers,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher of the FBI’s Newark Division. “They also allocated customers in furtherance of their collusive scheme. By agreeing to violate both the spirit and the letter of the competitive process, GEO and others defrauded municipalities as well as pulp and paper companies out of millions of dollars.”
According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, from 1997 until 2011, GEO and its co-conspirators engaged in their collusive agreement by meeting to discuss each other’s liquid aluminum sulfate business, submitting intentionally losing bids to favor the intended winner of the business, withdrawing inadvertently winning bids, and discussing with each other prices to be quoted or bid to municipalities and pulp and paper manufacturers.
The investigation into price fixing, bid rigging, and customer allocation in the liquid aluminum sulfate industry is being conducted by the New York Office of the Antitrust Division and the FBI’s New Jersey Office. Anyone with information on price fixing, bid rigging, or customer allocation in the sale and marking of liquid aluminum sulfate should contact the New York Office of the Antitrust Division at 212-335-8000, call the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.
Wakpala Man Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Wakpala, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to a Spouse, Intimate Partner or Dating Partner was sentenced on June 13, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Christopher Lee Delong, age 40, was sentenced to 28 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Delong was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 14, 2015. He pled guilty on December 15, 2015.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on June 27, 2015, when law enforcement was informed by the victim that her boyfriend was beating her up. Upon arrival, law enforcement made contact with the victim and Delong. The officer could see that the victim had blood on her lips, a swollen left eye, and what appeared to be a broken hand. The victim explained that Delong hit her on the face when he became angry when another person took his car keys from him. As a result of the assault, the victim sustained a cut lip, a swollen left eye, multiple abrasions to her body, and a severely swollen hand.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Delong was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Two Portsmouth Drug Dealers Sentenced for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Norman Preston Stephenson, 35, and Samuel Gray, aka Pig, 36, both of Portsmouth, were sentenced today to 264 months, and 120 months in prison, respectively, for conspiring to distribute crack cocaine. Additionally, Stephenson was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and Gray was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Stephenson was a member of the Corna Sto Boys, a group formed in the late 1990s by individuals distributing crack cocaine near the corner of Elm Avenue and Fayette Street in Portsmouth. The group most recently dealt crack cocaine around an intersection across the street from Brighton Elementary School in Portsmouth. In August 2015, the Portsmouth Police Department conducted 17 controlled purchases of crack cocaine from members of the organization.
Stephenson dealt over one kilogram of crack cocaine between December 2014 and October 2015, when he was arrested for beating a woman who stole his drug stash. Gray, an affiliate of the Corna Sto Boys, dealt over one half kilogram of crack cocaine over the year prior to his arrest. Three other members of the group have pleaded guilty in federal court and are awaiting sentencing.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division; John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of the Portsmouth Police Department; and Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse and Joseph E. DePadilla, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, prosecuted the cases.
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-16 and 2:16-cr-19.
Two Clay County Men Sentenced on Destructive Device ChargesRead the Press Release
Two Clay County, Illinois men were recently sentenced to federal prison on destructive device charges, James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
On June 15, 2016, Aaron B. Flota, 37, of Flora, IL, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison and two years’ supervised release following his imprisonment. On June 14, 2016, Kevin E. Caldwell, 37, of Edgewood, IL, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and two years’ supervised release following his imprisonment.
Both men had previously pleaded guilty to one count in a federal indictment which charged that on August 10, 2015, in Clay County, Illinois, Flota and Caldwell knowingly possessed a destructive device, as defined by federal law, which had not been registered to either of them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. The Clay County State’s Attorney also assisted with the investigation.
Three plead guilty to heroin distribution in Monongalia CountyRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Three individuals pled guilty to heroin distribution in federal court in Clarksburg today, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Romelle Deshaun Stevens, 26, of Detroit, Michigan pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Heroin.” Stevens admitted to selling heroin in Monongalia County during December 2015. He faces not more than 20 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $1,000,000.
Robert Tucker, 22, of Clarksburg, WV pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Heroin.” Tucker admitted to selling heroin in Monongalia County during August 2015. He faces not more than 20 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $1,000,000.
Michaelo Merone, 30, of Westover, WV pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Heroin.” Merone admitted to selling heroin in Monongalia County during October 2015. He faces not more than 20 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $1,000,000.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the defendant’s prior criminal history, if any.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crime Task Force investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Three Men Sentenced to Prison for Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Three men were sentenced to prison today for their involvement in a credit card fraud scheme which involved re-encoded credit cards with stolen bank information. All three defendants were directed to pay $68,337.66 in restitution to their victims.
Name, Age
Hometown
Charges
Sentence
Manvel Avagyan, 32
Van Nuys, California
Bank fraud and aggravated identity theft
45 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release
Davit G. Ghazaryan, 26
Brooklyn, New York
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft
54 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release
Hrayr Margaryan, 26
Brooklyn
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravate identity theft
45 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release
According to court documents and testimony, on April 21, 2015, Spotsylvania Deputy Sheriffs received a call about suspicious activity around two bank branches. Upon responding, they observed Ghazaryan and Margaryan seated in a van parked in a near-by parking lot. They found 150 blank plastic cards with magnetic strips re-encoded with stolen credit card information, as well as a paper with the address of a Richmond area gas station that had been identified by banks as a point of compromise for customers’ debit cards. Deputies found Avagyan in a restaurant across the street. Several weeks later, an employee of the restaurant located three re-encoded cards, identical to those recovered from the van, buried in gravel near the front entrance of the restaurant. The three men were subsequently linked via bank photographs to withdrawals from ATMs that occurred in March and April 2015 in Pennsylvania and Virginia using stolen debit or credit card numbers.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Douglas F. Mease, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Richmond Field Office; and Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger L. Harris, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore and former Special Assistant U.S Attorney Margaret W. Reed prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated by the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service as members of the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force. They were assisted by the Fredericksburg Police Department, the City of Richmond Police Department, the State College, Pennsylvania Police Department, and numerous other police departments in Pennsylvania. Prosecutions for the Task Force are handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15-cr-155.
Tallulah tax preparer pleads guilty to aiding in the filing of false tax returnRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Tallulah based tax preparer pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a tax return containing false information.
Frankie Cammack, 48, of Tallulah, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes to one count of aiding and assisting in making and subscribing a fraudulent and false tax return. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James. According to testimony presented during the guilty plea, Cammack prepared 26 returns for eight different taxpayers for tax years 2009 through 2012, all of which contained false information regarding either business expenses or education credits. The false information was used to generate refunds totaling $114,791 to the taxpayers.
Cammack faces a maximum penalty of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for September 12, 2016.
The IRS conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Flanagan is prosecuting the case.