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Monday 14 March 2016
Detroit oxycodone dealer pleads guilty to Federal drug crimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit drug dealer pleaded guilty today to a federal oxycodone crime, announced Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto. Chester Lee Estes, 40, entered his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute oxycodone.
On October 2, 2014, agents with the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force were conducting surveillance of several individuals in Huntington who appeared to be involved in drug trafficking near the Days Inn. During that surveillance, agents observed Estes leave the hotel and travel west toward Walmart on Route 60. Members of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, who were assisting in the investigation, then arrested Estes on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for transferring and receiving stolen property. In a search of Estes following his arrest, agents seized 476 oxycodone pills, over $4,500 in cash, two cell phones, and a Days Inn room key. Law enforcement also conducted a search of the hotel room and located the girlfriend of Estes, along with their small child, as well as over $900 in cash and an additional cell phone.
Estes faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on June 20, 2016.
The investigation of Estes was conducted by the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory McVey is handling the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
This case was brought as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
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Department of Justice Releases Report on Understanding Firearms Assaults Against Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today announced the release of a new publication addressing officer safety.
Understanding Firearms Assaults against Law Enforcement Officers, produced by the Justice Department’s Officer Safety and Wellness Group, addresses two primary safety concerns in law enforcement, injuries and deaths among officers and premeditated and unprovoked ambushes of officers. It examines the differential risks thought to influence the use of deadly force against police officers in the United States through a literature review and survey analysis.
This publication is a joint COPS Office, Bureau of Justice Assistance and Major Cities Chiefs Association publication, and was informed with input from the Justice Department’s Officer Safety and Wellness Group.
“Every day, law enforcement officers courageously serve this nation by protecting our values and keeping our communities safe,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “This report will serve as a critical resource as we honor their service and sacrifice and take the necessary steps to improve officer safety.”
The Department of Justice established the Officer Safety and Wellness Group in 2011 to encourage the adoption of cultures of safety and wellness among the nation’s law enforcement agencies. The working group includes more than 40 participants representing federal, state and local law enforcement; national associations; unions; and researchers who discuss and develop the research.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 127,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Coraopolis Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 36 months imprisonment, followed by 12 years supervised release, on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer also ordered Stephen Hutchinson to pay $9,000.00 in restitution to victims, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Stephen Hutchinson, 30, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, the court was advised that on or about March 3, 2015, Hutchinson knowingly possessed images and videos in computer graphics files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not yet attained 12 years of age.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for conducting the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hutchinson.
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.
CEO of Microcap Company Charged with Securities Fraud for Falsely Claiming Millions in Revenue from Contracts with Nigeria and Other Foreign CountriesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The chief executive officer of a publicly traded microcap company made his initial court appearance in San Francisco today on charges he allegedly filed false reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and made false statements in press releases and blog posts, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Cary Lee Peterson, 36, of Texas and Arizona, is charged by complaint with two counts of false certification and one count of securities fraud. FBI agents arrested Peterson March 13, 2016, at San Francisco International Airport when he arrived on an international flight. He is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero in San Francisco federal court.
According to the complaint:
Peterson, as CEO of RVPlus Inc., filed numerous false reports with the SEC, including:
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On Aug. 21, 2012, Peterson falsely certified on SEC Form 8-K that RVPlus had entered into a contract worth $1.8 billion with the “Ministry of Environment for Katsina State Within the Federal Republic of Nigeria” to provide unspecified green energy products and services (the “Nigeria Agreement”);
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On Nov. 16, 2013, Peterson falsely certified on SEC Form 8-K that RVPlus had entered into a contract worth $90 million with the “Commission of the Foreign Affairs to the Senate for the Republic of Haiti” (the “Haiti Agreement”);
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On Dec. 21, 2012, Peterson falsely certified on Form 10-Q for the quarter that ended Oct. 31, 2012 that RVPlus held $8,653,846 in short-term accounts receivable for services rendered under the Nigeria Agreement.He did so despite prior warnings from RVPlus’ auditors that reporting these receivables as revenue was improper;
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On Dec. 27, 2012, Peterson falsely certified on SEC Form 8-K that RVPlus had entered into a contract worth $10.5 million with the Federal Ministry of Planning & Economic Affairs for the Republic of Liberia (the “Liberia Agreement”);
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On March 28, 2013, Peterson falsely certified on SEC Form 10-Q for the quarter that ended on Jan. 31, 2013, that RVPlus held $17,590,837 in short-term accounts receivable from, among other sources, the Haiti and Liberia agreements.
The SEC suspended trading in RVPlus on July 19, 2013, due to questions concerning the accuracy of RVPlus’ periodic financial filings, including reported accounts receivable, assets, and operations.
In addition to the false SEC reports, Peterson also published false and misleading press releases and drafted blog posts under a phony name in which he touted the benefits of the Nigeria, Haiti, and Liberia agreements.
Peterson also claimed that ECCO2 Corp., a not-for-profit owned by Peterson, had licensed certain intellectual property to RVPlus and that ECCO2 Corp. was an “affiliate organization” of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change. Peterson claimed that “[t]his status held with the sectors of the United Nations opens many windows of opportunity to over $100 billion in financial aid to fund ECCO2 projects.” ECCO2 was never an “affiliate” of the U.N. Convention on Climate Change. In fact, the U.N. wrote to Peterson on two separate occasions demanding that ECCO2 stop claiming that it was.
Each count with which Peterson is charged carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million. The SEC also filed a civil complaint against Peterson today in New Jersey federal court in Newark alleging multiple counts of securities fraud.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Campi in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s charges. Mr. Fishman thanked special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson, in San Francisco, and for their assistance with Mr. Peterson’s arrest. He also thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission New York Regional office under the direction of Andrew M. Calamari, Regional Director.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Peck of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Farnham in San Francisco.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Bergen County, New Jersey, Doctor Who Billed for Bogus Office Visits, Altered Patient Medical Records Sentenced to More Than Three Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A family physician with offices in Cresskill and Little Falls, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies out $280,000 by billing them for non-existent office visits, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Albert Ades, 61, of Englewood, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to Count One of an indictment charging him with health care fraud. Judge Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to the documents filed and statements made in court:
From 2005 through June 2014, Ades, a licensed family medicine doctor who owns and operates Albert Ades M.D., P.A., fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid and various private payors for face-to-face physician office visits that never happened. Ades wrote prescriptions, authorized refills or performed other tasks without ever seeing those patients on the billed dates. Ades admitted that he altered patients’ medical charts by inserting fabricated blood pressure readings, other vitals and clinical notes on patients’ charts to make it appear as if they had visited Ades’s office on the billed dates.
Ades admitted that, between 2009 and 2013, his scheme caused a loss of approximately $280,000 to federal health care benefit programs and private insurers.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Ades to three years of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit $280,000.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Campi; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; and investigators with the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. U.S. Attorney Fishman also thanked the National Insurance Crime Bureau for their assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane H. Yoon and Danielle M. Corcione of the U.S. Attorney’s Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman reorganized the health care fraud practice at the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office shortly after taking office, including creating a stand-alone Health Care and Government Fraud Unit to handle both criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud offenses. Since 2010, the office has recovered more than $1.29 billion in health care fraud and government fraud settlements, judgments, fines, restitution and forfeiture under the False Claims Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other statutes.
Defense counsel: Alexander Spiro Esq., New York
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Statement on Fatal Shooting of Police Officer in Prince George’s County, MarylandRead the Press Release
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch released the following statement regarding yesterday’s shooting at Prince George’s County Police Department:
“The attack on the Prince George’s County Police Department last night was a heinous act of violence and a cowardly crime. The Department of Justice stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in law enforcement around the country to condemn this horrific attack, to support the Prince George’s County community, and to grieve the loss of Officer Jacai Colson.
“Officer Colson was a consummate public servant and a proud defender of the law – a young guardian raised in the tradition of service to his community. His tragic loss is a reminder of the threats that public safety officers face every day, and the dangers that they bravely confront, in every jurisdiction across the country. The Department of Justice will offer any possible aid to the Prince George’s County community as they investigate this terrible crime, and we will continue to do all that we can to protect and support our officers and hold wrongdoers accountable.”
Anthony, N.M., Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Candelario Ayala, Jr., 40 of Anthony, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to violating the federal firearms laws under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Ayala was arrested in Nov. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Oct. 23, 2015, in Doña Ana County, N.M. According to the complaint, on Oct. 23 and 24, 2015, Ayala was allegedly involved in the armed kidnapping of an adult. During a confrontation preceding the kidnapping, Ayala allegedly was armed with a firearm which he discharged into the floor of the residence in which he and the victim were located. At the time, Ayala was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because he had previously been convicted of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and bribery of a witness.
During today’s proceedings, Ayala pleaded guilty to a felony information charging him with unlawfully possessing a firearm on Nov. 3, 2015. Ayala admitted that on that day in Doña Ana County, he possessed a semi-automatic rifle. Ayala further admitted that he was prohibited from possessing firearms because he of his status as a convicted felon.
At sentencing, Ayala faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. Ayala remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Lizarraga of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Aliquippa Man Identified by Fingerprint Ridges in Sexually Explicit Photo is Sentenced to 22+ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 270 months, followed by lifetime supervised release, on his conviction of production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Tyler Seevers, 25, formerly of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court at the time Seevers entered a plea of guilty, on July 20 and 21, 2014, Seevers produced sexually explicit photographs of a female child, 3 years of age, using an iPod Touch. The iPod Touch was turned over to law enforcement by Seever’s girlfriend, the victim’s mother, who had discovered the photographs of her daughter. Forensic analysis of the contents of the iPod Touch revealed images of both the 3-year-old and her older sister. One such sexually exploitive photograph depicted the ridges of the photographer’s fingertips. A fingerprint analyst with the Pennsylvania State Police was able to identify Seevers’ hand as that depicted in the photograph.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Prior to imposing sentencing, Judge Ambrose stated that this case and other cases involving the sexual exploitation of children and the production of images depicting that exploitation are the most serious that come before the court.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Hopewell Township Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Seevers.
Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Involving Two ToddlersRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Dameon Blackburn, 30, of Albuquerque, N.M. pleaded guilty today in federal court to producing, distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography involving two toddlers. Blackburn entered his guilty plea under a plea agreement that permits him to appeal from a court order denying his motion to suppress evidence. Blackburn will be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea if he prevails on his appeal.
The guilty plea was announced U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Waldemar Rodriguez of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, Tex., Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, III, and Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden, Jr.
Blackburn was arrested in Dec. 2013, by HSI agents on the criminal complaint charging him with producing and distributing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in Bernalillo County, N.M., between March 2013 and Dec. 2013. In Jan. 2014, a federal grand jury filed a five-count indictment charging Blackburn was distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, and two counts of producing child pornography. The indictment alleged that Blackburn committed all five offenses in Bernalillo County between Jan. 2013 and Dec. 2013.
The investigation leading to the charges against Blackburn began on Nov. 15, 2013, when HSI in Albuquerque received information from the HSI Cyber Crimes Center about a pornographic image of a young child victim who might be in the Albuquerque area. HSI’s investigative efforts identified a residence in northeast Albuquerque as a possible location for the person who may have distributed the pornographic image of the young child victim.
Court filings indicate that on Dec. 17, 2013, law enforcement officers conducted a welfare check at the residence and made contact with Blackburn and two young children, a girl and a boy both two years of age, who apparently were left in Blackburn’s care while their parents were out of town. The officers learned that Blackburn had been sexually molesting the toddlers from at least March 2013 through Dec. 2013, and taking photographs and making videos of the toddlers while he molested them. They also learned that Blackburn emailed the pornographic images and videos of the toddlers to others. The two young victims were immediately removed from the residence and put into protective custody.
During today’s change of plea hearing, Blackburn pled guilty to all five counts of the indictment. In his plea agreement, Blackburn admitted distributing a video of a female toddler being forced to perform a sexual act on an adult male. He also admitted receiving a video of a male toddler being forced to perform a sexual act with an adult male, and possessing a pornographic image of a female toddler. Blackburn also acknowledged producing pornographic images of a female toddler and a male toddler.
At sentencing, Blackburn faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison on each of the production of child pornography charges, and a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for the distribution and receipt of child pornography charges. He also faces up to 20 years in prison for the possession of child pornography charges. Additionally, Blackburn will be required to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence and pay restitution to the victims as ordered by the court.
Blackburn has been in custody since his arrest and remains detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the Albuquerque Police Department, all members of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shammara H. Henderson and Marisa A. Lizarraga as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
The Operation also was brought as a part of the New Mexico ICAC Task Force’s mission, which is to locate, track, and capture Internet child sexual predators and Internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 82 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the ICAC Task Force, which is funded by a grant administered by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.
Airport Baggage Handlers Sentenced for Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Chris Arthur Perry, Jr., 26, of Chesapeake, and Gregory Paul Wingard, Jr., 27, of Norfolk, were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to steal valuable items from passengers’ bags at the Norfolk International Airport. Perry was sentenced to 17 months in prison and Wingard was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.
Perry and Wingard pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2015. According to court documents, from approximately December 2013 to June 4, 2015, Perry and Wingard used their positions as baggage handlers to break into checked baggage in the secure area of the Norfolk International Airport. They removed money, electronics, and other valuable items and then sold the items to members of the community or to pawn shops in the Tidewater area. Perry and Wingard specifically targeted firearm containers while searching for bags to break into. Part of the conspiracy was to steal firearms by switching baggage tags, causing firearm containers to be transported away from the original intended destination and preventing detection from law enforcement.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office with the assistance of Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Airways. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. DePadilla prosecuted this case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:15-cr-131.
Friday 11 March 2016
Women sentenced for Natchitoches bank fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that two women were sentenced Tuesday for conspiring to steal money from the bank where they worked.
Deirdre Christophe Nelson, 36, of Natchez, La., and Valerie K. Culpepper, 36, of Natchitoches, La., were sentenced to 21 months and one month respectively by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. Nelson was sentenced on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and Culpepper was sentenced on one count of conspiracy to make false statements in bank records. They were also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $355,649 in restitution. According to the guilty pleas, Nelson, who worked as a bank manager at a Natchitoches bank, conspired with Joe Lee Colbert Jr., 38, of Baton Rouge, to take more than $300,000 from 2011 until July of 2014 from the bank. Nelson would steal cash money and issue money orders from the bank to be deposited into Colbert’s account. Culpepper, the head bank teller, falsified bank records to hide money stolen during that time.
Colbert was sentenced on January 26, 2016 to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He must also share in the payment of restitution Nelson and Culpepper were ordered to pay. Nelson pleaded guilty on September 10, 2015, and Culpepper pleaded guilty on July 17, 2015.
The FBI and conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan prosecuted the case.
William D. Cantrell, Jr. Ordered to Pay 1,226,989.04 in RestitutionRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that, on March 10, 2016, William D. Cantrell, Jr, 61, of Valparaiso, Indiana, was sentenced before District Court Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen for mail fraud.
Cantrell was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release and ordered to pay 1,226,989.04 in restitution.
According to documents filed in the case, Cantrell operated an investment firm and stole the retirement funds of 9 individual investors totaling more than 1.2 million dollars. One of the victims, who lost over $800,000.00, the total amount of her retirement money, contacted law enforcement after attempts to retrieve some of her savings. The attempts to retrieve money were met with fraudulent excuses, empty payment envelopes and ultimately an admission of theft by the defendant.
Several days after law enforcement contacted the defendant regarding the allegations of his thefts, he flew from Indiana to the State of California and was arrested while attempting to break into one of the victim’s home at 3:00 a.m. He was armed with a knife and has been held in custody since his arrest in California.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Randall M. Stewart.
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West Palm Beach Man Convicted of Illegally Transporting Undocumented AliensRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury found Yohany Hernandez-Hernandez (36, West Palm Beach) guilty of illegally transporting undocumented aliens. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 20, 2016.
Hernandez-Hernandez was indicted on May 13, 2015.
According to evidence presented at trial, on May 7, 2015, Hernandez-Hernandez was stopped by deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for committing a traffic infraction on I-75. During the traffic stop, the deputies became aware that he was transporting six undocumented aliens. Law enforcement later learned that Hernandez-Hernandez and the undocumented aliens had travelled from a safe house in Houston to Lee County. They had driven for approximately 22 hours, with limited stops, in an attempt to avoid being detected by immigration officials. The investigation further revealed that two other undocumented aliens had previously been dropped off in other parts of Florida. The aliens had been transported to further their stay in the United States and for Hernandez-Hernandez’s financial gain.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Baggé-Hernández.
Vero Beach Bank Robber Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Tyler Scott Topolski, 20, of Vero Beach, pled guilty today before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Frank J. Lynch, Jr. in Ft. Pierce.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Deryl Loar, Sheriff, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, and David E. Currey, Chief, Vero Beach Police Department, made the announcement.
Topolski pled guilty to an indictment charging him with bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 2113(a). Sentencing is scheduled for June 3, 2016 before United States District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in Ft. Pierce. At sentencing, Topolski faces a possible maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to Court records, on November 6, 2015, at approximately 2:28 p.m., Topolski entered the Florida Community Bank, located at 4000 20th Street, Vero Beach, with a demand note, which read, “NO dye Paacs, I need All the 50’s & 100’s In the Bag! Fan the bills out first. Any restiance I will kill you & myself.” Topolski left with approximately $973.00 in cash. The note was later recovered in a nearby parking lot.
After Vero Beach Police Department detectives received information from the community, identifying Topolski from bank surveillance photographs, they obtained a South Carolina driver’s license in order to confirm his identity. Several bank witnesses positively identified Toploski from photographic lineups. As a result, the detectives obtained a State of Florida Arrest Warrant for Topolski and notified the Horry County Police Department in South Carolina. On November 7, 2015, Topolski was successfully captured, after he was located, hiding in his mother’s closet in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Topolski gave detectives a full confession, admitting that he had cut his facial hair, in order to conceal his identity.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, Vero Beach Police Department, and Horry County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger.
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.
U.S. Attorney, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Discuss Fraudulent Scams -- Including Scam IRS Calls Threatening ArrestRead the Press Release
DENVER – U.S. Attorney John Walsh, with IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) Special Agent in Charge Stephen Boyd and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Preston “Cordale” Lamb, discussed IRS fraud scams, focusing on the fraudulent calls threatening arrest if the call recipient fails to pay.
According to TIGTA, which started tracking the threatening phone scam, or variations of it, in October of 2013, they have nationwide received 1,029,601 calls from people reporting receiving the scam phone call. Of that number, 5,508 were victims, who lost a total of $29,100,604.00
In Colorado, according to TIGTA, the state is ranked 13th in the number of victims. There have been 111 victims who have lost $632,000.00.
There was one example of a fraudulent call, and two TIGTA public service announcements (one in English and one in Spanish) that were mentioned during the event. The links to those examples are below:
Sample call (open source): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjQ7K3FwL44
TIGTA PSA (government source): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4dSU0BElmzA_o7atb929AA
If an individual receives a call they believe to be suspicious, the best thing to do is hang up. The individual can also call 1-800-829-1040 to see if the IRS is actually attempting to get in contact with them. If they are fairly certain the call is fake, and they have detailed information about the call, or believe they have been victimized by the scam, they can report the call by either calling TIGTA at 1-800-366-4484 or sending an email to [email protected]
Two Men Sentenced to Jail for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Russell J. Sveda, 70, and Richard V. Schachter, 56, of Alexandria, Virginia, were each sentenced yesterday to 15 months incarceration for their scheme to steal from the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Maria L. Kelokates, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS), Washington Division, and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Both Sveda and Schachter pled guilty in October 2015 to Health Care Fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. They were sentenced on Thursday, March 10, 2016, by the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan. Upon completion of their prison terms, both defendants will be placed on 36 months of supervised release. They must jointly pay $257,000 to OPM and forfeit money judgments of $257,000.
According to statements of the offense, signed by the defendants as well as the government, Sveda is a former U.S. State Department employee, now retired. He is entitled to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which is the federally-funded health benefit program provided by the U.S. government for federal employees, retirees, and their eligible spouses and dependents. State Department Foreign Service employees and retirees, like Sveda, and federal employees living overseas, have the option of choosing the Foreign Service Benefit Plan of Washington, D.C., as their health insurance plan. Participants of this plan, like Sveda, pay for medical services and medications up front and then submit claims via facsimile or mail and are reimbursed by a check sent through the U.S. Postal Service or a payment electronically transferred into their bank account.
Schachter is Sveda’s spouse and acted on behalf of Sveda in demanding payments for medical insurance claims. Between February 2007 and October 2010, Sveda and Schachter submitted to the insurance carrier for the Foreign Service Benefit Plan claims for pharmaceutical items and services purportedly obtained from a German pharmacy, Stadt-Apotheke Fussen, located in Fussen, Germany. Similarly, from May 2007 through October 2012, Sveda and Schachter submitted claims for medical services Sveda allegedly obtained from various German doctors, clinics, and hospitals. Sveda’s claims used the names and addresses of various doctors, clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies, and other health care service providers, located in Germany.
Since at least 2007, Sveda and Schachter have engaged in extensive foreign travel and extended stays at spas. Government travel records — such as passport stamps and U.S. government’s records of border crossings — as well as documents obtained from airlines, ocean line operators, credit and debit card payments, and a major spa company, establish that Sveda was traveling across the Atlantic, receiving spa treatments in Massachusetts, or otherwise traveling outside of Germany on the dates when Sveda and Schachter claimed Sveda was in Germany receiving medical services from doctors, clinics, hospitals, or other health care providers. Based on information the government has received to date, $257,000 of those claimed medical services, purportedly performed in Germany, are known to be false given the dates when travel and other records establish that Sveda was not in Germany.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting Inspector General Vint, Assistant Director in Charge Abbate, and Inspector in Charge Kelokates expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents and analysts from OPM’s Office of the Inspector General and the FBI, and Postal Inspectors and analysts with the USPIS. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Donna Galindo, Kristy Penny, John Lowell, Jessica Mundi, and Corinne Kleinman, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Radway and Diane Lucas, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.
Two Men Added to Indictment for $254,000 Tax Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas man and a Colorado man have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to claim more than $254,000 in fraudulent tax refunds.
Pete Scott, 37, of Junction City, Kan., and Leroy Pruitt, 33, of Colorado Springs, Colo., were charged along with Kalena LaToya Winston, 39, of Killeen, Texas, and Shree C. Furby, 39, of Talladega, Ala., in a 21-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, March 10, 2016. The superseding indictment replaces the original indictment that was returned on Jan. 12, 2016, and adds Scott and Pruitt as defendants.
The federal indictment alleges that Winston, Furby, Scott and Pruitt participated in a conspiracy to file false claims for federal income tax refunds from January 2011 to April 12, 2012. According to the indictment, the tax refund scheme resulted in a criminal tax loss of at least $254,893.
Winston allegedly prepared fraudulent 2010 and 2011 tax returns that included false information in order to increase the taxpayers’ earned income credit. Furby allegedly assisted Winston by filing two false tax returns and allowing Winston to use her address on 11 tax returns in order to receive the refunds. Pruitt allegedly used false identity information to establish Internet service that Winston used to transmit the fraudulent returns to the IRS. Scott allegedly distributed the refund debit cards to the taxpayers after the money had already been withdrawn from the cards.
In addition to the conspiracy, Winston and Furby are charged together in two counts of making fraudulent claims to the IRS in order to receive a tax refund to which the individual was not entitled. Winston is charged in an additional 18 counts of making false claims.
All of the federal tax returns were filed at the Internal Revenue Service Center located in Kansas City, Mo.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Three Plead Guilty in Connection with Scheme to Unlawfully Ship Firearms to LebanonRead the Press Release
Ali Afif Al Herz, age 51, Sarah Zeaiter, age 25, and Adam Ben Ali Al Herz, age 23, all from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have each pleaded guilty in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids, to charges relating to a scheme to illegally ship firearms and ammunition to Lebanon.
The three people were originally charged in a criminal complaint filed in May 2015. The affidavit supporting the complaint alleged that between about August 2014 and May 11, 2015, three shipping containers originating from Cedar Rapids were loaded with Bobcat skid loaders, clothing, and various other items with an intended destination of Beirut, Lebanon. The first container was not interdicted. On about March 26, 2015, the second container was interdicted at the outbound port in Norfolk, Virginia, where it was found to contain 53 firearms and more than 6800 rounds of ammunition secreted in three Bobcat skid loaders inside the container. On May 8, 2015, a third container, loaded and shipped from a Cedar Rapids business, was searched and found to contain an additional 99 firearms and over 9500 rounds of ammunition. The firearms and ammunition were again secreted within two Bobcat skid loaders in the container.
Adam Al Herz and Sarah Majid Zeaiter each pleaded guilty to: (a) one count of conspiring to: deal in firearms without a license; ship and transport firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce; make false statements to licensed firearms dealers; fail to give notice to common carriers; and violate the Arms Export Control Act; (b) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; and (c) one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act. In total, Adam Al Herz and Sarah Majid Zeaiter could each be sentenced to serve 45 years imprisonment; pay a $1,750,000 fine and $300 in special assessments; and serve 13 years of supervised release.
Ali Afif Al Herz pleaded guilty to: (a) one count of possessing firearms after having been previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; (b) one count of conspiring to: deal in firearms without a license; ship and transport firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce; make false statements to licensed firearms dealers; fail to give notice to common carriers; and violate the Arms Export Control Act; (c) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; and (d) one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act. In total, Ali Afif Al Herz could be sentenced to serve 55 years imprisonment; pay a $2,000,000 fine and $400 in special assessments; and serve 16 years of supervised release.
Sentencing proceedings in each case will be set at a later date.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Murphy and was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Anyone with information concerning this matter is requested to contact Homeland Security Investigations at 319-286-4680.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file numbers are 15-CR-0054-LRR.
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Three Missouri Individuals Plead Guilty to Participating in Stolen Property Fraud RingRead the Press Release
James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that three individuals pled guilty this morning in Federal Court in Southern Illinois to charges arising from their participation in a large stolen property ring. The individuals who pled guilty this morning are Tony G. Robertson, 44, of O’Fallon, MO, Alice J. Hembree, 43, of Moscow Mills, MO, and Nicholas A. Brockman, 20, of Wentzville, MO.
The charges arise from an indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury in East St. Louis, IL, on October 20, 2015. The indictment alleges that the leader of this fraud ring, Jason J. Parmeley, 42, formerly of O’Fallon, MO, conducted this fraud scheme from Mexico. According to the indictment, Parmeley used the internet to obtain credit account numbers that individuals and businesses had with retail stores, such as Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, and rental stores, such as SunBelt Rentals. Using this information, Parmeley placed orders with the stores in the names of, and under the credit accounts, of the individuals and businesses. The items Parmeley ordered frequently consisted of appliances, expensive tools, and construction equipment. The indictment charges that, after he placed the orders, Parmeley dispatched drivers to go to the stores and pick up the items. According to the indictment, the items were then sold at prices substantially below retail. The profits were then wire transferred to Parmeley in Mexico.
During their plea hearings today, both Robertson and Brockman admitted that they worked as drivers for the conspiracy. Robertson acknowledged that he worked for the conspiracy from 2012 through 2015, while Brockman agreed that he drove for the group from October through December of 2013. Both Robertson and Brockman admitted that they picked up fraudulently ordered merchandise at various retail stores and then delivered those items to Parmeley’s customers. Robertson also admitted that he engaged in money laundering by wire transferring money to Parmeley in Mexico under a fake name.
During her plea hearing, Hembree admitted that her primary role for the conspiracy was to locate buyers for the stolen merchandise. Hembree also performed various other jobs for the conspiracy, including selling fraudulently ordered gift cards, storing some of the stolen merchandise at her house, and performing some bookkeeping functions for the group.
The indictment charged twelve other individuals with participating in the conspiracy. They are: Jason J. Parmeley, 42, James D. Litchfield, 58, owner of Big Jim’s Autorama in Madison, IL, Angel Speed, 25, formerly of O’Fallon, MO, Sean A. Shields, 47, of Ozark, MO, Shanna Flora, 41, of Vienna, IL, Steven J. Belcher, 44, of Wentzville, MO, Jesse S. Urias, 36, of Los Angeles, CA, Ryan P. Litchfield, 37, of O’Fallon, MO, Rigoberto Gutierrez, 26, of Compton, CA, Russell J. Witt, 33, of New Baltimore, MI, Bryce E. Atkinson, 21, of Lake Saint Louis, MO, and Benedict G. Pellerito, 55, of Troy, MO.
On February 11, 2016, James D. Litchfield, Ryan P. Litchfield, and Benedict G. Pellerito all pled guilty to the charges against them contained in the indictment. They are scheduled to be sentenced in June.
The sentencing hearings for Robertson, Hembree, and Brockman will all be conducted on July 19, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at the Federal Courthouse in Benton, IL. The trial of the remaining defendants is scheduled for April 18, 2016.
The charges contained in the indictment include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to transport property obtained by fraud in interstate commerce, wire fraud, interstate transportation of property obtained by fraud, possession of property obtained by fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of the proceeds of the fraud scheme.
NOTE: Those individuals who are awaiting trial are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation is being conducted by agents from the St. Louis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"). The FBI has received substantial assistance from many state and local police departments in numerous jurisdictions, including the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.
Three Men Indicted on District’s First Bitcoin-Related CaseRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Richard Petix, 30, of Rochester, NY, with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and making material false statements, and a separate indictment charging Zhe Wang, 20, and Kevin Szura, 20, both of Queens, NY, with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and conducting a monetary transaction in criminally derived property. Petix faces five years in prison on each of his charges. Wang and Szura face up to 20 years in prison.“This case demonstrates the ever-growing ways in which the virtual world is intersecting with, and being exploited by, real life crime and criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Those involved in such illicit activities should know that law enforcement is prepared to track them into the deep and dark portions of the web in order to bring criminals to justice.”
"Dismantling the fraudulent financial operations of transnational criminal organizations is critical because these groups can succeed only so long as they can funnel their illicit proceeds freely and without detection,” said J. Michael Kennedy, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations. "HSI will continue to aggressively target illegally functioning new alternatives to traditional financial institutions that deliberately enable businesses and individuals to further their criminal schemes."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wei Xiang, who is handling the cases, stated that according to the indictment against Petix and a previously filed criminal complaint, the defendant lied to federal probation officers and law enforcement agents about his ownership and use of a laptop computer and a smartphone. Petix is on supervised release for a 2009 federal child pornography conviction and must notify probation of any computers he uses. The defendant must also allow law enforcement to examine any computer if suspicious activity is suspected. On October 20, 2015, Petix told his probation officer that he did not use any computers or the Internet.
However, on December 3, 2015, Petix conducted a bitcoin sale with an undercover federal agent. Using his laptop computer and smartphone, the defendant transferred 37 bitcoins worth approximately $13,000 to the agent. But when confronted by federal probation officers at the scene, Petix claimed that the laptop and smartphone were not his. Between August 2014 and December 3, 2015, Petix is accused of unlawfully operating a bitcoin-exchange business that sold approximately $200,000 in bitcoins.
According to the indictment of Wang and Szura and a previously filed criminal complaint, between March 2015 and March 7, 2016, the defendants did and conspired to purchase and attempt to purchase approximately $74,000 in bitcoins. Wang and Szura used proceeds of drug sales to buy the bitcoins, and then used the bitcoins to buy bulk quantities of drugs off the dark web for further distribution. Wang and Szura mainly dealt with Xanax bars, which contain the controlled substance alprazolam, that they allegedly imported from Canada, but also conspired to distribute mollies (MDMA).
According to the complaint, in October 2015, defendant Wang was one of four individuals arrested by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office on state controlled substance charges. During the execution of a search warrant at 72 Winspear Avenue in Buffalo, officers seized approximately 2,500 bars of Xanax.
When Wang and Szura were arrested on March 7, 2016 by federal agents, they were attempting to purchase approximately $8,000 in bitcoins to buy more Xanax. The defendants had a total of over $30,000 in their possession. Defendant Szura had also brought some Xanax pills for an undercover agent to sample.
Bitcoin is a “virtual” currency, that is, a medium of exchange that operates like a currency in some primarily Internet-based environments, but does not have all the attributes of real currency, such as legal tender status. Bitcoin is a “convertible” virtual currency in that it has an equivalent value in real currency and acts as a substitute for real currency. This equivalent value is not determined by any authority or entity; rather, it floats on the open market, with its price subject to variations in global supply and demand. Between August 2014 and March 2016, the trading value of a bitcoin fluctuated between approximately $200 and $600 in United States dollars.
In order for a user to acquire bitcoins, they must be sent to the user’s Bitcoin address. This address is an alphanumeric string whose use is somewhat analogous to a bank account number. The user can then conduct transactions with other Bitcoin users, by transferring bitcoins to their Bitcoin addresses, via the Internet. Little to no personally identifiable information about the payer or payee is transmitted in a Bitcoin transaction. Only the Bitcoin addresses of the parties are needed for the transaction, which by themselves do not reveal any identifying information.
Bitcoin is not inherently illegal. However, its anonymity has popularized it as a payment form of choice in black markets for illegal goods and services. Virtual currencies such as Bitcoin have created a shadow banking system for criminals who use Internet-based black markets. Bitcoin has been a preferred method of payment for leading dark web markets such as Silk Road. In the same way that the Internet revolutionized consumer commerce (for lawful purposes), an anonymized global payment system on an anonymized global black market has paved the way for people to access with ease a world’s array of contraband with the click of a button, rather than having to find and go to a drug dealer on a street corner.
Defendant Petix will be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott on March 15, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Defendants Wang and Szura were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer on March 10, 2016.
The indictments are the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Shelly Binkowski.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The Mental Health Response Advisory Committee launches public survey and community input sessions to gather information for Cleveland Police policy recommendationsRead the Press Release
The Mental Health Response Advisory Committee (MHRAC) announced that it is seeking input from the public on “crisis situations” that involve the Cleveland Police to gather information that will be used to help develop police policies. The MHRAC, in partnership with the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Division of Police and the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County, launched an online survey and has organized three “community input sessions” open to all members of the public. The settlement agreement that the City signed with the Department of Justice describes “crisis situations” as incidents that involve mental illness, addiction, substance abuse, developmental disabilities or some other overwhelming personal crisis.
“We want people to tell us about their experiences that involved both the Cleveland Police and a mental health, addiction or some other personal crisis,” explained William M. Denihan, Chair of the MHRAC and Chief Executive Officer of the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County. “Learning from these experiences will help our committee craft and recommend police policies that will help to make our communities safer for everyone.”
“Using an online survey and hosting these three events gives everyone an opportunity to participate in the Committee’s work,” noted Edward Eckart, Jr., Vice-chair of the MHRAC and Assistant Director of Public Safety for the City of Cleveland.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams joined Mr. Denihan, and Mr. Eckart in encouraging the public to complete the survey and join these community input sessions. “Cleveland Police support and welcome every opportunity to strengthen this committee’s work with public input and guidance,” he said. “We want to improve the way that our officers respond to crisis situations, and that means learning from the people who have been involved in those situations in the past.”
"The Justice Department encourages anyone who lives or works in Cleveland to participate in this open process," Acting U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon said. “The City and the Cleveland Police are building the foundations of trust and dialogue with the people they serve. It requires an honest conversation about these types of crisis situations.”
Online Survey:
The online survey can be accessed by visiting http://bit.ly/CLECrisisResponseSurvey. It will be open through Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
Hard Copies of the Survey:
People can download and print the survey by visiting http://bit.ly/print_CLECrisisResponseSurvey. Completed surveys must be mailed or returned by Wednesday, March 23, 2016, to:
ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County
c/o MHRAC Survey2012 West 25th Street, 6th Floor
Cleveland, OH 44113
Three Community Input Sessions:
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Southeast Side: Wednesday, March 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Community Assessment & Treatment Services (CATS), 8411 Broadway Avenue, Cleveland OH 44105.
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Northeast / Central: Saturday, March 19th, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Tri-C Jerry Sue Thornton Center (formerly the Visiting Nurses Association), 2500 East 22nd Street, Cleveland OH 44115.
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West Side: Wednesday, March 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Stella Maris, 1320 Washington Avenue, Cleveland OH 44113
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Summer Camps Must Reasonably Accommodate Children with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
With spring approaching, parents are beginning to think about sending their children to summer camps. To help ensure that children with disabilities receive the opportunity to attend summer camp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont recently sent the attached flyer to hundreds of summer camps located within the State of Vermont, reminding them of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Under the ADA, summer camps, both private and those run by municipalities, must make reasonable modification to enable campers with disabilities to participate fully in all camp programs and activities. This generally means that children with disabilities are entitled to attend any camp or activity that non-disabled children attend, that camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis, and that camps must train their staff in the requirements of the ADA. Camps are obligated to pay for the cost of any reasonable modifications necessary for disabled children to participate in camp activities, and parents should not be charged any additional fee beyond standard camp enrollment costs. In connection with the release of the attached flyer, U.S. Attorney Eric S. Miller said, “Summer camp is a wonderful opportunity for children – a place to try new things and to gain confidence in themselves. All children who attend summer camp should have these opportunities. The ADA requires camps to provide equal opportunities to children with disabilities whose needs can be reasonably accommodated.” Additional information about the ADA is available at www.ada.gov, or through contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (802) 951-6725 or [email protected].
Suffolk Man Sentenced for Distribution of HeroinRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Garth Salkey, 65, of Suffolk, was sentenced today to 135 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin.
Salkey pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2015. According to court documents, from the summer of 2012 through May 2015, Salkey conspired with his son, Christopher, to distribute heroin in Suffolk and Portsmouth. Garth Salkey, who has been convicted of drug crimes on three prior occasions, received a significant quantity of heroin from his supplier on a regular basis. Garth Salkey would then add chemical cutting agents to the heroin, cap the drug into capsules, sell the capsules from two residences he owned and other locations, and collect drug proceeds. Garth Salkey recruited his son and others to help him in these activities.
According to court documents, four controlled purchases were made at Salkey’s Suffolk residence in April and May of 2015. Based on the controlled purchases, the Suffolk Police Department and federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed a search warrant on May 20, 2015, at Salkey’s residence in Suffolk. Law enforcement recovered a quantity of heroin and packaging material used for distribution. During the execution of the search warrant, Salkey threw about an ounce of heroin out of his bedroom window in an attempt to hide it from law enforcement. Additionally, agents also discovered a sophisticated marijuana grow operation with 129 marijuana plants belonging to Salkey’s son. During the course of the conspiracy it is estimated that Salkey and his son distributed at least eight kilograms of heroin, while Garth Salkey was personally responsible for more than four kilograms of heroin.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Muhr and V. Kathleen Dougherty 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. 2:15-cr-146.
Subway Franchise Managers and Shell Gas Station Manager Plead Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Conspiracy to Defraud the IRSRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Mohammed Ali, 54, of Herndon, and Obdayel Hoque, 49, of Alexandria, who owned and operated multiple Subway restaurant franchises in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. Mohammed Rahman, 43, and Mohammed Siddique, 53, both of Alexandria, also pleaded guilty in the case.
“Individuals who provide false information for the preparation of fraudulent corporate tax returns will be caught and held responsible,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The guilty pleas today represent exactly that. My thanks to our partners at IRS-Criminal Investigations for their efforts on this case.”
“Today’s guilty pleas send a clear message that business owners and operators who seek to evade their tax obligations and avoid paying their fair share will be held accountable,” said Caroline D. Ciraolo, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “Individuals engaged in this criminal conduct will face prosecution and substantial penalties, including incarceration.”
According to court documents, Ali owned and operated multiple Subway restaurant franchises in Washington, D.C. and Arlington with Hoque. Ali ran the day-to-day operations of the Subway franchises located on 10th Street North, Arlington, and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. These franchises were operated under the name Subway Sandwich & Salad, Inc. Rahman was a working partner with Ali and Hoque and the day-to-day manager of a Subway franchise located on 7th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. This Subway franchise was operated under the name 7th Street Sub Shop LLC. Siddique was a working partner with Hoque and the day-to-day manager of a gas station in Alexandria called Skyhill Shell.
As part of their guilty pleas, Ali, Rahman and Siddique admitted that at Hoque’s direction they did not deposit all of the Subway franchises’ or the gas station’s gross receipts into the corporate or partnership bank accounts. Instead, Hoque, Ali, Rahman and Siddique retained a portion of the gross receipts for their personal benefit. Ali, Rahman and Siddique maintained detailed records of the Subway franchises’ and gas station’s total sales, the amounts deposited into the bank accounts and the amounts distributed to each of them for their personal benefit. Ali and Rahman admitted that, at Hoque’s direction, they destroyed these records.
Ali, Rhaman and Siddique further admitted that they were directed by Hoque to provide false information about the Subway franchises’ and gas station’s gross receipts to the accounting firm that prepared corporate and partnership tax returns for the businesses. For the period of 2008 through 2013, point of sales records for the Subway Sandwich and Salad franchises reflected total sales of $6,439,832. However, Ali provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare Subway Sandwich and Salad’s corporate tax returns. As a result, Ali caused false corporate tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Subway Sandwich and Salad, which reported sales of only $3,749,142. For the period of 2008 through 2013, point of sales records for the 7th Street Sub Shop franchise reflected total sales of $4,949,266. However, Rahman provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare 7th Street Sub Shop’s partnership tax returns. As a result, Rahman caused false partnership tax returns to be filed for 7th Street Sub Shop, which reported sales of only $3,193,212. For the period 2008 through 2012, Siddique provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare Skyhill Shell’s corporate tax returns. As a result, Siddique caused false corporate tax returns to be filed for Skyhill Shell for 2008 and 2009, which failed to report at least $572,000 of net income from the business. Skyhill Shell failed to file corporate tax returns for 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Ali, Rahman and Siddique admitted that they failed to report to the IRS on their individual income tax returns their receipt of unreported gross receipts. Ali admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $550,000 but less than $1.5 million. Rahman admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $250,000 but less than $550,000. Siddique admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $100,000 but less than $250,000.
Hoque pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 to conspiracy to defraud the United States and admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of between $1.5 million and $3.5 million. Hoque is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13.
Rahman, Ali and Siddique each face a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine when sentenced on July 15. As part of their plea agreements, Rahman, Ali and Siddique agreed to pay restitution to the IRS for their personal tax liabilities.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Caroline D. Ciraolo, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye is prosecuting the case along with Assistant Chief Caryn Finley and Trial Attorney Kimberly Shartar of the Tax Division.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-9.
Subway Franchise Managers and Gas Station Manager Plead Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Two Subway franchise managers and a gas station manager, all residents of Virginia, pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to court documents, Mohammed Ali, 54, of Herndon, Virginia, owned and operated multiple Subway restaurant franchises in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, with Obdayel Hoque, 49, of Alexandria, Virginia. Ali ran the day-to-day operations of the Subway franchises located on 10th Street North, Arlington, and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. These franchises were operated under the name Subway Sandwich & Salad, Inc. Mohammed Rahman, 43, of Alexandria and Arlington, was a working partner with Ali and Hoque and the day-to-day manager of a Subway franchise located on 7th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. This Subway franchise was operated under the name 7th Street Sub Shop LLC. Mohammed Siddique, 53, of Alexandria, was a working partner with Hoque and the day-to-day manager of a gas station in Alexandria called Skyhill Shell.
“Today’s guilty pleas send a clear message that business owners and operators who seek to evade their tax obligations and avoid paying their fair share will be held accountable,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “Individuals engaged in this criminal conduct will face prosecution and substantial penalties, including incarceration.”
“Individuals who provide false information for the preparation of fraudulent corporate tax returns will be caught and held responsible,” said U.S. Attorney Boente. “The guilty pleas today represent exactly that. My thanks to our partners at IRS-Criminal Investigations for their efforts on this case.”
As part of their guilty pleas, Ali, Rahman and Siddique admitted that at Hoque’s direction they did not deposit all of the Subway franchises’ or the gas station’s gross receipts into the corporate or partnership bank accounts. Instead, Hoque, Ali, Rahman and Siddique retained a portion of the gross receipts for their personal benefit. Ali, Rahman and Siddique maintained detailed records of the Subway franchises’ and gas station’s total sales, the amounts deposited into the bank accounts and the amounts distributed to each of them for their personal benefit. Ali and Rahman admitted that, at Hoque’s direction, they destroyed these records.
Ali, Rhaman and Siddique further admitted that they were directed by Hoque to provide false information about the Subway franchises’ and gas station’s gross receipts to the accounting firm that prepared corporate and partnership tax returns for the businesses. For the period of 2008 through 2013, point of sales records for the Subway Sandwich and Salad franchises reflected total sales of $6,439,832. However, Ali provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare Subway Sandwich and Salad’s corporate tax returns. As a result, Ali caused false corporate tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Subway Sandwich and Salad, which reported sales of only $3,749,142. For the period of 2008 through 2013, point of sales records for the 7th Street Sub Shop franchise reflected total sales of $4,949,266. However, Rahman provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare 7th Street Sub Shop’s partnership tax returns. As a result, Rahman caused false partnership tax returns to be filed for 7th Street Sub Shop, which reported sales of only $3,193,212. For the period 2008 through 2012, Siddique provided false monthly sales figures to the accounting firm to prepare Skyhill Shell’s corporate tax returns. As a result, Siddique caused false corporate tax returns to be filed for Skyhill Shell for 2008 and 2009, which failed to report at least $572,000 of net income from the business. Skyhill Shell failed to file corporate tax returns for 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Ali, Rahman and Siddique admitted that they failed to report to the IRS on their individual income tax returns their receipt of unreported gross receipts. Ali admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $550,000 but less than $1.5 million. Rahman admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $250,000 but less than $550,000. Siddique admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss of more than $100,000 but less than $250,000.
Hoque pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 to conspiracy to defraud the United States and admitted that his conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of between $1.5 million and $3.5 million. Hoque is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13.
Rahman, Ali and Siddique each face a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of their plea agreements, Rahman, Ali and Siddique agreed to pay restitution to the IRS for their personal tax liabilities. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady set sentencing for July 15.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Boente thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Assistant Chief Caryn Finley and Trial Attorney Kimberly Shartar of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye of the Eastern District of Virginia, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Stonington Man Pleads Guilty to Arson of Lobster BoatRead the Press Release
Contact: James M. Moore
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Jeremy Eaton, 39, of Stonington, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to setting fire to a lobster boat.
Court records reveal that on the evening of April 16, 2014, Eaton walked to Stonington Harbor, removed gasoline cans from a skiff docked in the harbor and then used a small boat to transport himself and the gas cans to a fiberglass lobster boat which was moored in the harbor. Eaton then emptied the cans of gasoline into the lobster boat and started a fire which destroyed the boat. Eaton later admitted that he had burned the boat.
Eaton faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Sanford Man Sentenced to Eight Months for Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced today that James Levesque, 55, of Sanford, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 8 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for distribution of oxycodone. Levesque pleaded guilty to the charge on September 28, 2015.
Court records reveal that on March 7, 2014, in Sanford, Levesque sold forty 80-milligram oxycodone pills, through a middleman, to a cooperating source working with law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the York County Sheriff’s Office.
Russian National Pleads Guilty in Connection with Conspiracy to Work for Russian IntelligenceRead the Press Release
Evgeny Buryakov, aka Zhenya, 41, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act in the United States as an agent of the Russian Federation without providing prior notice to the Attorney General.
The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York.
“Evgeny Buryakov pleaded guilty to covertly working as a Russian agent in the United States without notifying the Attorney General,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “Foreign nations who attempt to illegally gather economic and other intelligence information through espionage pose a direct threat to U.S. national security. The National Security Division will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable those who illegally operate as covert agents within the United States.”
“An unregistered intelligence agent, under cover of being a legitimate banker, gathers intelligence on the streets of New York City, trading coded messages with Russian spies who send the clandestinely collected information back to Moscow,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara. “This sounds like a plotline for a Cold War-era movie, but in reality, Evgeny Buryakov pled guilty today to a federal crime for his role in just such a scheme. More than two decades after the end of the Cold War, Russian spies still seek to operate in our midst under the cover of secrecy. But in New York, thanks to the work of the FBI and the prosecutors in my office, attempts to conduct unlawful espionage will not be overlooked. They will be investigated and prosecuted.”
According to indictment, other court filings and statements made during court proceedings:
Beginning in at least 2012, Buryakov worked in the United States as an agent of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, known as the SVR. Buryakov operated under non-official cover, meaning he entered and remained in the United States as a private citizen, posing as an employee in the New York office of a Russian bank, Vnesheconombank (VEB). SVR agents operating under such non-official cover (NOCs) are typically subject to less scrutiny by the host government and, in many cases, are never identified as intelligence agents by the host government. As a result, an NOC is an extremely valuable intelligence asset for the SVR.
Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General. Department of Justice records indicate that Buryakov never notified the Attorney General that he was, in fact, an agent of the Russia Federation.
Buryakov worked in New York with at least two other SVR agents, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy. From on or about Nov. 22, 2010, to on or about Nov. 21, 2014, Sporyshev officially served as a trade representative of the Russian Federation in New York. From on or about Dec. 13, 2012, to on or about Sept. 12, 2013, Podobnyy officially served as an attaché to the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. The investigation, however, showed that Sporyshev and Podobnyy also worked as officers of the SVR. Sporyshev and Podobnyy were charged along with Buryakov in January 2015, however, Sporyshev and Podobnyy no longer lived in the United States at that time and were not arrested.
The directives from the SVR to Buryakov, Sporyshev and Podobnyy, as well as to other covert SVR agents acting within the United States, included requests to gather intelligence on, among other subjects, potential U.S. sanctions against Russian banks and the United States’ efforts to develop alternative energy resources.
During the course of their work as covert SVR agents in the United States, Buryakov, Sporyshev and Podobnyy regularly met and communicated using clandestine methods and coded messages in order to exchange intelligence-related information while shielding their associations with one another as SVR agents. Sporyshev was responsible for relaying intelligence assignments from the SVR to Buryakov.
On or about March 28, 2014, Sporyshev was recorded telling Buryakov that he needed help researching the “effects of economic sanctions on our country,” among other things. A few days later, on April 2, 2014, Sporyshev called Buryakov and stated, in an intercepted conversation, that he had not seen Buryakov in a while, and asked to meet Buryakov outside VEB’s office in New York in 20 minutes. A court-authorized search of Buryakov’s computer at VEB revealed that, at around the time of this telephone call, Buryakov conducted the following internet searches: “sanctions Russia consiquences” [sic] and “sanctions Russia impact.”
Two days later, on April 4, 2014, Buryakov called Sporyshev and in an intercepted conversation, stated that he “wrote you an order list,” and suggested that they meet. Approximately 20 minutes later, Sporyshev met Buryakov in the driveway of Buryakov’s home. Their encounter, which was captured by a video surveillance camera located near Buryakov’s residence, lasted approximately two minutes. On the video footage, the defendants appeared to exchange a small object.
In the summer of 2014, Buryakov met multiple times with a confidential source working for the FBI and an FBI undercover employee, both of whom purported to be working on a casino development project in Russia. During these meetings, Buryakov accepted documents that were purportedly obtained from a U.S. government agency and which supposedly contained information potentially useful to Russia, including information about U.S. sanctions against Russia.
Buryakov will be sentenced on May 25, 2016, where he faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Carlin joined U.S. Attorney Bharara in praising the investigative work of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emil J. Bove III, Brendan F. Quigley and Stephen J. Ritchin of the Southern District of New York, with assistance provided by Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Buryakov Plea Agreement
Rocky Mount Man Receives over 10 Years for Drug and Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that yesterday in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced DETRAY MAURICE WILLIAMS, 37, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to 144 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
DETRAY MAURICE WILLIAMS was named in an eight count Indictment returned on May 19, 2015. On October 5, 2015, WILLIAMS pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to the investigation, on January 22, 2014, officers attempted to stop WILLIAMS and he fled from officers on foot. During their pursuit, officers observed WILLIAMS remove a handgun from his jacket pocket and throw it to the ground. Officers retrieved the pistol and also located a bag containing crack cocaine on the ground in the area where WILLIAMS was ultimately arrested. On October 9, 2014, WILLIAMS, a convicted felon, was again stopped by law enforcement who located a rifle in the backseat of his vehicle.
This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Rocky Mount Police Department and Nash County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie Randa represented the government.
Richmond Men Sentenced for Multiple Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Tramaine Standberry, 21, and Joshua Wright, 22, of Richmond, were sentenced today to 192 and 276 months in prison, respectively, for a robbery and brandishing a firearm during a robbery.
Standberry and Wright were found guilty on Dec. 9, 2015. According to court documents, Standberry and Wright were under surveillance for suspicion of having committed several robberies in and around Richmond in April 2015. While under surveillance on April 29, 2015, the men robbed a 7-Eleven at 3600 Mechanicsville Turnpike stealing money and lottery tickets. Officers gave pursuit on the ground and from the air and arrested the men hiding in a neighborhood near the 7-Eleven. One of the firearms found was directly connected by forensic evidence to a robbery on April 4, 2015, where one of the men fired at a safe containing lottery tickets. Officers also later discovered the men on film cashing lottery tickets stolen during the April 4 robbery, and found event tickets stolen from the April 4 robbery in Standberry’s home.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson found that the men also participated in robberies which occurred on April 4, 2015, and April 19, 2015, in Henrico.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Hudson. This case was investigated by officers and detectives with the ATF; Henrico County Police Division; Chesterfield County Police; and the Richmond Police Department in conjunction with the FBI’s Central Virginia Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15-CR-102.
Richmond Man Sentenced for Stealing Social Security Survivors BenefitsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Marcel Joshua Kiza, 58, of Richmond, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for engaging in a sophisticated scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program. Kiza was ordered to pay $35,187.80 in restitution.
Kiza was found guilty by a federal jury on Oct. 6, 2015. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, upon entering the United States in 1991, Marcel Kiza applied for a Social Security number under a name he was using at the time, Amuri Kiza. During this time Marcel Kiza was also using the name Ntambwe Amuri, which he used on his U.S. Customs and Immigration paperwork. After being assigned a valid Social Security number for the name Amuri Kiza, Marcel Kiza applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in 2005 and was denied. In May 2007, he attempted to obtain Disability Insurance Benefits from SSA and was again denied. Marcel Kiza became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2007, and at that time he petitioned for and was granted a name change to Marcel Joshua Kiza.
Evidence at trial proved that Marcel Kiza then created a scheme to use his new legal name to create a new identity and receive government benefits. He applied for a new Social Security number under the name Marcel Joshua Kiza, and represented on the application that he had not previously been assigned a Social Security number, which was untrue. Then, in 2010, Marcel Kiza applied for SSA Survivors Benefits for his children, by representing that their father, Amuri Kiza, was deceased. He named himself the representative payee on behalf of the children, and as a result of this fraud he received $51,608 in SSA’s Survivors Benefits to which he was not entitled.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Michael McGill, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Hart and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Reed prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15-cr-46.
Redwood City Man Indicted for Alleged Scheme to Defraud Produce VendorsRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE, CA— Remon Issa Daniel was indicted on charges of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding produce vendors of over one million dollars of fruit and vegetables announced Acting United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson.
According to the indictment filed yesterday, Daniel, 35, of Redwood City, obtained fruit and vegetables from at least 10 different vendors during the course of his scheme, which began in 2014. He ordered this produce primarily from companies in Southern California, Arizona, and Texas, and usually claimed to be from one of three genuine produce wholesalers in Northern California: Bay Produce, New San Jose Wholesale, or General Produce. According to the indictment, Daniel had no association with any of these companies. Further, Daniel often used his own name but also allegedly used the false identity of Rick Stevens. The indictment alleges that Daniel sometimes sent the vendor a copy of a deposit slip, as proof that he had made a payment for the product. Only after the vendor released the produce to Daniel would the vendor learn that the deposited check was returned for insufficient funds. The indictment charges Daniel with fourteen counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
Daniel was arrested on February 25, 2016, based on a federal complaint alleging similar conduct. He is currently in federal custody and will be arraigned on the indictment on March 14, 2016, at 1:30, before the Honorable Howard R. Lloyd, U.S. Magistrate Judge, in San Jose.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Daniel faces a maximum statutory penalty for each count of wire fraud of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Additional fines, supervised release and restitution may be ordered, however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court 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. Attorney Amber Rosen is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider and Yolanda Singletary. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Real Estate Development Company and Its President Ordered to Pay $1 Million in Restitution for Securities Fraud and Wildlife ViolationsRead the Press Release
Wildlife Management, LLC, an Alameda County development company, and its President, James Tong, were sentenced today for securities fraud and violations of the Endangered Species Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Special Agent in Charge Jill Birchell. Today’s sentence, handed down by the Honorable Jon S. Tigar, U.S. District Judge, is a global resolution of state and federal criminal charges against the defendants that will include payments totaling $1 million in restitution to entities that protect the environment and a conservation easement on 107 acres of land in Contra Costa County.
Wildlife Management, LLC, based in Dublin, Calif., financed and developed residential and commercial real estate projects in the East Bay. Real estate developers like Wildlife Management are required to mitigate for the loss of threatened or endangered species when a project impacts a protected species or its habitat. During the development of the Dublin Ranch North real estate project in Dublin, a person acting on behalf of Wildlife Management submitted to the City of Dublin a forged $3.2 million mitigation receipt from the Ohlone Preserve Conservation Bank with the intent to deceive the City into believing Wildlife Management had purchased mitigation credits when it had not. Wildlife Management pleaded guilty to securities fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 513(a), on January 8, 2016.
As part of the sentence, Judge Tigar ordered Wildlife Management to serve one year probation and pay $175,000 in restitution to resolve the federal case. The restitution will be paid to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Congress to administer such funds.
Tong, 70, of Pleasanton, Calif., and President of Wildlife Management, pleaded guilty to a criminal violation of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1538(a)(1)(G) and 1540(b)(1), on January 8, 2016. In his plea agreement, Tong admitted that he directed the grading activities at Dublin Ranch North without the City’s required mitigation measure and without authorization from wildlife officials. The grading activities caused sediment to run off into a pond that provided habitat for the California Tiger Salamander. In the federal case, Tong was charged with one count of violating the Endangered Species Act. Tong also pleaded nolo contendere to a criminal forgery charge pending against him in state court. To resolve both the federal and state criminal cases, Tong has agreed to pay $350,000 to the Alameda County Fish and Game Commission, $175,000 to the Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, and $300,000 to the California Department Fish and Wildlife. The funds paid to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be split equally between the Pollution Account and the Preservation Fund. Judge Tigar’s sentence today converts the parties’ agreements to an order of the Court. Judge Tigar also ordered Tong to serve one year of probation, to serve four months home detention, and to provide a conservation easement on a 107-acre parcel of land in Contra Costa known as the Brown Ranch. The conservation easement provides habitat for endangered species and will prohibit any future owners from developing the property. The easement has an estimated value of $3 million. In addition, Judge Tigar ordered Tong to place more than $300,000 into an account to manage the Brown Ranch conservation easement in perpetuity.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Bessette is prosecuting the federal case with the assistance of Melissa Dorton. Deputy Attorney Generals Jason Malinsky and Brett Morris prosecuted the state case. The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USFWS Office of Law Enforcement.
Previously Deported Mexican Citizen Heads to Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 33-year-old Mexican citizen caught entering the U.S. illegally has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Jesus Hernandez-Ramos pleaded guilty Jan. 4, 2016.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack handed him a sentence of 86 months in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Hernandez-Ramos will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. As an illegal alien, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following his release.
Hernandez-Ramos was apprehended in April 2014 by Border Patrol agents as part of a group of people that were being smuggled into the U.S. When questioned, Ramos admitted to being here illegally. At the time of his arrest, authorities seized a cellular telephone from Ramos. Forensic analysis of the device ultimately revealed more than 980 images and 35 videos of child pornography.
Many of the images also depicted infants.
Ramos was arrested on the federal charges in November 2015 and has been in custody since the time where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future
The charges were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Duval County Sherriff’s Office, Border Patrol and the Corpus Christi Police Department – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, 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."
New York Woman Charged with Using Bogus Clinical Research Company as Part of Three-Year Immigration Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Elmont, New York, woman was arrested today for allegedly orchestrating a multi-pronged H-1B visa fraud scheme through her shell Newark-based company, Care Worldwide (CWW), U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Raina Massey, 51, is charged by complaint with two counts of wire fraud, one count of visa fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. She is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court.
According to the complaint:
Non-United States citizens must have some kind of authorization to work legally in this country. H-1B visas are non-immigrant visas designed to allow U.S.-based employers to recruit and employ non-U.S. citizen professionals. H-1B visas are employer, not employee, driven, and are only issued for a specified, limited duration for “specialty occupations.”
Foreign workers admitted under the H-1B program are known as “beneficiaries” of the visas. To obtain an H-1B visa, an employer has to apply on behalf of the beneficiary and complete various forms required for the visa to be approved. One of those forms is U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Form I-797C, which is used to memorialize, among other things, that an application for an H-1B visa has been successfully filed on behalf of an H-1B beneficiary and that the application has been vetted by the U.S. government. Beneficiaries do not have to pay any fees in connection with the visa application and are not responsible for finding their own employment.
From February 2012 through March 2015, Massey and others executed the fraud scheme through her company, CWW, which purported to be a clinical research company, but was actually a shell company that did little to no legitimate work of any kind. Massey and others sought out and advertised for qualified foreign professionals, purportedly to work for CWW in clinical research positions as beneficiaries of H-1B visas. These beneficiaries became victims of the scheme because the advertised positions did not actually exist.
For one set of victims, Massey engaged in “benching,” a form of fraud in which Massey and others falsely represented that the beneficiaries would have specialty technical jobs waiting for them upon their arrival at CWW. After taking illegal payments from these beneficiaries, Massey and others then completed applications for H-1B visas for these beneficiaries. However, when the beneficiaries arrived in the United States, Massey and others employed them in menial tasks, such as handing out flyers on street corners.
For a second set of victims, Massey and others, after illegally taking payments from the victims, never actually applied for H-1B visas. Massey and others provided these victims with false and fraudulent Form I-797Cs, which contained receipt numbers from other, previously filed, H-1B visa applications.
For a third set of victims, Massey and others, after illegally taking payments from the victims based on fraudulent representations regarding H-1B visas, never provided any documentation whatsoever to the victims.
In all cases, Massey and others demanded and took illegal payments from victims in exchange for purportedly filing H-1B visa applications on behalf of the victims.
Each wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; the visa fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and the aggravated identity theft count carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, to run consecutive to any sentence imposed on any other count. Each count carries a potential fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the U.S. Department of State, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge David Schnorbus of the New York Field Office, and investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Supervisory Criminal Investigator Thomas Mahoney, for the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Intrater, Chief of the Criminal Division’s General Crimes Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New Haven Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SHAWN HILL, 32, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 12, 2012, ATF agents and New Haven Police officers executed a search warrant at a residence on Norton Street in New Haven where HILL had been residing. As New Haven SWAT team members forced entry into the second floor apartment, HILL discarded a fully-loaded Sig Sauer, P229, .40 caliber pistol through a window in a bedroom where a 9-year-old child was sleeping. The pistol was quickly recovered by law enforcement and HILL was arrested.
The firearm had been reported as stolen from Wilmington, N.C.
HILL’s criminal history includes numerous felony convictions. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
HILL has been detained since February 2013. On June 22, 2015, as the evidence was about to begin in his trial, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John H. Durham.
Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty in Terrorism InvestigationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Muhammad Oda Dakhlalla, 23, of Starkville, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen, Mississippi, to conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Felicia C. Adams of the Northern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi, Division.
Dakhlalla pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock of the Northern District of Mississippi to conspiring with another individual to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Dakhlalla was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to await sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Jackson Division Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Mississippi and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty in Terrorism InvestigationRead the Press Release
Muhammad Oda Dakhlalla, 23, of Starkville, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen, Mississippi, to conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Felicia C. Adams of the Northern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi, Division.
Dakhlalla pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock of the Northern District of Mississippi to conspiring with another individual to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Dakhlalla was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to await sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Jackson Division Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Mississippi and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Dakhlalla Plea Agreement
Dakhlalla Factual Basis
Mescalero Apache Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Glen Joel Lester, 38, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking charges.
Lester was one of 34 individuals charged in Dec. 2015 with federal and tribal drug offenses as the result of an 18-month multi-agency investigation led by the DEA and BIA into methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Eighteen defendants, including five members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and 13 non-Natives were charged in six federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint. Sixteen other members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe were charged in tribal criminal complaints approved by the Mescalero Apache Tribal Court.
The investigation leading to the federal and tribal charges was initiated in May 2014, in response to an increase in violent crime on the Mescalero Apache Reservation perpetrated by methamphetamine users. The investigation initially targeted a drug trafficking organization that was allegedly distributing methamphetamine within the Reservation, and later expanded to include two other drug trafficking organizations in southeastern New Mexico that allegedly served as sources of supply for the methamphetamine distributed within the Reservation. In Aug. 2014, the investigation was designated as part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. The investigation is one of the first OCDETF investigations to utilize electronic surveillance (wiretaps) in Indian Country. More than ten kilograms of methamphetamine were seized during the course of the investigation.
Lester was arrested on Dec. 15, 2015, on an indictment charging him with two counts of methamphetamine distribution. During today’s change of plea hearing, Lester pled guilty to both counts of the indictment and admitting selling methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent on two occasions. The first drug sale occurred on Aug. 19, 2015, in Mescalero, and involved the sale of $500 worth of methamphetamine. The second drug sale took place in Mescalero on Sept. 10, 2015, and involved the sale of $1,500 worth of methamphetamine.
At sentencing, Lester faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison followed by not more than three years of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Lester is the fourth of the 18 federal defendants to enter a guilty plea. The following defendants previously entered guilty pleas:
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On March 9, 2016, Robin Lee Lovelace, 56, of Alamogordo, N.M., pled guilty to methamphetamine trafficking charges.Under the terms of her plea agreement, Lovelace will be sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
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On Feb. 17, 2016, Jerilyn Munoz, 28, of Artesia, N.M., pled guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge.At sentencing, Munoz faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison followed by not more than three years of supervised release.
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Wallace Rice, 23, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pled guilty to a methamphetamine distribution charge on Feb. 5, 2016. At sentencing, Rice faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison followed by not less than three years of supervised release.
The federal and tribal cases were investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, District IV of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services (Mescalero Agency), BIA’s Division of Drug Enforcement, Mescalero Tribal Police Department, Hatch Police Department, FBI and Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the federal cases, and Mescalero Tribal Prosecutor Alta Braham is prosecuting the tribal cases.
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Mercer County, New Jersey, School Bus Driver Arrested on Charges of Distributing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
TRENTON N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man is scheduled to make his initial court appearance today on charges that he distributed images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Christopher Walsh, 31, of Yardville, New Jersey, a school bus driver, was arrested on the evening of March 10, 2016, and charged by complaint with three counts of distributing images or video files containing child pornography via e-mail. He is due to appear later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert in Trenton federal court.
According to the criminal complaint:
From June 15, 2014, to Jan. 10, 2016, Walsh’s e-mail account either sent or received 1,590 files that contained images of child sexual abuse. On Oct. 19, 2014, Walsh e-mailed another person an image depicting child sexual abuse, stating that Walsh himself was depicted in the image. From July 30, 2015, to Aug. 2, 2015, Walsh exchanged e-mails with another email user in which he stated that he liked young children, that he was babysitting for particular children of whom he hoped to get photographs and with whom he hoped to “play,” and that one of the children had Down’s syndrome. During the exchange, Walsh sent a video depicting child sexual abuse to the other user.
Walsh also sent additional videos to another email account on Aug. 5, 2015, stating that he, Walsh, created one video and that the other video depicted a child he had met on a school trip.
Each count of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Terence S. Opiola, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly S. Lorber and Elisa T. Wiygul of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Medina man charged with sending nearly a half-million dollars from cocaine conspiracy through U.S. mailRead the Press Release
A Medina man was named in a 13-count federal indictment, charged with using the U.S. mail to transfer nearly a half-million dollars related to a cocaine distribution conspiracy, said Acting U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon.
Nelson Figueroa, 35, is accused of mailing U.S. currency 13 times in July and August 2015. The total amount of currency mailed is approximately $456,770, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors are seeking to forfeit the money involved in the alleged crime.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Sweeney following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Manhattan Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production, Receipt, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MATTHEW VADO was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, March 9, to 30 years in prison for production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. VADO pled guilty to eight counts of producing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography on October 15, 2015, before United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who imposed VADO’s sentence.
According to the Complaint, the Indictment, and other statements made in open court, between June 2013 and June 2014, VADO engaged in chats over the Internet with multiple minor children between the ages of 9 and 15. In those chats, VADO induced eight children to send sexually explicit images of themselves to VADO over the internet, and among other things, sought to persuade one child to engage in a sexual act with a dog. VADO used “Kik Messenger,” a mobile communication application, to contact at least one child, and also used the application to induce the production of, and to receive, sexually explicit images and videos of the child as well as to send pornographic images of himself to the child. VADO employed a username on Kik Messenger that was not his real name.
VADO, 33, of Manhattan, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and supervised release for life.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any related suspicious activity by calling them at (212) 384 -1000. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Max Nicholas is in charge of the prosecution.
MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Double-MurderRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, Arnolvin Umanzor Velasquez (aka “Momia” and “Lito”), a member of the Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas (BLS) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13 street gang, pleaded guilty to his involvement in the December 18, 2011 execution-style murders of two brothers, Ricardo and Enston Ceron. After committing the murders, Velasquez fled to El Salvador, and he later relocated to Georgia. On May 19, 2015, he was found and arrested in Flowery Branch, Georgia, by a Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT team and later transferred to the Eastern District of New York in custody.
The plea was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI, New York Field Office, and Timothy Sini, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department.
“The Ceron brothers’ murders are another example of the senseless violence unleashed by the MS-13 on our communities, including the gang’s own members who violate the gang’s rules. One brother was executed because he was trying to distance himself from the MS-13, and the other was killed, merely because of his relationship with the other victim,” stated United States Attorney Capers. “As a result of the tenacious investigation by this Office and our partners with the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, Velasquez and other MS-13 gang members who commit callous acts of violence will be held accountable and face justice.”
“The violence that often erupts between mutual and rival gang members not only affects the criminals involved in this insidious behavior, but innocent people living in the neighborhoods in which they operate. The murders of Ricardo and Enston Ceron signify the unfortunate reality that gangs are responsible for a significant percentage of violent crime in many jurisdictions. We’re dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs that pose a threat to the safety and stability of our communities and undermine the values we strive to uphold,” stated Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez.
“Gang violence in Suffolk County threatens the very fabric of our communities, and we must do everything we can to disrupt gangs such as MS-13. Today’s conviction sends a clear message that we will not tolerate gangs and the senseless violence they cause. That is why the Suffolk County Police Department is committed to working with all of our law enforcement partners—particularly the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI—to make Suffolk County an even safer County than it is already,” stated Commissioner Sini.
As set forth in prior court filings, a detention letter, and the defendant’s statements during his guilty plea, the BLS clique killed Enston Ceron because he was not attending meetings or “putting in work” for the gang, and the clique member were concerned that he might cooperate with law enforcement authorities if he were arrested. The BLS clique also murdered his brother, Ricardo Ceron, who belonged to the Western clique of the MS-13, because they were concerned he would retaliate if he learned that the BLS killed his brother. On December 18, 2011, Velasquez and Sergio Cerna (“Taz”), who had agreed to carry out the murders and were armed with .22 caliber and 9mm semi-automatic handguns, asked Enston and Ricardo Ceron for a ride home from a party. When the car stopped in the vicinity of Lincoln Avenue and Stockton Streets in Brentwood, Velasquez and Cerna executed the Ceron brothers, shooting them in the head and torso at close range. Velasquez and Cerna exited the car and when another vehicle approached the murder scene and stopped, Cerna fired multiple shots at the driver, striking him once in the chest. The driver survived the shooting.
Today’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent international criminal organization. The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador and Honduras, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States, comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America. With numerous branches, or cliques, the MS-13 is the largest and most violent street gang on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in this district. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults. Since 2010 alone, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 30 murders, and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, comprising agents and officers of the FBI, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, and Suffolk County Police Department.
Velasquez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco on June 23, 2016. The charges in the superseding indictment against the other defendants remain pending and are merely allegations. Those defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Raymond A. Tierney, and Paul G. Scotti are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
ARNOLVIN UMANZOR VELASQUEZ (“Momia” and “Lito”)
Age: 23
Brentwood, New York and Flowery Branch, GeorgiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-087 (S-2)(JFB)
Lafayette man pleads guilty to drug smuggling using the Silk Road websiteRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a Lafayette man pleaded guilty Wednesday to buying drugs overseas and shipping them to himself.
Michael Munro Jr., 37, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst to one count of smuggling controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute Schedule IV narcotics. The plea will become final when approved by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to the guilty plea, Munro was arrested in November of 2014 and July of 2015 for buying illegal narcotics online overseas and having them delivered to U.S. Post Offices and FedEx locations in Lafayette and surrounding areas. Munro told agents that in March of 2014 he began ordering pills via the internet using the Silk Road website. Munro admitted to ordering Xanax, Alprazolam and OxyContin at various times. He also stated that he would order 1,000 to 1,500 Xanax bars at a time and sell 3,000 OxyContin pills per week.
Munro faces 20 years for the smuggling count and five years in prison for possession with intent to distribute. He also faces three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Lafayette Metro Narcotics. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Moore and John Luke Walker are prosecuting the case.
Judge Sentences Heroin Dealer to 24 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Homestead, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court in to 24 years’ incarceration, followed by five years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over one kilogram of heroin, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Thomas Hopes, 24.
According to information presented to the court, Hopes played a major role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, and possessed a firearm in the course of the drug trafficking conspiracy. Hopes also possessed with intent to distribute heroin.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Bissoon concluded that Thomas Hopes was responsible for between one and three kilograms of heroin, which she called a poison that he chose to sell on the street for profit.
Assistant United States Attorneys Conor Lamb and Ryan Hart prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Munhall Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Thomas Hopes. The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Irving Man Sentenced to 293 Months in Child Sex Trafficking Conspiracy Involving 12-Year-Old Female VictimRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Marcos Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia, a/k/a, Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, 33, of Irving, Texas was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle for his role in a sex trafficking conspiracy involving a 12 year old female. U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made the announcement this afternoon.
Rodriguez-Mejia was sentenced to 293 months in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children and 120 months in federal prison for one count of possession of counterfeit documents. Rodriguez-Mejia’s sentence is to be served concurrently.
A federal jury convicted Rodriguez-Mejia in November 2015 for his role in the conspiracy. He also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of counterfeit documents. On October 22, 2015, Luis Rivera, 19, also of Irving, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced April 14, 2016.
In the conspiracy, Rodriguez-Cruz acted as the “john,” and Rivera acted as the “pimp.” The government presented evidence at trial that from approximately December 23, 2014, through December 25, 2014, Rodriguez-Cruz and Rivera agreed to cause Jane Doe, a 12-year-old child, to engage in a commercial sex act.
Rivera met Jane Doe, along with three other minor females, in Irving. Shortly after he met the minor females, Rivera learned that Jane Doe was 12-years-old. Rivera and his friends, including one minor friend, took the four minor females to an empty apartment in Irving, where they stayed overnight. The minor females had no money, so they were not able to eat that day.
The next day, the group left the abandoned apartment and went to Rivera’s minor friend’s apartment, and Rivera told the four minor females that they needed to engage in commercial sex acts to earn money for food. Rivera then made several phone calls seeking potential commercial sex customers for the minor females. He planned to charge $100 for sexual intercourse with one of the minors. Rivera reached Rodriguez-Cruz and Rodriguez-Cruz agreed to come to the location to engage in a commercial sex act. Rodriguez-Cruz brought another man with him to the apartment. Rivera told the four minor females to line up so the men could select who they wanted to have sex with, and Rodriguez-Cruz selected the youngest girl, 12-year-old Jane Doe. Rodriguez-Cruz then negotiated the price for sex with a girl down to $50. Shortly thereafter, he engaged in commercial sex acts with Jane Doe, paid Rivera and his minor male friend approximately $50, and hastily left.
The government also presented evidence at trial that on August 28, 2015, when officers with the Irving Police Department executed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Rodriguez-Cruz, they found him in possession of an unlawfully obtained, counterfeit U.S. Permanent residence card. That card was issued in another name but bore Rodriguez-Cruz’s photograph.
The Irving Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), both members of the North Texas Trafficking Taskforce, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cara Foos Pierce and John Kull prosecuted.
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Information: Federal Court ArraignmentsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that those persons listed below were arraigned before the U.S. Magistrate and the indictments handed down by the Grand Jury unsealed.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Johnston in Great Falls on March 8, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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CHERYL LYNN LITTLE DOG, a 43-year-old resident of East Glacier, appeared on charges of harboring a fugitive, and false statements to federal law enforcement.If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, LITTLE DOG faces 5 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service.PACER Case Reference. 16-09
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HEATHER RAE SCHWARZROCK, a 25-year-old resident of Poplar, appeared on charges of theft from a local government receiving federal funding and theft.If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, SCHWARZROCK faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.PACER Case Reference. 16-07
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Ostby in Billings on March 8, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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ASHLEY SHANTELL REYNA, a 28-year-old resident of Billings, appeared on charges of false statement during purchase of a firearm.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, REYNA faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.PACER Case Reference. 16-29
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TERRY MALENE SEMINOLE, a 54-year-old resident of Lame Deer, appeared on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, SEMINOLE faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.PACER Case Reference. 16-11
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Johnston in Great Falls on March 7, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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SEIVERT DAYDRILL RUNNINGCRANE, a 34-year-old resident of Browning, appeared on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, RUNNINGCRANE faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.PACER Case Reference. 16-17
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Ostby in Billings on March 7, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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JOSE ANTONIO GOMEZ-GRANDA, a 37-year-old citizen of Peru, appeared on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, GOMEZ-GRANDA faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the HIDTA.PACER Case Reference. 16-28
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ROBERTA LOUISE HART, a 28-year-old resident of Lame Deer, appeared on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, HART faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.PACER Case Reference. 15-130
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Ostby in Billings on March 4, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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RENE FLORES, a 38-year-old resident of Tacoma, Washington, appeared on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.If convicted of the most serious charge contained in the indictment, FLORES faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the HIDTA.PACER Case Reference. 16-28
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Ostby in Billings on March 3, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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JOHN LAWRENCE FELLER, JR., a 34-year-old resident of Lame Deer, appeared on charges of felony child abuse.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, FELLER faces 10 years in prison, $50,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.PACER Case Reference. 16-10
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Ostby in Billings on March 2, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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NATHAN MARTIN SHIKE, a 42-year-old resident of Billings, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, SHIKE faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.PACER Case Reference. 15-152
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Ostby in Billings on February 29, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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CODY ALAN CHURCHILL, a 22-year-old resident of Roundup, appeared on charges of possession of an unregistered firearm.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, CHURCHILL faces 10 years in prison, $10,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.PACER Case Reference. 15-119
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JEFFERSON SCOTT PERRIGO, a 42-year-old resident of Laurel, appeared on charges of possession of a stolen firearm.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, PERRIGO faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.PACER Case Reference. 15-120
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RUSSELL KAY VANDYKE, a 38-year-old resident of Billings, appeared on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.If convicted of the charge contained in the indictment, VANDYKE faces 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.PACER Case Reference. 16-23
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Johnston in Great Falls on February 29, 2016 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
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THOMAS JOSEPH WEHNER, a 40-year-old resident of Moyie Springs, Idaho, appeared on charges of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of firearms, possession of stolen firearms, and transportation of stolen firearms.If convicted of the most serious charges contained in the indictment, WEHNER faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 6 years supervised release.The case was investigated by the Russell Country Drug Task Force and the Great Falls Police Department.PACER Case Reference. 16-14
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If any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system so that you stay current and not miss any important developments in the case.
To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Glenmont Woman Indicted for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Tammy A. Grumme, age 41, of Glenmont, New York, was arraigned today on an indictment accusing her of stealing Social Security Survivor’s Insurance Benefits.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Edward J. Ryan, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General.
Grumme is charged with submitting false statements to the SSA from March 2011 through May 2013, claiming that she was the caregiver for her minor son, a surviving child, and that he resided with her. In January 2011, an Albany County Court Judge awarded primary physical custody and sole decision-making authority to the child’s grandparents. The indictment alleges that based on that court order, and the fact that the child did not reside with her, Grumme collected nearly $80,000 in benefits for her and her son that she was not entitled to receive.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Grumme faces up to 10 years of imprisonment, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years, and a $250,000 fine, if convicted. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Grumme was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart. She was detained pending a trial scheduled for May 10, 2016 before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr.
This case is being investigated by the SSA Office of the Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. White.
Fugitive Felon Sent to Federal Prison for Gun and Drug PossessionRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A previously convicted felon has been ordered to serve 10 years in federal prison following his convictions for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Doroteo Ray Garcia, 38, of Corpus Christi, pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 28, 2015.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos sentenced Garcia to 120 months on each count of conviction to beserved concurrently. The sentence will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
In 2012, Garcia was convicted of a federal felony narcotics charge. Following his release from prison, he was to serve three years of supervised release. When he failed to follow all of the conditions of that release a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On May 6, 2015, members of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) - Violent Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve that warrant and observed him driving a silver Ford pickup in Corpus Christi. The Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) pulled in behind Garcia’s vehicle and activated their emergency lights, at which time Garcia accelerated and attempted to evade the officers. A high speed chase ensued. Garcia eventually left the roadway and his pickup became stuck in loose sand. When he was taken into custody, Garcia had a pair of “brass knuckles” in his pocket and officers observed a Lorcin pistol behind the center console within easy reach of the driver’s seat. Officers also discovered several small plastic bags containing methamphetamine inside the truck.
Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The charges were the result of an investigation by CCPD, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, USMS and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr.
Former Oklahoma State Senator Sentenced to over 3 Years for $1.8 Million in Wire Fraud and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla.—Former Oklahoma State Senator Ricky L. Brinkley was sentenced today to serve 37 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.8 million dollars from the Better Business Bureau and for tax evasion. In addition to the prison term, United States District Court Judge Claire V. Eagan ordered Brinkley to pay $1,829,033.86 representing proceeds of the wire fraud scheme.
United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. of the Northern District of Oklahoma; FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott L. Cruse of the Oklahoma City Division; IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge R. Damon Rowe of the Dallas Field Office; and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Stan Florence made the announcement.
“Today’s sentencing is the result of a joint effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the IRS-CI, and the OSBI, to ensure that justice was served. The former senator will now face the consequences of his actions for betraying the public’s trust that was placed in him,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “My office will vigorously pursue and hold public officials accountable by seeking criminal charges when the facts and the law support it. I commend our law enforcement partners for their investigative work, and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who successfully prosecuted the case.”
“I am pleased with the final result in the sentencing of Ricky L. Brinkley and want to express my sincere gratitude to U.S. Attorney Danny Williams and his team of prosecutors whose professionalism and hard work ensured that justice was served in this matter. I also want to thank Director Stan Florence of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as well as SAC R. Damon Rowe of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service for the cooperative spirit in which they joined with the FBI in the investigation of this important case,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Cruse. “It is our hope that Ricky Brinkley’s sentencing will serve as a warning to anyone who may be thinking about padding their income by stealing from their employer. There are consequences for criminal activities of this nature and we will continue to work closely with all of our law enforcement partners to catch these criminals and bring them to justice.”
“Unfortunately, we continue to see the public’s confidence in the tax system shaken by individuals such as Mr. Brinkley, who apparently feel they can operate above the law, and skip out on paying their fair share of income taxes,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Rowe. “Investigating and prosecuting cases involving fraudulent income tax return filing is a vital part of IRS’ enforcement strategy. All income, including embezzled money, is taxable. The Better Business Bureau was not Mr. Brinkley’s personal piggy bank, and today's sentence sends a positive message to honest taxpayers—a reminder that the justice system works, and that filing a false tax return is a crime that will be punished.”
On August 20, 2015, Brinkley, 54, of Owasso, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to five-counts of wire fraud and one-count of subscribing to a false tax return. Brinkley represented the 34th District, including Owasso, Collinsville, Skiatook, Sperry, Turley, and Tulsa.
From August 2, 1999 to April 26, 2015, Brinkley was employed as the President and Chief Executive Officer and then the Chief Operations Officer of the Better Business Bureau. During his employment, Brinkley was responsible for the operation, accounting, and financial management including paying bills and signing checks on behalf of the Better Business Bureau.
From November 2005 to February 2015, Brinkley diverted in excess of $1.2 million dollars through the creation of fraudulent invoices for services not rendered, and improperly represented these invoices as reimbursement for legitimate expenses. He fraudulently signed checks, transferred, used, and disbursed funds to pay personal expenses and debts including mortgage payments, expenses for pool cleaning services at his home, and his personal American Express, Discover, and Visa cards.
Furthermore, Brinkley used his employer’s credit card to make cash withdrawals at automated teller machines located within casinos to support his gambling habit and he would also create and process for payment false invoices using company funds for payment.
In addition, Brinkley failed to report approximately $165,625 in income for tax year 2013 to the Internal Revenue Service.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the OSBI; and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Clinton J. Johnson, Shannon Cozzoni, and Catherine Depew.
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