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18 March 2016
Coachella Valley Doctor Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme that Duped Insurance Companies into Paying for Cosmetic SurgeriesRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Rancho Mirage cosmetic surgeon pleaded guilty this morning in a scheme to defraud health insurance companies by submitting bills for more than $3.4 million for procedures that he claimed were “medically necessary” – but in fact were cosmetic procedures such as “tummy tucks,” “nose jobs” and breast augmentations.
Dr. David M. Morrow, 71, of Rancho Mirage, a cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist who was the owner of the Morrow Institute (TMI) in Rancho Mirage, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
In a plea agreement filed in United States District Court, Morrow admitted that he participated in a scheme to obtain money from insurance companies by false or fraudulent pretenses, which included submitting altered documents to the insurance companies. Morrow admitted that cosmetic surgeries were billed to insurance companies under the pretense that the procedures were “medically necessary” so that insurers would pay for them.
“Insurance companies provide a valuable service by providing financial support in a time of medical need – they are not designed to dispense cash to unscrupulous medical providers,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Medical professionals who defraud an insurance provider hurt every person who is forced to pay higher premiums.”
Morrow also pleaded guilty today to one count of filing a false tax return for 2008. Today, Morrow admitted that he failed to report to more than $100,000 of income on his 2008 tax return and more than $1.5 million on his 2009 tax return.
“Today’s guilty plea by Dr. Morrow is an important victory for America’s taxpayers who play by the rules and have no tolerance for those who make up their own rules,” stated Anthony J. Orlando, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Los Angeles. “This investigation and subsequent conviction serve to remind the public that there is no such thing as free money and there are no awards or incentives for creativity when it comes to medical billing and tax fraud.”
Morrow, his wife, and TMI were charged in this case last fall when a federal grand jury returned a 27-count indictment that outlined a scheme in which patients were lured to the Coachella Valley surgery center with promises that cosmetic procedures would be paid for by their union or PPO health insurance plans. The victim health insurance companies included Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Regional Employer/Employee Partnership for Benefits, formerly known as Riverside Employer/Employee Partnership (REEP), and Cigna.
Morrow pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy count in the indictment that outlined how insured patients were lured to TMI with promises that they could receive free or discounted cosmetic surgeries that would be paid largely or completely by their insurance plans. Morrow and his wife told patients that they could receive the free or discounted cosmetic procedures if they first underwent multiple procedures that could be billed to insurance, according to the indictment.
To trick insurance companies into paying for the cosmetic procedures, Morrow and others at TMI completely fabricated diagnoses – such as a “hernia” – in the patients’ official medical records. According to the indictment, they also fabricated test results and symptoms on medical records to cover up the actual medical procedures being performed – tummy tucks were fraudulently billed as hernia repair or abdominal reconstruction surgeries, rhinoplasties (“nose jobs”) were fraudulently billed as deviated septum repair surgeries, and breast lifts and augmentations were fraudulently billed as “tuberous breast deformity.” A document filed as part of Morrow’s plea agreement shows that TMI billed insurance as much as $150,750 for a single cosmetic procedure.
Morrow altered existing medical records after the fact to conceal that cosmetic surgery had actually been performed. Morrow admitted in the plea agreement and in court today that on one patient’s medical record sent to an insurance company, he covered up the original text of “Abdominoplasty” (tummy tuck) written in the procedure section and handwrote “umbilical & ventral hernias” on top of it.
“Dr. Morrow enriched himself by cheating policy holders and victim companies whose employees and ability to continue operating were placed in jeopardy as a result of this fraud,” said David Bowdich, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI devotes many resources to combating health care fraud and seeking justice for victims who can suffer a variety of consequences beyond financial loss.”
As a result of today’s guilty pleas, Morrow faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years of in federal prison for the conspiracy count and three years of imprisonment for filing the false tax return. Morrow is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton on September 23.
Morrow has also agreed to pay full restitution to the victims.
Charges against Morrow’s wife, Linda Morrow, 63, are currently pending.
This investigation into Morrow and TMI was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the California Department of Insurance.
Charleston Man Sentenced for Investment FraudRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Rhett DeHart (843) 727-4381
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Vance White, age 49, was sentenced in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, for Wire Fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Senior United States District Judge Weston Houck sentenced White to 36 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release. The Court also ordered White to pay $629,000 in restitution to the victims.
Evidence presented at his guilty plea hearing established that Vance White was a mortgage originator in Charleston County, S.C. From May 2010 through March 2015, White devised a scheme to defraud investors. It was part of the scheme to defraud that White falsely represented to investors that he had clients who were attempting to purchase residential properties but who could not qualify for traditional bank loans. White persuaded numerous investors to loan money to these clients. The terms of these fictitious loans were a ten percent annual interest rate with the loans being repaid in full in three years. White falsely represented to the investors that each of these loans was secured by mortgages on residential properties, and he fabricated the loan documentation for each loan to make it appear that the loans were secured by residential properties with sufficient equity.
In reality, the loans promoted by White were completely fictitious. There were no borrowers for the loans, nor any collateral to secure the loans. Instead of providing the loan proceeds to actual borrowers, White stole the loan proceeds for his personal use, and he used a small portion of the loan proceeds to make the fraudulent interest payments to the investors in order to prolong the fraud. During the course of the scheme to defraud, White fraudulently obtained more than $800,000 from ten investors for approximately twenty fictitious loans as described above.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.
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Canistota Woman Convicted of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that Veronica Fairchild, age 42, of Canistota, South Dakota, and Okoboji, Iowa, who was found guilty of four counts of tax fraud as a result of a federal jury trial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, lost her appeal of the conviction. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of the District Court.
Fairchild was sentenced to 33 months in custody and ordered to pay over $214,000 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, for unpaid taxes.
Fairchild was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 9, 2013. The investigation stemmed from Fairchild’s late filing of her 2005 through 2008 income tax returns in 2010. Bank records revealed she had failed to claim over $850,000 in income over the four-year period of time. Fairchild claimed the unreported income she received from performing private shows as an exotic dancer was a gift.
A jury trial commenced on June 24, 2014, and completed on June 26, 2014, with the jury convicting Fairchild on all four counts of the Indictment.
On appeal, Fairchild challenged the evidence supporting her conviction, the jury instructions regarding the source of income, and the length of her sentence. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and held that the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s finding that Fairchild knowingly and willfully underreported her income as an exotic dancer. The Court also held that the jury instructions were proper and that the length of her sentence was reasonable.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Cahokia Woman Sentenced to 24 Months for Disposing of Firearm to FelonRead the Press Release
A Cahokia woman, who pled guilty to Disposing of a Firearm to a Felon, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison on March 17, 2016, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, James L. Porter, announced today. Kamia D. McLemore, 27, of Cahokia, Illinois, received a 24-month sentence for Disposing of a Firearm to Felon. Following release from imprisonment, McLemore will serve a one-year term of supervised release. McLemore was also fined $100, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. McLemore pleaded guilty to the charges on November 24, 2015.
The charges arose from an incident in which members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATF) learned of a suspicious purchase by McLemore of a Romanian WASR-10, 7.62 x 39mm semi-automatic rifle in November, 2013. Further investigation revealed that she had also purchased a Masterpiece Arms, MPA10T, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol in September, 2013. When agents interviewed McLemore, she told them that she had taken the guns to her boyfriend’s house, also in Cahokia. Agents learned that the boyfriend was a previously-convicted felon. McLemore took the agents to the boyfriend’s house (where she also resided three nights a week) and allowed agents to seize the guns, two bayonets, and a laser scope. Investigation also revealed that she had made inquiries about buying a 75-round drum magazine that would fit the rifle, but she later decided not to buy the magazine.
The case was investigated by members of BATF and members of the Cahokia Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Clark.
Buffalo Man Charged with Production and Possession of Child PornographyRead 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 Duke Jimenez, 33, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a $250,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in September 2015, Buffalo Police learned that Jimenez sexually abused a four year old girl (Victim 1) he had been babysitting since 2012. In addition, the defendant took pictures of the girl with his cellular telephone. Jimenez was arrested by Buffalo Police on multiple charges.
In October 2015, Buffalo Police interviewed Victim 1’s older brother who told officers the defendant would take the girl into an upstairs bedroom alone and close the door. The brother also told officers he heard screaming and crying from the bedroom. He also observed that when his sister came out of the bedroom, she was crying and sad.
In November 2015, Buffalo Police interviewed Victim l's aunt, who was the girlfriend of the defendant. She stated that she and Jimenez have been babysitting Victim 1 since she was six-months-old and that based on her work schedule, the defendant was alone with Victim 1 approximately 100 times. The aunt also told officers about several suspicious incidents including a time that she stopped at home unannounced and saw Jimenez standing at the top of the stairs. The aunt asked where Victim 1 was and the defendant said she was in the bathroom. However, the aunt observed Victim 1exit the bedroom.
On March 10, 2016, Buffalo Police obtained a search warrant for the cell phone. A subsequent review revealed that the phone contained an SD memory card. A review of the card revealed 14 images of child pornography depicting Victim 1.
Jimenez made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer. The defendant is detained pending a detention hearing on March 24, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen. The task force includes the Buffalo Police Department, Cheektowaga Police Department, and Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.
Bookkeeper for Online Pharmacy Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
The former bookkeeper for an online pharmacy that illegally distributed hundreds of thousands of narcotic drugs across the country was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and 200 hours of community service for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. THOMAS BROOKE, 54, of Cooper City, Florida was the bookkeeper for Discount Pharmacy. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said BROOKE was a “central cog in this operation… Thousands of people continued their addiction because of what you were involved in.”
The internet pharmacy distributed drugs to some 200 customers in Washington State between 2009 and 2012. The pharmacy shipped hundreds of thousands of pills of hydrocodone, phentermine, alprazolam (Xanax) and codeine (Tylenol 4) to people across the country who did not have valid prescriptions for the narcotics. The conspiracy brought in more than $9 million in revenue from the sale of pills during the three year scheme. The pharmacy operated four internet sites through which they solicited customers and allowed customers in Washington State to order drugs. According to the indictment, the conspiracy would continue to refill prescriptions even if no valid prescription existed. In some instances the conspirators simply looked for a physician in the same geographic area as the customer, with a similar sounding name and filled the prescription using the physician’s DEA number without the physician’s knowledge. The pharmacy charged as much as ten times the usual price for the medications.
The conspirators laundered the proceeds of their sales through a brick-and-mortar pharmacy in Florida called Discount Pharmacy of Pines. BROOKE was a key figure in funneling the flow of money through the illegal business and to the conspirators. In June 2012, the DEA seized the conspiracy’s websites, computers, and drug inventory. Even after that seizure BROOKE set up different bank accounts and continued to structure deposits to avoid currency reporting requirements.
Earlier this month Ali Lovins, 44, of Cooper City, Florida was sentenced to three years in prison. Lovins is a registered nurse and was the office manager for Discount Pharmacy. LOVINS pleaded guilty in April 2015 to four felony counts: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances by means of the internet; conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; conspiracy to launder money; and conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
All but one of the defendants who were indicted in May 2014 has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing:
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The originator of the scheme, JUAN GALLINAL, 48, of Pembroke Pines, Florida is a former police officer from Virginia. He is scheduled for sentencing in October 2016.
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JORDAN TRUXELL, 26, of Davie, Florida served as the registered agent for Discount Pharmacy dba frontierpharmacies.com. He is scheduled for sentencing in May 6, 2016.
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CRAIG GREER, 43, of Hollywood, Florida, a former police officer, worked to promote the internet pharmacy scheme. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 8, 2016.
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KEVIN KOGAN, 48, of Cedar Park, Texas, set up the websites and servers for the online pharmacy, and attempted to hide the conspiracies databases from investigators. He is scheduled for sentencing April 8, 2016.
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JERRY DELMAN, 83, of Miami, Florida, a pharmacist who ostensibly oversaw the prescriptions going out the door to customers is being evaluated for a medical condition that could impact his ability to participate in a trial.
This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The case was investigated by the Portland Tactical Diversion Squad which is comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Portland Police Bureau. Substantial investigative assistance was provided by the Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) – Florida, and DEA Miami Field Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mike Lang, Francis Franze-Nakamura and Brian Werner.
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Area Chiropractor Sentenced to Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Lewis J. Levine, 59, a chiropractor who practiced in Southeast Washington, was sentenced today to five months of incarceration, to be followed by two years of supervised release, including a curfew and five months of electronic monitoring, for his role in a scheme involving fraudulent claims to the District of Columbia Medicaid program.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Levine, of Laurel, Md., pled guilty in September 2014 to a federal charge of health care fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. As part of his plea agreement, Levine must pay $50,260 in restitution to the D.C. Medicaid program and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
The fraud involved D.C. Medicaid payments for home care services to be performed by personal care aides, working for home care agencies. The aides assist Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, keeping track of medication, and so forth. In order to be covered for such benefits, the beneficiaries must get prescriptions from physicians or advanced practice registered nurses. D.C. Medicaid only reimburses for care services if a physician determines after a physical examination that the beneficiary has functional limitations impairing activities of daily living. The prescriptions, also known as “intakes,” propose the frequency and duration of the services to be provided. The prescriptions are translated later into plans of care, also to be signed by the physician.
In the District of Columbia, a typical prescription, or “intake,” calls for eight hours of personal care services per day for five days per week, or eight hours per day for seven days per week. Over the six-month time span authorized by such a prescription, D.C. Medicaid could pay between $16,952 and $23,732 for personal care services provided to one beneficiary.
According to a statement of offense, signed by the government as well as the defendant, Levine was licensed as a chiropractor in the District of Columbia, not as a physician. He worked at the Anacostia Neck & Back Pain Center in Southeast Washington. He was not authorized to prescribe personal care services, and he was not enrolled as a provider in D.C. Medicaid.
According to the statement of offense, Levine and others carried out their scheme to defraud the D.C. Medicaid program from approximately November 2012 through February 2014. Personal care aides, working for at least eight home care agencies, brought numerous beneficiaries to Levine, and he wrote prescriptions and plans of care, listing himself as the “ordering physician,” after brief examinations; sometimes, however, he never even met the beneficiary.
Levine initially was paid $75 for each D.C. Medicaid beneficiary brought to his office by a personal care aide, but he later increased the size of the cash payments to $150. Levine’s prescriptions, or “intakes,” typically included a diagnosis such as “chronic severe back pain” and called for services for eight hours a day, seven days a week, for six months.
During the course of the fraud scheme, Levine signed hundreds of prescriptions and plans of care, and in exchange collected at least $50,260 in cash payments from D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries and personal care aides. Home care agencies used Levine’s prescriptions and plans of care to support and justify their claims for payment to Medicaid – even though the paperwork was invalid on its face because it was not prescribed or signed by a physician as required.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Radway, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dangkhoa Nguyen.
The FBI has set up a hotline number to report suspected incidents of Medicaid fraud: 855-281-1242. People can also provide information by e-mail to [email protected].
In addition to the FBI, numerous agencies are participating in broader investigations into Medicaid fraud, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); the U.S. Secret Service; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor; the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.
HHS-OIG also has a hotline that can be reached at 800-HHS-TIPS or by visiting their website link at http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/index.asp
Anne Arundel County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Sergei William Noack, age 23, of West River, Maryland, pleaded guilty today possession of child pornography.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams.
According to his plea agreement, on May 8, 2015, an Anne Arundel County Police Department investigator received two Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that had been received from an internet service provider. The tips involved an individual, later determined to be Noack, who had: uploaded to his computer an image depicting two prepubescent male minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct; and, sent a photo of a prepubescent minor to another individual and stated via chat that he was having sexual contact with the minor.
That same day, a search warrant was executed at Noack’s residence. Investigators seized his desktop computer, two external hard drives, and his cell phone. Noack spoke with law enforcement voluntarily and advised that he had thousands of images of child pornography on his computer, which he searched for and collected from the internet. Noack admitted that he likes images and videos depicting bondage. He stated that he meets people online in websites and chat rooms, then moves to applications that conceal the identity of the user to trade child pornography files with those people.
A preliminary forensic examination of the seized items revealed images and videos of children engaged is sexually explicit conduct on the desktop computer and external hard drive. There were at least eight videos and 90 images of child pornography on the media, including numerous files that portray sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. One of the videos was surreptitiously recorded by Noack and depicted a minor prepubescent male using the bathroom in Noack’s home. Noack also stated that approximately two to three years earlier he was alone with a prepubescent minor who was visiting his home and that he touched the back and stomach of the prepubescent minor. The minor was interviewed in 2015 and stated that Noack would give him a cookie to take off his shirt and then touched him on his bare chest and stomach. The minor stated that Noack attempted to put his hands under the minor’s pants, towards his genitals, but the minor moved away. In 2012, Noack sent frequent text messages to the minor, often declaring his love for the minor.
As part of his plea agreement, Noack must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Noack and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Noack will be sentenced to at least five years in prison followed by at least 25 years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Anne Arundel County Police Department and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation and recognized Anne Arundel County Assistant State’s Attorney Anastasia Prigge, who handled the state prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the federal case.
17 March 2016
Woman Sentenced to Probation for Embezzling from Former EmployerRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A former resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to five years of probation on her conviction of mail fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Maria P. Makozy, 48, of Fort St. Lucie, Florida.
According to the information presented to the court, Makozy embezzled from her former employer, Keymax Settlement Services, to pay for personal credit card expenses using company checks.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation for the successful prosecution of Maria P. Makozy.
West Mifflin Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 72 months imprisonment, followed by 15 years supervised release, on a charge of distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Paul Robert Fike, age 37, of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, the court was advised that on or about June 11, 2014, Fike distributed images containing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
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, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the West Mifflin Police Department for conducting the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Fike.
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.
Washington Pa. Man Charged with Trafficking Heroin and FentanylRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Quenten Vaden, of Washington, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of trafficking in heroin and fentanyl, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The two-count indictment returned on March 8 charged Vaden, 32, with possessing with intent to distribute and distributing heroin and fentanyl, in February 2016.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ross E. Lenhardt and Katherine A. King, of the Violent Crime section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Washington County Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, and numerous local police departments including the Canonsburg Police Department, the Donora Police Department, the Monessen Police Department, and the Charleroi Police Department, as well as the Washington County Coroner’s Office, and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wappingers Falls Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE”), Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced that MATTHEW GOLDFARB was sentenced in White Plains federal court today to 12 years in prison for distribution of child pornography. GOLDFARB pled guilty to one count of distributing child pornography in June 2015 before United States District Judge Cathy Seibel, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Bharara stated: “By distributing child pornography, Matthew Goldfarb further victimized the children depicted in those horrifying images and videos, and helped sustain and perpetuate the market for such vile materials. Today’s sentence serves as a reminder that law enforcement will do all we can to protect children from predators who make and distribute child pornography.”
Special Agent-in-Charge Melendez stated: “Today's sentencing removes a dangerous and disturbed sexual predator like Mr. Goldfarb from our community, making it safer for all those that live in it, especially our children. We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our society through outreach efforts to educate our communities as well as enforcement.”
According to the Complaint, the Information, other documents in the public record, and statements made in open court:
Between July and November 2014, GOLDFARB distributed child pornography over the Internet through the use of peer-to-peer file-sharing software. A forensic examination of GOLDFARB’s laptop computer, which was seized by HSI agents during the execution of a search warrant at GOLDFARB’s residence, revealed 455 images and 748 videos containing child pornography. The images and videos included depictions of adults performing sex acts with prepubescent children, and many of the videos were over an hour in length. On June 24, 2015, GOLDFARB pled guilty to distribution of child pornography before Judge Seibel, and was released on home detention prior to sentencing.
In August 2015, while on release, GOLDFARB resumed trading child pornography over the Internet. GOLDFARB posted the following statement on the photo-sharing website iMGSRC.RU: “Trade young boys and girls. Send to receive. No empty emails.” GOLDFARB created a new Gmail account, and used it to trade child pornography with other individuals. GOLDFARB used a Kindle tablet, which he hid between the box springs in his bed, to access the Internet and trade child pornography. In one email exchange with another individual interested in trading child pornography, GOLDFARB wrote, “I got arrested for porn so I am not supposed to use the internet. I use a tablet bc I can hide it.”
On October 30, 2015, HSI agents executed a second search warrant at GOLDFARB’s residence, and also executed a search warrant on his newly created Gmail account. They discovered that GOLDFARB’s Gmail account contained an additional 540 images and 102 videos containing child pornography that GOLDFARB had sent and/or received between August and October 2015. That same day, GOLDFARB was arrested and ordered detained until sentencing.
GOLDFARB’s emails also revealed that, in addition to trading child pornography, GOLDFARB had engaged in a series of exchanges in which he discussed ideas for kidnapping young boys and raping them. In one email, GOLDFARB wrote: “[Y]ou can’t get one near houses during the day. Find a path that has trees on both sides and you are good. If you find someone walking alone at night tackle him, knock him out, tie up hands, throw into car drive away.” GOLDFARB also expressed his intention to use his time in prison to come up with ideas for committing such crimes against children, writing that, “It’s going to give me ideas on how to lock my boy up anyways.”
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In addition to the prison sentence, GOLDFARB, 24, of Wappingers Falls, New York, was sentenced to lifetime supervision after his release. GOLDFARB was also ordered to pay a total of $24,000 in restitution to victims of his crime.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding efforts of HSI.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Turner is in charge of the prosecution.
Ukrainian Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Natalia Polkowski, 29, of the Ukraine, pled guilty today in federal court in Syracuse to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Brian Devine, Resident Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Syracuse, New York.
As part of her guilty plea, Natalia Polkowski (nee Medvid), a Ukranian national, admitted that she entered into a sham marriage to John Polkowski of Binghamton, New York, on December 23, 2008, for the purpose of obtaining permanent residency in the United States. Polkowski further admitted that she never intended to establish a life with her husband, but rather entered into the bogus marriage to enable her to remain in the United States. John Polkowski pled guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud on April 22, 2014. At that time, he admitted that he was promised $10,000 for entering into the fraudulent marriage.
Natalia Polkowski will be sentenced on July 21, 2016 in federal court in Binghamton by Senior District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. She faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a judge based upon the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown
Two Indian Nationals Indicted for Smuggling Foreign Nationals into the United States via Commercial FlightsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Indian nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury today for allegedly smuggling foreign nationals into the United States via commercial airline flights, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Nileshkumar Patel, 41, and Harsad Mehta, 66, both of India, are each charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to bring in and harbor aliens and one count of money laundering conspiracy. In addition, Patel is charged with six counts and Mehta is charged with four counts of smuggling foreign nationals into the United States for private financial gain. Patel and Mehta were arrested on Oct. 21, 2015 upon their arrival at Newark Liberty International and both remain detained pending the outcome of the charges.
According to the indictment:
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information that a smuggling operation run by Patel and Mehta was attempting to find methods to illegally smuggle foreign nationals from India into the United States. The investigation revealed that the smuggling operation recruited Indian nationals and others to pay fees in exchange for passage to the United States.
Beginning in April 2014, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a smuggler began meeting with Patel and Mehta in Bangkok, Thailand. Patel and Mehta stated that they were involved in the smuggling business and had multiple Indian nationals that they were intending to smuggle into the United States. Mehta and Patel agreed to transport the Indian nationals from India to Thailand, at which point the undercover law enforcement officer would presumably use his contacts to smuggle the Indian nationals into the United States via commercial airline flights.
Patel and Mehta agreed to wire a $10,000 down payment for each individual to be smuggled into the United States and to pay a balance of tens of thousands of dollars for each individual once the foreign nationals arrived in the United States.
In total, Patel and Mehta arranged for six Indian nationals to be brought to Thailand for smuggling into the United States via Newark Liberty International Airport on three occasions.
The conspiracy to bring in and harbor aliens charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Each substantive charge of alien smuggling carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a mandatory minimum of three years in prison.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of HSI, 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. Attorney Francisco J. Navarro of the U.S Attorney’s Office National Security Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel:
Patel: Peter Carter Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
Mehta: Mark Berman Esq., River Edge, New Jersey
Texas Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Brownsville, Texas woman and a Joplin, Mo., man were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Joplin area.
Miriam DeLeon, 35, of Brownsville, and Juan Leonardo Simmons, 32, of Joplin, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. DeLeon was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Simmons was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison without parole.
According to court documents, DeLeon was identified as the leader of a drug-trafficking organization and as a major source of supply in the Joplin area as the result of a year-long, multi-agency investigation into an international organization based in Matamoras, Mexico, with members across the United States, including Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
On Feb. 18, 2015, DeLeon pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to aiding and abetting others to distribute methamphetamine.
DeLeon was arrested on July 31, 2014, after visiting the Jasper County courthouse for a hearing for her brother and co-defendant, Jose Luis DeLeon, Jr., 36, of Joplin, who was being held on state charges at that time. In the courthouse parking lot, she handed another person a bag of dog food that was later found to contain 470 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Miriam DeLeon was bringing the methamphetamine to her brother, who planned to distribute inside the Jasper County jail.
Miriam DeLeon had also been stopped in August 2008 by the Texas Department of Public Safety for a traffic violation in Wharton, Texas. The traffic stop resulted in the seizure of $122,300 that was discovered hidden in the vehicle.
Simmons pleaded guilty on April 15, 2015, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to illegally possessing a firearm. Simmons was arrested in April 2013, when a Joplin police officer stopped him while driving a Dodge truck. Officers found methamphetamine, multiple glass smoking pipes and straws with residue during a search of the vehicle. They also seized an AMT .380-caliber handgun. Simmons was arrested again in July 2013 at The Downstream Casino in Quapaw, Okla., for possessing methamphetamine. Law enforcement officers seized a baggie of methamphetamine, a loaded Kel-Tec 9mm pistol, a drug ledger and $1,160 from his hotel room.
A confidential source told investigators that he traveled to Houston, Texas, with Simmons and another person to pick up a kilogram of methamphetamine for Jose DeLeon, which was put into a spare tire mounted to the vehicle they were driving for the return trip to Joplin.
Co-defendant Eric Allen Meyer, 32, of Joplin, was sentenced on Nov. 12, 2015, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Meyer pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to illegally possessing a firearm.
Jose DeLeon has pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm and awaits sentencing. A confidential source told law enforcement investigators that Jose DeLeon sold multiple pounds of methamphetamine each week and had received at least two shipments of firearms in exchange for methamphetamine, each approximately 15 firearms.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ami Harshad Miller and Cindy Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the FBI, the Jasper County Drug Task Force, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Newton County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney.
Tax Preparer, Who Also Admitted Stealing Section 8 Housing Assistance Benefits, is Sentenced to 36 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Sherene Warren, who operated a tax preparation business in Duncanville, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to serve a total of 36 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Warren pleaded guilty in December 2015 to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and to one count of theft of government money. Judge O’Connor sentenced her to 36 months in federal prison on each count, to run concurrently. As part of her plea agreement, Warren agreed to pay $101,344.60 in restitution to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Additional restitution of $3,955,585.84 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and $28,786.00 to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was also ordered. She must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on June 8, 2016.
According to the factual resume filed in her case, Warren was the owner and manager of the tax preparation business Fast Tax Services that was located on N. Cedar Ridge Drive in Duncanville and then later on W. Wheatland Road in Duncanville. Warren falsified, according to the factual resume, line items on clients’ tax returns to obtain larger refunds. She also admitted receiving approximately $121,701 in 2010, $218,517 in 2011 and $360,491 in 2012 in fees/bonuses for preparing the tax returns. Warren further admitted that she did not disclose any Fast Tax Services’ income on her 2010 tax returns, and that she did not file a tax return in 2011 or 2012.
Also, according to the factual resume, Warren submitted false and fraudulent information about her income and employment to the Dallas Housing Authority in connection with receipt of Section 8 housing benefits, admitting that she stole approximately $28,786 in housing assistance to which she was not entitled. Each year Warren submitted false and fraudulent documents to the Dallas Housing Authority showing she had no income, when, as she well knew, she received substantial income from the operation of Fast Tax Service.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the SSA Office of Inspector General and the HUD Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Bunch was in charge of the prosecution.
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Son of Former U.S. Mint Employee Returns “1974-D Aluminum Penny” to MintRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Joseph Price (619) 546-7642 and Joseph Purcell (619) 546-7643
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 17, 2016
SAN DIEGO – The son of a late United States Mint official has returned a rare and valuable 1974-D aluminum one-cent piece to the United States Mint, bringing an end to a lawsuit over the ownership of the piece.
Randall Lawrence, the son of the late Mint official Harry Lawrence, and Michael McConnell, the owner of the La Jolla Coin Shop, had brought a lawsuit against the United States to establish ownership rights of the penny.
Harry Lawrence had been a Deputy Director of the United States Mint at Denver until his retirement in 1980. He died later that year. In 2014, Harry Lawrence’s son, Randall Lawrence, gave multiple news interviews during which he claimed that among the property he inherited from his father was what appeared to be a 1974 aluminum penny bearing a “D” (for Denver) mintmark. Mr. Lawrence, who had recently moved from Colorado to San Diego, had met with Michael McConnell, the owner of the La Jolla Coin Shop, and they reached an agreement to exhibit the piece at coin shows and to offer it for public sale through a well-known auction house. Mr. Lawrence and Mr. McConnell claimed that there were estimates that the piece might fetch upwards of $2 million at auction.
Upon learning that the piece existed and that Mr. Lawrence and Mr. McConnell planned to sell it, the United States Mint contacted Mr. Lawrence and Mr. McConnell to demand its return. Mr. Lawrence and Mr. McConnell responded to the United States’ demand that the piece be returned by filing a lawsuit against the United Sates in United States District Court for the Southern District of California seeking a judicial declaration that they were the owners of the piece. The United States contended in litigation that it be declared the rightful owner of the piece because there was never any authorization for an aluminum one-cent piece to be struck at the Denver Mint, that the piece was clandestinely struck and unlawfully removed from the Denver Mint, that federal employees are not permitted to remove federal property without proper authorization, and that the piece always has been and remained federal property.
Mr. Lawrence and Mr. McConnell have now returned the 1974-D aluminum one-cent piece to the United States. By the terms of an agreement to end the litigation that they brought against the United States, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. McConnell have voluntarily relinquished all claims of ownership, legal title, or dominion over the 1974-D aluminum one-cent piece to the United States. The piece was transferred to the custody and control of the United States Mint for its use and display as it may determine.
“This result ends the litigation successfully and returns the subject piece to its rightful owner, the United States Mint. It also vindicates the Government’s position that items made at United States Mint facilities but not lawfully issued, or otherwise lawfully disposed of, remain Government property and are not souvenirs that government employees can merely remove and pass down to their heirs,” said U.S. Attorney Duffy.
“The Mint is very pleased with the agreement, and we are very grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego for its work and efforts in reaching this resolution. We look forward to displaying the coin appropriately as an important Mint heritage asset,” said Rhett Jeppson, United States Mint Principal Deputy Director. “This agreement is not only good for the integrity of the coin collecting hobby but for the integrity of the government property and rule of law.”
The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph P. Price, Jr. and Joseph J. Purcell. Randall Lawrence and Michael McConnell v. United States Department of the Treasury; United States Bureau of the Mint; and the United States of America, District Court Case No. 14-cv-00594-WQH (MDD).
Six Alleged Members of Drug Trafficking Organization IndictedRead the Press Release
Galloway Township Man Arrested Today
CAMDEN, N.J. – Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities today arrested an Atlantic County, New Jersey, man in connection with a ring that allegedly trafficked heroin, powder cocaine and crack cocaine in the Atlantic City area, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
TeJohn Cooper, 43, of Galloway Township, New Jersey, was arrested this morning following a pre-dawn raid by agents and officers of the FBI, Atlantic City and Ventnor police departments. He is charged in a superseding indictment with drug-trafficking conspiracy and using a telephone facility to further a drug-trafficking crime. Cooper is scheduled to have his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider in Camden federal court.
Five other defendants charged in the initial indictment also were charged in the superseding indictment. The lead defendant, Toye Tutis, has been charged with two counts of possessing firearms and ammunition after previously having been convicted of a felony. Jazmin Vega, originally charged only with money laundering conspiracy, now also has been charged with drug-trafficking conspiracy. All six defendants were charged with one or more counts of using a telephone facility to further a drug-trafficking crime.
DEFENDANTS
Name
Age
Residence
Toye A. Tutis
42
Pleasantville, New Jersey
Ivan Joel Cuellar-Naranjo
28
Los Angeles, California
Tozine N. Tiller
40
Absecon, New Jersey
Kabaka Atiba
43
Atlantic City
TeJohn Cooper
43
Galloway Township
Jazmin S. Vega
40
Pleasantville
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The defendants are allegedly members of a drug-trafficking organization that dealt in large quantities of heroin, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine in and around Atlantic City. They are charged with conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, and more than one kilogram of heroin.
Six other defendants previously pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy:
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Ronald Douglas Byrd, 51, of Pleasantville; sentencing to be scheduled;
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Kareem Taylor, 41, of Atlantic City; sentencing scheduled for June 2, 2016;
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Talib Tiller, 43, of Mays Landing, sentencing scheduled for March 18, 2016;
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John Wellman, 41, of Somers Point, sentencing scheduled for June 2, 2016;
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Phillip Horton, 50, of Los Angeles, California, sentencing scheduled for June 2, 2016; and
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Francisco Alberto Rascon-Muracami, 22, of Obregon, Mexico, sentenced on Oct. 30, 2015, to 70 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
The conspiracy count carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. The money laundering conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The telephone facilitation counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of four years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The felon-in-possession counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Newark Division, Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Campi; the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski; the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor James P. McClain; and the Atlantic City Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Henry White, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
He also thanked the N.J. State Police; the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-Homeland Security Investigation (HSI); U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the Ventnor, Northfield and Millville police departments for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana V. Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Shreveport resident sentenced for failing to update his sex offender registrationRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Shreveport resident was sentenced to 18 months in prison for failing to update his sex offender registration.
Kentrell Dionsal Debose, 27, of Shreveport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote on one count of failure to update his sex offender registration. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the December 2, 2015 guilty plea, Debose was convicted of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile in October of 2009 and registered as a sex offender in Caddo Parish that year. He moved to Texas in November of 2014. Debose was arrested on August 18, 2015 in Shreveport on a warrant from the Harrison County Texas Sheriff’s Office for violating terms of his sex offender registration. Harrison County Sheriff’s Office personnel found the address in Waskom, Texas, that Debose put on his sex offender registration to be vacant. Investigators also found Debose had been living in Shreveport from at least early July 2015 until his arrest in August 2015 without registering as a sex offender in the state of Louisiana.
The U.S. Marshal’s Service and Harrison County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael O’Mara is prosecuting the case.
Sentencings for March 14, 2016Read the Press Release
Andrew Paul Jack, 51, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on March 14, 2016, for attempted online solicitation of a minor. Jack was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He received 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by ten years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Jake Edwin Bradshaw, of Lyman, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on March 14, 2016, for being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. Bradshaw was arrested in Lyman, Wyoming. He received five months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Sanford Man Indicted on Federal Charges as Part of ATF and Sanford Police Violent Crime Reduction InitiativeRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Karl William Calhoun (40, Sanford) with being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Calhoun is the first person federally charged as part of a new local violent crime reduction initiative – “Operation Ceasefire.”
On February 19, 2016, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Sanford Police Department, and federal and state prosecutors initiated “Operation Cease Fire” in the City of Sanford to target firearm offenses and drug crimes. The goal of the initiative is to investigate and prosecute repeat offenders to reduce violent crime in the City of Sanford.
According to the indictment, on February 17, 2016, in Seminole County, Calhoun was found to be in possession of a Beretta .25 caliber pistol. Prior to the incident, he had been twice convicted for aggravated assault, a felony. As such, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith stated, “I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Seminole County State Attorney’s Office, and ATF for their combined efforts in assisting the Sanford Police Department in combating the gun violence within our community. It is our first goal to educate the community on how to remain safe, and secondly to arrest those who choose to continue violating the law.”
This case was investigated by ATF and the Sanford Police Department’s Neighborhood Response Unit. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany L. Cummins.
This is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Regina Lombardo, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. It is also a part of ATF’s Frontline strategy to reduce violent crime in our communities.
Rochester Man Sentenced for Attempting to Recruit Fighters for IsilRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, NY – Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. and Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen of the FBI’s Buffalo Division announced today that Mufid Elfgeeh, 32, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, was sentenced to 270 months in prison and 27 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
“Mufid Elfgeeh’s sentence holds him accountable for his attempt to provide material support to ISIL, including his efforts to recruit individuals and raise funds for the designated terrorist group,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “ISIL’s horrific violence is waged against men, women and children, as well as against Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The National Security Division will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute anyone who seeks to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization.”
“Thanks to today's sentence, one of the first ISIL recruiters ever captured has been brought to justice and will now serve a very long jail sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “But while this case strikes a significant blow against ISIL killers and wannabes, our ongoing efforts to eradicate terrorist groups will continue until all are brought to justice. As it did in this case, the public should continue to report to law enforcement any suspicious individuals or activities and thereby promote and protect the wonderful WNY area we call home.”
“While we are confident that keeping Mr. Elfgeeh in prison for the next two decades will keep us safer, there continues to exist a pervasive, persistent and ever-changing terrorism threat,” said FBI SAC Adam S. Cohen. “This threat remains among the highest priorities for the FBI and the intelligence community.”
According to court documents, from December 2013 through May 31, 2014, Elfgeeh actively recruited and attempted to send two individuals – both of whom were cooperating with the FBI at the time – to Syria to join and fight on behalf of ISIL.
Elfgeeh sent anti-American ISIL propaganda videos to one of the individuals and arranged for an English-speaking ISIL contact located in Iraq to communicate with that person over Facebook. In addition, Elfgeeh paid more than $240 for that individual to obtain a copy of his birth certificate, passport photographs and an expedited passport. Elfgeeh also purchased a laptop computer and a high-definition action camera for both individuals to take to Syria. The defendant further provided guidance to them about traveling so that they could avoid detection and be prepared for the vetting process involved in joining ISIL. In May 2014, Elfgeeh arranged for an overseas contact to coordinate the logistics of the trip and the admission of both individuals into ISIL-controlled territory in Syria.
According to court documents, Elfgeeh also sent $600 to a third individual in Aden, Yemen, in an effort to assist that individual in traveling from Yemen to Syria for the purpose of joining and fighting on behalf of ISIL.
In March 2014, Elfgeeh communicated with a Syrian national alleged to be the military commander of the Green Battalion of the United Rebels of Homs-Al-Murabitun, a group of fighters located in Homs, Syria. At the time, the battalion was blockaded in Homs and needed military support, including ammunition, mortar shells and explosives that could penetrate armored vehicles, to break out. Elfgeeh facilitated communication and coordination between the battalion commander and ISIL leadership for the purpose of the commander and his battalion pledging their allegiance to and joining ISIL.
In addition to all of the other criminal conduct, Elfgeeh used social media to receive and disseminate information about foreign terrorist groups and their activities in Syria and other countries; to declare his support for violent jihad, ISIL and other foreign terrorist groups; to inspire and encourage others to engage in violent jihad and/or pledge allegiance to ISIL and other foreign terrorist groups; and to seek financial contributions to assist jihadist fighters.The case was investigated by the FBI’s Rochester Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brett A. Harvey and Frank H. Sherman of the Western District of New York with the assistance of Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Rhode Island Man Charged with Robbing Westbrook BankRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on March 3, 2016, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging ROBERT CHADRONET, 38, of Rumford, R.I., with one count of bank robbery.
The indictment alleges that on August 27, 2015, CHADRONET used force, violence and intimidation to rob $2,329 from a branch of Citizens Bank located at 1187 Boston Post Road in Westbrook.
CHADRONET appeared earlier today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge. He has been detained since September 10, 2015, when he was arrested on state charges related to a bank robbery that occurred in Milford on August 18, 2015.
If convicted of the charge, CHADRONET faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to.
CHADRONET is currently on federal supervised release for a prior bank robbery conviction.
The investigation is ongoing.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Connecticut State Police, Branford Police Department, Milford Police Department and Wareham (Mass.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito.
Phoenix Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Support ISIL and Other Terrorism-Related OffensesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, 44, of Phoenix, was found guilty today by a federal jury of one count each of the following five crimes: conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (“ISIL”), a designated foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to transport firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder and aggravated assault; transporting firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder and aggravated assault; making false statements to the FBI; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The verdict was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Strange of the District of Arizona, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin Tolomeo of the FBI’s Phoenix Division.
“Today’s guilty verdict, in one of the country’s first trials involving terrorist acts committed in the United States by ISIL supporters, demonstrates our office’s deep commitment to combatting terrorism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Strange. “I want to thank the FBI for the tremendous effort that went into the underlying investigation, as well as the brave law enforcement officials in Garland whose quick action during the attack prevented a much larger tragedy.”
“In the first jury trial in the country involving a homeland attack committed in the name of ISIL, Abdul Kareem was convicted of conspiring to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization and other federal offenses,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The defendant conspired with Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi to provide material support to ISIL and to transport firearms in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder and aggravated assault. Thanks to the response of brave law enforcement officers at the scene, no innocent lives were lost when Simpson and Soofi attacked the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. The National Security Division will continue to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who conspire with others to support foreign terrorist organizations and to commit acts of violence.”
“This verdict sends a strong message to those who support terrorists,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Tolomeo. “People who are plotting to harm America and Americans are no longer a world away. Our agents and analysts will continue to confront this threat with a strong and coordinated effort as we work to protect all Americans. The FBI would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as our federal, state and local law enforcement partners of the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their assistance in this case.”
The evidence at trial showed that, beginning around June 2014, Kareem and his two roommates, Simpson and Soofi, began conspiring to support ISIL. Their conspiracy focused on supporting ISIL by attacking targets in the United States. Over the course of the conspiracy, Kareem, Simpson and Soofi considered perpetrating an attack against military bases, individual military service members, shopping malls, the Glendale, Arizona, Super Bowl, and the so-called “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest,” which was to take place in Garland. On May 3, 2015, the morning of the contest, Simpson and Soofi drove from Arizona to Texas. Simpson and Soofi stopped their car near the contest’s location, got out of their car, and began firing assault rifles at security personnel and law enforcement officers. A security guard was injured by one of their bullets, and Simpson and Soofi were shot and killed by police officers in the firefight. Kareem did not travel to Texas and was not injured during the attack. During an interview with FBI agents soon after the attack, Kareem lied about having prior knowledge of the attack and the contest.
The case was tried over the span of several weeks before U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton of the District of Arizona. Kareem is being detained pending sentencing, which is currently scheduled for June 27, 2016, before Judge Bolton. Kareem’s counts of conviction carry a potential sentence of at least 45 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, and the prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Koehler and Kristen Brook of the District of Arizona, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
CASE NUMBER: CR-15-707-PHX-SRB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2015-020_Kareem
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Phoenix Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Support ISIL and Other Terrorism-Related OffensesRead the Press Release
Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, 44, of Phoenix, was found guilty today by a federal jury of one count each of the following five crimes: conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization; conspiracy to transport firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder and aggravated assault; transporting firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder and aggravated assault; making false statements to the FBI; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, Acting U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Strange of the District of Arizona and Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin Tolomeo of the FBI’s Phoenix Division.
“In the first jury trial in the country involving a homeland attack committed in the name of ISIL, Abdul Kareem was convicted of conspiring to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization and other federal offenses,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The defendant conspired with Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi to provide material support to ISIL and to transport firearms in interstate commerce with the intent to commit murder and aggravated assault. Thanks to the response of brave law enforcement officers at the scene, no innocent lives were lost when Simpson and Soofi attacked the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. The National Security Division will continue to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who conspire with others to support foreign terrorist organizations and to commit acts of violence.”
“Today’s guilty verdict, in one of the country’s first trials involving terrorist acts committed in the United States by ISIL supporters, demonstrates our office’s deep commitment to combatting terrorism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Strange. “I want to thank the FBI for the massive effort that went into the underlying investigation, as well as the brave law enforcement officials in Garland whose quick action during the attack prevented a much larger tragedy.”
“This verdict sends a strong message to those who support terrorists,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Tolomeo. “People who are plotting to harm America and Americans are no longer a world away. Our agents and analysts will continue to confront this threat with a strong and coordinated effort as we work to protect all Americans. The FBI would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office as well as our federal, state and local law enforcement partners of the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their assistance in this case.”
The evidence at trial showed that, beginning around June 2014, Kareem and his two roommates, Simpson and Soofi, began conspiring to support ISIL. Their conspiracy focused on supporting ISIL by attacking targets in the United States. Over the course of the conspiracy, Kareem, Simpson and Soofi considered perpetrating an attack against military bases; individual military service members; shopping malls; the Glendale, Arizona, Super Bowl; and the so-called “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest,” which was to take place in Garland. On May 3, 2015, the morning of the contest, Simpson and Soofi drove from Arizona to Texas. Simpson and Soofi stopped their car near the contest’s location, got out of their car and began firing assault rifles at security personnel and law enforcement officers. A security guard was injured by one of their bullets, and Simpson and Soofi were shot and killed by police officers in the firefight. Kareem did not travel to Texas and was not injured during the attack. During an interview with FBI agents soon after the attack, Kareem lied about having prior knowledge of the attack and the contest.
The case was tried over the span of several weeks before U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton of the District of Arizona. Kareem is being detained pending sentencing, which is currently scheduled for June 27, 2016, before Judge Bolton. Kareem’s counts of conviction carry a potential sentence of at least 45 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, and the prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Koehler and Kristen Brook of the District of Arizona, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Owner of Two Miami Clinics Sentenced to 82 Months for Health Care Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
An owner of two fraudulent medical clinics in the Miami area was sentenced to 82 months in prison today for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme that caused more than $3 million in losses.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Division and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.
Carlos Medina, 56, of Miami, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in January 2016. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Altonaga ordered Medina to forfeit $3,067,898.69.
According to admissions in the factual basis for his plea agreement, Medina was the owner of Doral Community Clinic Inc. and Advanced Medical of Doral Inc., however, other individuals served as the owners on the clinics’ corporate paperwork. Medina’s clinics purportedly provided medically necessary services to Medicare beneficiaries, but in reality the clinics charged cash kickbacks ranging from $100 to $200 in exchange for prescriptions for home health care services, and some of the beneficiaries who frequented the clinics did not meet Medicare’s criteria for the prescribed services, according to the factual basis. Some of the services prescribed by the medical professionals at Doral and Advanced Medical were never provided by the home health agencies to which the patients were referred, according to admissions in the factual basis.
The factual basis for the plea agreement states that Medina’s clinics sold prescriptions that were used to facilitate submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare by more than 20 home health agencies in the Miami area. Medicare paid more than $3 million in payments as a direct result of prescriptions sold by Doral and Advanced during a period of less than two years, according to the factual basis.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida. Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Lisa H. Miller and Jon M. Juenger are prosecuting the case.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged over 2,300 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for over $7 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Omron Automotive Electronics Co. Ltd. to Pay $4.55 Million for Bid Rigging on Power Window SwitchesRead the Press Release
Omron Automotive Electronics Co. Ltd has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $4.55 million criminal fine for conspiring to rig bids on power window switches installed in Honda Civics sold to U.S. consumers, the Department of Justice today announced.
“Omron and its co-conspirators targeted the Honda Civic, one of the best-selling cars in the United States, to benefit themselves at the expense of Honda Civic owners,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Our investigation will continue to hold accountable companies and executives across the auto parts industry who chose to conspire rather than compete.”
According to the felony charge filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Omron, based in Komaki, Japan, and another manufacturer conspired from 2003 to 2013 to rig bids on power window switches sold to Honda Motor Co. Ltd. That conspiracy extended to sales to Honda’s U.S. subsidiaries and affiliates and the switches involved were installed in Honda Civics sold beginning in 2005 and continuing through 2013. The plea agreement is subject to court approval.
Including Omron, 39 companies and 58 executives have been charged in the division’s ongoing investigation and have agreed to pay a total of more than $2.6 billion in criminal fines. Omron is being prosecuted by the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office and the FBI’s Detroit Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan.
Anyone with information on market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging or other anticompetitive conduct related to products in the automotive industry should contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258, visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html, or call the FBI’s Detroit Field Office tip line at 313-965-2323.
Ohio Doctor Convicted of Traveling to Kentucky to Engage in Sex with MinorRead the Press Release
ASHLAND, Ky. — An Ohio doctor has been convicted by a federal jury of traveling to Morehead, Ky., to engage in sex with a minor.
On Wednesday, the jury convicted 28 year-old Albert Trinh of traveling across state lines, with the intent to engage in sex with a minor.
Testimony at trial established that, in September 2015, Trinh had online communications with an undercover Kentucky State Police detective that he thought was a 14 year-old girl. When Trinh arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location, in Morehead, he was arrested.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Howard Marshall, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; and John Tilley, Acting Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by FBI and the Kentucky State Police. Trinh is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 2016. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. Under federal law, Trinh will have to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.
North Wilmington Men Plead Guilty to Selling Drugs from HomeRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – Paul Adams, age 38, of Wilmington, Del., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute cocaine out of his home in North Wilmington, announced Charles M. Oberly, III, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware. Adam’s co-conspirator Kevin Carter, age 31, of Claymont, Del., pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 14, 2016.
According to the indictment and other court records filed in support of the guilty pleas, between September 2014 and September 2015, Adams and Carter worked together to distribute large amounts of cocaine out of Adams’ home in North Wilmington. During that time, Adams traveled to Philadelphia to obtain cocaine, some of which Adams stored at Carter’s home in Claymont. Adams also sold a variety of controlled substances out of his home, to include cocaine, MDMA (a synthetic psychoactive drug commonly known as “ecstasy”), heroin, and marijuana.
Both Adams and Carter were arrested on September 1, 2015, at which time search warrants were executed on their homes. Agents seized three loaded semi-automatic handguns, one semi-automatic rifle, over one kilogram of cocaine, nearly 150 grams of MDMA, 7.3 grams of heroin, marijuana, a hydraulic cocaine press, and $13,571 in cash.
Both men remain in custody pending their sentencing hearings. Carter’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 14, 2016, and Adams’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 28, 2016. They each face a maximum penalty of 40 years imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years.
This case is the product of an investigation conducted by the DEA HIDTA Group 41, which is part of the New Castle County HIDTA, a collaborative effort established in January 2015 among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The DEA HIDTA Group 41 includes members from the following agencies: DEA, Delaware State Police, New Castle County Police Department, Newark Police Department, Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, Delaware Department of Corrections – Probation and Parole, and the Delaware Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth L. Van Pelt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
New York Man Sentenced to over 22 Years in Prison for Attempting to Recruit Fighters for ISILRead the Press Release
Mufid Elfgeeh, 32, of Rochester, New York, was sentenced to 270 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford of the Western District of New York for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The sentencing was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. of the Western District of New York and Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Cohen of the FBI’s Buffalo Division.
“Mufid Elfgeeh’s sentence holds him accountable for his attempt to provide material support to ISIL, including his efforts to recruit individuals and raise funds for the designated terrorist group,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “ISIL’s horrific violence is waged against men, women and children, as well as against Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The National Security Division will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute anyone who seeks to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization.”
“Thanks to today’s sentence, one of the first ISIL recruiters ever captured has been brought to justice and will now serve a very long jail sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “But while this case strikes a significant blow against ISIL killers and wannabes, our ongoing efforts to eradicate terrorist groups will continue until all are brought to justice. As it did in this case, the public should continue to report to law enforcement any suspicious individuals or activities and thereby promote and protect the wonderful WNY area we call home.”
“While we are confident that keeping Mr. Elfgeeh in prison for the next two decades will keep us safer, there continues to exist a pervasive, persistent and ever-changing terrorism threat,” said Special Agent in Charge Cohen. “This threat remains among the highest priorities for the FBI and the intelligence community.”
According to court documents, from December 2013 through May 31, 2014, Elfgeeh actively recruited and attempted to send two individuals – both of whom were cooperating with the FBI at the time – to Syria to join and fight on behalf of ISIL.
Elfgeeh sent anti-American ISIL propaganda videos to one of the individuals and arranged for an English-speaking ISIL contact located in Iraq to communicate with that person over Facebook. In addition, Elfgeeh paid more than $240 for that individual to obtain a copy of his birth certificate, passport photographs and an expedited passport. Elfgeeh also purchased a laptop computer and a high-definition action camera for both individuals to take to Syria. The defendant further provided guidance to them about traveling so that they could avoid detection and be prepared for the vetting process involved in joining ISIL. In May 2014, Elfgeeh arranged for an overseas contact to coordinate the logistics of the trip and the admission of both individuals into ISIL-controlled territory in Syria.
According to court documents, Elfgeeh also sent $600 to a third individual in Aden, Yemen, in an effort to assist that individual in traveling from Yemen to Syria for the purpose of joining and fighting on behalf of ISIL.
In March 2014, Elfgeeh communicated with a Syrian national alleged to be the military commander of the Green Battalion of the United Rebels of Homs-Al-Murabitun, a group of fighters located in Homs, Syria. At the time, the battalion was blockaded in Homs and needed military support, including ammunition, mortar shells and explosives that could penetrate armored vehicles, to break out. Elfgeeh facilitated communication and coordination between the battalion commander and ISIL leadership for the purpose of the commander and his battalion pledging their allegiance to and joining ISIL.
In addition to all of the other criminal conduct, Elfgeeh used social media to receive and disseminate information about foreign terrorist groups and their activities in Syria and other countries; to declare his support for violent jihad, ISIL and other foreign terrorist groups; to inspire and encourage others to engage in violent jihad and/or pledge allegiance to ISIL and other foreign terrorist groups; and to seek financial contributions to assist jihadist fighters.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Rochester Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brett A. Harvey and Frank H. Sherman of the Western District of New York with the assistance of Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Nevada Man Convicted of Perpetrating Nationwide Multi-Million Dollar Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Defendant Defrauded Investors in Nigerian Oil Scheme and Veterans Affairs and Failed to File a Federal Income Tax Return
A Las Vegas, Nevada, resident, who served in the U.S. Marines Corps, was convicted by a federal jury yesterday in the District of Nevada of multiple fraud charges after an eight-day trial, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
Anton Paul Drago, formerly known as Evan Fogarty, 65, was convicted on all 10 counts of the indictment. The jury found him guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, three counts of submitting false claims to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one count of theft of government funds, one count of passing a fictitious financial instrument, one count of making false statements to federal agents and one count of failing to file a federal income tax return.
“Today’s verdict sends a strong message to would-be fraudsters that the Tax Division is committed to not only pursuing defendants who seek to steal from the U.S. Treasury, but also those who take advantage of their fellow citizens through the use of schemes like the one perpetrated by Mr. Drago,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “Mr. Drago lied to investors and to a government agency and he now faces prison and substantial monetary penalties.”
The evidence presented at trial established that Drago orchestrated a large-scale Nigerian oil investment fraud scheme. From at least 2004 through 2012, Drago told investors that money they invested would be used for legal fees and business expenses to fund the production, refinement and shipment of crude oil from Nigeria to the Bahamas. Along with co-conspirator Joseph Rizzuti, formerly of Palm City, Florida, Drago also told investors that the money they invested would fund the purchase of an oil refinery in the Bahamas. Drago lied to investors about his background, falsely claiming that he was an engineer and an expert in the oil industry with over 30 years of experience working worldwide. He also falsely told some investors that he was the grandson of the Shell Oil founder and heir to a $500 million trust that he had already spent on the Nigerian oil investment deal. None of these claims were true.
The government also presented evidence to establish that Drago and Rizzuti contracted with investors, promising them a short-term turn around on their investment in just 60 days with a return of up to 400 percent. Unwitting investors gave the conspirators more than $2 million. Instead of investing in a Nigerian oil deal as promised, Drago and Rizzuti used most of the investors’ money for personal expenses. Specifically, Drago spent the money on rent, groceries, memberships at the Tournament Players Club Summerlin golf course and an exclusive activity club in Turnberry Towers, both in Las Vegas, maintenance on his Mercedes Benz, jewelry, travel and luxury purchases at stores such as Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom and Sharper Image. In addition, nearly $1 million of the investors’ money was transferred to unknown bank accounts in China. Despite Drago’s receipt of income from this fraudulent scheme, he failed to timely file his 2007 federal income tax return.
After the disgruntled investors’ money was spent, Drago continued to lie to them about other elaborate oil-related schemes that would make them whole. He attempted to negotiate a fictitious financial instrument purporting to be an International Bill of Exchange worth $10 million at a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Las Vegas. He also lied to federal agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who were investigating him when he told them that every penny of investor money went to Nigeria.
“The jury’s ability to see through the wall of lies Mr. Drago built to deceive investors sends a positive message to the victims of his scheme and to other victims of fraud around the country,” said Chief Richard Weber of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “By perpetrating this abusive tax scheme and defrauding the U.S. government and victims of this scheme, Mr. Drago set in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to his downfall. IRS-CI is proud to be part of the investigative team that brought Mr. Drago to justice.”
At the same time he was perpetrating the fraudulent Nigerian oil investment scheme, Drago also falsely claimed individual unemployability compensation benefits from the Veterans Affairs (VA). The evidence at trial established that for decades, Drago falsely claimed to have a debilitating military service-connected knee injury and was totally unable to work in any capacity, when in fact he was self-employed and running several businesses. The evidence showed that Drago was active and an avid golfer, spending more than $100,000 on golf-related expenses between 2005 and 2008. Based upon his false claims to the VA, he received thousands of dollars in monthly VA benefits.
U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan set Drago’s sentencing for June 14. Drago faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, five years in prison for making or presenting false claims, 25 years in prison for passing a fictitious financial instrument, 10 years in prison for theft of government funds, five years in prison for making false statements to federal agents and one year in prison for failing to file a federal income tax return. He also faces mandatory restitution and financial penalties, including more than $2 million in fines as well as the costs of prosecution.
Rizzuti pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the Nigerian oil investment fraud scheme and an unrelated charge of obstructing the internal revenue laws. He was sentenced in May 2013 to 80 months in prison. Rizzuti testified against Drago at trial.
Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo commended the special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation and the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who investigated the case and Trial Attorneys Charles M. Edgar Jr. and Sean Beaty of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case. Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo also thanked litigation technical support specialist John L. Kost, who provided trial support, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada who provided invaluable assistance to the Tax Division.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Monroeville Man Sentenced to Nearly 16 Years in Prison on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been sentenced in federal court for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, as well as for possessing with the intent to distribute heroin, and possessing firearms after having been convicted of a felony, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed a sentence of imprisonment of 190 months, followed by five years of supervised release, on Dorian Cottrell, 22, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Dorian Cottrell was a heroin dealer who shot a .45 caliber pistol at one of his customers on Sept. 8, 2014. Cottrell’s bullet hit the customer’s friend, but by sheer luck, did not seriously injure him. Although Cottrell knew that he was under investigation for the shooting, he continued to sell heroin and carry firearms, and was stopped by the Monroeville police in December 2014 with approximately $20,000 in cash, a pistol with an obliterated serial number, and more than 200 stamp bags of heroin, while driving a BMW. Cottrell was then arrested in January 2015, at which time he possessed eight additional firearms, and more than 200 additional stamp bags of heroin.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Fischer told Cottrell that “the severity of this offense cannot be overstated,” and that Cottrell was fortunate that his victim had not been hurt or killed. Judge Fischer noted, however, that “heroin, in itself, is a killer” which imposes high costs on the community and the nation. Judge Fischer also pointed out that Cottrell benefitted from a good upbringing and had received lenience in court before, which made his crimes an affront to the law and to the community.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Monroeville Police Department, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, for their work in the investigation of this case. This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent, deter and prosecute gun crime. Assistant United States Attorney Conor Lamb prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mission Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, Opposing, and Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on March 15, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
John DeNoyer, age 33, was sentenced to 15 months in custody, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
DeNoyer was indicted for Assaulting, Resisting, Opposing, and Impeding a Federal Officer by a federal grand jury on July 14, 2015. He pled guilty on December 14, 2015.
On May 31, 2015, a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Officer responded to a report that DeNoyer was drunk and causing a disturbance in the community of North Antelope on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. As the officer exited his vehicle and attempted to talk to DeNoyer, DeNoyer backed away and began to shake a canister of pepper spray. The officer directed DeNoyer to drop the can, but he refused. The officer retrieved his own pepper spray and sprayed DeNoyer, who then sprayed the officer with the can he was holding. DeNoyer was subsequently arrested.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tim M. Maher and Kirk W. Albertson prosecuted the case.
DeNoyer was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Members of Portsmouth Cocaine Trafficking Organization Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – LaCharles Hodges, a/k/a “Boogie,” 28, and Charles Battle, a/k/a “C.J.,” 37, of Portsmouth, Virginia, pleaded guilty this week for their involvement in a Portsmouth-based crack cocaine trafficking operation. Norman Stephenson, 35, pleaded guilty February 3, 2016. All were members of the “Corna Sto Boys,” a group formed in the late 1990s by individuals who were distributing crack cocaine near the corner of Elm Avenue and Fayette Street in Portsmouth, Virginia. An affiliate of the group, Samuel Gray, a/k/a “Pig,” 35, also pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine.
According to court documents, the “Corna Sto Boys” most recently dealt crack cocaine around an intersection across the street from Brighton Elementary School in Portsmouth. The Portsmouth Police Department has identified over 30 individuals affiliated with the group, several of whom are currently being prosecuted by the Portsmouth Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. In August 2015, the Portsmouth Police Department conducted 17 controlled purchases of crack cocaine from members of the organization.
Hodges, who pleaded guilty today, was one of the group’s primary suppliers of cocaine. During a six-month period in 2014, he distributed approximately 30 kilograms of the drug. Hodges was a supplier for several drug trafficking organizations in Hampton Roads, including one led by twin brothers Jason and Jeremy Saunders, who were federally prosecuted last year.
Hodges and Gray face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. Battle and Stephenson face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. The statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division; John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Tonya D. Chapman, Chief of the Portsmouth Police Department, made the announcement after Hodges’ plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Bosse and Joseph E. DePadilla, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler, are prosecuting the cases.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:16-cr-16 (Stephenson); 2:16-cr-19(Gray); 2:16-cr-3 (Battle); and 2:16cr18 (Hodges).
Maryland Man Sentenced to Prison for Firebombing of Loudoun County Department of Community Corrections BuildingRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. –Jonathan Ernesto Godoy, 26, of Fredrick, Maryland, was sentenced today to 190 months in prison for his involvement in two firebombings of the Loudoun County Department of Community Corrections building.
Godoy pleaded guilty on Nov. 9, 2015, to arson affecting interstate commerce and using fire or an explosive device in the commission of a federal felony. According to court documents and court proceedings, in the fall of 2012, Godoy was on supervised probation in Loudoun County stemming from a possession of narcotics charges. In danger of violating his conditions of probation due to missed appointments, adulterated urine samples, and positive drug tests, Godoy, along with a co-conspirator, made two destructive devices using glass bottles, gasoline, and scraps of cotton t-shirt, commonly known as “Molotov cocktails,” and attempted to throw both devices into Godoy’s probation officer’s window. At least one of the devices exploded inside of the Loudoun County Department of Corrections building and caused severe fire damage. The fire, which occurred during the early morning hours of Nov. 14, 2012, caused such destruction that the occupants of the building had to move to an alternate location. The fire caused over $300,000 in property damage and relocation costs.
In July 2014, Godoy was served with four felony state warrants related to the fire at the probation office, and he was incarcerated at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. While there, in a series of telephone calls and letters, Godoy expressed his belief that if his friend and a Loudoun County Assistant Fire Marshal, who was involved in the investigation, were eliminated as witnesses, then the criminal case against him would collapse. Thereafter, Godoy solicited a fellow inmate to murder the two. Unbeknownst to Godoy, however, the fellow inmate was cooperating with law enforcement and kept them informed of Godoy’s plot.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Linda Hale, Chief Fire Marshal, Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management; and Michael F. Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael E. Rich and William M. Sloan prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-260.
Martinsburg woman pleads guilty to mail fraud after stealing money from employerRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Debra Moses, 47, of Martinsburg, pled guilty today to mail fraud, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Cassell and Prinz, PLLC, a law firm located in Charles Town, West Virginia, represents clients before the United States Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration mails checks to the firm to compensate the firm’s lawyers for the attorney’s fees associated with successful social security claims handled by the firm. While employed as a legal assistant at Cassell and Prinz, Moses misappropriated in excess of $300,000 by repeatedly depositing these compensation checks, intended for the firm’s lawyers, into her own personal bank account.
Moses pled guilty today to one count of “Mail Fraud.” She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Camilletti prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The United States Secret Service and the United States Social Security Administration investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Marin Resident Charged with Fraudulently Misrepresenting Military ServiceRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Federal charges were filed against Gregory Bruce Allen yesterday for fraudulently representing that he received the Purple Heart military medal, announced Acting United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson. The charges include the allegation that Allen made the representation with the intent to obtain money, property, and other tangible benefits.
The allegations were made in an information filed in federal court yesterday. According to the information, beginning no later than October 19, 2013, Allen, 68, of Santa Rosa, fraudulently held himself out to be the recipient of a Purple Heart. Additional papers filed by the government explain that Allen allegedly served in the United States Navy for about eight months during 1968 and 1969 but was discharged due to a previously unreported knee injury. Allen nevertheless ran a business as a personal trainer and started a military recruit training program for youths interested in military service in part by representing to others that he was a decorated 1st Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps who served in the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. Allen also allegedly held himself out as a Purple Heart recipient in connection with fundraising efforts that resulted in donations of approximately $23,000 into accounts that Allen controlled. Allen was charged with one count of fraudulent representations about receipt of military decorations or medals, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 704(b). The offense is a Class A Misdemeanor.
No appearance in federal court has been scheduled yet. An information merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the maximum statutory penalty for a violation of 18 U.S.C. ? 704 is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Additional fines and supervised release also may be imposed. 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 Andrew F. Dawson is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Conviction of Local Doctor for Unlawfully Dispensing More Than 1.2 Million Oxycodone PillsRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced today the conviction of MOSHE MIRILASVHILI, a board-certified, state-licensed doctor, for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. During the period of the charged conspiracy, MIRILASHVILI wrote more than 13,000 medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone, typically in return for cash payments. MIRILASHVILI was convicted after a three-week jury trial before Judge Colleen McMahon.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “In just a matter of two years, Dr. Moshe Mirilashvili flooded the streets of New York City with more than a million pills of highly addictive oxycodone, a drug involved in the overdose deaths of thousands of Americans each year. As the jury unanimously found today, Dr. Mirilashvili, blinded by greed, cast away his Hippocratic Oath and instead aligned himself with street-level drug dealers. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the federal and local law enforcement partners, Dr. Mirilashvili is no longer in the business of fueling for profit the opioid addiction that plagues too many people in our communities.”
The following is based on the Indictment as well as evidence presented during trial:
Oxycodone is a highly addictive, prescription-strength narcotic used to treat severe and chronic pain conditions. Every year more than 13 million Americans abuse oxycodone, with the misuse of prescriptions painkillers such as oxycodone, leading to as many as 500,000 annual emergency room visits. Oxycodone prescriptions have enormous cash value to street level drug dealers, who can fill the prescriptions at most pharmacies and resell the pills at vastly inflated rates. Indeed, a single prescription for 90 30-milligram oxycodone pills has an average resale value in New York City of $2,700 or more.
From October 2012 until December 2014, MIRILASHVILI, a board-certified, state-licensed doctor, wrote thousands of medically unnecessary prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone in exchange for cash payments. MIRILASHVILI did so out of a sham medical office located on West 162nd Street in Manhattan where MIRILASHVILI typically charged $200 in cash for “patient visits” that typically involved little, if any, actual examination and almost always resulted in the issuance of a prescription for a large quantity of oxycodone, typically 90 30-milligram tablets.
Virtually none of these “patients” had any medical need for oxycodone, nor any legitimate medical records documenting an ailment for which oxycodone would be prescribed. Instead, most of these individuals were members of “crews” – that is, they were recruited and paid by drug traffickers (the “Crew Chiefs”), to pose as “patients” in order to receive medically unnecessary prescriptions. The Crew Chiefs then obtained these prescriptions and arranged for them to be filled at various pharmacies so that the oxycodone pills thereby obtained could be resold on the streets of New York.
As established at trial, MIRILASHVILI worked directly with some of these Crew Chiefs who paid MIRILASHVILI’s cash fees in return for the oxycodone prescriptions MIRILASHVILI guaranteed for their “patients.” As part of the scheme, MIRILASHVILI frequently accepted and even created fraudulent and fake documents – such as MRI and urinalysis reports – ostensibly documenting the medical need for the oxycodone prescriptions MIRILASHVILI was writing. For example, among documents recovered from MIRILASHVILI’s home at the time of his arrest, were lab reports in which the name of the “patient” had been cut and pasted onto the document, as well as similar reports in which the name of the patient or other relevant information had been whited out. More than $1.75 million in cash earned from writing these medically unnecessary prescriptions was also recovered from the defendant’s home at the time of his arrest.
In total, between October 2012 and December 2014, MIRILASHVILI wrote more than 13,000 medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone, comprising nearly 1.2 million oxycodone tablets with a street value of $36,000,000 or more. MIRILISHIVILI collected more than $2.4 million in fees for “doctor visits” during this time period.
Ten other participants in the conspiracy – including the drug traffickers who oversaw crews of “patients” sent into the clinics to obtain medically unnecessary oxycodone prescriptions and clinic staff, who profited by selling access to MIRILASHVILI and the fraudulent prescriptions he wrote – have previously pled guilty.
* * *
MIRILASHVILI, 67, of Great Neck, New York, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of unlawful distribution of oxycodone, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison each. MIRILASHVILI will be sentenced July 20, 2016, at 2 p.m. before the Judge Colleen McMahon.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the New York Police Department, the Westchester County Police Department, the Town of Orangetown Police Department, and the New York State Department of Finance for their work in the two-year investigation, which he noted is ongoing.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward B. Diskant and Brooke E. Cucinella are in charge of the prosecution.
Lower Brule Man Charged with Criminal ContemptRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man was charged with Criminal Contempt on February 24, 2016.
Vance TaSunke Witko, II, age 33, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 10, 2016, and pled not guilty to the charges.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 6 months in custody and/or a $1,000 fine, and $10 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
It is alleged that on February 17, 2016, Vance TaSunke Witko, II, willfully and unlawfully disobeyed a command and subpoena requiring him to appear for a court proceeding.
The charge is merely an accusation and TaSunke Witko is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and Lower Brule Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk A. Albertson is prosecuting the case.
TaSunke Witko has been released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Lowell Man Convicted of $440,000 Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A a representative of a Spanish seafood distributor pleaded guilty today in federal court to bank fraud charges in connection with the theft of more than $440,000.
Jorge Manuel Silva, 58, of Lowell pleaded guilty today to two counts of bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton. Silva is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22nd.
At today’s plea hearing, Silva admitted that he was an independent contractor for Seaport Fish Co. (“Seaport”), a corporation established to distribute fish and seafood in the United States by Freiremar Group, headquartered in Spain. Silva was responsible for coordinating sales to Seaport customers, collecting customer payments, and depositing those payments into Seaport’s bank account. Instead, Silva diverted more than $903,000 in Seaport customer checks into two corporate accounts of a business owned by Silva. Sometimes, but not always, weeks or months after he had deposited the customer checks into his accounts, Silva reimbursed Seaport with checks drawn on his own bank accounts.
To conceal the theft, Silva prepared false deposit slips and emailed them with copies of the customer checks to headquarters in Spain, purportedly to show that the customer checks had been, or were to be, deposited into Seaport’s bank account. In fact, those customer checks had all been deposited into Silva’s own accounts. Silva then wrote checks on his two corporate accounts, using Seaport funds, to pay expenses for his other businesses and also for personal expenses. Silva diverted about $440,000 of Seaport funds for his own use.
The maximum sentence for each count of bank fraud is up to 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of $1,000,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Shelly A. Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Sandra S. Bower of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Leon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Perjury ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edward A. Leon, 43, of St. Johnsville, New York, was sentenced today to be imprisoned for the statutory maximum of 10 years, based upon his trial conviction on two counts of making false declarations before a federal grand jury, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Delano A. Reid, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New York Field Division. Senior U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also sentenced Leon to a 3-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release and to pay a special assessment of $200.
United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian said: “The defendant’s perjury was the most serious imaginable – a purposeful, flagrant attempt to avoid scrutiny in an investigation into an arson murder – and deserved this maximum sentence. The defendant’s deception was deadly, as he left the occupants at 438 Hulett Street to die rather than risk scrutiny for his activities. We remain completely committed to securing justice for the victims and their families. We are grateful for the outstanding work and dedication of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Schenectady Police Department, and of the Schenectady Fire Department.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Delano A. Reid said: “The deadly events of May 2, 2013 have rocked the residents of Schenectady as they resulted in the death of three innocent children and their father. Similarly, the assigned law enforcement community has also been stymied by the mistruths and inconsistencies perpetrated by Mr. Leon. While his lies have affected our momentum in identifying those involved in the arson, today we can take some solace knowing that the defendant will serve the maximum sentence he can receive for impeding the investigation. Rest assured, the quadruple homicide investigation will continue to be our utmost priority, as it is our legal and moral obligation to incarcerate those person(s) responsible for such a heinous act. It is our hope that today’s sentence, combined with the additional monies that have been offered by the Mohawk Valley Crimestoppers, can incite the interest this case so deserves. Sa’fyre Terry deserves nothing less.”
A three day trial culminated in Leon’s conviction on November 12, 2015. Leon was convicted as charged for two false declarations that Leon made in testimony before a grand jury conducting an investigation into the fire on May 2, 2013 at 438 Hulett Street in Schenectady, New York, which caused the deaths of David Terry and three young children, seriously injured another child, and destroyed the building and the personal property inside.
Leon falsely testified regarding his travel on May 2, 2013, claiming that he had driven straight from the Cumberland Farms in Palatine Bridge to work in Amsterdam, New York, when he had actually driven first to Schenectady, was driving on Hamilton Street near its intersection with Hulett Street, and was in the area of 438 Hulett Street at the time of the fire. Leon also falsely testified in denying that he had used a particular telephone to send text messages to David Terry, some of which were threatening, from April 25 to 29, 2013.
The evidence at trial showed that: Leon purchased and activated a phone on April 25, 2013, which he used to threaten David Terry anonymously, as “the undertaker,” with words like “you’re not going to make it to your wedding day,” “die, Dave, die,” and “you’re a dead man walking.” When those threats apparently did not deter Terry from continuing his relationship with Leon’s girlfriend, Leon went to confront Terry under cover of early morning darkness. Leon said he saw a small fire in the front porch right by the door, with flames maybe two feet high, and left – without alerting the people inside, calling the fire department, the police department, or 911, because he did not want anyone to suspect him. Leon did not tell anyone, and lied about his involvement to a St. Johnsville Police Officer on May 2, 2013; to a Schenectady Police Detective on June 19, 2013; to ATF agents on November 14, 2013; to the grand jury on November 22, 2013; and to agents again on January 2, 2014, before admitting that day that he had lied about the phone and his activities on May 2.
This case was investigated by the ATF, the Schenectady Police Department, and the Schenectady Fire Department. The case was prosecuted by First Assistant U. S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers.Further questions or inquiries may be directed to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaquith at 518-431-0247.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives notes that there is a reward of up to a total of $40,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the arson that occurred on May 2, 2013 at 438 Hulett Street in Schenectady, resulting in personal injury and death. All information will be treated confidentially and the callers will remain anonymous if requested. Anyone having information should call the ATF Albany Field Office at 518-431-4182, or email [email protected].
Last methamphetamine distribution conspirator sentenced for conducting financial transactions related to drug dealsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that an Alexandria woman was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for accepting drug proceeds wired in her name and concealing the true owner of the money, convicted drug dealer Marcus Kirk.
Artlisha Morris, 32, of Alexandria, is the last of eight defendants to be sentenced for a conspiracy to distribute kilograms of methamphetamine in central Louisiana. Morris was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell on one count of money laundering. She was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. According to the December 3, 2015 guilty plea, from April 2014 until November 2014, Morris and seven other defendants conspired to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine or aid in that conspiracy in the central Louisiana area. Morris’ role was to assist with money transfers and collect proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine.
The other seven defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The leader of this group, Marcus Wayne Kirk, 35, of Lecompte, La., was sentenced on October 13, 2015 to 190 months while his brother, Jase Kirk Jr., 38, of Baton Rouge, was sentenced to 150 months in prison. Other defendants were sentenced as follows: Demetrius Jacobs, 36, of Glenmora, La., and Taney Ray Taylor Jr., 36, of Alexandria, both sentenced on June 19, 2015 to 108 months and 100 months in prison respectively; Jerome Blue, 35, of Pineville, La., and Gerald Dwayne Sanders, 30, of Longleaf, La., both sentenced on December 17, 2015 to 165 months and 120 months in prison respectively; and Patrick Green, 33, of Pineville, was sentenced on January 22, 2016 to 151 month in prison. The defendants were also sentenced to three years of supervised release except for Jerome Blue, Jase Kirk and Marcus Kirk, who were ordered to serve five years.
The FBI’s Central Louisiana Safe Streets Gang Task Force conducted the investigation. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI Baton Rouge Resident Agency assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.
Lafayette man pleads guilty to stealing nearly $1.5 million from disabled sisterRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette man pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $1.5 million from an insurance settlement his sister received while she was incapacitated.
Kevin Ralph Andrus, 37, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna to one count of wire fraud. The plea will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell. According to the guilty plea, Andrus, after being appointed as the curator for his sister’s estate when an automobile accident left her incapacitated and unable to manager her own affairs, stole $1,495,078 of settlement funds his sister received from a lawsuit related to her automobile accident. After partially recovering from her injuries, Andrus’ sister discovered that settlement funds had been transferred to the defendant’s own personal and business accounts even though he made an oath to spend the money only on approved expenses for the benefit of his sister.
Andrus faces 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. A sentencing date was not set.
The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and David C. Joseph are prosecuting the case.
Korean Man Who Used Identity of Brother he Murdered to Commit Gun and Immigration Crimes Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
A former Bellevue resident who was deported from the United States following a conviction for a 1984 murder, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison for violating immigration and gun laws, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. JUNNE KYOO KOH, 51, was arrested in August 2014, after his contact with Bellevue Police in June and July 2014 triggered an investigation into his identity. KOH used the identity of his deceased brother to return to the U.S. following deportation and to illegally purchase firearms. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said KOH “committed a very serious crime of violence in the past, that led to his deportation: the murder of his younger brother…. The offense is serious – deported for a very violent crime and voluntarily arming himself with not one but two firearms.”
According to records filed in the case, JUNNE KYOO KOH called Bellevue Police in June 2014, claiming that his name was Sang K. Koh and that he believed his family was missing. When police interviewed KOH at the family home he made accusations about neighbors being involved in kidnapping his parents and brother. KOH talked about shooting the neighbors if they were involved. Detectives removed one gun from the home and went with KOH to a storage locker to retrieve a second weapon. The parents were ultimately located safely residing in Southern California.
Further investigation revealed that KOH was convicted of the 1984 shooting death of his younger brother, Sang. KOH had been sentenced to prison and deported. However, KOH used his deceased brother’s identity to return to the United States and work for a number of years. He also used his brother’s identity to purchase firearms, as he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of the murder conviction. KOH left the Bellevue area and was ultimately arrested August 6, 2014 in Los Angeles where he apparently was trying to locate his family. On November 20, 2015, following a trial before Judge Martinez, KOH was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, being an alien in possession of a firearm and illegal re-entry after deportation.
The case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs is a Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute firearms cases in federal court.
KC Woman Sentenced for $433,000 Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a fraudulent tax return scheme that claimed $433,365 in fraudulent income tax refunds.
Lashan Brown, 41, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to one year and one day in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Brown to pay $120,172 in restitution.
On Oct. 19, 2015, Brown pleaded guilty before to her role in a conspiracy to defraud the government. Brown admitted that she and several co-defendants conspired to submit false claims for income tax refunds from January 2009 to February 2012.
The tax refund scheme involved the creation of false and fraudulent W-2 forms that reported fictitious employer information, fictitious income, and fictitious income tax withholdings. Conspirators solicited friends and acquaintances to file their tax returns using false W-2 information. These “taxpayers” had little to no legitimate income and would not otherwise have to file tax returns.
The tax refund scheme involved claims against the United States in the approximate amount of $433,365, and resulted in an actual loss of at least $329,000.
Brown was recruited to file fraudulent tax returns from her home computer in 2010 and 2011. Brown’s portion of the tax refund scheme involved 33 fraudulent refund filings during this time period. Regarding these 33 filings, a total of $204,849 in refunds were claimed, which resulted in $120,172 in actual tax loss (money paid to the defendants and filers based on their false claims).
Co-defendant Marquita R. Murray, 38, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and to making false claims and awaits sentencing. Murray provided tax filers with the false W-2 forms, transported tax filers to legitimate tax preparers to electronically file the fraudulent tax returns and transported tax filers to banks and check cashing businesses to obtain cash from the tax returns. Murray also assisted co-conspirators in electronically filing others’ false returns from their home computers.
Co-defendant Mika Francis, 41, of Lee’s Summit, Mo., also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
Co-defendant Demichael A. Johnson, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to two years in federal prison without parole, to be served consecutively to the seven-year sentence Johnson is currently serving in federal prison for drug trafficking. The court also ordered Johnson to pay $67,281 in restitution to the government.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gregg Coonrod. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Justice Department and City of Ferguson, Missouri, Resolve Lawsuit with Agreement to Reform Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court to Ensure Constitutional PolicingRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the city of Ferguson, Missouri, today jointly filed an agreement resolving the United States’ pending lawsuit against Ferguson. The court-enforceable decree, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, aims to remedy the unconstitutional law enforcement conduct that the Justice Department found during its civil pattern-or-practice investigation into the Ferguson Police Department (FPD) and the Ferguson Municipal Court. The department’s findings were released in a public report issued March 4, 2015.
“The American people must be able to trust that their courts and law enforcement will uphold, protect, and defend their constitutional rights,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. “The filing of this agreement marks the beginning of a process that the citizens of Ferguson have long awaited – the process of ensuring that they receive the rights and protections guaranteed to every American under the law.”
Under the agreement, Ferguson will implement reforms to bring about constitutional and effective policing, promote officer and public safety, ensure fundamental fairness and equal treatment regardless of race in the municipal court and foster greater trust between police officers and the communities they serve. The areas covered by the agreement include:
- Community policing and engagement: creating a community engagement strategy that requires meaningful engagement between FPD officers and all segments of the Ferguson community.
- Bias-free police and court practices: requiring implicit bias-awareness training of all court staff and FPD personnel and ensuring that Ferguson does not discriminate on the basis of race and other characteristics.
- Stops, searches and arrests: ensuring that FPD’s stop, search, citation and arrest practices adhere to the Fourth Amendment and do not discriminate on the basis of race or any other protected characteristic; and prohibiting Ferguson from developing or implementing any law enforcement action in order to generate revenue.
- First Amendment: protecting all individuals’ First Amendment rights, including their right to record public police activity, lawfully complain about police activity free from retaliation and engage in lawful protest.
- Use of force: reorienting FPD’s use-of-force policies toward de-escalation and avoiding force except where necessary; re-training all officers; and thoroughly, objectively and timely investigating all uses of force.
- Officer supervision: requiring close and effective supervision of officers; requiring FPD officers and other personnel to wear and use body-worn and in-car cameras; and requiring supervisors to review camera footage as part of misconduct and force investigations.
- Accountability: requiring Ferguson and FPD to fully and fairly investigate all allegations of officer misconduct and take corrective and disciplinary action.
- Civilian oversight: establishing a Civilian Review Board to review, make findings and recommend disciplinary action for investigations of complaints involving excessive force, abuse of authority, the use of discriminatory slurs and other misconduct; review FPD policies and training plans; serve on officer hiring and promotion panels; and review crime, racial profiling and complaint data.
- Officer assistance and support: ensuring that officers are provided ready access to support services, including physical and mental health services, and requiring Ferguson to develop protocols to ensure that officers are provided relief support during public demonstrations and periods of civil unrest.
- Recruitment: requiring Ferguson to develop a recruitment plan that will assist FPD in attracting and retaining a highly-qualified officer workforce.
- Mental health crisis intervention: requiring that Ferguson and FPD implement and train officers in specialized responses to incidents involving individuals in mental health crisis.
- Data collection, reporting and transparency: requiring FPD to collect the data on its operations needed for it to continue to learn and improve upon its police and court practices;
- School Resource Officers (SROs): ensuring that Ferguson SROs have the skills to work lawfully, productively and fairly with youth; requiring SROs to divert students toward alternatives; and minimizing the use of force in schools.
- Municipal court reform: enacting reforms to ensure that municipal code enforcement is driven by public safety, not a desire to raise revenue; implementing an amnesty program for all open cases and associated warrants initiated prior to Jan. 1, 2014; eliminating unnecessary fees and altering the court’s fine and warrant practices to ensure due process; increasing transparency of court operations; eliminating the use of secured money bond; ensuring that no person will jailed for being poor; and ensuring the independence of the court from the city prosecutor and the impartiality of the municipal judge.
An independent monitor to be selected by the Justice Department and Ferguson will assess implementation of the consent decree, provide technical assistance to Ferguson and report on Ferguson’s implementation of reforms through periodic public reports. The consent decree requires two consecutive years of compliance by Ferguson before the agreement can be terminated.
“Ferguson residents and police officers deserve a law enforcement system that serves their entire community fairly, safely and effectively,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice looks forward to working closely with the city as we implement this landmark agreement to ensure that real reform becomes a reality for all people in Ferguson.”
The Justice Department’s investigation uncovered a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct by the FPD and the Ferguson Municipal Court, including: violating the Fourth Amendment by conducting stops without reasonable suspicion and arrests without probable cause, as well as using excessive force; violating the First Amendment by interfering with the right to free expression and the right to record public police activity; and violating the 14th Amendment by engaging in racial discrimination, in both police and related court activity, as well as violating individuals’ due process and equal protection rights in court. The civil investigation was conducted by attorneys and staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section.
Ferguson Consent Decree
Ferguson Joint Motion for Entry
Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Stop L.A. Times Publisher from Acquiring Competing NewspapersRead the Press Release
Acquisition Would Monopolize Newspapers in Orange and Riverside Counties in California
The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today seeking to block the acquisition by Tribune Publishing Company, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, of Freedom Communications Inc., publisher of the Register in Orange County, California, and the Press-Enterprise in Riverside County, California. Tribune was selected as purchaser of Freedom’s newspapers following a bankruptcy auction and will seek bankruptcy court approval of its acquisition on March 21. The department is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the sale to Tribune from proceeding.
According to the department’s complaint, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times and the Register together account for 98 percent of newspaper sales in Orange County and the Los Angeles Times and Freedom’s newspapers together account for 81 percent of English-language newspaper sales in Riverside County. Tribune’s acquisition of its most significant competitor would give it a monopoly over newspaper sales in each county and allow it to increase subscription prices, raise advertising rates and invest less to maintain the quality of its newspapers.
“If this acquisition is allowed to proceed, newspaper competition will be eliminated and readers and advertisers in Orange and Riverside Counties will suffer,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Newspapers continue to play an important role in the dissemination of news and information to readers and remain an important vehicle for advertisers. The Antitrust Division is committed to ensuring that competition in this important industry is protected.”
Tribune Publishing Company is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Chicago. It publishes 11 major daily newspapers across California, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Stop L.A. Times Publisher from Acquiring Competing NewspapersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today seeking to block the acquisition by Tribune Publishing Company, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, of Freedom Communications Inc., publisher of the Register in Orange County, California, and the Press-Enterprise in Riverside County, California. Tribune was selected as purchaser of Freedom’s newspapers following a bankruptcy auction and will seek bankruptcy court approval of its acquisition on March 21. The department is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the sale to Tribune from proceeding.
According to the department’s complaint, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times and the Register together account for 98 percent of newspaper sales in Orange County and the Los Angeles Times and Freedom’s newspapers together account for 81 percent of English-language newspaper sales in Riverside County. Tribune’s acquisition of its most significant competitor would give it a monopoly over newspaper sales in each county and allow it to increase subscription prices, raise advertising rates and invest less to maintain the quality of its newspapers.
“If this acquisition is allowed to proceed, newspaper competition will be eliminated and readers and advertisers in Orange and Riverside Counties will suffer,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Newspapers continue to play an important role in the dissemination of news and information to readers and remain an important vehicle for advertisers. The Antitrust Division is committed to ensuring that competition in this important industry is protected.”
Tribune Publishing Company is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Chicago. It publishes 11 major daily newspapers across California, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Jury Convicts Man of Transporting AliensRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A jury voted yesterday to convict Wanxiang Chen, age 28, of transporting aliens in the United States for the purpose of financial gain.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and United States Border Patrol Acting Division Chief Bradley S. Curtis.
Chen, a Chinese national who was residing in Flushing, Queens, was found guilty of transporting two Chinese people who were in the country illegally. On August 11, 2015, he picked them up from the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg, New York, and was driving them when Border Patrol stopped his car in Fort Covington. The evidence at trial demonstrated that Chen had made three prior smuggling trips, transporting aliens from the casino to New York City in exchange for cash payments.
Chen faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on July 14, 2016 by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer.
Jacksonville Man Found Guilty of Attempting to Assassinate A Federal District Judge and Multiple Federal Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found Aaron M. Richardson (27, Jacksonville) guilty of attempted murder of a United States District Judge, multiple federal firearm offenses, multiple false statements, failing to appear at scheduled court hearings, and impersonating a military officer. Richardson faces life in federal prison. His sentencing will be scheduled for a future date.
Richardson was indicted on September 25, 2013.
Judge Timothy Corrigan previously convicted and sentenced Richardson for attempting to make an incendiary device in a 2008 case. Following incarceration for that crime, Richardson began serving a term of supervised release. Subsequently, he was arrested for multiple new offenses and faced state prosecutions in Clay, Duval, and Volusia counties, as well as supervised release proceedings in federal court.
Richardson devised a plan, which he named “Mission Freedom,” that involved preparing a false order purportedly signed by Judge Corrigan, dismissing all of his pending charges, as well as other benefits. Richardson planned the murder so that Judge Corrigan could not refute the sham order. As part of the plan, he conducted Internet searches to locate Judge Corrigan and the potential murder weapon.
On June 21, 2013, Richardson stole a Savage Arms .30-06 rifle from a local Sports Authority store. The theft and Richardson’s prior casing of the store were captured on store video surveillance. On the night of June 22, 2013, Richardson went to Judge Corrigan’s residence, and at 12:30 a.m., he fired a single shot at the judge using the stolen rifle. The shot missed the judge by less than two inches and instead hit a window frame. Forensic evidence confirmed Richardson’s presence at the scene of the crime.
Richardson was apprehended on June 25, 2013, by a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. That night, he made multiple false statements about the crime to the FBI.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Daytona Beach Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the State Attorneys’ Offices for the Fourth and Seventh Circuits. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mac D. Heavener, III and Mark B. Devereaux.