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16 March 2016
Rapid City Man Charged with Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Odell Thomas Goodshield, Jr., age 56, was indicted on February 17, 2016. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 8, 2016, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of 5 years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
It is alleged that between January 6, 2016, and January 28, 2016, Goodshield, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of a conviction under Federal Law, failed to properly register as a sex offender in Pennington County and elsewhere. On June 14, 1999, Goodshield was sentenced to 188 months in federal custody for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and as a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender.
The charge is merely an accusation and Goodshield is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie G. Sanderson is prosecuting the case.
Goodshield was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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Pocatello Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine and Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Christopher Keeling, 30, of Pocatello, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Keeling was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 25, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, on various occasions between October 2014, and June 9, 2015, Keeling distributed in excess of fifty grams of actual methamphetamine to a confidential informant and undercover officer in Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho. On June 9, 2015, law enforcement served a search warrant on the defendant’s residence in Pocatello, Idaho. Prior to that date, the defendant had been convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance. During the search warrant, officers found the defendant to be in possession of several handguns and shotguns.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine is punishable by ten years to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Keeling is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23, 2016, before Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge in Pocatello.
The case was investigated by the Idaho State Police, Pocatello Police Department, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Phenix City Man Convicted of Federal Gun and Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala— Today, a federal jury convicted Antonio Darset King, Sr., 46 years old of Phenix City, Alabama, on federal gun and drug charges, announced George L. Beck, Jr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.
Evidence at trial established that on February 23, 2014, Russell County Sheriff’s Office investigators executed a search warrant at King’s Phenix City residence. There, they recovered a firearm, more than 5 grams of cocaine, and approximately $3,000 dollars in cash. Testimony from law enforcement agents established that King intended to distribute the cocaine recovered by investigators. Further, testimony established that King possessed the firearm in question for the purpose of protecting his drug trafficking trade. Because King had previously been convicted of felony offenses, King was prohibited from possessing a firearm by federal law.
In April 2014, a federal grand jury indicted King on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In October of 2014, that grand jury added one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. At trial, a jury found King guilty of all three counts.
A sentencing hearing for King is yet to be scheduled. King faces 15 years to life imprisonment for being previously convicted of felonies and in possession by a firearm; up to 30 years imprisonment for the drug possession count; and 5 years to life for the firearm possession in furtherance of a drug trafficking count. The sentence for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime will be added to any sentence imposed on the drug count. Additionally, King faces a maximum fine of $750,000 on the three counts combined.
“My office is committed to taking illegal gun toters and violent drug dealers off the streets,” stated U.S. Attorney Beck. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to do all that is necessary to keep our streets safe.”
“Antonio King is one of Russell County’s most dangerous criminals, ever,” stated Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor. “I am thankful to U.S. Attorney Beck, and his Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown for a great job in prosecuting the Antonio King case on our behalf. This firearm and drug case was a result of a search warrant on King’s property, which was directly related to a capital murder case which occurred here in Russell County. King has been arrested and is awaiting trial for that capital murder. I believe that the citizens will rest easier now, knowing that King will be locked up for a long time.”
“This focused investigation will have a lasting impact on reducing firearms related violence from the streets of the Phenix City area,” stated Steve Gerido, ATF Special Agent in Charge. “The collaborative efforts of ATF and our partners continue to identify and investigate violent criminals who lessen the quality of life in our neighborhoods”
This case was investigated by the Russell County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Todd A. Brown prosecuted the case.
Penn Yan Man Indicted on Multiple Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a 13 count superseding indictment charging James E. Sandford, III, 28, of Penn Yan, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, distribution of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a school, distribution of controlled substances to persons under age 21, possession of various controlled substances with intent to distribute them, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, and witness tampering. The drug charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $2,000,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Noto, who is handling the case, stated that according to the superseding indictment, the defendant distributed synthetic cannabinoids (designer drugs) between July 2014 and March 24, 2015, in the Penn Yan area. During that time period, Sanford distributed synthetic controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, which are designed to mimic the effects of controlled substances, to individuals under the age of 21 and also within 1000 feet of St. Michael’s School, a private elementary school in Penn Yan.
The superseding indictment further states that on February 22, 2015, the defendant traded synthetic cannabinoids with a minor in exchange for a stolen Savage .410 double barrel shotgun. At the time, the defendant had two prior felony convictions preventing him from legally possessing a gun.
The defendant was initially arraigned on a criminal complaint in the Western District of New York on June 4, 2015. Subsequent to his arrest on the federal charges, Sanford attempted to intimidate and threaten a suspected witness against him by shouting to that individual: “I’m not going to be in jail long. I will see you on the outside you snitch,” with the intent to influence, delay or prevent the testimony of that suspected witness in the prosecution of defendant.
Sanford will be arraigned on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson. He is being detained pending trial in this matter.
The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Office, the Penn Yan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Hulse, the Yates County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Ronald Spike, and the Yates County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Valerie Gardner.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Oxycodone trafficking indictment returnedRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Suhip E. Ebrahim, 26, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, and Ronnell A. Williams, 41, of Wheeling, West Virginia, with oxycodone trafficking, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Ebrahim and Williams allegedly conspired to possess and sell oxycodone throughout 2015 and 2016 in Ohio County, West Virginia. Specifically, Williams is alleged to have sold oxycodone on multiple occasions in February 2016. Ebrahim was arrested in Wheeling earlier this month after he was discovered to be in possession of a large quantity of oxycodone pills. Following his arrest, a federal judge ordered that Ebrahim be detained pending trial.
Both defendants are charged with one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone.” Ebrahim is further charged with one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone.” Williams is further charged with three counts of “Distribution of Oxycodone.” The defendants each face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 on each of the aforementioned counts. 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. Attorneys Robert McWilliams and Jarod Douglas are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, the Marshall County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Greater Harrison County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, all HIDTA-funded initiatives, are investigating.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Oregon Man Charged with Using Fictitious Financial Instruments and Failing to File Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury sitting in Portland, Oregon, returned a superseding indictment yesterday afternoon charging a Hillsboro, Oregon man with 13 counts of making, presenting and transmitting fictitious financial instruments and six counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns, Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced.
According to the superseding indictment, beginning in or about February 2008 and continuing through at least June 2015, Winston Shrout knowingly devised and participated in a scheme to defraud financial institutions and the United States out of monies by making, presenting and transmitting fictitious financial instruments, which he variously called, among other things, “International Bills of Exchange” and “Non-Negotiable Bills of Exchange.” Shrout claimed that these fictitious financial instruments had monetary value when he knew they were in fact worthless. It is alleged that during the course of his scheme, Shrout produced and issued more than 300 fictitious financial instruments, purported to be worth more than $100 trillion, on his own behalf and for credit to third parties. The superseding indictment further alleges that Shrout promoted and marketed the use of fictitious financial instruments as a way to pay off debts, including federal income taxes, through seminars and private client consultations. Shrout is alleged to have sold recordings of his seminars, templates for fictitious financial instruments, and other materials through his website.
In addition, the superseding indictment alleges that Shrout received income for the years 2009 through 2014 from various sources, including presentations at seminars, licensing fees associated with the sale of products in his name and his business, Winston Shrout Solutions in Commerce, and annual pension payments. It is alleged that Shrout willfully failed to file income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for those years to report his income, despite being required to do so.
If convicted, Shrout faces a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on each count of making, presenting and transmitting a fictitious financial instrument and one year in prison for each count of willful failure to file income tax returns.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Stuart A. Wexler and Ryan R. Raybould of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Ohio Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Van Wert, Ohio, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on March 1, 2016, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Donald E. Lewis, age 52, was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Lewis was charged on September 15, 2015, and pleaded guilty on November 20, 2015.
The conviction stems from Lewis, a previously convicted felon, knowingly possessing a Colt, .45 caliber pistol and methamphetamine while driving near the Fort Meade Recreational Area.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson prosecuted the case.
Lewis was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIL and Possessing Firearms as a FelonRead the Press Release
A Sheffield Lake, Ohio, man pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as firearms violations.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, Acting U.S. Attorney Carole S. Rendon of the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division made the announcement.
Amir Said Rahman Al-Ghazi, 39, also known as Robert C. McCollum, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIL and two counts of possessing firearms as a felon.
Al-Ghazi, who changed his name from Robert McCollum last year, pledged his support to ISIL and Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi via social media in 2014. From July 2014 to June 2015, Al-Ghazi made multiple statements trying to persuade others to join ISIL. He also expressed his own desire to perpetrate an attack on the United States and attempted to purchase an AK-47 assault rifle. Al-Ghazi has communicated with individuals he believed to be members of ISIL in the Middle East and took steps to create propaganda videos for ISIL, according to court documents.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2016.
This case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Christos N. Georgalis of the Northern District of Ohio, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to Prison for Bankruptcy and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
A Burlington, North Carolina, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for bankruptcy fraud and tax fraud, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Department of the Justice’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand of the Middle District of North Carolina.
“The department, working with our partners within the IRS, is committed to identifying and prosecuting individuals who lie to or mislead the IRS in an effort to obstruct tax administration and evade the assessment or collection of tax due,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “Our system of voluntary compliance only works if individuals like Mr. Blackwell, who abuse the system and cheat their fellow citizens, are held accountable for their criminal conduct.”
“The fraudulent use of bankruptcy and other court proceedings to steal from taxpayers is of grave concern, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains vigilant in the effort to hold accountable those who would defraud the government,” said U.S. Attorney Rand.
According to court documents, Faiger Blackwell, 59, owned several businesses, including a funeral home, in North Carolina. In 2007, Blackwell filed for bankruptcy for himself and his funeral home after accumulating more than $300,000 in outstanding federal taxes and more than $1 million in other debts. During the bankruptcy proceedings, Blackwell concealed rental income from the bankruptcy court and instead used the money to pay for business and personal expenses. In July 2009, after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) levied one of Blackwell’s business bank accounts, he set up another company that was created for banking purposes only and corresponding bank accounts in order to divert funds and circumvent the levy. Blackwell concealed these funds from the bankruptcy court, the IRS, and other creditors and used them to pay for business and personal expenses, including a cruise. Blackwell pleaded guilty in November 2015 to one count of concealment of assets from a bankruptcy estate and one count of impeding the due administration of the internal revenue laws.
In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Court Judge William L. Osteen Jr. for the Middle District of North Carolina ordered Blackwell to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and also ordered him to pay $404,619.29 in restitution.
“Today’s sentencing of Mr. Blackwell for bankruptcy fraud sends a clear signal for those who may be considering similar actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman III of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office. “The bankruptcy system is based on a debtor making a full disclosure of all assets and liabilities. When individuals use this system to evade their debt obligations to the government and their creditors, they are engaging in criminal activity. IRS-Criminal Investigation is proud to work with our law enforcement partners by lending its expertise in these complex financial investigations.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Rand commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Chut of the Middle District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Nathan Brooks of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
More information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to Prison for Bankruptcy and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Burlington, North Carolina, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for bankruptcy fraud and tax fraud, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Department of the Justice’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand of the Middle District of North Carolina.
“The department, working with our partners within the IRS, is committed to identifying and prosecuting individuals who lie to or mislead the IRS in an effort to obstruct tax administration and evade the assessment or collection of tax due,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “Our system of voluntary compliance only works if individuals like Mr. Blackwell, who abuse the system and cheat their fellow citizens, are held accountable for their criminal conduct.”
“The fraudulent use of bankruptcy and other court proceedings to steal from taxpayers is of grave concern, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains vigilant in the effort to hold accountable those who would defraud the government,” said U.S. Attorney Rand.
According to court documents, Faiger Blackwell, 59, owned several businesses, including a funeral home, in North Carolina. In 2007, Blackwell filed for bankruptcy for himself and his funeral home after accumulating more than $300,000 in outstanding federal taxes and more than $1 million in other debts. During the bankruptcy proceedings, Blackwell concealed rental income from the bankruptcy court and instead used the money to pay for business and personal expenses. In July 2009, after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) levied one of Blackwell’s business bank accounts, he set up another company that was created for banking purposes only and corresponding bank accounts in order to divert funds and circumvent the levy. Blackwell concealed these funds from the bankruptcy court, the IRS, and other creditors and used them to pay for business and personal expenses, including a cruise. Blackwell pleaded guilty in November 2015 to one count of concealment of assets from a bankruptcy estate and one count of impeding the due administration of the internal revenue laws.
In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Court Judge William L. Osteen Jr. for the Middle District of North Carolina ordered Blackwell to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and also ordered him to pay $404,619.29 in restitution.
“Today’s sentencing of Mr. Blackwell for bankruptcy fraud sends a clear signal for those who may be considering similar actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman III of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office. “The bankruptcy system is based on a debtor making a full disclosure of all assets and liabilities. When individuals use this system to evade their debt obligations to the government and their creditors, they are engaging in criminal activity. IRS-Criminal Investigation is proud to work with our law enforcement partners by lending its expertise in these complex financial investigations.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Rand commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Chut of the Middle District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Nathan Brooks of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
More information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
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New Orleans Musician “Big Freedia” Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that FREDDIE ROSS, JR., age 38, of New Orleans, who performs under the stage name BIG FREEDIA, pled guilty today to theft of government funds.
According to court documents, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a department of the United States, provided federal funds to local public housing authorities to assist low income citizens with private market rental payments, including utility payments, through a tenant-based voucher program known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, or “Section 8” Program. The Section 8 program was created to subsidize the rents of the very poor, the elderly, and the disabled by allowing families to choose privately owned rental housing and subsidizing the majority of the fair market rent. Program participants paid part of their rents—an amount equal to thirty percent of the household's income—and the federal government directly pays the landlords the remainder. The eligibility for Section 8 benefits and the amount of the voucher subsidy were determined by, among other things, the household income of the applicant and the number of people in the household. In New Orleans, this amounted to not more than $21,700 per year.
ROSS first applied for Section 8 benefits in March 2009. He listed his monthly income as between $100 and $1,000, and he disclosed no additional assets on his application. As a result of these representations, ROSS was accepted into the program and began receiving approximately $521 per month for his rental of a residence in New Orleans.
Thereafter, ROSS submitted recertification documents to HANO on a yearly basis through 2014. HANO relied on ROSS’s representations in the documents to determine whether he continued to qualify for Section 8 benefits. In his yearly recertification forms, ROSS falsely listed his annual income to be as follows: $0 (2011), $14,400 (2012), $12,000, plus a one-time $2,000 gift from his father (2013), and $12,000 (2014). ROSS also listed his assets to be as follows: $0 (2011), $100 (2012), $165 (2013), $250 (2014).
In fact, ROSS derived considerable income through his entertainment and music businesses, including payments for performing concerts, starring in television programs, royalties, and the sale of merchandise bearing his likeness. ROSS failed to disclose this income to HANO, as well as the existence of multiple bank accounts under his name and the name of his several corporate entities. ROSS’s statements about the amount of his assets constituted material misrepresentations upon which HANO representatives relied to determine his eligibility to receive Section 8 benefits. ROSS’s true income, had he reported it accurately, would have disqualified him from receiving Section 8 benefits in each year between 2010 and 2014. In total, as a result of the false representations ROSS made to HANO, he fraudulently received the benefit of Section 8 funds to rent the residences in New Orleans totaling approximately $34,849.00 between about January 2010 and November 2014.
ROSS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than ten years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk set sentencing for June 16, 2016.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Housing Authority of New Orleans in investigating this matter. U.S. Attorney Polite also praised the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Maria Carboni, and Forensic Analyst Josephine Beninati, CPA, CFE, who was responsible for identifying the true sources and amount of ROSS’s income.
Navajo Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Involuntary Manslaughter ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Sheiva Dee Joe, 30, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Yahtahey, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning to an indictment charging her with involuntary manslaughter. Under the terms of her plea agreement, Joe will be sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Joe was arrested on July 15, 2015, on an indictment charging her with killing a man on Nov. 18, 2014, while driving under the influence of alcohol on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.
During today’s hearing, Joe pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Joe admitted that because of her intoxication, she was incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating a vehicle, and that she operated the vehicle without using due caution and with a reckless disregard that imperiled the lives of others.
Joe remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback.
Mt. Vernon, Illinois, Man Sentenced on Robbery and Gun Related ChargesRead the Press Release
A Mt. Vernon, Illinois, man was sentenced on March 15, 2016, to federal prison on robbery and gun related charges, James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
David D. Weatherall, 26, of Mt. Vernon, IL, was sentenced to 385 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release following his imprisonment, and ordered to pay $1,837 in restitution. Weatherall had previously pleaded guilty to four counts in a federal indictment.
Count 1 charged that on December 8, 2014, in Jefferson County, Weatherall while aiding and abetting another person, did unlawfully obstruct, delay and affect, and attempt to obstruct, delay and affect, commerce by robbery, in that Weatherall and another person did unlawfully take and obtain personal property consisting of United States Currency and cigarettes, belonging to Huck’s Convenient Food Store, 540 Fairfield Road, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, by means of actual and threatened force, violence and fear of injury, and by brandishing a firearm.
Count 2 charges that on December 8, 2014, in Jefferson County, Weatherall did knowingly aid and abet another person, who did knowingly brandish a firearm, during and in relation to a crime of violence as charged in Count 1.
Count 3 charges that on December 9, 2014, in Marion County, Weatherall did unlawfully obstruct, delay and affect, and attempt to obstruct, delay and affect, commerce by robbery, in that Weatherall did unlawfully take and obtain personal property consisting of United States Currency and Hennessy Liquor, belonging to Biggies Cafe and General Store, 3858 State Route 161, Centralia, Illinois, by means of actual and threatened force, violence and fear of injury, and by brandishing a firearm.
Count 4 charged that on December 9, 2014, in Marion County, Weatherall did knowingly brandish a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence as charged in Count 3.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Mt. Vernon Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Centralia Police Department.
The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney George Norwood.
Monroe Resident Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On Tuesday, March 15, 2016, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. sentenced Gerald Lynn Weir, Jr., 45, of Monroe, N.C., to 216 months in prison on transportation of child pornography charges, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Weir was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Rose is joined in making today’s announcement by Nick Annan, Special Agent in Charge of ICE/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and the Carolinas and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
According to filed documents and statements made in court, on or about November 29 2013, law enforcement became aware that an individual, later identified as Weir, was using an e-mail address to send and receive child pornography. In December 2013, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant for Weir’s email account. A review of Weir’s email account revealed at least 66 emails related to child exploitation, including 42 videos and 136 images of children being sexually abused. Weir pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography in October 2015.
Weir has been in federal custody since June 2015, and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The investigation was handled by HSI assisted by the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cortney S. Randall of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice, aimed at combating the growing online sexual exploitation of children. By combining resources, federal, state and local agencies are better able to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue those victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Mission Man Indicted for Assaulting an Officer, Strangulation and Child AbuseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assaulting, Opposing, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer, Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation, and Child Abuse.
Patrick Medearis, age 32, was indicted on January 21, 2016. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 8, 2016, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for assaulting an officer is up to 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty upon conviction of strangulation is 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty upon conviction of child abuse is up to 15 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine. Each count also carries the possibility of 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
It is alleged that on October 31, 2015, Patrick Medearis unlawfully assaulted an intimate dating partner by strangling and suffocating the victim. The alleged incident occurred in the presence of a child who had not attained the age of seven. An arrest warrant was issued based on this incident. It is alleged that on November 28, 2015, Medearis attempted to assault a law enforcement officer with a knife, while the officer was attempting to serve the arrest warrant.
The charges are merely accusations and Medearis is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk W. Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Medearis was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. Trial is set to begin on March 29, 2016.
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Mescalero Apache Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alvino L. Saenz, 49, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.
Saenz was one of 34 individuals charged in December 2015 with federal and tribal drug offenses as the result of an 18-month multi-agency investigation led by the DEA and BIA into methamphetamine trafficking on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Eighteen defendants, including five members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and 13 non-Natives were charged in six federal indictments and a federal criminal complaint. Sixteen other members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe were charged in tribal criminal complaints approved by the Mescalero Apache Tribal Court.
The investigation leading to the federal and tribal charges was initiated in May 2014, in response to an increase in violent crime on the Mescalero Apache Reservation perpetrated by methamphetamine users. The investigation initially targeted a drug trafficking organization that was allegedly distributing methamphetamine within the Reservation, and later expanded to include two other drug trafficking organizations in southeastern New Mexico that allegedly served as sources of supply for the methamphetamine distributed within the Reservation. In Aug. 2014, the investigation was designated as part of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. The investigation is one of the first OCDETF investigations to utilize electronic surveillance (wiretaps) in Indian Country. More than ten kilograms of methamphetamine were seized during the course of the investigation.
Saenz was arrested on Dec. 11, 2015, on an indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine in Otero County, N.M., on July 14, 2015. During today’s proceedings, Saenz entered a guilty plea to the indictment and admitted that on July 14, 2015, he sold .85 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual who, unbeknownst to him, was an undercover law enforcement agent.
At sentencing, Saenz faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison followed by not less than three years of supervised release. Saenz remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
Saenz is the fifth of the 18 federal defendants to enter a guilty plea. The following federal defendants have previously pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing:
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On March 9, 2016, Robin Lee Lovelace, 56, of Alamogordo, N.M., pled guilty to methamphetamine trafficking charges.Under the terms of her plea agreement, Lovelace will be sentenced to 12 years in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
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On March 3, 2016, Tandee Sheree Bettag, 38, of Alamogordo, pled guilty to methamphetamine trafficking charges.At sentencing, Bettag faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
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On Feb. 17, 2016, Jerilyn Lee Munoz, 27, of Artesia, N.M., pled guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge.At sentencing, Munoz faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison followed by not more than three years of supervised release.
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Wallace Rice, 23, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pled guilty to a methamphetamine distribution charge on Feb. 5, 2016. At sentencing, Rice faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison followed by not less than three years of supervised release.
The remaining 13 federal defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the charges against them. Charges in indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.
The federal and tribal cases were investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, District IV of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services (Mescalero Agency), BIA’s Division of Drug Enforcement, Mescalero Tribal Police Department, Hatch Police Department, FBI and Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the federal cases, and Mescalero Tribal Prosecutor Alta Braham is prosecuting the tribal cases.
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Memphis Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A Memphis man has pleaded guilty to distributing multiple images and videos of child pornography. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the plea today.
According to information presented in court, Julius Ford, 26, of Memphis, sent images and videos of children engaged in sexual conduct to others.
On September 4, 2014, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Memphis received an investigative lead about an individual in the Memphis area using a flagged email account to send and receive emails containing child exploitation material. The investigation revealed that the IP address and login activity associated with the email account was registered to Ford at a residence in the Frayser area of Memphis.
On September 22, a covert investigator with the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force contacted the flagged email account, which resulted in a series of emails sent from the account to the covert investigator. The emails contained child exploitation material, including videos depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts with other minors and adults.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ford’s residence on February 2, 2015. Agents seized a hard drive, two laptops, an iPhone, and a thumb drive. Forensic analysis of these devices revealed approximately 1807 images and 277 videos of child pornography. Ford later admitted to being the user of the mail account and that he had used the account to trade child pornography. The defendant also admitted to sending emails from the account containing videos of child pornography to the covert investigator.
On Wednesday, March 16, 2016, Ford pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. to one count of distribution of child pornography.
Ford is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, July 7, 2016. He faces a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.
This case is being investigated by the Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force. The collective is comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; HSI; Shelby County Sheriff’s Department; Memphis Police Department; U.S. Postal Investigation Service; U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland is prosecuting this case on the government’s behalf.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources."
Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute CrackRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Juan A. Pichardo Mendez, 35, of Manchester, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to attempted possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, reports United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice.
On August 1, 2014, Pichardo Mendez attempted to take possession of a package shipped from the Dominican Republic that had crack cocaine concealed in the flaps of the box. The box had been intercepted by Customs and Border Protection Agents in Puerto Rico when it passed through a Federal Express terminal at an airport. It was addressed to a fictitious person at a residential address in Manchester.
The Customs and Border Protection Agents sent the box on to Homeland Security Investigation agents in Manchester. On August 1, 2014, a Homeland Security Special Agent posing as a Federal Express employee delivered the box to the Manchester address, where it was accepted by a third party who lived at the premises. At that point, other Homeland Security agents interviewed the person who accepted the box. He admitted accepting the box for Pichardo Mendez, who was waiting to hear when the box arrived. In the agents’ presence, he sent a message to Pichardo Mendez that the box had arrived. Pichardo Mendez arrived at the premises shortly after he received the message, but before he retrieved the package he learned investigators were there and he left the area. Further investigation revealed evidence indicating that Pichardo Mendez had tracked the package from the time it was shipped from the Dominican Republic.
The statutory maximum sentence for the charges in this case is 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. The court will sentence Pichardo Mendez after it has had the opportunity to review a presentence investigation report prepared by the United States Probation & Pretrial Services Office. The court ordered that Pichardo Mendez be detained pending a sentencing hearing on June 29, 2016.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Debra M. Walsh and Mark S. Zuckerman.
Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute HeroinRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced today the sentencing of a Roanoke man on federal heroin charges after he pled guilty last year in the United States District Court.
Dawayne Lamar Gibson, 27, of Roanoke, Virginia, pled guilty in December 2015 to one count of conspiring to distribute a measurable quantity of heroin. Today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke, Gibson was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison.
“The Western District of Virginia has seen heroin rip through our communities and tear lives apart,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “Those who profit from the addiction of others, like Mr. Gibson, must be held accountable for their actions. However, we must also work to support those organizations helping treat those addicted to this deadly drug.”
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Virginia State Police and officials with the Roanoke HIDTA. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Bassford prosecuted the case for the United States
Man Pleads Guilty to Thayer Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a man who earlier robbed a bank in Tennessee pleaded guilty in federal court today to also robbing a bank in Thayer, Mo.
Bobby Laughton Yates, 26, address unknown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of bank robbery.
By pleading guilty today, Yates admitted that he stole $2,325 from Great Southern Bank, 323 E. Walnut St., Thayer, on April 22, 2015. Yates entered the bank and asked for a deposit slip. A teller directed Yates to a kiosk to the right of the teller’s station. Yates went to the kiosk and wrote out a note on a withdrawal slip. Yates presented the slip, and a plastic bag, to the teller. The slip stated, “put ALL the Money in the BAG Dont do anything dumb.” Yates instructed the teller not to draw the attention of the bank manager. The teller noted Yates kept his hand in his left sweater pocket, where she observed a bulge that appeared to be a gun.
Yates told the teller to give him the money from all the drawers; however, the teller informed him she only had access to hers. The teller placed all the bills in her drawer, into the bag and handed it to Yates. As Yates was leaving, he ran into the door jam and dropped what appeared to be a handgun. Yates picked the item up, but part of a broken piece was left behind. The broken piece was later determined to be part of an Airsoft gun.
Yates was later arrested for robbing the Patriot Bank in Millington, Tenn., a week earlier and has pleaded guilty to both bank robberies.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of five years in federal prison without parole and Yates must pay $2,325 in restitution to the bank.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Thayer, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.
Long Island Attorney Pleads Guilty to Stealing $1.3 Million from His Trust Fund ClientsRead the Press Release
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – Earlier today, David Bodian, a Long Island attorney, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for stealing more than $1.3 million from a trust fund for which he was the trustee. Pursuant to his plea agreement with the government, Bodian has agreed that he is liable to pay restitution in the amount of $1,393,559 to the Lou Bacon Trust. When sentenced, Bodian faces up to 20 years in prison.
The guilty plea was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
According to court filings and facts presented at the plea hearing, in approximately 2000, Bodian was appointed trustee of the Lou Bacon Trust, a trust fund that benefitted a number of individuals and charities. At the time of his appointment, the trust held more than $1 million in total assets. In approximately 2005, Bodian began looting the fund to pay for his personal expenses, including a car, high-end audio equipment, home renovations, and international vacations. From approximately 2005 to 2015, Bodian stole almost the entirety of the trust’s funds, leaving the trust with a mere $10,000 in cash. To perpetuate the scheme, Bodian lied to the beneficiaries of the trust about the amount of money in the accounts. For example, when a beneficiary asked for a copy of a trust bank statement, Bodian borrowed $150,000 from a friend to deposit in the trust’s account to inflate the trust’s assets. After providing a bank statement to the beneficiary that reflected the $150,000 Bodian had borrowed, he transferred the money back to his friend.
Today’s plea took place before United States Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay at the United States Courthouse in Central Islip, New York. The case has been assigned to United States District Judge Arthur D. Spatt.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler Smith is in charge of the prosecution.
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The charges were brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory, and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions, and other organizations. Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has filed over 18,000 financial fraud cases against more than 25,000 defendants. For more information on the task force, please visit ww.StopFraud.gov.
The Defendant:
DAVID BODIAN
Age: 58
Dix Hills, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-091 (ADS)
Litchfield Resident Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Multiple Fraud ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that that RYAN GEDDES, 44, of Litchfield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for participating in multiple conspiracies involving a series of real estate transactions intended to shield assets from creditors.
According to court documents and statements made in court, GEDDES had accrued a series of debts as of late 2005, and was the subject of various lawsuits and collection efforts for the next several years. A bank fraud conspiracy commenced in November 2005 when GEDDES sold a lakefront home located at 27 Palmer Road in Morris to Thomas Provenzano. Lacking the funds to qualify for the $923,000 mortgage, Provenzano nonetheless obtained the loan based on an application that falsely listed his income as $20,000 per month, or $240,000 annually, and falsely listed Provenzano as having worked for several years as the Operations Manager for one of GEDDES’s construction companies. Provenzano had not worked in that capacity, and had earned substantially less. The loan application also listed GEDDES’s company as having verified Provenzano’s employment. In November 2006, Provenzano refinanced the loan, obtaining a $936,000 mortgage from a federally insured bank. The new loan application, like the prior one, falsely listed Provenzano as employed by GEDDES’s construction company, and falsely listed his monthly income as $28,000, or $336,000 annually. The application again listed GEDDES’s company as having verified Provenzano’s employment. The loan is now in default, and the 27 Palmer Road property is in foreclosure.
The first of two mail and wire fraud conspiracies commenced in December 2009 and January 2010, in a series of discussions among GEDDES, Provenzano, and others about how to defraud a title insurance company. The discussions focused on conducting a real property transfer based on a deliberately defective title search, in which liens against the property are omitted, and title insurance is obtained based on the defective title search report. Later, a fraudulent claim is lodged against the title insurer. The conspirators decided to attempt the scheme on a property controlled by GEDDES, located at 66 Donahue Road Extension in Litchfield. After Provenzano assisted in a title search, GEDDES personally reviewed the report and crossed off several liens to be omitted from the title insurance application. In March 2010 GEDDES arranged a straw transfer of the property to another individual, while continuing to reside in and pay the mortgage and expenses on the property. Title insurance was issued on the property, with five liens, totaling about $990,000, deliberately omitted from the title search report.
The second of two mail and wire fraud conspiracies commenced in May 2009 when GEDDES arranged to transfer another property of his, located in Old Forge, N.Y., to Dustin Whitten. GEDDES continued to use the property and pay the mortgage and maintenance expenses. In March 2011, GEDDES and Whitten arranged to obtain a home insurance policy on the New York property in Whitten’s name. On July 4, 2011, after a bankruptcy court meeting about seeking to compensate GEDDES’s creditors, the New York property was destroyed in a fire. In September 2011, Whitten swore out an insurance claim on the property, falsely representing himself as the owner and seeking compensation in the respective amounts of $515,038.50 for the destroyed structure and $92,974.47 for personal property allegedly lost in the fire. The claim was eventually denied by the insurance company. GEDDES has admitted that the purpose of the scheme was to shield the insurance proceeds from his creditors.
Judge Arterton ordered GEDDES to pay $703,698.70 in restitution.
On April 28, 2015, GEDDES pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Provenzano and Whitten previously pleaded guilty. On December 1, 2014, Provenzano was sentenced to 18 month of imprisonment. On December 18, 2015, Whitten was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Kopel and Michael Gustafson.
Lee's Summit Woman Charged with Embezzling $300,000 from EmployerRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., woman has been charged in a scheme to embezzle more than $300,000 from her employer.
Patricia Webb, 43, of Lee’s Summit, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Webb will have her initial court appearance today.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Webb was employed by Black and Veatch, a global engineering, consulting and construction company, from January 2015 until March 4, 2016. Webb earned $90,000 per year as global payroll manager.
The complaint alleges that, from July 2015 to February 2016, Webb facilitated unauthorized wire transfers and Automated Clearing House transactions (fund transfers, such as direct deposits and business-to-business payments) from the company’s payroll account to her own business bank account under the corporate name Beauty Within Me. To conceal her fraud, Webb manipulated the direct deposit information of Black and Veatch clients, who were either based overseas or deceased, to funnel company funds into her own bank account.
Webb allegedly embezzled approximately $302,183 from Black and Veatch in a series of six transfers that ranged from $8,588 to $92,862 over approximately seven months in 2015 and 2016.
During the scheme, the affidavit says, Webb made $106,529 in withdrawals and expenditures at casinos; spent $8,986 on travel-related expenses (including airfare and hotels for trips to Bangkok, Thailand, Las Vegas, Nev., and Miami, Fla.; made $14,449 in payments to multiple higher education universities; and made $61,745 in ATM withdrawals.
On March 4, 2016, an accounts manager at Commerce Bank contacted Black and Veatch’s executive management regarding payroll deposits that seemed suspicious. On the same day, Webb was confronted about the suspicious transactions and was suspended without pay.
Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI.
Lebanese student charged with possessing firearmRead the Press Release
A criminal information was filed charging Hassan Ajram, 29, of Lebanon, with being an alien in possession of a firearm that traveled in interstate or foreign commerce, said Carole S. Rendon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Ajram, who was admitted to the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, possessed a Sig Sauer 9 mm pistol on Feb. 10, according to the information.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigating agency in this case is the U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Freeman.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Leader of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to More Than 11 YearsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose announced today that the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy was sentenced to 135 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. also ordered Laurentino Benitez, 45, of Huntersville, N.C., to serve four years under court supervision after he is released from prison.
U.S. Attorney Rose is joined in making today’s announcement by Daniel R. Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from at least 2013 to about May 2015, Benitez was the leader of a drug ring responsible for trafficking large amounts of narcotics, including cocaine, heroin and marijuana, to the Charlotte area. Court records show that the drugs were sent to North Carolina from Texas and Mexico by other members of the conspiracy, usually concealed in vehicles or inside electronic goods. Once delivered to Charlotte, court records show that the drugs were redistributed locally to other members of the conspiracy. Benitez previously admitted in court documents that he was responsible for trafficking between 15 to 50 kilograms of cocaine.
According to court records, over the course of the conspiracy law enforcement seized from Benitez multiple firearms, including a shotgun, six pistols and ammunition, and over $866,820 in illegal drug proceeds. Benitez pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Benitez has been in federal custody since April 2015 and will be transferred to the custody of Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Five others have been charged in connection with the drug conspiracy. They are: Henry Adams, Jr., Roberto Pineda-Alberran, Charles Potts, Jason Taylor, and Sidney Truesdale. Adams was previously sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Potts, Taylor and Truesdale have also each pleaded guilty to the same charge and are currently awaiting sentencing. Pineda-Alberran has pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was handled by DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Las Vegas Couple Plead Guilty to Running Oxycodone Ring Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Danny R. Williams, 29, and Sukita M. Williams, 43, both of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone and money laundering.
Benjamin C. Glassman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, David A. Grant, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Christopher White, Assistant Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
According to court documents, since November 2012, the pair has been conspiring to import, possess and distribute Oxycodone from Las Vegas. They each personally went to physicians to obtain fraudulent prescriptions and either arranged for others to do the same or used middlemen to obtain Oxycodone. Once they obtained bulk amounts of Oxycodone, the pills were transported to Columbus, Ohio via the mail or on commercial airlines to be sold on the street to drug users.
The couple attempted to conceal their illicit proceeds by depositing money into others’ bank accounts.
Danny and Sukita Williams each pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the DEA, IRS, USPIS and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), as well as Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter, who is representing the United States in this case.
Kirksville Owner of Prosthetics Company SentencedRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Theodore Deininger was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution.
According to court documents, Deininger and First Choice Orthotics and Prosthetics, LLC billed Medicare for four prosthetic legs, claiming that they were new, but instead provided the patients with used ones.
Deininger, Kirksville, MO, pled guilty in December to four felony counts of health care fraud. He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Dorothy McMurtry handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Kennewick Man Sentenced to Ten Years Imprisonment for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Thomas E. Lafontaine, age 35, of Kennewick, Washington, was sentenced for one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor. Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea sentenced Lafontaine to a ten year term of imprisonment, to be followed by twenty-five years of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. Lafontaine will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, in late 2014, Lafontaine responded to a personals ad. The ad had been placed by an undercover task force officer with Homeland Security Investigations working with Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children, posing as a 14-year-old girl. During a series of online communications, Lafontaine, who is a registered sex offender, graphically described different sex acts that he would like to perform on the child. Eventually, Lafontaine discussed meeting the child, at a specific location, for sex.
Lafontaine drove to the meet location, and was observed as he circled the location for about thirty minutes. He later contacted the undercover officer, whom he believed to be a child, and chastised her for standing him up. Lafontaine was arrested shortly thereafter. Lafontaine’s electronic devices were searched, and evidence was discovered that he had discussions with at least three other minors aged twelve to fourteen about sexual acts he would like to perform on the minors.
At sentencing Lafontaine said he was “disgusted and ashamed” of his actions. Senior District Judge Shea stated Lafontaine posed a “genuine threat to the public.” Judge Shea indicated, “This was an extremely serious offense,” noting Lafontaine went beyond the online discussions and actually got in his car and drove to meet a child for sex.
Michael C. Ormsby stated, “The sentence handed down provides fair and just punishment for this offense, particularly given Lafontaine’s past conduct.” He further stated, “This investigation is yet another demonstration of the dedication of law enforcement officers and their willingness to ferret out those who intend to victimize children.”
“This joint federal, state and local agency investigation illustrates the lengths to which law enforcement will go to bring a child predator to justice,” said Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Seattle. “Now, with this federal sentence, the public can rest assured Lafontaine will spend a decade behind bars, followed by close federal monitoring for many more years.”
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States 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. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
This investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Southeast Regional ICAC. The case was prosecuted by Alison L. Gregoire, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Owners and Property Managers of West Virginia Homes and ApartmentsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Gary Walden; the Estate of Tina Walden; Walden Homes LLC, dba Walden Rentals; and 973 Chestnut Ridge Road Inc. The lawsuit alleges that female tenants in residential rental properties owned and managed by the Waldens have been subjected to egregious sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, alleges that Gary Walden engaged in egregious acts of sexual harassment against multiple female tenants at the residential rental properties that he and his wife – the late Tina Walden – owned and managed in the Morgantown, West Virginia, metropolitan area. The suit also alleges that Tina Walden failed to take appropriate steps when residents complained about the harassment. In the complaint, the United States alleges that the harassment by Gary Walden included engaging in unwanted and unwelcome sex acts with female tenants; engaging in unwanted sexual touching and groping; making unwelcome sexual comments and verbal advances; conditioning or offering tangible housing benefits to female tenants in exchange for performance of sex acts on him or his maintenance workers; entering the apartments of female tenants without permission or notice to harass them sexually; and taking adverse actions against female tenants when they refused or objected to his sexual advances or objected to continuing to grant sexual favors.
“No woman should have to suffer sexual harassment in her home or live in fear of retaliation when she reports such heinous acts of discrimination,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual abuse has no place in a civilized society, and the Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act by safeguarding the rights of tenants and holding perpetrators accountable.”
“We always aggressively advocate for fair housing for everyone, but the allegations in this matter are especially disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II of the Northern District of West Virginia. “Making housing contingent upon performing sexual acts will not be tolerated and the landlords in this case will now have to answer for their abhorrent conduct. We'll stand with the female victims in this case and make sure that their rights are fully protected.”
“When a woman is subjected to unwanted sexual advances in her home, it makes her a victim in the place where she should feel the safest and most secure,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Gustavo Velasquez of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “HUD will continue to stand with the Justice Department to protect the housing rights of women whenever those rights are violated.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate the victims, civil penalties and a court order barring future discrimination. The complaint is an allegation of unlawful conduct. The allegations must be proven in federal court.
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment and housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned and/or operated by Gary and/or Tina Walden, or elsewhere, can contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected].
Walden Complaint
Inmate at United States Penitentiary at Canaan Charged with Assaulting Fellow InmateRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that yesterday a grand jury in Scranton indicted a federal inmate at the United States Penitentiary at Canaan for assaulting another inmate.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the indictment charges Brandon Shields, age 33, formerly of Philadelphia, with assaulting another inmate with a homemade weapon on January 7, 2016.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service
Prosecution has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In this case, the maximum penalty which can be imposed under federal law is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Illegal Alien Indicted for Failure to DepartRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that a federal grand jury in Scranton returned an indictment yesterday charging an illegal alien with failure to depart the United States.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Euphrem Kios Dohou, age 48, a native and citizen of Benin, West Africa, was charged with allegedly failing to comply with facilitating his departure from the United States after a final order of removal had been issued in September 2015.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. In this case, Dohou faces up to ten years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
An Indictment or Information is not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Grand Jury and/or United States Attorney against a defendant. A charged Defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the United States has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant has pleaded guilty to the charges.
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Husband and Wife Sentenced to A Decade in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone as A Part of Prescription Drug Ring ProsecutionRead the Press Release
Corinthia Watson, age 33, and her husband, Jerry Smith, age 37, of Hull, Georgia were sentenced by the Honorable C. Ashley Royal yesterday in Athens, Georgia for possession with intent to distribute prescription drugs they illegally obtained. Mr. Smith was sentenced to 70 months and Mrs. Watson was sentenced to 51 months for Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone.
The investigation revealed that Mrs. Watson, a medical assistant at a medical practice in Monroe, Georgia, stole her employer’s DEA number and prescription pad. With significant assistance from others, including her husband, Mr. Smith, the couple operated a massive fraudulent prescription drug ring from September 2011 to December 2012. They sold fraudulent prescriptions for as much as $300 a piece to hundreds of individuals, resulting in the illegal distribution of over 60,000 dosage units of prescription drugs such as Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Alprazolam (Xanax).
When various pharmacies called the medical practice to verify prescriptions, Mrs. Watson managed to intercept the calls for several months and vouch for the fraudulent prescriptions. After several months, the investigation revealed that the scheme unraveled only when Mrs. Watson called in sick one day and her co-workers stumbled upon her fraudulent activity when a pharmacy called to verify one of her fraudulent prescriptions.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Diversion Investigators and the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta, the City of Monroe Police Department, and the Northeast Georgia Region Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Danial Bennett prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Hayden Man Sentenced for Counterfeit ManufacturingRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE - Travis Lou Quiring, 41, of Hayden, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for manufacturing counterfeit bills, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Quiring to pay $ 1,785.00 in restitution and forfeit all the counterfeit manufacturing material. Quiring pleaded guilty to the charge on July 28, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, Quiring admitted that he washed and counterfeited Federal Reserve Notes by washing one-dollar bills or five-dollar bills and printing larger denomination Federal Reserve Notes on top of the washed bills. These counterfeit bills were passed to numerous merchants in North Idaho and elsewhere.
The case was investigated by United States Secret Service and Coeur d’Alene Police Department.
Harpswell Woman Sentenced to Three Months for Bank EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
Contact: Michael J. Conley
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Cecile Roux, 41, of Harpswell, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to three months in prison and three years of supervised release, including three months of home confinement, for embezzlement by a bank employee. She was also ordered to pay $107,995.84 in restitution. Roux pled guilty on November 20, 2015.
According to the government’s evidence, between April 2012 and August 2015, Roux, while serving as the head bank teller at a Bank of Maine branch located in Brunswick, Maine, transferred $107,995.84 in 92 unauthorized transactions from a customer’s account into her own account.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Torresen noted that the amount of money embezzled and the lengthy period of time over which the criminal activity occurred caused great harm to the bank, the bank customer and the public’s trust. In determining the sentence, Judge Torresen also considered Roux’s lack of criminal history, her prompt admission to wrongdoing, her level of remorse and her particular family circumstances.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brunswick Police Department.
Franklin County Man Sentenced on Heroin Overdose Death Related ChargesRead the Press Release
A West Frankfort, Illinois man was sentenced on March 15, 2016, to federal prison on heroin overdose death related charges, James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Erik Scott Brown, 27, of West Frankfort, IL, was sentenced to 276 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release following his imprisonment. Brown had previously pleaded guilty to two counts in a federal indictment.
Count 1 charged that on or about December 2, 2014, in Franklin County, Brown knowingly and intentionally distributed heroin to Steven Keith Scott, and that Mr. Scott died as a result of the use of the heroin which defendant Brown had distributed. Count 2 charges that on December 3, 2014, in Franklin County, Illinois, Brown knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute heroin.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Illinois State Police, the West City Police Department, the Benton Police Department, the West Frankfort Police Department, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The Franklin County State’s Attorney Office assisted in the investigation of this case.
The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney George Norwood.
Former Somerset County, New Jersey, Music Teacher Admits Possessing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Somerset County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing on his computer images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Cliff Ramsay, 30, of Raritan, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of possession of child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Feb. 25, 2015, and Feb. 27, 2015, Ramsay – at the time a music teacher at a public middle school in Hunterdon County – accessed a website known to contain images, videos, and other material containing images of child sexual abuse. A search warrant was executed at Ramsay’s home on July 28, 2015, and numerous files containing child pornography were found on his computer.
The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 6, 2016.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Campi in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson; the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Anthony P. Kearns III; the Raritan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth McCormick; and the Readington Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sebastian Donaruma, for their assistance with this investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Brendan Day of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Defense counsel: Joshua D. Altman Esq., Trenton
Former Morgan City Housing Authority director, employees arraigned on theft, conspiracy chargesRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that the former director of the Morgan City Housing Authority and two former employees were arraigned today on charges related to theft of half a million dollars.
Charles E. Spann, 78, of Kingsport, Tenn.; and Diana L. Pace, 64, and Sandra L. Green, 59, both of Morgan City, La.; pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst. The fourth defendant, Tori D. Johnson, 38, of Morgan City, is scheduled to be arraigned on March 31, 2016. The grand jury returned the 15-count indictment on February 18, 2016. Count One is conspiracy to defraud the United States, and counts two through 15 are theft of government money.
According to the indictment, Spann and three other Morgan City Housing Authority employees are alleged to have received more than $500,000 in bonus payments to which they were not entitled from 2007 to 2013.
If convicted, the defendants face five years in prison for the conspiracy count and 10 years in prison for each count of theft of government money. They also face three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Investigations, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly P. Uebinger and Robert F. Moore are prosecuting the case.
Former CEO of Canadian Hazardous Waste Treatment Company Convicted of Conspiracy to Pay Kickbacks and Committing Major Fraud against the United StatesRead the Press Release
The former Chief Executive Officer of a firm that specialized in the treatment and disposal of contaminated soil was convicted in the District of New Jersey of conspiring to pay kickbacks and committing major fraud against the United States in connection with obtaining subcontracts for the treatment and disposal of contaminated soil at a New Jersey Superfund site overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Justice announced today.
John Bennett, of Vancouver, British Columbia, was charged with these crimes in August 2009, extradited from Canada to the United States in November 2014 to face trial, and was convicted today after a three week trial in Newark, New Jersey. Bennett was also the founder and Chairman of the Board of Bennett Environmental Inc., a firm with offices in Vancouver and Toronto.
“John Bennett corrupted the competitive bidding process by paying kickbacks in order to win a Superfund contract. He literally stole money from the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement agents, antitrust prosecutors, and colleagues in Canada who secured his extradition, a jury of his peers has held him accountable for his crimes.”
Beginning in 2001, Bennett conspired with others at Bennett Environmental to pay kickbacks worth over $1 million to the project manager at Federal Creosote, a Superfund site located in Manville, New Jersey, in an effort to guarantee the award of soil treatment contracts to his company. These kickbacks included money transferred by wire to a co-conspirator’s shell company, lavish trips and entertainment expenses, and personal gifts.
In exchange for these gifts and cash payments, the project manager at Federal Creosote provided Bennett Environmental employees with “last looks” at their competitors’ confidential bids. The provision of these last looks allowed Bennett Environmental to submit its own bid at the last minute and outbid its competitors without independently determining its price, thereby guaranteeing an award to the company and undermining the competitive bid process on this federally-funded project.
According to court testimony by two cooperating witnesses who participated in the scheme with Bennett, he authorized and actively participated in the conspiracy by approving the payment of kickbacks in exchange for last looks and by approving the prices at which Bennett Environmental would bid. This testimony was supported by dozens of emails, memoranda, phone and bank records and other company documents. As a result of the payment of these kickbacks, Bennett Environmental was fraudulently awarded tens of millions of dollars in soil treatment and disposal contracts at Federal Creosote. The conspiracy continued until 2004.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2016 before Judge Susan D. Wigenton. The fraud conspiracy for which Bennett was found guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 criminal fine. The major fraud against the United States conviction carries a maximum of ten years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for individuals. The maximum may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss.
The investigation at Federal Creosote has resulted in the conviction of 10 individuals and three companies of charges including major fraud against the United States, tax fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Criminal fines and restitution of more than $6 million also have been imposed.
The Federal Creosote investigation was conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Office, the EPA’s Office of Inspector General Office and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with the support of the Antitrust Division’s Foreign Commerce Section, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and with the assistance of the U.S Customs and Border Protection – Department of Homeland Security, and the Canadian Department of Justice – International Assistance Group and the Royal Canadian Mountain Police.
Former Bank Employees Sentenced for Executing Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA –Jeoffrey Jenkins and Vaughn Chambers have been sentenced for their roles in a two-year long tax refund fraud scheme that generated hundreds of false tax returns and sought over $2.8 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Jenkins and Chambers, both bank employees, stole personally identifying information from bank customers and used that information to open bank accounts to receive the fraudulent tax refunds.
“This case is one more unfortunate example of the growing problem of stolen-identity tax return fraud,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “As criminals attempt to employ more sophisticated methods, citizens need to be vigilant about protecting their personal information.”
“These unscrupulous defendants were trusted insiders who abused their positions to commit crimes and victimize members of our community and innocent taxpayers for their own personal gain. The sentences these defendants received will not replace the losses that were incurred or the harm endured by the victims. However, it does illustrate that IRS Criminal Investigation, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to pursuing individuals who commit these types of crimes,” stated IRS Special Agent in Charge, Veronica F. Hyman-Pillot.
“The United States Secret Service will continue to collaborate with its law enforcement partners to target and arrest individuals who violate their positions of trust to illegally enrich themselves,” said Malcolm D. Wiley, Sr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “This sentencing should serve as a reminder that criminals will bear the consequences of their actions and be sent to prison for their crimes.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in Court: From at least February 2013 until at least March 2014, Jenkins and Chambers opened numerous bank accounts using stolen personally identifying information. Those bank accounts were then listed in over 2,000 fraudulent tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service, with the intention that any tax refund due for the fraudulent tax returns would be deposited into the fraudulently opened bank accounts. The scheme came to light primarily through a report from a Suntrust Bank investigator who told law enforcement that Chambers was associated with anomalous banking activity. When confronted by law enforcement, Chambers provided information that implicated Jenkins. And from there, tax filings and bank records unraveled the defendants’ involvement in the scheme.
In total, the bank accounts opened by the two men were set up to receive approximately $2.5 million in fraudulent tax refunds. Out of that amount, approximately $500,000 was actually deposited into the bank accounts by the IRS.
Jeoffrey Jenkins, 50, and Vaughn Chambers, 40, both from Atlanta, Georgia, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen as follows:
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Jenkins was sentenced to six years, three months in prison, and was ordered to pay $570,034 in restitution.
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Chambers, who was recruited into the scheme by Jenkins, received two years in prison, and was ordered to pay $9,464 in restitution.
Both defendants were ordered to serve three years of supervised release when they complete their prison terms.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and United States Secret Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Samir Kaushal prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
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Five Norman Residents Sentenced in Counterfeit Check Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –CHRISTOPHER GLENN MARTIN, 42, JOHNATHAN LEE MADDEN, 33, JENNY LYNN MADDEN, 33, DYLAN RAY FOUNTAIN, 22, and CODY TYLER MARTIN, 23, all from Norman, Oklahoma, have been sentenced for their roles in a counterfeit check fraud scheme, announced Mark A. Yancey, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
According to court records, from September 2013 through June 2014, the coconspirators stole mail from mailboxes to obtain private banking information, used the stolen information to manufacture counterfeit checks, and then used those checks to purchase merchandise and gift cards at retail stores throughout the Norman and Oklahoma City area. They also used counterfeit checks to obtain cash from retail stores and local banks.
The five defendants were indicted on January 20, 2015. Christopher Martin and Johnathan Madden pled guilty to bank fraud related to their scheme to defraud banks by presenting counterfeit checks in exchange for cash. Jenny Madden, Dylan Fountain, and Cody Martin pled guilty to conspiracy for their role in negotiating counterfeit checks at retail stores. The individual defendants were sentenced by United States District Judge David Russell as follows:
- On March 15, 2016, Christopher Martin was sentenced to serve 71 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $170,794.53 in restitution.
- On December 21, 2015, Johnathan Madden was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $52,603.36 in restitution.
- On December 15, 2015, Dylan Fountain was sentenced to serve 33 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $114,734.75 in restitution.
- On September 2, 2015, Jenny Madden was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $170,794.53 in restitution.
- On December 10, 2015, Cody Martin was sentenced to serve 36 months of probation and pay $97,861.67 in restitution.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to 80 Months for Assaulting Fellow InmateRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that United States District Judge Robert Mariani sentenced Efrain Rodriguez, age 43, to 80 months’ imprisonment for assaulting a fellow inmate while incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary Canaan (USP Canaan) in Waymart, Pennsylvania.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty to the assault, during which he slashed another inmate in the face with a razor blade fastened to a toothbrush. Following the attack, Rodriguez flushed the makeshift weapon down the toilet. The victim suffered gruesome slash wounds on both cheeks that required extensive suturing and resulted in permanent scars and disfigurement. Rodriguez had been serving a sentence at USP Canaan pursuant to a 2014 federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Judge Mariani found Rodriguez to be a career offender, in consideration of his extensive criminal history. His 80 months sentence is to run consecutive to his current sentence.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and officers from USP Canaan. Assistant United States Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.
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Federal Court Permanently Bars California-Based Tax Preparer from Preparing Federal Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has permanently barred Stacy John Sanchez of Orange County, California, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.
The civil injunction order prohibits Sanchez from acting as a federal tax return preparer and from owning, operating, or profiting from tax-return preparation businesses. Sanchez agreed to the entry of the injunction but did not admit the allegations in the civil complaint against him.
According to the complaint, Sanchez owned and operated 12 Liberty Tax Service franchise locations, primarily in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas. At these locations, Sanchez and his employees prepared federal income tax returns that, among other things, contained bogus Schedules C (Profit or Loss From Business), fake Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) information and falsely claimed dependents, the suit alleged. These fraudulent returns improperly generated federal income tax refunds and tax credits, such as the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Credit, for Sanchez’s clients, according to the complaint.
In addition, the complaint alleged that Sanchez and his employees prepared fraudulent income tax returns using stolen names and social security numbers and kept the bogus refunds generated by these identity theft returns. The estimated loss to the U.S. Treasury from Sanchez and his employees’ misconduct is at least $14 million, according to the complaint.
Return preparer fraud is one of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2016. The IRS has some tips on its website for choosing a tax preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers and tax scheme promoters. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
James L. Porter, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on March 15, 2016, Montinez Wright, 27, of East St. Louis, IL, was sentenced for the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Previously Convicted Felon. Wright received 21 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $150 fine and a $100 special assessment. Wright also agreed to forfeit the illegal firearm that he possessed.
The charge arose out of a traffic stop made by the Belleville Police Department on May 26, 2015. During the stop, police found a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver in Wright’s possession. Further investigation revealed that Wright had previously been convicted of a felony in Madison County in 2008.
The case was investigated by the Belleville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Shane Kelbley.
Eagle Butte Man Charged with Mailing Threatening CommunicationsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Mailing Threatening Communication.
Gaylen Paul Sampson, a/k/a Thurman Paul Sampson, age 41, was indicted on March 8, 2016. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 9, 2016, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on or about December 17, 2015, at Hughes County, South Dakota, Sampson deposited in an authorized depository for mail matter to be sent and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, and knowingly caused to be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service according to the direction thereon, a written communication containing a threat to injure the victim.
The charges are merely an accusation and Sampson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case.
Sampson was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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DEA Agents Arrest Four Men on Federal Charges of Distributing Narcotics, including Pills Manufactured with a Fentanyl AnalogueRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Capping a year-long investigation, special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration have arrested four Southland men on federal narcotics and money laundering charges related to an operation in which they allegedly imported a powerful synthetic opiate from China and produced their own pills that were then distributed in bulk.
In addition to the arrests yesterday, DEA agents uncovered a working laboratory in Baldwin Park, where they found large quantities of pill presses and variously colored powders that will be tested to determine their chemical compositions.
A criminal complaint unsealed yesterday afternoon charges the four defendants with participating in a ring that imported acetyl-fentanyl, an analogue (meaning it is very similar) to the powerful painkiller fentanyl. Acetyl-fentanyl – which is sometimes called “fake heroin,” even though it is significantly more potent that heroin – is not approved for any use in the United States.
“So-called ‘designer drugs’ may seem to have a similar effect as traditional narcotics, but these back-alley laboratory concoctions are very dangerous,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “They have caused many deaths in the United States, and this abuse led the DEA to put it on a list of the most dangerous and easily abused drugs in our country.”
As part of the investigation discussed in the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, authorities in January seized narcotics – including acetyl-fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, Xanax, hydrocodone pills and “ecstasy” – from a man who has just purchased the drugs from members of the drug trafficking organization.
“Fentanyl and its analogues pose a serious public health risk. Even small doses absorbed through the skin or accidently inhaled can be fatal,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge David Downing. “The DEA will continue to aggressively target individuals and organizations involved in the illicit manufacture and distribution of these toxic substances.”
During the execution of a search warrant last June, agents seized pill presses and 13 kilograms of acetyl-fentanyl from a manufacturing facility allegedly operated by the group.
The four men arrested today are:
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Gary Resnik, 31, of Long Beach;
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Joseph Stanley, 30, of Huntington Beach;
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Christopher Bowen, 30, of downtown Los Angeles; and
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Dylan Simpson, 25, of Fountain Valley
All four defendants made their initial court appearances yesterday afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles. All four were ordered detained pending detention hearings scheduled for tomorrow. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in this case on April 4.
The criminal complaint charges the four defendants with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to launder money, and money laundering. Were they to be convicted of these charges, each defendant would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
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Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 160 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A 63-year-old Dallas man, Larry Wayne Stinnett, was sentenced this afternoon by Chief U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 160 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in September 2015 to one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, the investigation began in April 2014 when North Texas Crime Stoppers received a tip that Stinnett had child pornography on his computer and had a Facebook account using a young girl as his profile picture. An officer with the Dallas Police Department checked Stinnett’s Facebook account and saw the child described by the tipster posted as his profile picture and other photos of Stinnett in his apartment. He also saw that dozens of young females were on Stinnett’s friends’ list. Stinnett, as a sex offender, is required to disclose online identifiers upon sex offender registration. Since he violated this requirement, he was arrested, and as he was being arrested, Stinnett told the officer, “I have a problem with children.”
A search warrant was executed at his home and a forensic preview performed on one of his computers revealed two identified images of child exploitation. The computer and other media were seized and taken to the North Texas Regional Forensic Lab for analysis, which revealed more than 200 images of child pornography on the equipment. Stinnett admitted he’d been collecting child pornography for approximately six to seven years.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
The Dallas Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.
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Conspirator Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Owings Mills Jewelry Store Heist that Included a Carjacking and KidnappingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Peter Aleksandrov Magnis, age 28, of Hydes, Maryland, today to seven years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a robbery conspiracy in connection with the robbery of a jewelry store, including a carjacking and kidnapping.
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; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to his plea agreement, Magnis was part of a conspiracy to rob an Owings Mills jewelry store. Specifically, in the fall of 2012, Stanislav “Steven” Yelizarov devised a plan to commit an armed robbery of a jewelry store, known to be owned and operated by members of the Russian community of Northwest Baltimore. S. Yelizarov recruited Magnis, Grigory Zilberman, Aleksy Sosonko, Igor Yasinov, his brother Marat Yelizarov, Sorhib Omonov, and others to participate in the robbery. Prior to the robbery, the conspirators gathered intelligence, including conducting surveillance and attaching a GPS device to the car of an employee of the jewelry store in order to learn the employee’s travel routine and habits. Zilberman also exploited his friendship with the employee to obtain information about the operation of the jewelry store and the habits of the employee.
According to Magnis’ plea agreement and court documents, on January 15, 2013, Zilberman enticed the employee to visit his home, in order to alert the other co-conspirators of the employee’s whereabouts. While the employee was at Zilberman’s home, the conspirators met at S. Yelizarov’s residence to prepare for the kidnapping and robbery, including preparing the firearms and donning masks and gloves. Early in the morning on January 16, 2013, M. Yelizarov and Omonov followed the employee from Zilberman’s home and notified the other conspirators of the employee’s location so they could then follow the employee. S. Yelizarov, Sosonko, Yasinov, and Magnis driving in a rental car obtained by Yasinov, used a law enforcement-type light bar and a loudspeaker to impersonate a police officer and pull over the employee. Brandishing firearms which were supplied by S. Yelizarov, the conspirators removed the employee from his car, bound and blindfolded the employee, put him into the trunk of his own car, and drove him to a predetermined location.
According to the plea agreement and court documents, once at the location, the co-conspirators continued to brandish firearms and threatened to kill the employee’s family if he did not comply with their demands or if he reported the incident to police. The employee complied and at approximately 3:52 a.m., S. Yelizarov and Sosonko drove the employee’s vehicle from the remote location to the jewelry store, while Yasinov and Magnis stayed with the employee, holding him bound and blindfolded at gunpoint. M. Yelizarov and Omonov were stationed near the jewelry store to act as “look-outs.” S. Yelizarov and Sosonko entered the store and stole jewelry, stones, and watches, valued at about $500,000, then drove back to the remote location. The employee was placed back into the trunk of his car and driven to another location, where he was left. The employee was able to kick his way out of the trunk through the back seat of his car.the trunk through the back seat of his car.
On January 18, 2013, S. Yelizarov sold a portion of the stolen jewelry for approximately $29,000 to an FBI informant. On January 19, 2013, S. Yelizarov traveled to Brooklyn, New York to sell some of the jewelry and stones taken during the robbery, receiving over $100,000. On January 21, 2013, he returned to Maryland and divided the cash proceeds among the members of the conspiracy and others.
On November 19, 2014, during the search of Magnis’ residence and the adjacent property, a bag of guns was found buried on the adjacent property within 20 feet of Magnis’ property. Inside the bag were six firearms (all rifles and shotguns), each individually wrapped in clear plastic wrap. Two of the firearms were sawed off shotguns, and one of these had an obliterated serial number. Both of those guns were stolen during an armed home invasion of a residence in Reisterstown, Maryland, on July 22, 2012. S. Yelizarov, M. Yelizarov, Sosonko and Zilberman admitted to committing that robbery.
In addition, in January and May 2013 Magnis purchased three handguns. One of those handguns was seized during a car stop and search of Yasinov in September 2013. Yasinov was prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms due to a previous felony conviction.
Stanislav Yelizarov, age 26, and Marat Yelizarov, age 27, both of Pikesville; Grigoriy (Greg) Zilberman, age 25, and Aleksey Sosonko, age 35, both of Owings Mills, Maryland; Peter Aleksandrov Magnis, age 28, of Hydes, Maryland; and Igor Yasinov, age 26, and Sorhib Omonov, age 27, both of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robbery conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Aaron S. J. Zelinsky, who are prosecuting the case.
Con Ed Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Tax Evasion ChargesRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Rodolfo Quiambao, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the engineering and design firm Rudell & Associates, Inc. (Rudell), pleaded guilty to two counts of federal programs bribery in connection with his scheme to pay bribes and kickbacks to supervisors at Consolidated Edison of New York (Con Ed) in exchange for receiving lucrative contracts and other benefits from the public utility services provider. Quiambao also pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion. As part of his plea agreement, Quiambao agreed to pay a total of over $5 million in forfeiture and restitution. When sentenced, he faces up to 30 years in prison. Today’s plea proceeding took place before United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross.
The plea was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in New York; Shantelle P. Kitchen, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York; and Michael Nestor, Inspector General, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Office of the Inspector General.
According to court filings and facts presented during the plea proceeding, starting in approximately 2000, Quiambao, whose company specializes in electrical design, surreptitiously and regularly gave Con Ed supervisors hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and checks in exchange for securing work, including lucrative “sole source” contracts, for his company. The defendant also engaged in tax evasion by first concealing and then deducting the bribe payments he paid to the Con Ed supervisors as business deductions on his companies’ tax returns.
Quiambao’s guilty plea is the latest conviction in the government’s investigation of bribery and kickback schemes involving employees and contractors of Con Ed. Since 2008, thirteen Con Ed supervisors and employees and three Con Ed contractors have been convicted.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Capers extending his grateful appreciation to the participating law enforcement agencies.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Lan Nguyen, Tali Farhadian, and Claire S. Kedeshian are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
RODOLFO QUIAMBAO
Age: 71
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-0515
Comer Man Sentenced to Serve 97 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Brad Tyler Suddeth, age 33, of Comer, Georgia was sentenced yesterday to serve 97 months in prison for possession of child pornography. The sentence was handed down in Athens by the Honorable C. Ashley Royal, United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Georgia.
Mr. Suddeth pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in November 2015. He was found to possess over 600 images of prepubescent children on his two iPhones. In addition, Suddeth admitted to engaging in inappropriate communications with female children as young as eight years old in Georgia and Illinois.
Acting United States Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III stated: “It is unfortunate that some individuals continue to prey on innocent children for their perverse gratification. Hopefully, individuals such as Mr. Suddeth will realize that yesterday’s sentence of almost 8 years imprisonment, without parole, is the harsh consequence for their actions.”
The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Danial Bennett prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Colorado Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Colorado man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Aiding and Abetting was sentenced on March 7, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Brandon Jeraye Trejo, age 23, was sentenced to 48 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and forfeiture of $14,902 in cash.
Trejo was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 9, 2014. He pled guilty on December 14, 2015.
The conviction arose from a November 14, 2014, incident when a South Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper stopped a vehicle in which Trejo was a passenger. As part of the traffic stop, the vehicle was searched and a duffel bag was found. Inside the duffel bag the trooper found arrest and bond papers for Trejo, as well as a vacuum-sealed bag that contained a package sealed with black tape. When the trooper opened the package, he observed that it contained several Ziploc bags. The Ziploc bags held 14.562 ounces of methamphetamine. Also, $11,802 was found in another passenger’s purse and $3,100 was found in a package of diapers in the vehicle.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case.
Trejo was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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