Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 18 August 2015
El Dorado Hills Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzling More Than $400,000 from Former EmployerRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jeffrey Lamson, 51, resident of El Dorado Hills, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge John A. Mendez, to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to embezzle money from his former employer, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, from at least 2009 through 2011, Lamson embezzled over $400,000 from a company located in Placer and Sacramento Counties while he served that company as controller. Lamson used company funds to make unauthorized payments to himself and others and made payments to a fictitious vendor, controlled by Lamson, for services that were never performed.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and its Financial Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Shelley D. Weger and Jean M. Hobler are prosecuting the case.
Lamson is currently out of custody, and scheduled to be sentenced by Judge John A. Mendez on November 24, 2015. Lamson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss caused by the fraud. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
####
Eight Arrested on Federal Drug Charges During Multi-Agency RoundupRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama– Carlos Renaldo Ware (39), of Bonaire, Georgia; and Twayne Lebarsha Ware (41), Willie Lewis Jackson (44), Jasmine Janay Jackson (25), Wallace Eugene McCree, III (44), Alonzo Dion Prevo (40), Kyon A. Hall (37), James Marvin Hawkins (51), all from Montgomery, Alabama, were arrested today for their roles in a drug organization that involved the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine in the Montgomery area, announced George L. Beck, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. These arrests are the result of a multi-jurisdictional investigation that included numerous agencies.
Over the course of the investigation approximately $800,000 in cash, 11 vehicles, 10 firearms, approximately 9 kilograms of cocaine powder, over an ounce of crack cocaine, and over an ounce of marijuana.
According to court documents, the drug operation was responsible for moving large amounts of illegal narcotics from the Atlanta area to Central Alabama. A conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine or crack cocaine carries a statutory sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison.
Of the defendants charged in the indictment, many have been arrested and made their initial appearance in United States District Court in Montgomery before United States Magistrate Judge Terry F. Moorer.
The United States has filed motions seeking that all of eight the defendants be held without bond pending trial.
United States Attorney George L. Beck, Jr. reiterated that a grand jury indictment is merely a method of charging a defendant and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant=s guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
U.S. Attorney Beck would like to thank the following agencies for their involvement in this case: the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Montgomery Police Department, the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office, the Prattville Police Department and other state and local police departments.
District Man Sentenced to Nearly 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Former Girlfriend's DaughterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 29-year-old man, from Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 29 ½-year prison term on charges stemming from sexual assaults he committed against his longtime girlfriend’s daughter, Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. announced.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, was found guilty in June 2015 by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of four counts of first-degree child sexual abuse and one count of first-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael Ryan. After his prison term, the defendant will be placed on lifetime supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant lived with the victim and her mother in the same household in Northwest Washington, and acted as the victim’s father-figure for many years. He began sexually abusing the victim in 2012 while her mother was at work; at the time, the victim was eight years old. The sexual abuse continued regularly for over one and one half years, until the victim’s mother returned home from work and caught the defendant sexually assaulting the child. The defendant has been in custody since his arrest in May 2014.
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen praised the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Division. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the child abuse experts at the Child and Adolescent Protection Center at Children’s National Medical Center, as well as the Children’s Advocacy Center, which conducted the child forensic interview and provided other critical services to the victim. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Joyce Arthur, Troy Griffith and Tiffany Jones; Victim/Witness Advocates Christina Principe, Melissa Milam, and Lezlie Richardson; the Child Waiting Room staff of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Litigation Technology Specialists Joshua Ellen and Jeanie Latimore-Brown; and Legal Interns Stephanie Dinan, Monisha Rao, Emma McArthur, Angela Lam, Maria Romas, and Rachel Bond. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebekah Holman and Danny Lam Nguyen, who tried the case, and Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who investigated and indicted the case.
Current and Former JFK Airport Cargo Handlers Arrested in Schemes to Steal from the Mail and Launder Foreign Currency Valued at More Than $250,000Read the Press Release
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in the Eastern District of New York charging current and former cargo handlers at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK Airport) with conspiracy to steal United States mail and money laundering. Frantz Janvier, Machel Scarlett, Tracey Mellisa Sandy, Greguy Janvier, Jamila Malika Allen, and Melbourne Black were arrested earlier today and their initial appearances are scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Viktor V. Pohorelsky at the United States Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.
The charges were announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Phillip R. Bartlett, Postal Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service’s New York Field Office.
As detailed in the criminal complaint, in a conspiracy spanning over four years, former cargo handlers Frantz Janvier, Machel Scarlett, and Tracey Mellisa Sandy, agreed to steal mail from international flights arriving at and departing from Terminal One of JFK Airport, including Japan Airlines flights carrying mail from Japan. The cargo handlers targeted mail they believed to contain foreign currency, including Japanese Yen, and then exchanged the foreign currency at currency exchange businesses at JFK Airport and at other financial institutions. The complaint also charges Frantz Janvier, Greguy Janvier, Jamila Malika Allen, and Melbourne Black with laundering the proceeds of their theft. As alleged in the complaint, the United States Postal Inspection Service estimates that the loss attributable to the mail theft is likely to exceed $250,000.
“As charged in the complaint, JFK Airport cargo handlers stole foreign currency from the mail and laundered tens of thousands of dollars in the proceeds of that theft through airport currency exchanges and other financial institutions,” stated Acting United States Attorney Currie. “Federal law enforcement authorities are committed to protecting the integrity of the mail, and we will hold accountable those who steal mail or attempt to profit from the theft of mail.”
“These defendants allegedly took advantage of the access given to them by their employer when they devised a scheme to steal US Mail from the cargo of airplanes at JFK and then lie to launder the proceeds for their personal gain,” said Inspector in Charge Bartlett. “Let there be no mistake, Postal Inspectors will use every resource to bring criminals to justice for crimes violating the sanctity of the US Postal Service.”.
The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Ian C. Richardson is in charge of the prosecution.
The arrests are the latest in a series of recent investigations and prosecutions of airport cargo handlers by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the United States Postal Inspection Service:
In United States v. Hamilton, et al., Docket No. 15-CR-280 (DLI), five defendants, all cargo handlers at Terminal One of JFK Airport, pleaded guilty in June and July 2015 to charges that they stole U.S. letter mail between April 2014 and November 2014. Evidence included four of the defendants being caught with a total of approximately 500 pieces of stolen letter mail stuffed in backpacks and in articles of clothing.
In United States v. Ali, et al., Docket No. 14-CR-484 (FB), two defendants, both cargo handlers at Terminal One of JFK Airport, pleaded guilty in March 2015 to charges that they stole U.S. letter mail between April 2014 and August 2014. Evidence included the defendants being caught in August 2014 stashing a bag filled with stolen letter mail in a car parked at JFK Airport.
In United States v. Ramkhelawan, et al., Docket No. 13-CR-692 (DLI), five defendants, all cargo handlers at LaGuardia Airport, pleaded guilty and were sentenced in November 2014 and February and March 2015 on mail theft charges. The defendants stole dozens of high-value electronic devices from the mail, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, and video game consoles worth at least $10,000.
The Defendants:
FRANTZ JANVIER
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New YorkMACHEL SCARLETT
Age: 37
Queens, New YorkTRACEY MELLISA SANDY
Age: 45
Queens, New YorkGREGUY JANVIER
Age: 34
Brooklyn, New YorkJAMILA MALIKA ALLEN
Age: 24
Brooklyn, New YorkMELBOURNE BLACK
Age: 50
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-M-777
Child Pornography Charge Lands Corpus Christi Man in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 24-year-old man has been ordered to prison following his conviction of possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. John Robert Camp, 24, pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2015.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head sentenced Camp to 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
Camp was identified after agents used peer-to-peer software to download various files containing child pornography from an IP address associated with him. Authorities conducted a search warrant and seized several electronic media storage devices from Camp’s residence in Corpus Christi. A forensic examination of the items led to the discovery of 57 images of child pornography and more than 120 videos containing child pornography.
Camp admitted he downloaded, viewed and shared videos of child pornography. He further noted that he began viewing child pornography images in the eighth grade on a laptop that he school had provided.
Previously release on bond, Camp was taken into custody following the hearing today, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The charges against Camp were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Cheney Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Dustin Mason, age 21, of Cheney, Washington, was sentenced today, after having previously pled guilty on January 29, 2015 to Production of Child Pornography. Chief United States District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Mason to a fifteen year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of court supervision after he is released from Federal prison. In addition, Mason was ordered to forfeit to the United States the computer, iPhone, iPad and thumbdrive that he used to receive and produce child pornography. Mason will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to information disclosed during the court proceedings, Mason was the administer of a FaceBook account which he used to locate young boys, approximately 14-15 years old, who he would entice to engage in sexual acts. Mason would create images and videos of the sexual acts, thus, he produced sexually explicit images of minors. On March 26, 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a federal search warrant at Mason’s residence in Cheney, Washington and seized Mason’s digital devices that he used to produce child pornography.
Michael C. Ormsby stated, “I commend the outstanding efforts of the FBI in investigating this matter. The United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington is, and will continue to be, committed to prosecuting aggressively and seeking appropriate punishment for child pornography crimes. Prosecuting offenders who produce child pornography is one of the top priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office.”
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Stephanie J. Lister, an Assistant United States Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Eastern District of Washington.
Chelsea Man Sentenced in Fraudulent Driver’s License SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea man was sentenced today in connection with a scheme to produce fraudulent identification documents.
Edwin Amaurys Parra Suarez, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to seven months in custody (time served) and two years of supervised release. In June, Parra pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce false identification documents.
From December 2012 through December 2013, Parra bribed a corrupt Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) clerk to issue Massachusetts driver’s licenses to individuals who were not eligible to receive them. Acting as a broker, Parra sent his purported clients to the Revere RMV to submit their application materials to the corrupt clerk. In exchange for payment ranging from $100 to $1,000 from Parra, the clerk agreed to overlook the fact that the clients lacked the necessary immigration documents to qualify for a Massachusetts driver’s license. During the course of the scheme, Parra and his co-conspirators produced more than two dozen Massachusetts driver’s licenses in this way.
This case is the most recent development in a series of investigations involving identity theft and public corruption at the Massachusestts RMV. An RMV clerk, Alexander Brewer, was sentenced in April 2014 to two years of probation, and he voluntarily forfeited the $60,000 he fraudulently obtained to produce fake licenses. Another co-conspirator of Brewer’s, Leonel Sanchez, was sentenced in January 2015 to 26 months in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts States Police; David W. Hall, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Boston Field Office; and Cheryl Garcia, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, New York Regional Office, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.
Canadian Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Marijuana Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that, on August 17, 2015, Matthew Farkas, 42, of Montreal, Canada, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after his guilty plea to charges that he conspired to distribute marijuana and transport the proceeds from that conspiracy across international borders. U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered that Farkas serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. Farkas also forfeited $35,000 in drug proceeds to the United States at the sentencing hearing.
According to court records, Farkas was involved in a marijuana conspiracy that lasted from 2007 through November of 2012. From Canada, Farkas arranged that bulk quantities of marijuana be smuggled into the United States from Canada at locations in Vermont and Northern New York. The marijuana was then sold in the United States and the cash proceeds from the sales were smuggled from the United States to Canada.
Farkas was arrested in Australia by Australian authorities in 2014 at the request of the United States. He was subsequently extradited back to Vermont to face federal charges. Farkas had moved to Australia in 2011 with his family.
For his crimes, Farkas faced a statutory maximum term of 20 years in prison. The United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are advisory, recommended that Farkas receive a prison term between 168 and 210 months. In a written plea agreement, the government and defense counsel agreed that the Court should sentence Farkas to a sentence of between 24 and 72 months. In determining that a 37-month sentence was appropriate in this case, Judge Sessions considered, among other factors, Farkas’ decision to remove himself from the conspiracy and obtain legitimate employment in Australia and the fact that Farkas has two young children to support.
United States Attorney Miller commended the efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms for their investigation into this matter. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Doherty, Jr. Farkas is represented by Burlington defense attorney Mark Kaplan.
Camby Indiana man indicted on drug and money laundering charges using underground websitesRead the Press Release
Indianapolis – Josh J. Minkler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, announced today the indictment of a Camby, Indiana, man for federal charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Lee D. Gray, 40, used the alias “Supremesmoke” to sell narcotics over underground websites on the Deep Web.
“Heroin dealers cannot use the Internet to hide their illegal activity any longer,” said Minkler. “Our investigators have some of the most innovative technology available to make certain our cyber world remains safe from drug trafficking.”
Beginning in June 2014, Gray is alleged to have used an underground website known as Black Bank, to sell quantities of heroin and then use bitcoins, as virtual currency for payment. Black Bank was designed to facilitate illegal commerce by masking the identity of its users and is not accessible through traditional search engines. Gray allegedly offered heroin in gram quantities and accepted bitcoins as payment.
Gray’s seller page used the alias, “Supremesmoke” on Black Bank and featured photos of drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The potential customer chose the quantity and type of drug they wanted and placed an order transferring bitcoins to Gray’s account. A typical order of .5 grams of heroin cost approximately $100 to $125 and did not include shipping. Gray typically offered express shipping for $25 to $30 in addition to free first class shipping. He used the U.S. Postal Service, Priority Express Mail parcels and standard sized envelopes. Gray often labeled the parcels with Indianapolis-area return addresses for businesses that had no connection to him, in order to disguise the true origin of the delivery.
Gray maintained multiple bank accounts under his name, his wife’s name and various businesses. Through these accounts, he received wires from foreign companies that offered bitcoin exchange services. Gray also allegedly exchanged some of the bitcoins he received from selling heroin for U.S. dollars by transferring bitcoins to others in exchange for their sending him cash or the equivalent in the mail.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Metro Drug Task Force, Lawrence Police Department, and the Indiana State Police.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes very seriously its mission to deter the illegal use of the mails for any criminal activity,” said Postal Inspector in Charge, E.C. Woodson. “These crimes negatively impact each and every community and household, and we stand committed to working together to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who would attempt to mask their criminal activity through the use of the mail thereby violating the sanctity of the seal.
Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Greg Westfall stated, “With the rise of heroin overdoses and deaths, the DEA remains committed to investigating those involved in heroin trafficking as a priority. The DEA appreciates the collaborative efforts from all its law enforcement partners.”
“When IRS Criminal Investigation gets involved, the drug dealer’s profits go up in smoke,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Stephen Boyd. “IRS CI plays a unique role in targeting the profit and financial gains of narcotics traffickers on many levels. As a team, law enforcement will continue to pursue criminals operating in the cyber world and trace their illegal proceeds in the form of virtual currency.”
According to Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy J. Cho and MaryAnn T. Mindrum, who are prosecuting this case for the government, Gray faces up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.
California Drug Supplier Pleads Guilty to Distributing Millions of Dollars in DrugsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - The primary supplier of more than 3,000 pounds of high-grade marijuana sent to Pittsburgh, Philong Chuong, 52, of San Leandro, Calif., entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering conspiracy, according to United States Attorney David J. Hickton. The plea was entered in federal court before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. The wholesale value of the marijuana distributed here exceeded $14 million, with the ultimate retail, or “street value”, being several multiples of that.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that co-conspirator Jennifer Chieu moved to Pennsylvania from California in 2010, and by October of that year was in the drug business, using her old contacts to ship her 10-20 pound packages of high-quality marijuana from California on a daily basis. Chieu then resold the marijuana for $2,400-$4,600 a pound, depending on quality, to a small network of dealers. Philong Chong became Jennifer Chieu’s primary supplier.
United States Postal Inspectors eventually identified more than 250 inbound drug packages, and in excess of 350 outbound parcels containing drug proceeds, with $12,000-$20,000 in each package.
Postal inspectors and IRS and FBI special agents observed Chieu making deals out of her Green Tree home and a nail salon she owned on Liberty Avenue in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh.
Between January and April 2011, postal inspectors served nine search warrants on random outgoing parcels suspected to contain drug proceeds. Each of the parcels contained between $12,000 and $20,000 in cash, with the total exceeding $143,000. All were mailed to Chuong in California.
Wiretaps were approved for Chieu’s phones and several others between June and October 2011. Chuong and Chieu and their co-conspirators spoke four languages on the wiretaps – Vietnamese, English, and two Chinese dialects - often switching languages in mid-sentence in an obvious attempt to hamper law enforcement agents and interpreters who might be listening.
More than a hundred hours of calls were intercepted between Chuong and Chieu. On a daily basis, they discussed how much marijuana he would be sending, the quality or “brand name” of the product, how much Chieu would charge for it here, and how many packages of cash she planned to send to California the following day.
Large seizures of cash demonstrated the broad scope of this drug ring, with more than one million dollars seized. In one example, in April 2012, Chuong and Chieu were stopped in Utah for a traffic violation. Hidden within their car was more than $500,000 in cash. Both individuals refused to claim the cash, with Chieu telling officers she didn’t know how it got there.
Following the indictment of Chuong and Chieu and 18 other individuals, Chieu was arrested in April 2012, at which time more than $70,000 was seized from her Green Tree home, and $100,000 from a safe deposit box. Another seizure in 2011 of drug proceeds from a van leaving Pittsburgh for California turned up $136,000 in cash. In addition to the seizure of more than one million dollars in this investigation, homes and cars were also seized for forfeiture to the government.
Nineteen of the 20 indicted individuals have now entered pleas of guilty, with most sentenced.
On motion of the government, Philong Chuong’s bond was revoked and he was ordered detained pending sentencing on Dec. 10, 2015. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years to 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory J. Nescott is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were the lead agencies in this case, and were assisted by the Pennsylvania State Police in this investigation that led to the prosecution of Philong Chuong.
Brackenridge Woman Used Social Security Benefits of Minor She Claimed Lived with HerRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of theft of government property and false statements to the government, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Kristyn Mazinski, 47, of Brackenridge, Pa., pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that between Aug. 3, 2011, and April 3, 2013, Mazinski converted to her own use Social Security benefits totaling $24,760 which she received on behalf of a minor for whose use and benefit the payments were intended. On two occasions, April 12, 2012, and April 25, 2013, Mazinski also made false statements to the government in which she advised that the minor resided with her, when in fact the minor did not reside with Mazinski.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for Jan. 20, 2016, at 2 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued Mazinski on bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Margaret E. Picking is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mazinski.
Armed Home Invaders/Carjackers SentencedRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A Dallas man who admitted to his role in an armed home invasion and carjacking conspiracy has been sentenced, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Blake Robertson, 23, of Dallas, was sentenced last Thursday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to serve a total of 136 months in federal prison. Robertson pleaded guilty in May 2013 to an indictment charging one count each of conspiracy to commit carjacking; using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and carjacking.
Robertson’s four co-conspirators, Jeremiah Walker, 25; Christopher Staton, 20; Michael Wafer, 26; and Ladavid Sims, 20; each pleaded guilty to the same offenses and were sentenced earlier this year to 130 months, 141 months, 180 months, and 148 months, respectively, in federal prison.
On December 30, 2013, the five defendants discussed, planned, and agreed to rob an individual, “M.J.,” who was an acquaintance of Walker’s, at M.J.’s house in Dallas, and then steal his vehicle. Officers with the Dallas Police Department identified these five defendants as suspects in the armed home invasion and carjacking of M.J. during the early morning hours of December 31, 2013. Just prior to that, they had attempted another armed robbery in North Dallas, during which the victim was shot.
When the five conspirators entered M.J’s house, they were carrying firearms and were willing to inflict serious injury upon M.J. if he failed to comply with their demands. The conspirators demanded money and jewelry from M.J., at gunpoint, and M.J. was struck in the head several times with a weapon. The conspirators also took the keys to M.J.’s vehicle and all five conspirators fled in that vehicle.
The Dallas Police Department and the FBI investigated. Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa J. Miller prosecuted.
# # #
Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Twelve Years for Violating Federal Narcotics and Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Jovan Martinez, 29, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 144 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking and firearms conviction. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez.
Martinez, who has four prior convictions for residential burglary, was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible. Because New Mexico’s violent crime rates, on a per capita basis, are amongst the highest in the nation, New Mexico’s law enforcement community is collaborating to target repeat offenders from counties with the highest violent crime rates, including Bernalillo County, under this initiative.
Martinez was charged in a criminal complaint filed on June 17, 2014, with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to the complaint, Martinez was arrested on June 16, 2015, by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) for stealing a bait vehicle. At the time of his arrest, Martinez was in possession of a revolver and ammunition.
Martinez was indicted on July 10, 2014, and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition on June 16, 2014, in Bernalillo County, N.M. Martinez was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of residential burglary twice in 2007 and twice in 2008.
On May 15, 2015, Martinez pled guilty to a two-count felony information charging him with distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In entering the guilty plea, Martinez admitted that on June 16, 2014, he was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He further admitted that he purchased the firearm and ammunition for $80.00 and some methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and APD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano A. Torrez prosecuted the case.
Monday 17 August 2015
Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Contact: Craig M. Wolff
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Ryan Jeremiah Abbott, 23, of Plymouth, Wisconsin, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to 5 years in prison and 7 years of supervised release for transporting child pornography. Abbott pleaded guilty to the charge on April 8, 2015.
According to court records, in October 2014, Abbott, who was in Wisconsin, sent eight email messages to the undercover email account of a Special Agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Maine. Three of the emails contained links to folders maintained on a foreign cloud storage service. The folders contained dozens of videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The other five emails attached video files also depicting children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. A search warrant later executed on Abbott’s email account showed that it was almost exclusively dedicated to the solicitation and exchange of child pornography.
The investigation was conducted by HSI. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.
Windsor Man Sentenced on Pharmacy Robbery ChargesRead the Press Release
Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Lance M. Szady, 27, of Windsor, Maine was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to seven years and three months in prison and three years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the robbery of a Rite Aid pharmacy in Augusta, Maine on September 2, 2014. He pleaded guilty to that charge on February 10, 2015.
Court records show that on the evening of September 2, 2014, Dominic J. Pomerleau robbed the Rite Aid Pharmacy located on Hospital Street in Augusta, Maine. He approached the pharmacy counter with a note that demanded oxycodone and absconded with three bottles of oxycodone. Szady had planned the robbery with Pomerleau and had driven Pomerleau to the pharmacy and waited for him to complete the robbery. The robbery was captured on surveillance video and witnesses provided descriptions of Pomerleau and his distinctive arm and neck tattoos.
The investigation was conducted by the Augusta Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Williamson County Resident Sentenced on Methamphetamine OffenseRead the Press Release
On August 12, 2015, Glendon C. Smith, 34, of Herrin, IL, was sentenced for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
Smith, who had previously pled guilty to the one-count indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, 3 years’ supervised release and fined $200. The offense occurred between 2010 and January 2014, in Jackson, Williamson, Union, and Franklin Counties. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Smith was involved with others in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Smith either purchased pseudoephedrine or obtained pseudoephedrine from others for use in the manufacture of methamphetamine. At the sentencing hearing, the district court found that Smith was responsible for the illegal possession of 114 grams of pseudoephedrine. Nine co-defendants have previously been sentenced for their involvement in the methamphetamine conspiracy. Two other co-defendants have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Murphysboro Police Department, Carbondale Police Department, Illinois State Police/Southern Illinois Drug Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.
Wheeling businessman sentenced for defrauding mortgage customersRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Wheeling businessman Mark C. Busack, 51, was sentenced today to 35 months in prison for defrauding customers of his mortgage brokerage business, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Busack pled guilty in December 2014 to a criminal Information charging him with four counts of “Use of an Unauthorized Access Device” and one count of “Filing a False S Corporation Income Tax Return.” Busack admitted that he made over $400,000 in unauthorized charges to credit and debit accounts of his customers and to underreporting his income in 2012 by more than $300,000.
Under the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Busack faced a potential sentence of between 33 and 41 months in prison.
The amount of restitution that Busack will have to pay to individual victims and to the Internal Revenue Service will be determined by the court at a hearing scheduled for September 24, 2015. Any individuals that have not yet reported losses suffered as a result of the fraudulent scheme should contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (304) 234-0100.
United States Attorney Ihlenfeld and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Section, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, and the Wheeling Police Department investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp presided.
West Seneca Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Benjamin Golembiewski, 28, of West Seneca, N.Y., pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy, before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,600,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank T. Pimentel, who is handling the case, stated that on August 22, 2014, the defendant shipped a package containing $77,000 in United States currency, which was marijuana sale proceeds, to a co-conspirator in Carlsbad, California.
On September 26, 2014, Drug Enforcement Administration agents executed a search warrant at Golembiewski’s residence, which was in Buffalo at the time, and seized $224,123 in United States currency, three firearms and ammunition, and a 65-inch television.
The plea is the result of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police, under the direction of Chief George W. Gast.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2015, at 12:30 before Judge Arcara.Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to Marriage Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Ukrainian national pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a marriage fraud conspiracy aimed at enabling her to remain in the United States and seek citizenship.
Darya Chernova, 40, a citizen of Ukraine who currently resides in Chandler, Ariz., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth. Co-defendant James Douglas Barding, 62, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty on Aug. 5, 2015, to participating in the marriage fraud conspiracy.
Chernova, who entered the United States on a student visa, formerly lived a couple of blocks from the Jefferson City residence where Barding and his wife resided. Barding, an attorney and a married U.S. citizen, had a long-running affair with Chernova; their two children now live with Barding.
By pleading guilty today, Chernova admitted that she falsely named another person, who was her legal husband, as the father of her child on a birth certificate in 2009. In reality, Barding was the biological father. DNA testing confirmed that Chernova’s legal husband was not the father, and Barding was eventually awarded legal custody of the child.
Chernova and her legal husband never lived together. The only purpose for Chernova’s marriage to a U.S. citizen was so that she could evade immigration laws and remain in the United States with Barding.
On two occasions during 2010, by agreement with Barding and with his full knowledge and advice, Chernova appeared before an officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and falsely testified under oath that her legal husband was the father of the baby, even though she knew that the father was Barding. She also testified upon Barding’s advice that her legal residence was with her husband. These statements made by Chernova as to both parentage and residence were relevant to her pending citizenship application.
Under federal statutes, Chernova and Barding are each subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
Today’s guilty plea may have consequences with respect to Chernova’s immigration status because this is considered a removable offense. Removal and other immigration consequences are the subject of a separate proceeding; however, because Chernova is pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, removal is presumptively mandatory.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Gonzalez. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department.
USNCB Assists ICE in Operation No Safe Haven IIRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 50 fugitives sought for their roles in known or suspected human rights violations during a nationwide operation this week targeting these individuals in multiple cities across the United States.
During the operation that concluded Thursday, the ICE National Fugitive Operations Program in coordination with the ICE Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) and ICE National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center (NCATC), arrested these fugitives via the ICE field offices of Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Paul and Washington.
The foreign nationals arrested during this operation all have outstanding removal orders and are subject to repatriation to their countries of origin. Of the 50 known or suspected human rights violators arrested during Operation No Safe Haven II, 10 individuals are also convicted criminal aliens. This operation more than doubled the number of known or suspected human rights violators arrested during the first nationwide No Safe Haven operation, which took place in September 2014.
Those arrested across the country included:
- an individual from South America who assisted for many years in interrogations involving electric shock torture and who beat prisoners;
- an individual from Central America—an aggravated felon convicted of multiple U.S. drug-related charges—who served as a military police officer for several years and turned over victims to a regime perpetrating documented human rights violations;
- an individual from East Africa who engaged in torture as an intelligence officer in a specific government regime known to perpetrate torture, murder, and other human rights violations;
- an individual from the former Yugoslavia who arrested and interrogated victims on behalf of a paramilitary organization dedicated to ethnic cleansing;
- an individual from Asia who performed false sterilizations upon several female victim patients and supervised dozens of other false sterilizations and/or forced abortions upon other victim patients.
ICE is committed to rooting out known or suspected human rights violators who seek a safe haven in the United States. ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) investigates human rights violators who try to evade justice by seeking shelter in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. These individuals may use fraudulent identities to enter the country and attempt to blend into communities in the United States.
Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to contact ICE by calling the toll-free ICE tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email [email protected] or complete ICE’s online tip form.
Since fiscal year 2004, ICE has arrested more than 296 individuals for human rights-related violations under various criminal and/or immigration statutes. During that same period, ICE obtained deportation orders and physically removed more than 740 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States. Currently, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations has more than 140 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,800 leads and removal cases involving suspected human rights violators from 97 different countries.
Over the last four years, ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center has issued more than 67,000 lookouts for individuals from more than 111 countries and stopped 161 human rights violators or war crime suspects from entering the United States.
The NCATC provided critical investigative support for this operation, including criminal and intelligence analysis from a variety of sources. The NCATC provides comprehensive analytical support to aid the at-large enforcement efforts of all ICE components.
ICE credits the success of this operation to the combined efforts of the U.S. National Central Bureau-Interpol Washington, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Two Vancouver Washington Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Meth and HeroinRead the Press Release
Two Vancouver, Washington men who distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine and heroin were sentenced to prison terms today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. EUGENIO MEZA-OROZCO, 52, who goes by the street name “Sexy”, was sentenced to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release. ROGELIO RAMIREZ-HERRERA, 33, who goes by the street name “Rata” was sentenced to seven years in prison and four years of supervised release. At the sentencing hearings U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said meth is a “poison” that “destroys lives and families.”
According to records filed in the case, in March 2014, law enforcement observed MEZA-OROZCO and RAMIREZ-HERRERA conducting various drug distribution activities. When law enforcement moved in and executed court authorized search warrants they found significant amounts of heroin and methamphetamine, including four pounds of methamphetamine in one storage locker. The locker also contained five firearms. Investigators also seized more than $61,000 in cash as well as drug packaging paraphernalia.
The case was investigated by the Vancouver Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory A. Gruber.
Two Texas Men Indicted for Federal Hate Crime Against Gay, African-American ManRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment against two Texas men alleging hate crime offenses for their roles in a Mar. 8, 2012, assault of a gay, African-American man in Corpus Christi, Texas, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.
The indictment charges Jimmy Garza Jr., 32, and Ramiro Serrata Jr., 22, with conspiracy to commit hate crimes, a hate crime violation based on race and color, a hate crime violation based on sexual orientation and using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. The indictment was returned under seal Aug. 12, 2015, and unsealed upon the arrest of Serrata, of Robstown, Texas, on Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason Libby today, at which time the government requested he remain in custody pending further criminal proceedings. A detention hearing has been set for Aug. 20, 2015. Garza, of Corpus Christi, Texas, is currently in custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be transferred to federal custody and make an appearance on these charges on Aug. 24, 2015.
The indictment alleges that on Mar. 8, 2012, Garza and Serrata conspired to assault a gay, African-American man because of his race, color and sexual orientation. According to the indictment, the defendants invited the man into an apartment in Corpus Christi then assaulted him while calling him racial and homophobic epithets. Over the course of approximately three hours, the conspirators allegedly punched and kicked the man and assaulted him with various dangerous weapons, including, among other things, a frying pan, a coffee mug, a belt and a chair. During the assault, the conspirators poured a household cleaning agent or chemical solution onto the man’s face and eyes, pistol whipped him with a handgun and whipped him with a belt, according to the allegations.
When the man began to bleed, the defendants allegedly forced him to remove all of his clothing and clean up the blood throughout the apartment. The indictment further alleges that after the man was completely naked, the defendants sodomized him using a broom or mop and another unknown object.
Throughout the assault, the conspirators repeatedly called the man racial and homophobic slurs and made other anti-black and anti-gay statements, according to the indictment. The conspirators also allegedly prevented the man from leaving the apartment by physical force and threats of force. The man eventually escaped the apartment by jumping out of a window.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, both Garza and Serrata face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Corpus Christi Resident Agency with assistance from the Corpus Christi Police Department and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jared Fishman and Nicholas Durham of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruben Perez of the Southern District of Texas.
Skin care business sentenced for selling misbranded, unauthorized medical productsRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Rebuilder Medical Technologies, Inc., a skin care business operating in Jefferson County, West Virginia, was ordered today to pay a fine in the amount of $10,000 and placed on probation for one year after it distributed medical products without the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
An FDA investigation revealed that Rebuilder was manufacturing and distributing SilverCure Ointment, a product containing colloidal silver for use in treating molluscum, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. The FDA has not approved drugs containing colloidal silver due to concerns over lack of effectiveness and side effects such discoloration of the skin resulting from an accumulation of silver or silver sulfide. The company’s owners represented to the FDA that the businesses would discontinue the production and sale of products containing colloidal silver. However, the company continued to sell the unauthorized products.
Rebuilder Medical Technologies, Inc. pled guilty in May 2015 to one count of "Introduction into Interstate Commerce of an Unapproved New Drug." David B. Phillips, a Rebuilder executive, executed the plea agreement on behalf of the company.Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Camilletti prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
San Felipe Pueblo Man Sentenced for Assaulting His Intimate PartnerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Michael V. Tenorio, 23, a member and resident of San Felipe Pueblo, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting his intimate partner.
Tenorio was arrested on Nov. 18, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with assaulting an intimate partner by strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the complaint, on Nov. 7, 2014, BIA agents responded to a call reporting an assault occurring on San Felipe Pueblo in Sandoval County, N.M. The complaint alleged that Tenorio assaulted the victim, a non-Indian woman, by threatening her with a rifle and choking her. Tenorio was subsequently indicted on Dec. 16, 2014, and charged with assault of an intimate partner by strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon.
On May 12, 2015, Tenorio pled guilty to assault of an intimate partner by strangulation. In entering his guilty plea, Tenorio admitted that on Nov. 7, 2014, he choked the victim by wrapping his hands around her neck and squeezing, causing her breathing to be affected by the pressure.
This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez.
The case was brought pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Romanian National Admits to International ATM Skimming SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA - Zoltan Deak, 39, of Hunedoara, Romania, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl scheduled a sentencing hearing for December 7, 2015. Deak faces a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years.
Deak was part of an international conspiracy which placed skimming devices on ATM machines and subsequently stole money from the compromised bank accounts. Most of the skimming devices were placed on ATM machines in Europe. The stolen account numbers and passcodes were then transmitted to two other members of the conspiracy, Marius Zegrean and Alexandru Dragan, who lived in Reading, Pennsylvania and who previously pleaded guilty.
Zegrean and Dragan took road trips across the United States stopping every few miles to withdraw funds from the compromised bank accounts. In June 2013, Deak traveled to the United States intending to withdraw funds from the compromised bank accounts and to assist Zegrean place skimming devices on ATM machines in the United States. Deak, Zegrean, and Dragan took a road trip from Reading, PA to Florida to withdraw funds from previously compromised accounts. Returning from their trip to Florida, Sheriff Deputies in Clarendon County, South Carolina, stopped Zegrean’s Range Rover and searched their vehicle. Inside the vehicle, Deputies found approximately $15,000 in stolen funds, 1,704 stolen bank card numbers, and various ATM skimming devices. Wyomissing Police later seized another stolen 2,879 bank card numbers from Zegrean’s computers.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Clarendon County Sheriff and the Wyomissing Police. Extradition assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Livermore.
Rochester Man Sentenced for Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Joseph S. Cumbo, 36, of Rochester, N.Y., who was convicted of bank robbery, was sentenced to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank T. Pimentel, who handled the case, stated that the defendant robbed the Bank of America located at 5091 Broadway Street in Depew, N.Y., of $2,100 on February 18, 2014. As part of his plea and sentencing, Cumbo also admitted to robbing the Citizens Bank located at 1722 Walden Avenue, Cheektowaga, N.Y., of $1,240, on January 25, 2014; and the Bank of America located at 9 N.Main Street, Pittsford, N.Y., of $3,700 on January 9, 2014. In all three robberies he used a demand note claiming that he had a gun.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig; detectives with the Depew Police Department, under the direction of Chief Stan Carwile; detectives with the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack; the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Patrick M. O’Flynn; and detectives with the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick D. Phelan.Rapid City Man Sentenced for Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man charged with Sexual Abuse pled guilty to and was sentenced on August 10, 2015, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Jerry Matthew Chasing Hawk, age 55, was sentenced to 36 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The conviction arose from an August 8, 2009, incident in Fort Thompson, when Chasing Hawk engaged in a sexual act with the victim when she was physically incapable of declining participation.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Crow Creek Agency. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller.
Chasing Hawk will report to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on August 31, 2015, to begin serving his sentence.
Pleasants County man convicted in methamphetamine trafficking operationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Garland Samuel Butler, 51, of Saint Marys, West Virginia, was convicted for his role in manufacturing methamphetamine, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Butler, also known as “Sam,” was discovered in Pleasants County, West Virginia, in possession of pseudoephedrine, an ingredient commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine. He pled guilty today to a criminal Information charging him with one count of “Possession of Material used in the Manufacture of Methamphetamine.” He faces up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The West Virginia State Police and the Pleasant’s County Sheriff’s Department investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp presided.
Plantation Resident Pled Guilty in Identity Theft Scheme Involving Income Tax, Unemployment, and Credit Card FraudsRead the Press Release
A Plantation resident pled guilty for his participation in a scheme utilizing stolen identities to commit income tax, unemployment, and credit card frauds.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations Miami Office (DOL-OIG), Neil Melofchik, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and John E. Brooks, Chief, Sunrise Police Department, made the announcement.
Leonce V. Jeudy, 24, pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1), two counts of access device fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1029(a)(2) and 1029(a)(3), and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of twenty years in prison for the possession with intent to distribute controlled substances charge, ten years in prison for each of the access device charges, and a mandatory term of two years in prison, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, for the aggravated identity theft charge.
According to court documents, on January 7, 2015, a detective with the Sunrise Police Department initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Jeudy. After smelling the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle, the detective conducted a search of the car and found a loaded handgun, ammunition, approximately twenty credit cards in various names, new iPhones and iPads, bank records of an unrelated individual, and receipts of four Visa debit cards purchased earlier that day for approximately $2,000.
Police officers obtained a state search warrant for Jeudy’s residence. During the execution of the warrant, officers found more than 100 credit and debit cards in the names of various individuals, numerous documents with the personally identifying information (“PII”) of different individuals, along with various electronic devices including numerous computers, thumb drives, and cellular telephones. The officers also recovered from an AK-47 rifle, hundreds of rounds of different caliber ammunition, butylone, ethylone (commonly known as “Mollys”), several smaller packages of powder and crack cocaine, and other drug paraphernalia.
Subsequent forensic analysis by federal law enforcement revealed more than 8,000 sets of PII were found on the recovered digital devices. In addition, an analysis revealed that some of the recovered debit cards had received approximately $30,000 in fraudulent income tax refunds and were associated with fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Law enforcement further determined that Jeudy was responsible for filing unemployment insurance benefits claims totaling $100,000.
Jeudy is scheduled to be sentenced on October 22, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. before United States District Judge Beth Bloom.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, USSS, and the Sunrise Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Kobrinski.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Pennsylvania Water Utility to Reduce Sewage Discharges to Delaware River and Local CreeksRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA) resolving alleged Clean Water Act violations involving combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Delaware River and its tributaries. In a proposed consent decree, DELCORA has agreed to develop and implement a plan to control and significantly reduce overflows from its sewer system, which will improve the water quality of the Delaware River, Chester Creek and Ridley Creek near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Based on information submitted by DELCORA, EPA estimates that the Authority could spend as much as $200 million to implement an overflow control plan that complies with the terms of the Clean Water Act. Once the specific pollution control measures are selected and approved, the settlement requires DELCORA to implement the plan as quickly as possible, with a 20-year deadline from when the settlement is filed in court to complete the necessary controls. DELCORA must also pay a $1.375 million penalty for prior violations, which will be split between the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a co-plaintiff in this case.
“This important agreement will protect residents from sewers that discharge raw sewage and other contaminants into local waterways,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “It is the latest in a series of settlements with municipalities across the country to address aging and inadequate sewer infrastructure, particularly in older communities where residents have had to deal with sewer overflows for generations. Agreements like this one are a victory for environmental justice.”
“This settlement means cleaner water for communities in the greater Philadelphia area, including many that have historically been overburdened by water pollution,” said Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “These communities have demonstrated how effective long-term planning and public participation can protect clean water in a way that’s achievable and cost effective.”
The settlement stands to address longstanding problems with DELCORA’s combined sewer system, which when inundated with stormwater, discharges raw sewage, industrial waste, nitrogen, phosphorus and polluted stormwater into Chester Creek, Ridley Creek and the Delaware River. According to DELCORA, the volume of combined sewage that overflows from the system is approximately 739 million gallons annually.
Exposure to raw sewage can cause a range of illness from mild gastroenteritis, causing stomach cramps and diarrhea, to life-threatening ailments such as cholera, dysentery, infectious hepatitis and severe gastroenteritis. Exposure to untreated sewage, therefore, presents a serious health risk to those who may come into contact with it. Groups facing greater risks include children, the elderly, immune-compromised groups and pregnant women.
DELCORA’s wastewater facilities serve approximately 500,000 people in the greater Philadelphia area, including many low-income communities. Once fully implemented, the settlement will help reduce the direct exposure of low-income and minority populations in the service area to raw sewage. DELCORA must also seek input from the public on the long-term control plan, including from Chester Creek and surrounding communities that have historically been overburdened by pollution.
The consent decree also requires DELCORA to notify the public of CSO discharges using a visual notification system, including warning lights and flags at CSO outfalls, where a sewer empties into local waterways.
Keeping raw sewage and contaminated storm water out of the waters of the United States is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives. EPA is working to reduce discharges from sewer overflows by securing commitments from cities to implement timely, affordable solutions.
The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval after it is published in the Federal Register.
For more information on this settlement or to read the proposed consent decree, go to: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees
Omaha Man Sentenced to 71 months in Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine and a GunRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Luke Blackford, 26, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 17, 2015, to 71 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp. Blackford had previously pled guilty after law enforcement utilized a cooperating witness who contacted Blackford on October 29, 2013, and arranged for the delivery of an amount of methamphetamine. Blackford was arrested prior to the arranged delivery and found in possession of less than five grams of actual methamphetamine and a .22 caliber pistol.
Blackford’s sentence includes a consecutive 5 year sentence because he possessed a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. After serving his sentence Blackford will be required to serve a Term of Supervised Release of 5 years.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Omaha Police Department and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.
New York Man Admits Sending SpamRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A New York resident pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating the CAN-SPAM ACT, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Eric L. Crocker, 39, of Binghamton, NY, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill. Crocker is one of 12 individuals charged in connection with a significant computer hacking forum known as Darkode, which has since been dismantled.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Crocker knowingly accessed a protected computer without authorization, namely a computer that had been infected by the Facebook Spreader and Slenfbot, and did intentionally initiate the transmission of multiple commercial electronic mail messages from or through such computer.
Judge Cohill scheduled sentencing for Nov. 23, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 3 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney James T. Kitchen is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Eric L. Crocker.
New Hampshire Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. – Shawn Goodine, 38, of Nashua, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to possession of an unregistered NFA firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Donald Feith.
On June 14, 2014, Nashua Police officers were patrolling in an unmarked vehicle in the area of Elm Street Middle School. While the officers were conducting patrol, they observed a white car traveling north towards the intersection a high rate of speed. The vehicle failed to stop at the intersection. The police activated their emergency lights and attempted to stop the vehicle. The white vehicle accelerated to approximately 70 mph in an area which is densely populated. The vehicle made several motor vehicle violations but ultimately stopped for the police.
As the officer approached the vehicle, he glanced into the back seat of the vehicle and observed, in plain view, a shotgun lying across the seat facing the passenger’s side seat. The officer ordered the operator, subsequently identified as Shawn Goodine, to exit the vehicle. Goodine complied and exited the vehicle. The officer requested a second officer check the firearm to determine if it was loaded. Goodine replied that a shell was in the chamber.
Goodine stated that earlier he went into an apartment to assist a woman when he was assaulted by two men and had a gun pointed at his face. After the assault, Goodine went to his apartment to get his firearm. Goodine stated, “I am glad you guys got me, I was going to kill them.” Goodine claimed he was driving so fast because he was enraged after having a gun put in his face. Goodine stated that he did not stop because he did not notice the police. Goodine admitted that he should not have had the shotgun. The police recovered shotgun shells from Goodine’s pocket.
The shotgun was subsequently measured and the approximate barrel length was determined to be 12 inches with an overall length of 32 inches. A barrel less than 18 inches renders the firearm an NFA weapon which must be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. A search of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record determined that the defendant did not register the firearm.
Goodine faces a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment. Goodine is scheduled to be sentenced on November 30, 2015. Goodine was detained pending sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Nashua Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra M. Walsh.
Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Conrad Vasquez Salazar, 43, of Las Cruces, N.M., pleaded guilty this afternoon to conspiracy and firearms charges. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Salazar will be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI, and Las Cruces Police Chief Jaime Montoya.
Conrad Vasquez Salazar (Salazar), Clifford Raymond Salas, and Andres Linares-Baca, 32, both of Las Cruces, and Thomas Vasquez Salazar (Vasquez Salazar), 39, of Odessa, Tex., were charged with violating the federal conspiracy, explosives and narcotics laws in a series of complaints and indictments, the first of which was filed in Sept. 2012. Salas, Salazar and Vasquez Salazar were charged with conspiracy and explosives charges that arose out of the firebombing of a tattoo parlor in Las Cruces on Aug. 31, 2012. Proceedings against Salazar were delayed by competency proceedings, and today, the court found him competent to stand trial.
During this afternoon’s proceedings, Salazar pled guilty to conspiracy and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. In entering the guilty plea, Salazar admitted that on Aug. 31, 2012, he conspired with other individuals to firebomb Irish Ink Tattoo. Salazar also admitted producing two Molotov cocktails at his residence and instructing two co-conspirators on how to use them to set fire to Irish Ink Tattoo in Doña Ana County. Salazar further admitted that on Sept. 22, 2012, he possessed a handgun and ammunition even though he previously had been convicted of residential burglary, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and aggravated battery on a peace officer and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
In Sept. 2013, Vasquez Salazar entered a guilty plea to conspiracy and explosives charges; his sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. Also in Sept. 2013, Linares-Baca pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and a heroin distribution charge; he was sentenced in Jan. 2014, to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
On March 9, 2015, Salas proceeded to trial on a superseding indictment charging him with participating in a conspiracy between July 15, 20112 and Aug. 31, 2012, to commit arson by maliciously damaging and destroying the Irish Ink Tattoo, located at 2245 South Main Street in Las Cruces. The indictment also charged Salas with maliciously damaging and destroying the Irish Ink Tattoo on Aug. 31, 2012, by throwing at least one Molotov cocktail into the building, using a destructive device in furtherance of an act of violence; and being a felon in possession of an explosive. Trial against Salas concluded on March 11, 2015, when the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all four counts of the superseding indictment. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron O. Jordan and Marisa A. Lizarraga of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case.
Johnson County Water District Network Manager Sentenced for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A former network manager for Water District No. 1 of Johnson County was sentenced Monday for wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Jason P. Lee, 41, Shawnee, Kan., was sentenced to six months in prison followed by six months home confinement. He paid more than $129,000 in restitution as part of his plea agreement.
In his plea, Lee admitted the crime occurred while he worked for WaterOne, an independent public water utility serving more than 400,000 customers in Johnson County. As part of his duties, Lee was responsible for ordering cellular phones for water district employees. In July 2010 he devised a scheme to defraud WaterOne by ordering cellular telephones from WaterOne’s providers and selling the phones on eBay and other Internet sites. He carried out the scheme by making electronic transactions from Kansas to Colorado, California, Texas and Washington.
Grissom commended the FBI and U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.
Jefferson County, WV man sentenced for methamphetamine traffickingRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Juan Carlos Chavez-Soto, 34, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for methamphetamine trafficking, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Chavez-Soto sold methamphetamine in Jefferson County, West Virginia in April 2014. He pled guilty in May 2015 to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Methamphetamine.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Camilletti and Anna Krasinski prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Iowa Couple Sentenced to 40 Years for Kidnapping, Sex Trafficking, and Torturing a Young WomanRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Aldair Hodza, 36, and Laura Sorensen, 31, of Clive, Iowa, were sentenced today for their roles in a heinous crime involving the kidnapping, forced prostitution, and torture of a young woman the couple kidnapped in Iowa.
Hodza was sentenced to 500 months (41.6 years) in prison and Sorensen was sentenced to 480 months (40 years) in prison, each to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. They were also ordered to pay restitution to the victim for her medical care, and both will be required to register as sex offenders. Hodza, who is not a United States citizen, will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence.
“This couple coerced and kidnapped a young woman who trusted them,” said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “They drugged her, physically and sexually abused her, prostituted her, and tortured her. For that, they will spend the better part of the rest of their lives in prison. The Eastern District of Virginia has always aggressively pursued sex trafficking crimes, and we will continue to do so. I would like to thank the trial team of Angela Mastandrea-Miller, Heather Hart, and Dominick Gerace, and our investigative partners for their hard work on this case.”
“This case shocks our conscience and reminds us that evil does exist in the world,” said Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. “There is no punishment for the perpetrators of this heinous crime which will undo the trauma suffered by their victim. I hope today’s sentencing, however, gives her some comfort that they no longer pose a threat. The quick thinking and heroic action by a trucker and the keen instinct and honed professionalism of a Virginia State Police trooper are what saved the victim in this case. The FBI thanks each of them for their vigilance and service. Success in cases like this requires citizens to be aware of their surroundings and immediately report suspicious situations to authorities.”
Hodza and Sorensen pleaded guilty to charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and interstate transportation of a person for prostitution on May 1, 2015. According to court documents, the defendants admitted that on Dec. 19, 2014, they convinced the victim to join them in their recreational vehicle (RV) using a ruse. When the victim arrived, the defendants took away her phone, forced her to consume alcohol and marijuana, and sexually assaulted her. The defendants told the victim that she was no longer free to leave, and they forced her into prostitution for the next several days.
On Christmas Eve 2014, the defendants began their trip to Virginia to visit Hodza’s minor daughter, forcing the victim to accompany them. The defendants attempted to prostitute the victim along the trip at various truck stops. Upon arriving in Virginia several days later, the pair went to various campgrounds in Virginia and North Carolina, where they continued to force the victim to engage in prostitution. During this time, the defendants engaged in a pattern of torture and abuse toward the victim while Hodza’s minor daughter was present in the RV. This included “hog-tying” the victim and holding her down while they burned her on her back and abdomen with a key and scissors that had been heated on a stove; kicking her repeatedly and viciously, causing severe injuries to the victims legs, abdomen, and torso; putting cigarettes out on the victim’s back and chest; whipping the victim with a rope; driving nails into the victim’s feet; spraying bleach into the victim’s wounds; and hitting her over the head with a bottle. The defendants repeatedly told the victim that they were going to kill her.
On Jan. 6, 2015, New Kent County Sheriff’s Deputies and Virginia State Police troopers responded to a call at a gas station in Providence Forge, Virginia, after a concerned truck driver observed suspicious behavior coming from the RV. Upon arriving, the officers entered the RV and observed the victim displaying signs of fright and malnourishment. They removed her from the RV to speak with her alone, at which time the victim told the officers that she had been kidnapped and was being held against her will. The victim showed the officers some of the injuries that had been inflicted on her by Hodza and Sorensen. The victim was immediately transported to the hospital where she remained in the burn unit for more than a week. Seven months after being rescued, the victim is still being treated for her injuries.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, who cited the depravity and severe torture inflicted by the defendants on the victim, and the long-term damage the defendants caused to the victim and Hodza’s daughter as just some of the reasons for imposing the sentences of 40 plus years.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, the New Kent County Police Department, and Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Mastandrea-Miller, Heather L. Hart, and Dominick S. Gerace prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15-cr-032.
Guatemalan Man, Manolo Miguel Santos-Deleon, Sentenced for Illegal Reentry and Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr., announced today that Manolo Miguel Santos-Deleon, 33, of Guatemala, was sentenced to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney. In May, Santos-Deleon pled guilty to illegally reentering the country following a felony conviction and failure to register as a sex offender. Santos-Deleon will be removed from the United States after the completion of his term of incarceration.
In 2012, Santos-Deleon was convicted in New York of first-degree sexual abuse, contact by forcible compulsion, which required him to register as a sex offender. Later that year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") removed Santos-Deleon to his native country of Guatemala. In 2014, Santos-Deleon returned to the United States illegally and travelled to Michigan. He did not register as a sex offender in Michigan or update his registration in New York, although he was required to do so by federal and state law.
Rebecca Adducci, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office Director for Detroit, said that "ICE will continue to focus enforcement efforts on priority cases like this one. Targeted enforcement ensures the very best use of agency resources."
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations led the investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin M. Presant prosecuted the case.
END
Grandview Business Owner Sentenced for $3 Million Extortion, Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owner of a Grandview, Mo., lawn care company was sentenced in federal court today for a $3 million extortion and money laundering scheme that began when a cocaine deal went awry.
Shelton E. Lewis, also known as “Steve Johnson” or “C,” 40, of Grandview, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to six years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Lewis to forfeit to the government a $3,050,110 money judgment (representing the proceeds obtained by Lewis from the scheme), $1,053,586 that was seized from his bank accounts and several vehicles that he purchased with proceeds from the scheme.
On March 24, 2015, Lewis pleaded guilty to extortion and money laundering.
Lewis is the owner of Green Results Landscape & Lawncare, LLC. Lewis and/or Green Results Landscape & Lawncare held three accounts at Academy Bank, a division of the Armed Forces Bank, N.A. These accounts were opened shortly after his business was formed and regularly held minimal, or as was often the case, negative balances. In August 2012, however, that changed. Lewis began depositing large cashier’s checks and business checks into these accounts. From Aug. 31, 2012, to Aug. 14, 2013, Lewis deposited a total of $3,050,110 into his accounts, with all the proceeds coming from the same company.
Lewis admitted that he made multiple threats to injure that company’s owner, RW, as part of an extortion scheme.
The extortion scheme began in July 2012 when Lewis agreed to sell approximately six ounces of cocaine for $3,000 to RW. While RW was waiting for the deal to be consummated, he was approached by the police. Lewis witnessed that police contact and did not return with the agreed-upon cocaine. Lewis told RW that, since the deal was not completed, the dealer (Lewis’s source) was assessing a $10,000 penalty. RW paid the penalty and picked up what he thought was cocaine at the drop location, but only received a bag of flour.
In August 2012, Lewis told RW that he had a plan for him to get his money back. The plan was for RW to purchase a block of cocaine and sell it, thereby recouping RW’s previously spent money. RW paid the requested money and additionally provided a Rolex watch that Lewis demanded. RW was further directed to obtain a pay-as-you go, or throw-away phone for future contact.
In the fall of 2012, Lewis told RW that he had been pulled over by the police and that the money and watch were seized. Lewis also claimed that the police had RW’s fingerprints from the watch and were going to charge RW with drug conspiracy. Lewis informed RW over the throw-away phone that he knew an attorney who could make the investigation go away, but it would require paying off the attorney and the judge assigned the case. RW paid the requested money.
Lewis told RW that the attorney would contact him in the future. When a person claiming to be an attorney contacted RW on the throw-away phone, the attorney reported that an unrelated federal investigation had developed which would require additional bribes to clear up. RW paid the additional, exorbitant sum.
RW was called, again on the throw-away phone, and told that the drug cartel knew where he lived and had left a present for him, which turned out to be a box full of Winchester .45-caliber, semi-automatic ammunition. Additionally, RW was told that if he failed to make the payments requested, he or any family member presently in his home would have their heads chopped off.
These threats were made using a throw-away phone that RW had been instructed to obtain. The phone calls were often followed by text messages describing payments that RW was expected to make in order to keep him from being charged with a crime, or to prevent violence from being inflicted upon him.
After receiving the money from his victim, Lewis repeatedly engaged in a series of financial transactions involving the proceeds of a criminal offense. For example, Lewis paid $167,000 for a 2012 Lamborghini Gallardo, $61,000 for a 2005 Bentley, $65,500 for a 2007 Aston Martin, $45,595 for a 2011 Aston Martin and $23,000 for a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro; made multiple cash withdrawals at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., totaling more than $137,000; spent $27,708 to purchase jewelry, sunglasses, perfume and clothing from Gucci in Las Vegas; purchased a Rolex watch; and paid $100,000 to pay off a mortgage.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Valenti. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Cocaine Trafficking Charge in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Willie Collier, 65, of Macon, Ga., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a cocaine trafficking charge. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Collier will be sentenced to 60 months in federal prison followed by not less than four years of supervised release.
Collier was arrested on Jan. 21, 2014, at the Greyhound Bus Station in Albuquerque after a search of his baggage by DEA agents revealed that Collier was carrying approximately 5.85 kilograms of cocaine inside a backpack. Collier was subsequently charged in a superseding indictment filed on June 24, 2015 with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute on Jan. 21, 2014, in Bernalillo County.
During today’s proceedings, Collier pled guilty to the superseding indictment. He admitted to possessing approximately 4.037 kilograms of cocaine on Jan. 21, 2014, which Collier was to be paid to transport from Phoenix, Ariz., to Memphis, Tenn., to give to another individual.
This case was investigated by the Interdiction Unit of the DEA’s Albuquerque office which focuses on disrupting the flow of narcotics, weapons, and the proceeds of illegal activities as they are smuggled into or through New Mexico in passenger buses, passenger trains, commercial vehicles and automobiles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo R. Armijo is prosecuting the case.
Former Terre Haute prison guard sentencedRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Josh J. Minkler, United States Attorney, announced today that Edward B. Tunwar, 55, was sentenced to prison today by U.S. District Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson for his role in smuggling contraband into the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute.
Tunwar was employed as a correctional officer at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute from June 2013 through December 16, 2013. During that time, Tunwar supervised the operations of the kitchen in the penitentiary. While working in the kitchen, Tunwar provided a federal inmate with multiple cellular telephones and 130 packs of tobacco. On December 9, 2013, Tunwar smuggled an ounce of heroin into the penitentiary and delivered it to another federal inmate. Prison guards at the penitentiary seized the heroin inside of the prison.
Tunwar was sentenced to 52 months= imprisonment following his guilty plea to providing contraband in prison. Tunwar was also fined $1,000 and sentenced to one year of supervised release.
The investigation into Tunwar’s illegal activity was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General.
Former Teamsters Union Local President Guilty of Embezzlement of Union Funds and Criminal Recordkeeping ViolationsRead the Press Release
Jerry Thomas Vincent, Jr. was President of Teamsters Local 783 from 2006 to 2011
LOUISVILLE, KY – United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. announced the guilty plea of former Teamsters Local 783 President Jerry Thomas Vincent, Jr. to multiple charges of embezzling labor union funds and criminal recordkeeping violations, before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell today in U.S. District Court.
Vincent, age 54, formerly of Jefferson County, Kentucky pleaded guilty to 14 counts in the July 1, 2014, grand jury indictment. According to the indictment, from October 5, 2009, through August 17, 2011, Vincent embezzled approximately $17,272.84 in union funds from Teamsters Local 783 and committed 13 criminal violations related to union records from October 5, 2009 through June 17, 2011.
Specifically, Vincent admitted to making false entries on credit card receipts and claiming false business purposes for expenditures of union funds at Louisville restaurants.
If Vincent had been convicted at trial, the maximum potential penalties were twenty-three years in prison, a $2,050,000 fine, and a three year period of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Snyder, and is being investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.
Vincent is scheduled for sentencing before Senior Judge Russell on December 10, 2015, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Former New Haven, Connecticut Resident Pleads Guilty to Crack Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Contact: Joel B. Casey
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Torrence Benton, 28, formerly of New Haven, Connecticut (currently serving a state prison sentence in the Maine State Prison) pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute 280 grams of a mixture or substance containing cocaine base, commonly referred to as “crack.”
According to court records, the defendant illegally distributed cocaine base in Bangor area between January 2010 and August 2013. He obtained the cocaine base from other members of the conspiracy. He sold and distributed the cocaine base in multiple half gram and gram amounts to others. The half-gram bags were sold for $50 each and the gram bags were sold for $100 each. The ultimate source for the cocaine base was in the New Haven, Connecticut area and it was transported to the Bangor area by others in the conspiracy. On April 7, 2013, the defendant was arrested by the Old Town Police Department on state charges and was subsequently found in possession of approximately ten grams of cocaine base.
The defendant faces up to twenty years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. He is one of eleven defendants charged in the indictment.
The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the New Haven, Connecticut Office of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven Connecticut Police Department.
Former Analyst Sentenced for Child Porn on DEA ComputerRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A former analyst was sentenced Monday to 63 months in federal prison for downloading child pornography to a laptop computer assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Matthew Barnes, 34, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that on March 21, 2012, a detective with the Overland Park Police was able to download child pornography over the Internet from a laptop computer assigned to Barnes.
Investigators determined that the computer was located at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s offices in Overland Park, Kan. Barnes, who was a member of the Missouri National Guard, was assigned the laptop as part of his work as an analyst with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was able to identify 19 images from nine different known series of child pornography on Barnes’ computer.
Grissom commended the Overland Park Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.
Federal Jury Convicts Serra Nissan Controller for Fraud Conspiracy at Birmingham DealershipRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal jury today convicted the controller at Birmingham's Serra Nissan dealership for conspiring to defraud Nissan North America through the manufacturer's sales incentive program, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton, and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot.
Jurors found KIMBERLY H. BRANCH, 34, of Trussville, guilty of conspiracy following three days of testimony before U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala. No sentencing date has been set, and Branch remains free on bond.
"Whether it is consumers or corporate victims, my office takes fraud very seriously and will continue to prosecute those who deceive and cheat others," Vance said.
According to court testimony, Branch and others at Serra Nissan falsified sales reports submitted by wire to the manufacturer between March 2013 and April 2013 so Serra Nissan could receive sales incentive payments it did not earn. Branch and other Serra Nissan employees falsified the reports to reflect that the Birmingham dealership sold 15 specific vehicles that, in fact, were sold at Serra Visser Nissan in Cullman. The process is sometimes called “pooling sales” and occurs when a dealer who owns or is associated with more than one dealership combines or attributes sales from one dealership to another in order to meet sales incentives levels that each dealership would not reach on its own.
Branch assisted another Serra Nissan employee in creating false files, or "jackets," on each sales transaction to hide the fraud, in the event Nissan North America audited the dealership, according to testimony. The 15 vehicle sales fraudulently reported at Serra Nissan caused Nissan North America to pay the dealership $82,750 in unearned incentives.
Branch's conviction follows a guilty plea in July from Randy D. Visser, general manager of Serra Nissan, to conspiracy to defraud Nissan North America through its dealership incentive programs. Visser, 45, of Liberty Park, admitted he directed officers at the Birmingham dealership to falsify sales reports in order to pool sales from the Cullman dealership. Visser is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 17.
Eight other Serra Nissan managers or salesmen pleaded guilty early this year in a separate conspiracy to boost loan approvals and car sales by creating and submitting falsified loan documents to lenders.
FBI and IRS-CID investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda S. Wick and Jennifer S. Murnahan are prosecuting.
East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
Troy Edwards, 27, East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced on August 14, 2015, in federal district court to a term of 18 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, a fine of $150, and a special assessment of $100, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
Court proceedings revealed Edwards brokered the distribution of cocaine and heroin on January 25, 2013, to a confidential informant, acting at the direction of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, in East St. Louis, Illinois.
This case was investigated by the DEA and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.
D’Hanis Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Manufacturing Pipe BombsRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, United States District Judge David A. Ezra sentenced 21-year-old Michael Anthony Keich of D’Hanis, TX, to 57 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for manufacturing a destructive device announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr. and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
On May 22, 2015, Keich pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful making of a destructive device. By pleading guilty, Keich admitted that he manufactured three pipe bombs. Two were seized by federal law enforcement and rendered safe. The third was discharged, but no one was injured as a result of the explosion.
The first pipe bomb was used to destroy a motorcycle in Hondo, TX, on February 27, 2014. The second was recovered by ATF agents in a Hondo motel parking lot on April 14, 2014. The third was recovered by FBI agents while executing a search warrant at a Hondo residence on May 2, 2014.
Federal authorities also recovered a suspected pipe bomb as well as materials used in the production of explosive devices when executing a search warrant at Keich’s residence on May 20, 2014. That device was later determined to be a hoax bomb.
This case resulted from an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, San Antonio Police Department Bomb Squad, Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Fuchs prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
District Court Enters Permanent Injunction against Iowa Dietary Supplement Company and its Principals to Stop Distribution of Adulterated Dietary SupplementsRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa today entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Iowa Select Herbs LLC, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, its president and CEO, Gordon L. Freeman, and a partial owner, Lois A. Dotterweich, to prevent the distribution of adulterated dietary supplements, announced Principal Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Iowa Select Herbs manufactures and distributes a variety of dietary supplements, consisting primarily of extracts from various plants, including papaya leaf, echinacea, elderberry and nettle leaf. The firm also produces a product called “Cold BeGone,” which purports to be a complex of natural ingredients. The company and its owners marketed their products online and through online marketplace websites, such as eBay Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and buy.com. They also sold their products through a retail location in Cedar Rapids.
The department filed a complaint in the Northern District of Iowa at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging that the company’s dietary supplements are manufactured under conditions that are inadequate to ensure the quality of its products. The complaint also alleged that the firm’s dietary supplements qualify as unapproved and misbranded drugs in that they claim to treat or prevent a variety of diseases, including cancer, malaria and heart disease, but have never been submitted to FDA for approval, and have never been found safe and effective for those purposes.
On Aug. 13, the parties filed a consent decree of permanent injunction by which the defendants agreed to settle the litigation. The consent decree was entered by the court today and requires the defendants to cease all production and distribution of the adulterated, unapproved and misbranded products, and to recall their drugs and dietary supplements. Further, the defendants have agreed to cease the manufacture and distribution of any dietary supplement or drug and will not be allowed to resume such activities without FDA approval.
The government is represented by Trial Attorney Heide L. Herrmann of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel for Enforcement Laura Akowuah of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel-Food and Drug Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Schunk of the Northern District of Iowa.
District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Iowa Dietary Supplement Company and its Principals to Stop Distribution of Adulterated Dietary SupplementsRead the Press Release
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa today entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Iowa Select Herbs LLC, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, its president and CEO, Gordon L. Freeman, and a partial owner, Lois A. Dotterweich, to prevent the distribution of adulterated dietary supplements, announced Principal Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Iowa Select Herbs manufactures and distributes a variety of dietary supplements, consisting primarily of extracts from various plants, including papaya leaf, echinacea, elderberry and nettle leaf. The firm also produces a product called “Cold BeGone,” which purports to be a complex of natural ingredients. The company and its owners marketed their products online and through online marketplace websites, such as eBay Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and buy.com. They also sold their products through a retail location in Cedar Rapids.
The department filed a complaint in the Northern District of Iowa at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging that the company’s dietary supplements are manufactured under conditions that are inadequate to ensure the quality of its products. The complaint also alleged that the firm’s dietary supplements qualify as unapproved and misbranded drugs in that they claim to treat or prevent a variety of diseases, including cancer, malaria and heart disease, but have never been submitted to FDA for approval, and have never been found safe and effective for those purposes.
On August 13th, the parties filed a consent decree of permanent injunction by which the defendants agreed to settle the litigation. The consent decree was entered by the court today and requires the defendants to cease all production and distribution of the adulterated, unapproved and misbranded products, and to recall their drugs and dietary supplements. Further, the defendants have agreed to cease the manufacture and distribution of any dietary supplement or drug and will not be allowed to resume such activities without FDA approval.
The government is represented by Trial Attorney Heide L. Herrmann of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with the assistance of Associate Chief Counsel for Enforcement Laura Akowuah of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel-Food and Drug Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Schunk of the Northern District of Iowa.
Court file information at: https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 15-CV-00060.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Criminal Defense Attorney Sentenced for Role in Insider Trading ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A criminal defense attorney from Lowell was sentenced today for conspiring to use inside information about the business activities of American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) to profit from trading AMSC stock.
Douglas Parigian, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to eight months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. Parigian is also required to cooperate if ordered to disgorge his trading profits, pay a penalty in the related civil enforcement action brought against him by the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, and to comply with any order issued by state licensing authorities suspending or revoking his license to practice law.
In May 2015, Parigian pleaded guilty to insider trading and conspiracy.
Beginning around July 2009, a friend of Parigian’s, Eric McPhail, began giving Parigian and others inside information about AMSC’s business activities and upcoming earnings announcements. McPhail obtained this information during golf matches, dinners, and other social outings with a senior executive at AMSC; both men were members of the Oakley Country Club in Watertown, Mass. The AMSC executive trusted McPhail to keep the information to himself and was unaware that McPhail was instead tipping Parigian and others.
Between July 2009 and April 2011, Parigian, who knew the information was confidential and that it was improper for McPhail to disclose it, nonetheless repeatedly traded on it, making approximately $275,000 in illicit gains and avoided losses. Parigian, McPhail, and others in the group are avid amateur golfers in the Boston area.
In June 2015, McPhail was convicted after trial and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 17, 2015.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The United States Attorney’s Office received valuable assistance from the Securities & Exchange Commission in the course of investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew E. Lelling of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit and Seth B. Kosto of Ortiz’s Cybercrime Unit.