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Thursday 30 July 2015
Cuban Citizen Pleads Guilty to Credit Card FraudRead 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 Eduardo Hernandez Quinones, 46, a native of Cuba, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that Hernandez fraudulently obtained the actual credit/debit card numbers of people and then encoded counterfeit cards with the information illegally obtained. The defendant and his co-conspirators then used the counterfeit cards to purchase merchandise at retail stores throughout Western New York. In addition, some of the defendants used the counterfeit cards to purchase gasoline from area gas stations and then re-sold the gasoline for cash.
Quinones was charged along with five others Yasser Carrillo Chartrand, 23, Claudia Diaz Diaz, 21, Yaily Santurio Millian, 31, Jose Valdivia Quinones, 40 and Misael Toledo Rios, 39, all citizens of Cuba legally present in the United States. The fact that a defendant has been charged in an indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.The plea is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge J. Michael Kennedy, the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge C. Todd Laster, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Michael Cerretto.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 2, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.Concord Man Pleads Guilty to Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Daniel King, 53, of Concord, New Hampshire, appeared in United States District Court on July 29, 2015 and entered a guilty plea to one count of failure to register as a sex offender in violation of federal law, announced Acting United States Attorney Donald Feith.
King was convicted of felonious sexual assault and aggravated felonious sexual assault and is required to register for life under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. In September, 2014, King left New Hampshire and traveled to Arkansas and other states. He remained in Arkansas from October 25, 2014 until his arrest on December 10, 2014. During that time, Mr. King knowingly failed to register as a sex offender in Arkansas or any other state and knowingly failed to update his registration in New Hampshire. King faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and criminal fines of up to $250,000. Sentencing is presently scheduled for November 2, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Laconia Police Department, the Concord Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Georgiana Konesky.
Columbia County Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 58-year-old Berwick man was sentenced today to 200 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo in Wilkes-Barre, for producing child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Rickie Sitler, previously pleaded guilty to using a four-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images of such conduct. Sitler committed the crime between late November to early December 2014.
Sitler was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2015, as a result of an investigation by agents of Homeland Security Investigations, the Berwick Police Department, and the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Caputo also ordered Sitler to serve 10 years on supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay a special assessment of $100.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.
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Charleston man pleads guilty to federal drug chargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL DRUG CHARGE
CHARLESTON, W.Va. –A Charleston man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin. Matthew Julius Watts, II, 30, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston to distributing heroin. Watts admitted that on September 17, 2014, he sold heroin to a confidential informant working with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place at the 7-Eleven Store parking lot located on Washington Street, West, Charleston, West Virginia.
Watts faces up to twenty years of imprisonment and a $1,000,000.00 fine when he is sentenced on October 29, 2015, by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. .
The investigation was conducted by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
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Campton Man Convicted by Jury of Manufacturing MarijuanaRead the Press Release
Concord, N.H. - Donald Feith, Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, today announced that a federal jury in Concord has found PETER APICELLI, 31, of Campton, N.H., guilty of federal marijuana manufacturing charges.
According to the evidence at trial, in September 2013, APICELLI was renting a property in Campton, N.H. Following a tip, law enforcement investigated and found an outdoor marijuana grow on the property about 200 yards from the residence. A law enforcement temporary surveillance camera then captured video of a male individual wearing a red back-pack and tan shorts tending to the plants on September 14. After obtaining a search warrant for the house, police located an indoor marijuana grow in the basement, drying marijuana, packaged marijuana, scales and other packaging materials, as well as evidence indicating that APICELLI lived there, including a red back-pack and tan shorts. All told, over 120 marijuana plants were seized from the house and grounds.
APICELLI was found guilty today of one count of manufacturing marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph DiClerico on November 12, 2015, at 10:00 a.m.
This matter was jointly investigated by the Campton Police Department, the Grafton County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Hampshire State Drug Task Force, with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Acting U.S. Attorney Donald Feith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
Boise Man Pleads Guilty to Transfer of Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
BOISE – Kenton Lloyd Flook, 45, of Boise pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to two counts of transfer of obscene material to a minor, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, Flook admitted that he communicated with a 14 year old minor from Erie, Pennsylvania, using the online messaging services Omegle, KiK, and Skype between January and March, 2014. During the course of the communications, Flook sent the victim sexually explicit images of himself, and engaged in live sexual acts, using the online messaging services. As part of his plea, Flook admitted that he had knowledge that the victim was under the age of 16, and that the victim resided in Erie, Pennsylvania. Sentencing is set for November 3, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge.
Transfer of obscene images to a minor is punishable by up to10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, and a $100 special assessment. As part of his plea, Flook also agreed to forfeit an Iphone and an Ipad used in the commission of the charged offenses.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Erie, Pennsylvania Resident Agency and Salt Lake City Resident Agency, as well as the Erie, Pennsylvania Police Department. The case was initiated by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and transferred to the District of Idaho for purposes of sentencing pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 20.
Birmingham Man Indicted for Three Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal grand jury today indicted a Birmingham man for three armed carjackings in April and for being a convicted felon in possession of 9mm pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton.
A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges JERMAINE DANIEL PARKS, 31, with two separate carjackings on April 9 and a third on April 18. The indictment also charges him with brandishing a firearm during each of the carjackings, and with possessing a Glock 9mm pistol on April 22, after being convicted last year in Jefferson County Circuit Court for the felony offense of robbery, third degree.
"Violent criminals who repeatedly arm themselves to prey on unsuspecting victims must be taken off the streets," Vance said.
On April 9, according to the indictment, Parks brandished a firearm and forcefully took a 2005 Nissan Altima from an individual identified by the initials, L.M. On the same day, he also brandished a firearm and forcefully took a 2008 Saturn Vue from an individual identified in the indictment by the initials, G.C. On April 18, Parks brandished a gun and forcefully took a 2010 Nissan Rogue from an individual identified by the initials, K.H., according to the charges.
The maximum penalty for carjacking is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed for the crime, and a maximum $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Felton is prosecuting.
An indictment contains charges. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
After Arrest in Visalia Motel, Pismo Beach Man Indicted for Manufacturing Counterfeit CurrencyRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Kenneth Dwayne Choate, 51, of Pismo Beach, charging him with manufacturing counterfeit U.S. currency, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Choate was ordered detained by Judge Stanley A. Boone on July 23, 2015, after being arrested on a federal criminal complaint.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2015, a vendor at the Visalia Swap Meet reported to law enforcement that someone was passing counterfeit money. The investigation led to Choate, who had a motel room in Visalia. Officers obtained a search warrant for the room, and contacted Choate and a co-conspirator at the front door of the room. A search was conducted and officers found more than $30,000 in counterfeit bills, multiple printers, numerous boxes of drafting paper, and printing and cutting supplies.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, with assistance from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant B. Rabenn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine A. Plante are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Choate faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
25 Arrested This Week in Round up Centered on Alien Smuggling OperationRead the Press Release
This week, federal, state and local authorities arrested 23 individuals indicted for their role in an undocumented alien smuggling scheme operating in Eagle Pass, Crystal City, Carrizo Springs, Uvalde, San Antonio, Laredo, Dallas and surrounding areas in Texas. Authorities also arrested two other individuals on related federal drug charges. That announcement was made today by United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Western District of Texas, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero, San Antonio Division.
Those individuals arrested as part of Operation Project 83 include:
NAME AGE ARRESTED
JAIME JARAMILLO-HERNANDEZ aka: “Jaime” 49 San Antonio
NOE VEGA-NORABUENA aka: “Negro” / “El Negro” 32 Dallas
ANTONIO R. ALAMILLA-RIVERA aka: “Padrino” / “Don Tono” 59 Eagle Pass
VERONICA MIRANDA-ACOSTA aka: “Veronica Miranda Quiroz” / “Vero” 39 San Antonio
SERGIO VEGA-TORRES 22 Dallas
JUAN JOSE MATA GONZALEZ 45 San Antonio
JOSE EDUARDO HERNANDEZ aka: “Eddie” 30 San Antonio
FERNANDO VEGA-JARAMILLO aka: “Saul Jaramillo-Vega” / “Cachas” 31 San Antonio
GILBERTO FLORES aka: “Cadete” 42 Laredo
DIANA ISABEL BUSTOS 31 Laredo
MARIO URRABAZO 30 Crystal City
HERIBERTO MACIAS DIAZ aka: “Pitonga” 36 Crystal City
SANDRA PAULINA ALMAGUER Torres aka: “Nicole Vega” 31 Dallas
ADELA MATA-GONZALEZ aka: “Adela Mata-Hernandez” / “La Guera” 49 San Antonio
AMADEO TORRES-VILLANUEVA 37 Dallas
CYNTHIA LILIANA HERNANDEZ 25 San Antonio
** JOSE ALFREDO GARCIA-VEGA aka: “Gordo” 21 Hillsboro, TX
CLAUDIO VEGA-JARAMILLO 23 San Antonio
JORGE SOLIS 26 Laredo
RICKY LOPEZ 27 Crystal City
ROBERTO AVILA aka: “Chana” 49 Crystal City
FERNANDO SANCHEZ 69 Crystal City
JOSE ARMANDO RODRIGUEZ aka: “Mando” 57 Crystal City
OMAR CARRILLO 35 San Antonio
EDWARD MELLO 39 San Antonio(** Authorities arrested Garcia-Vega while in the Hillsboro County Jail on unrelated state charges)
Two federal grand jury indictments returned last week in Del Rio, charge all but two of the defendants with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. The indictments allege that from January 2014 to October 2014, ringleader Jaime Jaramillo-Hernandez and others were involved in related conspiracies to smuggle, transport and harbor hundreds of undocumented aliens from Laredo to San Antonio and Dallas.
Defendants Omar Carrillo and Edward Mello are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and one substantive count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to the indictment, Carrillo and Mello conspired between January 2014 and September 2014 to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.
Upon conviction of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, defendants face up to ten years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. Carrillo and Mello face between five and 40 years in federal prison upon conviction.
During this two-year-long investigation, authorities have arrested over 400 individuals and seized approximately $187,000 in U.S. Currency, three firearms, and 19 vehicles.
“HSI is dedicated to working closely with its law enforcement partners in all arenas in pursuit of identifying, arresting and prosecuting individuals involved in human smuggling, regardless of their position,” said James Spero, Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Antonio. “Today’s arrests exemplify the high level of collaboration between HSI and its partners in investigating these cases.”
This investigation was conducted by agents with HSI in Eagle Pass, United States Border Patrol Del Rio and Laredo Sectors and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Agencies participating in this week’s arrests include HSI in San Antonio, Laredo, and Dallas; United States Marshals Service; Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations -- Air and Marine Operations; Bexar County Sheriff’s Office; Maverick County Sheriff’s Office; Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office; Zavala County Sheriff’s Office; Dallas Police Department; and, Irving Police Department. This case was supported by the Joint Taskforce West, South Texas Corridor. Assistant United States Attorney Ralph Paradiso, Lewis Thomas and Katie Griffin in Del Rio are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
11 Indicted on Federal Drug Charges in Meth Ring RoundupRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Eleven people were indicted this week on conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in a methamphetamine distribution ring.
On Wednesday, July 29th, Johnnie Wilborn, Travis Huston, Fred Wilson, Dexter White, Patrice Lee, Brittany Huston, Deontoe Huston, Larry Cassidy Jr., Robert Earl Williams Jr., Phillip Sean Mosley, and Janice White were all indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Wilborn, Travis Huston, Dexter White, Brittany Huston, and Janice White were also indicted for conspiracy to launder drug proceeds.
The Memphis Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division; Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit (OCU); West Memphis Narcotics Division; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation of the defendants.
Agencies who assisted the investigating agencies with arresting the defendants on Wednesday were the 25th Judicial District Drug Task Force; Germantown Police Department; Bartlett Police Department; and the United States Marshals Service.
Search warrants were executed on multiple residences identified during this investigation. During the roundup, officers seized:
• 4 assault rifles
• 1 shotgun
• 4 handguns
Those charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine include: Johnnie Wilborn, Travis Huston, Fred Wilson, Dexter White, and Patrice Lee. If convicted, they each face up to life in prison and up to a $10 million fine.
Those charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine include: Brittany Huston, Carlos Lewis, Deontoe Huston, Larry Cassidy Jr., Robert Earl Williams Jr., and Phillip Sean Mosley. If convicted, they each face up to 40 years imprisonment and up to a $5 million fine.
Wilborn, Travis Huston, Dexter White, Brittany Huston, and Janice White have also been charged with conspiracy to launder drug proceeds. If convicted for the offense, they each face up to 20 years imprisonment and up to a $500,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel French is representing the government in these cases.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wednesday 29 July 2015
York Woman Sentenced to 30 Months Imprisonment for Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a York County woman was sentenced late yesterday to 30 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane in Harrisburg, for wire fraud. She was also ordered to pay $83,467.78 in restitution to the victim of the fraud.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Nancy Sipe, age 47, pleaded guilty on October 28, 2014 to one count of wire fraud. Sipe was indicted by a Grand Jury in Harrisburg in January of 2014.
The charge was based on conduct occurring between August 2008 and February 2012, while Sipe was acting as power-of-attorney for her brother-in-law. During this time Sipe used the victim’s bank and retirement accounts, without authorization, to fund personal vacations, daily expenses and shopping sprees for herself and her family. Sipe also wrote out thousands of dollars in checks to herself. Although Sipe pled guilty, she claimed at the sentencing hearing that she was only responsible for $33,742.43 of loss to the victim, claiming that she provided over $26,000 in cash to the victim’s mother. Judge Kane found Sipe’s testimony to be not credible and sentenced Sipe to a term of imprisonment at the top of the appropriate Sentencing Guidelines range.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom.
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Westmoreland County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A Westmoreland County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Maurice B. Cohill imposed the sentence on John Mallory, 61, of Greensburg, Pa.
According to information presented to the court, Mallory, who had been a Quality Assurance Engineer for over 30 years, was found to be in possession of a large collection of child pornography, including child pornography with prepubescent children and child pornography involving sadistic and masochistic conduct.
In imposing sentence, Judge Cohill noted that Mallory had a prior conviction for the possession of child pornography, and that the law required a minimum sentence of at least 10 years of imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mallory.
Washington, DC Man Convicted of Carjacking of a Pregnant Annapolis WomanRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted Cornell Louis Robinson, age 44, of Washington, D.C., on charges related to the armed carjacking of a couple who were about to enter their vehicle to go to the hospital because the woman was in labor.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Annapolis Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams.
According to evidence presented during Robinson’s three-day trial, on March 2, 2014, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Robinson, co-defendant Devery Kelley, and others approached two individuals on Copeland Street in Annapolis, Maryland, as they were getting into their car. The victims were planning to go to the hospital because the woman was in labor. The male victim fled from the car and called the police. Witnesses testified that Robinson and Kelley were both armed and forced the woman at gunpoint to accompany them to an apartment building nearby, demanding money. The woman repeatedly told them that she was in labor and did not have the key to the apartment, only the car key. Robinson and other robbers took her, continuing to hold her at gun point, and tried to get her to open an apartment. The victim again told the robbers that she did not have a key to the apartment. When it became clear that she could not get into the apartment, Robinson took the key to the car and left in the victim’s car.
The robbers, driving the stolen car, were followed by officers from the Annapolis Police Department. Witnesses testified that at the corner of Tyler Avenue and Hilltop Lane a handgun was thrown out of the window of the car, but was recovered by police. On Tyler Avenue Robinson and Kelly both got of the car and ran away, but were arrested nearby.
Robinson faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for carjacking; a maximum of life in prison for possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. No sentencing date has been set for Robinson, who remains detained
Deverey Hasani-Jarod Kelley, age 25, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the crime and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Kelley also remains detained.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Annapolis Police Department, and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bonnie S. Greenberg and Patricia C. McLane, who are prosecuting the case.
United States Seeks Criminal Penalties for Man Selling Dietary Supplements Online in Violation of Court OrdersRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it is pursuing criminal contempt sanctions against a Livingston, Montana, man for selling dietary supplements and drugs in violation of two court orders.
Toby McAdam, 57, is alleged to have violated a 2010 court order and an order of civil contempt issued in 2013, both of which prohibit him from selling dietary supplements and drugs. The government alleges that McAdam has continued to sell both supplements and drugs, and failed to close down his business and online sites.
According to documents filed today, McAdam violated the order of civil contempt by failing to shutter Internet businesses on Amazon.com, websites and a promotional Facebook page McAdam uses to promote his products.
“Court orders must be taken seriously,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch will aggressively pursue those who violate court orders imposed to protect public health and prevent false product claims.”
The criminal contempt action arises out of a prior civil action the department filed in 2010 against McAdam, who was the owner and operator of Risingsun Health, based in Livingston. According to court documents, McAdam sold misbranded and adulterated dietary supplements and drugs that made unsupported claims to cure cancer, ADD/ADHD, epilepsy and intestinal parasites, among other things. McAdam agreed to close his business until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized him to return to business. No such authorization was given and McAdam was later held in civil contempt for violation of the consent decree. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later upheld the order of civil contempt against McAdam.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mizer commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FDA’s Seattle District Office. This matter is filed in the District of Montana and is being handled by Trial Attorney David Sullivan of the Consumer Protection Branch.
U.S. Attorney Polite Announces Multi-Agency Initiative to Remove Illegal Guns from School ZonesRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that his Office – in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Orleans Police Department, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Crimestoppers – will increase efforts to investigate and prosecute federal laws prohibiting the possession of firearms in school zones throughout Southeast Louisiana. In particular, the federal gun free school zone statute makes it a crime to unlawfully possess a firearm within 1000 feet of every elementary and secondary school. The statute is narrowly tailored, and does not forbid otherwise lawful possession: on private property, by law enforcement officers acting in their official capacity, or by individuals licensed to carry firearms by the state of Louisiana.
U.S. Attorney Polite stated, “This is an underutilized federal statute that will assist us in removing illegal firearms from our streets, particularly as we are seeing spikes in violent crime. It carries a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. We need the public’s help in two ways: report illegal firearms to ATF or Crimestoppers and spread the message that unlawful possession of firearms near our children’s schools will lead to federal prison.”
To increase public awareness of this initiative, U.S. Attorney Polite also announced that the all of the agencies will host a roll-out event on Thursday, July 30, 2015, at Mildred Osborne Charter School, 6701 Curran Boulevard in New Orleans East. All are invited. Members of the law enforcement agencies will also canvas the school zone surrounding Osborne, to inform the community about the initiative’s work. Food and refreshments will be served.
Two Memphis Men Indicted for Kidnaping, Robbery and FirearmsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mario Deandre Jackson and Leon Scott have been indicted by a federal grand jury for robbery, kidnaping and firearms crimes relating to a home invasion in the Buckhead community on May 25, 2015.
During the home invasion, a family was held at gunpoint and one victim was forcibly removed from the home and made to withdraw money from his bank account.
“These men are charged with terrorizing an Atlanta family, including their three minor children during a violent home invasion,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “They allegedly traveled to Georgia from outside the state for the purpose of robbing the family, and forcing them at gunpoint to remove money from an ATM and to turn over other valuables, including a wedding band. The arrests in this case occurred through the collaborative efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers determined to solve this particularly heinous crime.”
“The identification, apprehension, and resulting federal grand jury indictments of Jackson and Scott regarding their alleged involvement in a violent Atlanta area home invasion was brought about by a collaborate law enforcement effort covering numerous jurisdictions and demonstrates the true value of such a combined investigative approach. The FBI will continue to dedicate significant investigative assets and resources as we partner with area law enforcement in addressing violent crime in the region,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.
“After many long hours of exhaustive work by Investigators of the Atlanta Police Department, who worked jointly with our federal partners, I am pleased that these individuals who targeted our neighborhoods are behind bars and no longer a threat. The Atlanta Police Department will continue to work closely with the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI on these cases to ensure any other involved parties are identified and similarly charged,” said Atlanta Police Chief George N. Turner.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the indictment, and other information presented in court: On May 25, 2015, a home invasion robbery was committed in the Atlanta, Georgia, Buckhead community by two armed assailants who entered a family’s home. At the time of the robbery, the house was occupied by a husband and wife and their three minor children. One of the robbers forced the husband at gunpoint to go with one of them to a Wells Fargo ATM machine and withdraw money, while the other robber held the remaining family members at gunpoint to ensure the husband’s cooperation. Through a Crime Stoppers tip, police learned that the robbers traveled from Memphis, Tennessee, and returned there with the stolen goods. Police then recovered one of the items taken during the robbery – a wedding band – at a Memphis pawn shop.
On July 9th, 2015, Georgia State Patrol officers stopped a car in which Jackson was a passenger and found him with two firearms, both of which had been stolen during other robberies in Atlanta and Memphis. Scott was arrested separately in a motel in Birmingham, Alabama on July 24th, 2015.
Mario Deandre Jackson, 28, of Memphis, Tennessee, and Leon Scott, 25, of Memphis, Tennessee, will be arraigned at a later date.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Atlanta Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan K. Buchanan and Kim S. Dammers are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Transporting an Individual with the Intent that She Engage in ProstitutionRead the Press Release
Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Shawna Calhoun, 24, of Lewiston, Maine and Alvin Houston, Jr., 27, of Auburn, Maine pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to transporting an individual in interstate commerce with the intent that she engage in prostitution.
Court records reveal that on December 23, 2014, Calhoun and Houston arranged to rent a car in Maine. On the same day, Houston drove Calhoun, another individual, and a 13-year old girl from Maine to Boston, Massachusetts, where they stayed with Calhoun’s family. While in Boston, Calhoun and Houston drove the 13-year old girl to various hotels in the Boston area to engage in prostitution. On December 30, 2014, Calhoun and Houston learned that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was looking for the 13-year old. They drove her in the rental car back to Maine and ultimately to Bangor, where the 13-year old again engaged in prostitution. Early in the morning on December 31, 2014, Calhoun and Houston drove the 13-year old to a hotel in the Bangor area so that she could meet with a client for the purposes of prostitution. The purported client turned out to be a member of law enforcement. Calhoun and Houston were arrested outside in the parking lot, where they were waiting in the rental car.
Both defendants face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Task Force, the Lisbon and Bangor Police Departments, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Two Columbia Men Sentenced for Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two Columbia, Mo., men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Boone County, Mo., and elsewhere.
Levi McLean Franklin Coolley, 36, and Jonathan Richard Gray, 36, both of Columbia, were sentenced on Tuesday, July 28, 2015, by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Both men were sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Coolley to forfeit to the government $54,399, which constitutes the profits of illegal drug trafficking and which was seized from investment accounts.
Coolley and Gray both pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Coolley also pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana and a conspiracy to commit money laundering by utilizing his business, Midwest Audio Visions.
Coolley’s role in the drug-trafficking conspiracies included supervising the distribution efforts of several people in Columbia. He sometimes weighed out and assisted in packaging cocaine and/or marijuana, distributed cocaine and/or marijuana and collected money from the sale of the cocaine and/or marijuana, but Coolley also had other persons do this for him.
Coolley arranged for the purchase and transportation of cocaine and marijuana from various locations, both inside and outside the state, to Columbia. In one incident, Coolley purchased cocaine and arranged to have it transported from Texas. Co-conspirators were stopped in Kansas with approximately four kilograms of cocaine. After this incident, Coolley arranged for his suppliers to bring the cocaine to him, rather than him providing the driver. Two or three earlier trips from Texas were successful in delivering more than three kilograms of cocaine to Columbia.
Coolley purchased some of the cocaine and marijuana from co-defendant Samuel Raphael Johnson, 37, of Kansas City. Coolley purchased at least 40 kilograms of cocaine from Johnson, which was redistributed by Coolley and others. The last known transaction between Coolley and Johnson occurred on Nov. 7, 2011, when co-defendant Eric Paxton Pyle, 36, of Columbia, traveled to Kansas City, Mo., to pay Johnson for an earlier cocaine sale and to pick up more cocaine for Coolley. (Pyle has pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and awaits sentencing.)
The next day, at approximately 2:40 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2011, officers of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department were dispatched on an alarm call to Johnson’s residence, where they discovered evidence of a break-in. When they searched Johnson’s residence, they found 72.42 grams of cocaine, 75.47 grams of crack cocaine and 18.66 kilograms of marijuana. Johnson, who pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy, admitted that he sold cocaine to Coolley for $20,000 per kilogram. Johnson was sentenced on April 7, 2015, to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
In order to conceal the money generated by his unlawful conduct, Coolley established a business, Midwest Audio Visions, to launder the proceeds of his drug distribution. Coolley invested some of the profits from the sale of controlled substances into his stereo and window-tinting business in order to mask and conceal the funds, and to give the illusion that the money was from a legitimate source rather than drug-trafficking. Mixing drug-trafficking proceeds with legitimate funds allowed Coolley to inflate his business’s success, and allowed him to withdraw money and invest it in real estate and investment accounts.
Gray’s role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy included ordering cocaine from larger distributors so he could redistribute the cocaine to others, weighing out cocaine and cutting it, packaging it, distributing it to others and collecting money from the sale of the cocaine. Gray sold cocaine, not only in the Columbia and Boone County area, but would also send a person to the Lake of the Ozarks to sell cocaine to his customers and to pick up money. Gray admitted that he is responsible for the distribution of more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Coolley and Gray are among 18 defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case. Pyle is the only defendant who remains to be sentenced.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Gonzalez. It was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Two California Men Sentenced to Combined Total of over 13 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Fort Smith - Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Elijah Buckhalter and Alberto Gonzalez were sentenced today to a combined total of over 13 years in federal prison for drug trafficking charges. Buckhalter, age 23, of Compton, California was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Gonzalez, age 33, of Lynwood, California was sentenced to 140 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and 140 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute more than 500 grams of Methamphetamine. The sentences are to run concurrent with each other. The Honorable P. K. Holmes, III presided over each of the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
U.S. Attorney Eldridge commented, “The dream that these drug traffickers envisioned of bringing large quantities of methamphetamine into our state and setting up shop came to an end today. Arkansas children and families deserve a safe place to live without the threat of crime and violence that this type of criminal activity brings. Today’s sentence should send a message loud and clear to others that commit these crimes that our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and aggressively prosecute them.”
“We will continue to attack the scourge of methamphetamine distribution in Arkansas and beyond,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Downing. “The lengthy sentencing of these defendants should be taken as a message to those who want to sell drugs. We are going to catch you and put you in prison for a long time if you distribute this poison in our communities. ”
According to court records, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force had been conducting an investigation involving the transportation of methamphetamine from the Compton, California area to Springdale, Arkansas. During the investigation, they were made aware of a source of supply, later positively identified as Alberto Gonzalez. Several recorded phone calls were made to Gonzalez in October, 2014 to arrange for 4 (four) pounds of meth to be transported from California to Northwest Arkansas on October 30, 2014. Gonzalez advised he would be bringing an associate, Elijah Buckhalter, from California with him and that the meth would be arriving about the same time he arrived. He said Elijah’s cousin, Jacob Buckhalter, was a truck driver and that he would pay him to transport the meth to Arkansas. On October 30 as investigators watched by surveillance, Gonzalez and a man later identified as Jonathan Madrigal got off the bus and into the car of a confidential informant who drove them to a rented hotel in Springdale. In the car they discussed the shipment of meth that was to arrive later that day and Gonzalez indicated that he planned to set up a drug trafficking business in the northwest Arkansas area that would involve receiving large quantities from California for distribution in Arkansas. He stated Madrigal and Elijah Buckhalter would be staying in Arkansas to help with the distribution of the meth. The confidential informant left the hotel and advised that Gonzalez and Madrigal were going to wait for Elijah and Jacob to arrive. Gonzalez wanted the informant to come back to the hotel once Elijah arrived to pick up money to pay Jacob and to transport Elijah and the meth back to the hotel. The informant went back to the hotel and picked up Gonzalez and traveled to a truck stop in Springdale where they met with Elijah and took bags out of the truck and placed in the informant’s vehicle. The informant and Gonzalez got back in the vehicle and traveled to the Dollar General Store where they were going to purchase bags to break down the meth into smaller quantities. Once in the store, the informant called officers who arrived and arrested both of them while other officers arrested Elijah and Jacob Buckhalter and Madrigal who were near the hotel. The officers located a red and black bag containing the suspected meth inside the vehicle. The substance field tested positive for meth and weighed approximately 4 (four) pounds. The suspected meth was sent to the DEA lab where it tested to be 97% pure meth. Both Gonzalez and Elijah Buckhalter were indicted by a federal grand jury on November 19, 2014, and both pleaded guilty on March 12, 2015.
The third defendant, Jonathan Madrigal, age 26, of Compton, California was also indicted by a federal grand jury on November 19, 2014 and pleaded guilty on April 20, 2015. Madrigal was charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and will be sentenced at a later date.
These cases were investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 4th Judicial Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Kim Davis prosecuted the cases for the United States.
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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov
Two Brothers from Des Plaines Among 24 Defendants Charged with Trafficking Large Quantities of Cocaine and HeroinRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two dozen defendants are facing federal drug charges after a two-and-a-half-year investigation uncovered their roles in trafficking wholesale amounts of cocaine and heroin and distributing it in the Chicago area and Wisconsin.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration assigned to the Chicago Strike Force, seized 77 kilograms of cocaine and 138 grams of heroin during the course of the investigation, which was dubbed “Operation Alley Cat.” Authorities exposed the trafficking rings through the use of wiretapped cellular phones and extensive surveillance.
Several of the defendants were arrested Wednesday morning. Two kilograms of cocaine, a half kilogram of heroin and two guns were seized during the arrests.
The defendants were charged in two separate criminal complaints filed Monday in U.S. District Court and unsealed following the arrests. They will begin making initial court appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier in Chicago.
According to affidavits filed in support of the arrests, the investigation revealed that two separate networks of drug traffickers were operating in the Chicago area and Wisconsin.
The Cruz Organization
The affidavits allege that LUIS ANTONIO CRUZ, 48, of Des Plaines, and JULIO SANTIAGO, 41, of Chicago, worked with narcotics brokers who had obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine and heroin from suppliers. The pair then distributed smaller quantities of the narcotics to customers on consignment, a practice known as “fronting,” and collected proceeds from the customers following the sales, according to the affidavits. Once the drugs were sold, Cruz and Santiago made arrangements to pay the suppliers and the brokers, the affidavits state.
Cruz and Santiago used various city and suburban locations to store, process and package the cocaine and heroin, according to the affidavits. These locations included two residences in Des Plaines, one of which belonged to Cruz and the other to a co-defendant, ANTONIO GRIMALDO, 56; and the Chicago homes of Santiago and a co-defendant, CRISTINO MERCED, 51, both of which were located in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side, the affidavits state.
The charges allege that Cruz’s brother, CARLOS ALBERTO CRUZ-CARRERA, 42, helped Cruz with pickups and deliveries of heroin and by counting the proceeds from the sales. Cruz-Carrera is a resident of Puerto Rico but lived with his brother in Des Plaines during his involvement in the scheme, authorities said.
The affidavits describe a wide-ranging network of alleged suppliers, brokers and sellers within the Cruz Organization.
JOEL CHAVEZ, 53, and EMMANUEL FERNANDEZ, 34, obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine from a supplier and delivered it to Cruz on credit, the charges allege. After Cruz and Santiago diluted, re-packaged and re-sold the cocaine to others, Cruz delivered proceeds from the sales to Chavez and Fernandez, both of whom reside in Chicago, according to the affidavits.
JOSE NUNEZ, 31, of Chicago, obtained cocaine and heroin from suppliers and delivered it to Cruz and Santiago on credit, the charges allege. Cruz regularly arranged for partial payments and re-payments to Nunez and to Nunez’s suppliers after Cruz and Santiago had re-sold the drugs to others, according to the affidavits.
The affidavits state that Nunez later introduced to Cruz an alleged supplier, JOSE RAMOS-GARNICA, 23, of Chicago. The introduction allowed Cruz to place orders for cocaine and heroin directly with Ramos-Garnica, the affidavits state. On April 17, 2014, authorities seized a half kilogram of cocaine from Ramos-Garnica, according to the affidavits.
DELVI COMPRES, 33, of Cicero, supplied Santiago with kilogram quantities of cocaine, which Santiago processed and re-sold to others before paying Compres, according to the affidavits.
ARCILIO LAUREANO-NAVARRO, 30, of Chicago, purchased heroin from Cruz and then re-sold it in Wisconsin, according to the affidavits. After agents seized heroin from Laureano-Navarro in 2013, Cruz began selling it directly to a Wisconsin resident, DAVID LOZADO-OTERO, 35, of Milwaukee, the affidavits state. On some occasions Cruz would deliver the heroin to Lozado-Otero in Wisconsin, and other times Lozado-Otero would pick it up from Cruz in the Chicago area, according to the affidavits.
The affidavits state that several other narcotics distributers obtained drugs from Cruz’s organization, including GILBERTO DANIELS, 31, of Chicago; ERIC COBARRUBIA, 39, of Chicago; FRANCISCO QUINTANA, 46, of Chicago; JUAN VAZQUEZ-DELGADO, 35, of Chicago; and SANTIAGO DIAZ-GALLEGOS, 41, of Chicago.
Cruz, Santiago, Cruz-Carrera, Chavez, Fernandez, Ramos-Garnica, Compres, Cobarrubia, Grimaldo, Nunez, Merced, Daniels, Laureano-Navarro and Lozado-Otero were charged with conspiring with each other to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. If convicted, they each face a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
Quintana, Vazquez-Delgado and Diaz-Gallegos were each charged with knowingly and intentionally possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. If convicted, Quintana faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine; Vazquez-Delgado faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $1 million fine; and Diaz-Gallegos faces a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The Acosta Network
The affidavits state that ALFREDO ACOSTA, 52, also known as “Mecha” and “Jose Esteban Resendiz Ayvar”, conspired with a Mexican supplier and others to distribute cocaine and heroin in the early part of 2014. Acosta stashed the drugs in a home he referred to as “the office,” located in the 4000 block of West Irving Park Road in Chicago, the affidavits state. Acosta used the stash house to accept deliveries of narcotics from his supplier’s couriers, and to store drugs and cash, according to the affidavits.
In January 2014, Acosta arranged a deal with a Mexican supplier to receive 10 kilograms of cocaine, the affidavits state. Unbeknownst to Acosta, his telephone conversation with the supplier’s courier, EDWIN AMAYA, had been surreptitiously recorded by federal authorities, according to the affidavits. The wiretapped conversation revealed the location of the deal, allowing agents to track Amaya, 37, of Chicago, as he attempted to deliver the cocaine, the affidavits state. On Jan. 16, 2014, agents seized ten bricks of wrapped cocaine from Amaya’s car in an alley on the Northwest Side of Chicago, the affidavits state.
The affidavits describe another cocaine deal Acosta arranged with his Mexican supplier a few months later. Acosta’s telephone conversation with the supplier had been covertly recorded by federal authorities, allowing agents to observe and record the encounter, the affidavits state. On April 29, 2014, agents observed Acosta and the Mexican supplier’s courier, JUAN DAVILA, 20, of Cicero, conduct the transaction in the parking lot of a coffee shop in the 3900 block of West Irving Park Road in Chicago, the affidavits state. Agents later followed Davila to a residence in the 2300 block of North McVicker Avenue in Chicago, where they seized 65 kilograms of cocaine from two duffel bags stashed in a cargo van in the garage, according to the affidavits.
The affidavits describe Acosta’s extensive network of suppliers, couriers and sellers. LEONARDO HERNANDEZ, 33, of Chicago, worked as a courier for Acosta’s network and delivered drugs to its customers, according to the affidavits. Those customers included CARLOS NAVA, 42, of Chicago; RAMON MENDOZA-RAMOS, 47, of Chicago; and DANIEL RIVERA, 32, of Berwyn; each of whom received wholesale amounts of drugs from Acosta on consignment, the affidavits state. Acosta collected the money after the drugs were sold, according to the affidavits.
Acosta, Nava, Mendoza-Ramos and Hernandez were charged with conspiring with each other to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin. If convicted, they each face a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
Amaya, Rivera and Davila were each charged with knowingly and intentionally possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. If convicted, they each face a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Dennis A. Wichern, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“The charges announced today reflect the determined work of our law enforcement partners on the Chicago Strike Force,” Mr. Fardon said. “Aggressively pursuing this type of investigation is critical to preventing the stream of narcotics into our communities.”
“The Chicago FBI office has a long and successful history of working side by side with our law enforcement partners and dedicated prosecutors to address the flow of drugs through our communities, but we know our work is far from over,” said Special Agent Holley. “Today’s charges and arrests demonstrate our commitment to continue unceasingly in those collaborative efforts.”
"Our promise is the never-ending commitment of the DEA and the Chicago Strike Force to attack and bring to justice these drug-trafficking organizations that inflict damage upon our neighborhoods and families,” Special Agent Wichern said. “I applaud all the members of the Strike Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their exemplary work.”
The investigation was conducted through the U.S. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Chicago Strike Force, which consists of DEA, FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Chicago Police Department, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division, U.S. Marshals Service, and task force officers from various state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department and the Illinois State Police.
The government is being represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsay Jenkins, Yasmin N. Best and Jordan Palmore.
The public is reminded that complaints contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Cruz Complaint
Acosta Complaint
Twelve Individuals Charged in Taunton Heroin RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A dozen individuals were charged yesterday following a lengthy law enforcement investigation into a Taunton-based heroin distribution ring.
Four Taunton residents were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin in connection with the heroin distribution ring: Eddyberto Mejia Ramos, 22, aka “Chi Chi”; Luis Iraola, 21; Maria Ramos, 43; and Edwin Montalvo, 26, aka “Poncho.” Also arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin were Saul Sanchez Rolon, aka “Fino,” and Kerem Mendez Luz, 35, of Providence, R.I.; Antwuun Jones, 23, of Fall River; Shakur Russell, 22, of Bridgewater; Darius Jones, 23, of Taunton; and Anthony Burt, 23, and Kayla Wentworth, 24, both of Wareham, Fall River and Taunton. The twelfth defendant, Jean Wharf, 40, of Carver, was arrested and charged in a related complaint with using a telephone to facilitate a drug transaction. Yesterday’s arrests follow the July 6-7, 2015, arrests of Luis Guzman, 22; Mercedes Cabral, 24; and Oristel Soto-Peguero, 22, all of Norwood; and the March 16, 2015, arrest of Manuel Luis Sanquintin, 33, aka Alex, of Boston, all in connection with the same heroin distribution ring.
The charges came as a result of a lengthy investigation, during which law enforcement officers observed Mejia Ramos sell heroin to a cooperating witness on several occasions in fall 2014, and uncovered the organizational makeup of Mejia Ramos’ organization through court authorized wiretaps from January through July of this year.
The charging documents allege that Mejia Ramos operated a retail heroin trafficking organization out of his mother’s house at 187 Winthrop Street in Taunton. The charging documents further allege that Mejia Ramos’ mother, Maria Ramos, periodically assisted her son in distributing heroin. According to court documents, Mejia Ramos purchased large quantities of heroin from several wholesale suppliers, including Soto-Peguero and Sanquintin, along with Sanchez Rolon and Mendez Luz. After receiving these large heroin packages, Mejia Ramos and his mid-level associates, including Jones, Iraola, and Montalvo, then allegedly distributed the heroin to lower level distributors and customers, including Burt, Wentworth, Russell, and Wharf.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, supervised release of three years and up to a lifetime, and a fine of $1 million. The charge against Wharf, of using a telephone to facilitate a drug transaction, provides for a sentence of no greater than four years in prison, two years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Taunton Police Chief Edward J. Walsh; and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn, made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Heinrich of Ortiz’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Topeka Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Sex Trafficking of 15-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka man was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in federal prison on a federal charge of offering a 15-year-old girl for commercial sex, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Dominique Emanuel Tyson, 25, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a child. In his plea, he admitted he took a 15-year-old girl to a motel to meet a man who had seen her picture in an advertisement on Backpage.com. Tyson did not know that the customer was working undercover for the Topeka Police Department and the FBI.
The investigation began when Topeka police received a call from a community corrections officer saying the girl had run away from her placement. The officer spotted a photo of her on Backpage.com listing her as an escort. On June 11, 2013, an undercover investigator called the number on the advertisement and arranged to meet the girl at a motel in Topeka. Tyson dropped her off and drove away. Officers stopped his car, where they found a tablet computer with files containing the same photos of the girl that appeared in the ad.
Grissom commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney for their work on the case.
Sutter County Brothers Sentenced to Prison for Marijuana CultivationRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thomas Jopson, 66, and David Jopson, 64, of Rio Oso, were sentenced today by United States District Judge John A. Mendez to one year in prison for conspiring to cultivate marijuana, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
The Jopsons were ordered to surrender to the United States Marshals Service to begin serving their sentences on September 24, 2015.
According to court documents, on June 21, 2011, federal and state agents executed seven federal search warrants in Sacramento, Sutter, and Tehama Counties. Two of these warrants were executed at the sites of large, commercial greenhouses at the Jopson Ranch in Rio Oso and at Cal-Nevada Wholesale Florist in Sacramento. Law enforcement officers seized over 5,000 marijuana plants including approximately 2,168 marijuana plants at the Jopson Ranch. Two leaders arrested at the grow sites, Yan Ebyam and Aimee Sisco, admitted their involvement in the marijuana cultivation business. While in clear violation of federal law, the Jopson Ranch Grow attempted to use California medical marijuana law to cloak their business activities. A total of 12 defendants were later indicted for crimes relating to their marijuana cultivation in this, and a related case currently pending in the Eastern District of California.
The enforcement action taken against these commercial marijuana manufacturing operations was consistent with U.S. Department of Justice policy to prosecute persons who are in the commercial business of cultivating, selling, or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities.
Last week, Judge Mendez sentenced Aimee Sisco, 34, of Redding, to 38 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to conspiring to cultivate marijuana with the Jopsons and others.
On July 1, 2014, Ebyam pleaded guilty to conspiring to cultivate marijuana in this case, and the related case of United States v. Ebyam, et al. (2:11-CR-276 JAM). His sentencing is set for October 27, 2015.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. It was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Suspended Pelican Rapids Doctor Pleads Guilty to Stealing Prescription DrugsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced the guilty plea of BLAIR A. NELSON, 43, who obtained Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and other prescription drugs by writing and filling fraudulent prescriptions. NELSON pleaded guilty to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud today before Judge Susan R. Nelson in United States District Court in St. Paul, Minn.
“Prescription drug diversion is an ongoing threat to both public safety and public health,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “Working closely with colleagues at the Drug Enforcement Administration and in local law enforcement, we are clamping down on prescription drug fraud and abuse.”
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, beginning in May 2013, NELSON, who was a doctor practicing medicine in Pelican Rapids, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., began writing prescriptions to various pharmacies in Minnesota for opioids including oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamines. NELSON wrote the prescriptions so that they could be filled in the names of members of his family and friends. However, after issuing the prescriptions, NELSON picked up the drugs for his own use.
According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between May 2013 and September 2014, NELSON attempted to obtain from Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart, at least 1,730 prescription pills for his own use by writing prescriptions in the names of his family members. He continued to write prescriptions even after the State of Minnesota suspended his medical license on October 8, 2013.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.
On Tuesday, August 25, 2015, a conference entitled, “Pain.Pill.Problem.” will be held at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities Campus, to bring together experts in the fields of public health and law enforcement to define the scope of the opioid abuse problem and develop solutions to move Minnesota forward together. The one-day conference is co-sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Hazelden Betty Ford Institute for Recovery Advocacy, Mayo Clinic, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, University of Minnesota, and others. Please visit www.PainPillProblem.com for more information about the event.
Defendant Information:
BLAIR A. NELSON, 43
Pelican Rapids, Minn.
Convicted:
- Obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, 1 count
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St. Louis Man Charged with Distribution of HeroinRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Ronald Terry, 32, of St. Louis, MO, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for three counts of distribution of heroin. Each charge carries maximum penalties of 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The indictment alleges the offenses occurred between July 2, 2015, and July 8, 2015, in St. Clair County. Terry was arrested by a criminal complaint and made his initial appearance in federal court on July 17, 2015. Terry is detained in federal custody pending trial.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the United States must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Illinois State Police, and the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force Agency. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Vanessa T. Lu.
St. Johnsbury Woman Sentenced for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Bobbie Jo Austin, 35, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was sentenced on July 27, 2015, in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont, to serve a two-year period of probation following her conviction on one count of converting Supplemental Security Income Benefits from the intended beneficiary, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1383a(a)(4). Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered Austin to pay $1,500 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.
According to court records and proceedings, in approximately 2008, BOBBIE JO AUSTIN applied to be the Representative Payee for Supplemental Security Income benefits for her child, who had been determined to be disabled. In agreeing to be the Representative Payee, BOBBIE JO AUSTIN agreed, among other things, to use the funds for the benefit of her minor child, and to notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) if her minor child stopped living with her. The benefit payments started in June 2009. In May 2010, BOBBIE JO AUSTIN declared under penalty of perjury when she completed a Representative Payee Report that her minor child lived with her and of the $9,052.00 she had received for the child's care and support, she spent $4,800.00 on the child and $4,252.00 on living expenses and bills related to the child. In April 2011, BOBBIE JO AUSTIN declared under penalty of perjury when she completed a Representative Payee Report that her minor child lived with her and of the $8,712.00 she had received for the child's care and support, she spent the entire amount on the child. BOBBIE JO AUSTIN did not notify the SSA that the minor child was removed from her custody by the Vermont Department of Children and Families on May 29, 2009, and was ultimately adopted by another family on March 9, 2011.
“Making false statements to Social Security to fraudulently misuse Supplemental Security Income—a government payment intended to assist those truly in need—is an intolerable offense,” said Scott Antolik, Special Agent-in-Charge, SSA Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Division. “We will continue to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont to pursue all forms of fraud against Social Security and its beneficiaries, especially instances of representative payee fraud that affect our most vulnerable citizens.”
United States Attorney Eric S. Miller commended the efforts of the SSA Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Division, in the investigation and prosecution of Austin. The prosecution of Austin was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson. Austin was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Elizabeth K. Quinn.
Sparks, Nevada Man Sentenced to 17½ Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
RENO, Nev. – A convicted sex offender who had failed to register with the State of Nevada and was caught with hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on his computers, has been sentenced to 17½ years in prison for his guilty plea to receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden, for the District of Nevada.
Jeffrey Scott Varnum, 48, of Sparks, Nev., who pleaded guilty in April to one count of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced on July 28, by Senior U.S. District Judge Howard D. McKibben. Varnum was also placed on lifetime supervised release and must register as a convicted sex offender.
“The sharing of child pornography over the internet results in repeated re-victimization and can negatively affect a victim for the rest of his or her life,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “The persons who produce these images and trade them with other persons deserve significant sentences of imprisonment.”
Between March and October 2014, a law enforcement officer assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Reno was conducting online child pornography investigations and determined that an internet address connected to Varnum’s residence was involved in the sharing of child pornography files. On Nov. 17, members of the Task Force executed a search warrant at the residence, and seized two computers and other electronic storage devices from Varnum’s bedroom. A forensic investigation of the items revealed that Varnum had installed and utilized software on the computers which allowed him to locate and receive child pornography. The investigation further revealed that Varnum possessed and received over 300 images and 10 videos of child pornography. The images and videos depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct. Varnum also possessed and received over 11,000 images of child erotica. At the time of the search, Varnum was on probation for failing to register as a sex offender. He had been convicted in 1994 and 1998 in Reno of lewdness, and in 2012, he was convicted in Reno of failing to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Northern Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shannon M. Bryant.
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 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."
San Angelo Man Faces up to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Prepubescent Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LUBBOCK, Texas — Michael Patrick Redente, 40, of San Angelo, Texas, appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of possessing prepubescent child pornography, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Redente, who remains on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.
According to plea documents filed in the case, Redente used the computer at his residence to search the Internet for images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. In the course of these searches, Redente located, downloaded, and viewed numerous images and videos constituting child pornography. Some of those images involved prepubescent minors.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy is prosecuting the case.
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Sales Representative Pleads Guilty in Connection with Multi-Million Dollar Mortgage Modification SchemeRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JONATHAN LYONS, a former sales representative at a company purporting to provide mortgage modification services, pled guilty yesterday in Manhattan federal court for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme that victimized more than 500 financially struggling homeowners across the country. LYONS, who was arrested in October 2013, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Through his plea, Jonathan Lyons acknowledged his role in a multimillion dollar scheme that targeted and victimized hundreds of desperate, financially vulnerable homeowners weighed down by debt. We thank our partners, including the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York State Office of the Attorney General for their role in bringing Lyons to justice.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and related Informations, the plea agreements, and statements made in court proceedings:
From approximately January 2009 to June 2011, LYONS and his co-conspirators perpetrated a scheme to defraud homeowners who were in danger of losing their homes because they could not afford to pay their residential mortgages. Through a company located in Long Island, New York (“Company-1”), and its successor companies (the “Mortgage Modification Companies”), LYONS, his co-conspirators, and other employees falsely promised to help financially struggling residential mortgage holders refinance their mortgages for lower interest rates and monthly payments. Despite the defendants’ claims, however, the Mortgage Modification Companies delivered little or no service to their customers, diverting most, if not all, of the customers’ payments to the Mortgage Modification Companies’ owners and employees rather than using those funds to assist customers in procuring mortgage modifications. Through their scheme, the Mortgage Modification Companies obtained at least $2.3 million from more than 500 homeowners throughout the United States.
The Mortgage Modification Companies charged customers thousands of dollars in up-front fees—in violation of New York State law—and made fraudulent claims about the companies’ services, including that the Mortgage Modification Companies guaranteed that they would either: (i) secure a mortgage modification that would result in a significant reduction in the customer’s interest rate and/or monthly payments; or (ii) provide the customer’s money back. Through the Mortgage Modification Companies, the defendants and other employees also falsely claimed to be affiliated with the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (“HAMP”), a federally-funded mortgage assistance program that is part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and is available to homeowners free of charge.
The Mortgage Modification Companies targeted homeowners who had fallen behind, or were in danger of falling behind, in making mortgage payments on their homes. LYONS and two other company sales representatives, AREN GOLDFADEN and DARRELL KEYS, spoke to hundreds of struggling homeowners on behalf of the Mortgage Modification Companies, repeatedly making materially false or misleading representations to convince these prospective clients to pay upfront fees to the companies. The false or misleading representations included that the Mortgage Modification Companies were associated with HAMP; that a mortgage modification was guaranteed and would take only approximately thirty to sixty days; and that the Mortgage Modification Companies would issue a full refund of the upfront fee to any client whose mortgage was not successfully modified in the stated time period. ANTHONY BLACKWELL, who held himself out as an attorney for the Mortgage Modification Companies, despite not having a valid law license for most of the relevant period, and ANGEL GONZALEZ, a sales manager who was involved in training sales representatives, instructed the companies’ sales representatives on how to lie to customers and routinely refused to provide refunds to customers despite the fact that those customers did not obtain mortgage modifications as promised.
BLACKWELL and GONZALEZ also personally met with and spoke directly to customers and told similar lies. They sought to cover up their fraudulent scheme by, among other things, directing sales representatives to assuage customers by falsely claiming that work was being done on the customer’s behalf and that the company just needed more time to obtain a mortgage modification, when, in fact, little or no work was being done to provide a mortgage modification to the customers.
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LYONS, 53, of Rockville Center, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. LYONS is scheduled to be sentenced on by Judge Daniels on January 7, 2016.
BLACKWELL, GOLDFADEN, GONZALEZ, and KEYS also each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. BLACKWELL, 49, of Manhattan, New York, pled guilty before Judge Daniels on July 8, 2015, and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2015. GOLDFADEN, 38, of East Rockaway, pled guilty before Judge Daniels on June 1, 2015, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 15, 2015. GONZALEZ, 33, of Rosedale, New York, pled guilty before Judge Daniels on March 5, 2015. KEYS, 52, of Uniondale, New York, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet on September 19, 2013.
In addition, a founder and co-owner of Company-1, SCOTT SCHREIBER, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty for his role in the offense to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, before the late U.S. District Judge Robert P. Patterson on October 16, 2013. SCHREIBER’s case is now before U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska. Sentencing dates have not yet been set for GONZALEZ, KEYS or SCHREIBER.
Mr. Bharara praised the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their outstanding work in the investigation. Mr. Bharara also thanked the New York State Office of the Attorney General for its assistance.
The charges were brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has filed over 18,000 financial fraud cases against more than 25,000 defendants. For more information on the task force, please visit www.StopFraud.gov.
This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janis Echenberg and Daniel Tehrani are in charge of the case.
Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Preparation FraudRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —William Glenn Green, 48, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, while Green prepared tax returns at a Sacramento business called “Will the Tax Man” from 2007 to at least April 2011, he knowingly placed false information on his clients’ returns to increase their refunds or reduce their taxes owed. The false information that Green added included false charitable contributions in large round numbers to charities like Amvets and United Cerebral Palsy, and other deductions and credits related to education and business expenses. The false deductions and credits were not based on information provided by Green’s clients, and Green typically did not inform his clients that these false deductions and credits had been added. Green’s conduct resulted in a total tax loss of approximately $492,000.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher S. Hales is prosecuting the case.
Green is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on October 14, 2015. Green faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in prison and a $100,000 fine, and can also be ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. 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.
Rogers Man Found Guilty on Four Counts of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Fayetteville, Arkansas - Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Juan Valenzuela, age 40, of Rogers, was found guilty on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, one count of Delivery of a Mixture or Substance Containing Methamphetamine, and two counts of Delivery of more than fifty (50) grams of Methamphetamine following a two day jury trial. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the trial in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
U.S. Attorney Eldridge commented, “I want to thank the investigators that worked so hard on this case and the jurors that took time out of their busy lives to see that justice was served. Children in Benton County and across the Western District of Arkansas deserve to grow up in communities free from illegal drug trafficking and the violence and other crime that comes with it. With the defendant’s conviction, another positive step forward has been taken for the citizens of the Western District of Arkansas.”
“Methamphetamine is a destructive poison that can cause terrible harm to the quality of life in our communities,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Downing. “Side by side with our local law enforcement partners, DEA is holding meth dealers accountable. Together, we are putting dealers where they belong – behind bars. Let this guilty verdict be a loud and clear message to any and all remaining drug dealers: you will be identified, you will be investigated and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Downing.
According to evidence presented to the jury, during the course of an ongoing investigation, it was learned that Valenzuela was selling large quantities of suspected methamphetamine out of his Rogers residence. On January 15, 2015, May 18, 2015 and May 22, 2015, Valenzuela sold over a quarter of a pound of methamphetamine collectively to an informant working for the DEA. A federal search warrant was obtained and executed on May 27, 2015, at the home where Valenzuela had previously sold methamphetamine to the informant. Additional evidence indicative of methamphetamine trafficking was located at the residence. Valenzuela was arrested at the scene and booked into jail. Valenzuela was indicted by a federal grand jury June 3, 2015. .
Sentencing will be announced at a later date. The defendant faces a maximum sentence on counts one and two of 20 years imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, or both. He faces a maximum sentence on counts three and four of 10 years to life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine or both. The sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violations.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Brice White and Brandon Carter prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov
Rochester Police Department Reaches Settlement to Ensure Effective Communication for Deaf and Hard of Hearing IndividualsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has reached an agreement with the Rochester Police Department under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), requiring the department to provide sign language interpreters and other aids and services to citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today. The settlement resolves a complaint alleging that the police department failed to provide an individual in detention with a text or video capable telephone while he was in custody and failed to timely provide him with a sign language interpreter. The ADA requires that public entities, such as police departments, provide sign language interpreters and/or other appropriate auxiliary aids and services to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Under the settlement, the police department agreed to update its policies and train its staff to ensure that citizens who are deaf are able to effectively communicate with police department personnel in the future. It will also ensure that it has a text or video capable telephone available for detainees who are deaf or hard of hearing. “Police departments need policies and training to ensure that they can communicate with anyone that they encounter, regardless of disability," McQuade said. “We applaud the Rochester Police Department for its willingness to update its policies and train its staff to enable effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. We hope that this case will improve awareness about the responsibility police departments have to ensure effective communication with all individuals." Those interested in finding out more about this settlement or the obligations of public entities under the ADA may call the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at 313-226-9151, or send an email to [email protected]. Information is also available at the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or at www.ada.gov.Pineville Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years for Producing Child PornRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Pineville, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography.
Jeremy Wayne Law, 31, of Pineville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 30 years in federal prison without parole.
On March 25, 2015, Law pleaded guilty to attempting to use a minor to produce child pornography. Law, who has three previous sex convictions, is a registered sex offender.
Law admitted that he communicated via text messages with a 16-year-old female, identified as “T.C.,” who resided in New York. Investigators found pornographic images and videos of T.C. on Law’s computer. Law also admitted that he had twice engaged in sexual intercourse with T.C. in a vehicle and that he had sent her an image of his genitalia.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Hamburg, N.Y., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Philadelphia Congressman and Associates Charged with Participating in Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – A Member of Congress and four of his associates were indicted today for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy involving several schemes that were intended to further the political and financial interests of the defendants and others by, among other tactics, misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, charitable and campaign funds.
Charged in a 29-count indictment are: Congressman Chaka Fattah Sr., 58, of Philadelphia, Bonnie Bowser, 59, of Philadelphia, Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, NJ, Herbert Vederman, 69, of Palm Beach, Florida, and Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia. The indictment charges participation in a racketeering conspiracy, bribery, conspiracy to commit wire, honest services and mail fraud, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, bank fraud, false statements to a financial institution, and multiple counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and falsification of records.
The charges were announced today by United States Attorney Zane David Memeger, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Edward J. Hanko and IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent-in-Charge Akeia Conner.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that, in connection with his failed 2007 campaign to serve as mayor of Philadelphia, Fattah and certain associates borrowed $1 million from a wealthy supporter, and disguised the funds as a loan to a consulting company. After he lost the election, Fattah allegedly returned to the donor $400,000 that the campaign had not used, and arranged for Educational Advancement Alliance (EAA), a non-profit entity that he founded and controlled, to repay the remaining $600,000 using charitable and federal grant funds that passed through two other companies, including one run by Brand. To conceal the contribution and repayment scheme, the defendants and others allegedly created sham contracts, and made false entries in accounting records, tax returns and campaign finance disclosure statements.
In addition, the indictment alleges that, after his defeat in the mayoral election, Fattah sought to extinguish approximately $130,000 in campaign debt owed to a political consultant by agreeing to arrange for the award of federal grant funds to the consultant. According to the allegations in the indictment, Fattah directed the consultant to apply for a $15 million grant (which ultimately he did not receive) on behalf of a then non-existent non-profit entity. In exchange for Fattah’s efforts to arrange the award of the funds to the non-profit, the consultant allegedly agreed to forgive the debt owed by the campaign.
The indictment further alleges that Fattah misappropriated funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns to repay his son’s student loan debt. To execute the scheme, Fattah and Bowser allegedly arranged for his campaigns to make payments to a political consulting company, which funds the company then used to lessen Fattah’s son’s student loan debt. According to the allegations in the indictment, between 2007 and 2011, the consultant made 34 successful loan payments on behalf of Fattah’s son, totaling approximately $23,000.
In another alleged scheme, beginning in 2008, Fattah communicated with individuals in the legislative and executive branches in an effort to secure for Vederman an ambassadorship or an appointment to the United States Trade Commission. In exchange, Vederman provided money and other items of value to Fattah. As part of this scheme, the indictment alleges that the defendants sought to conceal an $18,000 bribe payment from Vederman to Fattah by disguising it as a payment for a sham car sale that never actually took place.
Finally, the indictment alleges that Nicholas obtained $50,000 in federal grant funds that she claimed would be used by EAA to support a conference on higher education. The conference never took place. Instead, Nicholas used the grant funds to pay $20,000 to a political consultant, $10,000 to her attorney, and also wrote several checks to herself from EAA's operating account.
“The public expects their elected officials to act with honesty and integrity,” said Memeger. “By misusing campaign funds, misappropriating government funds, accepting bribes, and committing bank fraud, as alleged in the Indictment, Congressman Fattah and his co-conspirators have betrayed the public trust and undermined faith in government.”
“As charged in the indictment, Congressman Fattah and his associates embarked on a wide-ranging conspiracy involving bribery, concealment of unlawful campaign contributions and theft of charitable and federal funds to advance their own personal interests,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “When elected officials betray the trust and confidence placed in them by the public, the department will do everything we can to ensure that they are held accountable. Public corruption takes a particularly heavy toll on our democracy because it undermines people’s basic belief that our elected leaders are committed to serving the public interest, not to lining their own pockets.”
“These crimes and their cover up constitute a breach of the public trust,” said Hanko. “A founding principle of our democracy is that citizens place their faith and trust in the public servants they elect to represent them. It is the duty of the FBI, IRS, and Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute those who violate this trust and put personal gain above public service.”
“Public corruption by our elected officials and their associates undermines the American public’s confidence in our government,” said Conner. “When our elected officials and their associates violate the law and create sophisticated financial schemes to enrich themselves, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation will work diligently with our fellow law enforcement partners to restore the public’s trust.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistance was provided by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, the NASA Office of Inspector General and the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul L. Gray, Trial Attorneys Eric L. Gibson, T. Patrick Martin and Jonathan Kravis of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. Trial Attorney Bob Dalton of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section also has provided assistance.
An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Palm Beach County Resident Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
On July 24, 2015, Presner Telusme, of West Palm Beach, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, following his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g) and 924(e).
Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, David Aronberg, State Attorney, Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, Hugo J. Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and Ric Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) made the announcement.
According to court records, Telusme was arrested pursuant to a warrant. During the subsequent execution of a search warrant at Telusme’s residence, law enforcement discovered a stolen firearm. Telusme, who was previously convicted of state felony offenses, including two sales of cocaine, resisting arrest with violence, and fleeing/eluding, admitted to unlawfully possessing the firearm.
This case is, in large part, the result of the Project Safe Neighborhood Partnership, launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Through this Partnership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its federal, state and local law enforcement allies have sought to dismantle the most violent criminal networks in various neighborhoods, while simultaneously working with community leaders and concerned citizens to mentor at-risk youth, provide job training and family services, and help individuals who have completed their federal and state prison sentences to successfully re-enter society.
Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Aronberg commended the investigative efforts of the ATF and PBSO. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller from the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
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.
Pair Heads to Federal Prison for Importing, Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas - A Laredoan and a Mexican national have been ordered to federal prison following their pleas of guilty to possession with intent to distribute nearly 50 pounds of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
Gilberto Jorge Rodriguez, 48, of Laredo, and Andres Villarreal-Parades, 28, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, pleaded guilty Dec. 15, 2015, and April 13, 2015, respectively.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo, who accepted both pleas, ordered Villarreal-Parades to serve a total of 168 months in federal prison and is expected to face deportation proceedings immediately thereafter. Rodriguez was sentenced to 78 months to be followed by three years of supervised release.
On July 28, 2014, Rodriguez was arrested following a routine traffic stop in Freer when a narcotics canine alerted to the presence of drugs in the trunk of his car. Law enforcement officers then searched the vehicle and found eight bundles containing 20.7 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in the spare tire.
During today’s hearing, Judge Marmolejo heard evidence demonstrating that Villareal-Parades had recruited Rodriguez on at least three occasions to deliver methamphetamine that he had hidden in spare tires to various cities in Texas. After each trip to deliver the drugs, Rodriguez would return to Laredo and deliver the proceeds from the methamphetamine to Villareal-Paredes, at which time he paid Rodriguez $10,000.
The charges were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Eaton and Sanjeev Bhasker prosecuted the case.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Interstate Travel in Aid of Lawful ActivityRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss – Jywaun Davis Williams, 29, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola to interstate travel in aid of drug trafficking activity, announced U. S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Brown.
Williams was charged following a traffic stop on I-10 in Gulfport in April, 2014. He will be sentenced on October 22, 2015, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Gulfport Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams is prosecuting the case.
New York Man Arrested and Charged with Attempting to Provide Support to ISILRead the Press Release
Arafat M. Nagi, 42, of Lackawanna, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support and resources, namely personnel, to a foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. of the Western District of New York and Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig of the FBI’s Buffalo, New York, Division made the announcement today.
“Our continuing fight against international terrorism today returns to Western New York,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “As alleged, Arafat Nagi pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and the leader of this terrorist organization. After buying military combat gear, he traveled twice to Turkey in an effort to help the group. Thanks to the combined efforts of law enforcement and community members, this defendant is no longer capable of achieving his goal of joining the most despicable group of our time.”
“The FBI has a responsibility to ensure that our law enforcement and intelligence agencies are positioned to identify existing or emerging threats,” said Special Agent in Charge Boetig. “Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) serve as the national platforms for deterring, detecting and disrupting terrorist machinations. The JTTF in Buffalo relies on community engagement to gain perspectives on radicalization and to deter recruitment and the spread of radicalization messages. We continue to call upon people to contact law enforcement if they know of someone who has been influenced by ISIL rhetoric on social media – powerful propaganda that calls for followers to commit quick and unpredictable violent acts.”
According to the complaint, on Aug. 28, 2014, a Lackawanna community member advised the FBI that Nagi talks about violent jihad to various people in the community and it is common for Nagi to get into verbal arguments regarding his jihadi beliefs.
Further investigation determined that Nagi pledged allegiance to ISIL and the leader of the terrorist group, Abu Bakr al Bagdadi. The defendant traveled to Turkey on two occasions, in October 2012 and July 2014, with the intention to meet with members of the group. Evidence revealed that prior to these trips, the defendant purchased large number of military combat items, including a tactical vest, army combat shirt, body armor, a Shahada Flag, combat boots, a backpack, burn kit, hunting knife, machete and night vision goggles.
During follow up interviews in December 2014 and March 2015, the community member who alerted the FBI regarding Nagi’s actions stated that the defendant still possessed radical political and religious views. According to the individual, Nagi was angry about the killing of rebels in Yemen, which he blamed on the United States; pledged an oath to ISIL leaders; expressed agreement with ISIL tactics, including the killing of innocent men, women and children; and planned to travel to Yemen and Turkey again soon.
Nagi will make his initial appearance this morning at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott in the Western District of New York.
The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the FBI’s Buffalo JTTF, which includes the Amherst, New York, Police Department; the Buffalo Police Department; the U.S. Department of State; the Federal Protective Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Internal Revenue Service; the New York State Police; the Niagara County, New York, Sheriff’s Office; the Niagara Falls, New York, Police Department; the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol; and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Air and Marine Branch. Additional assistance was provided by the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Nassau County Nurse Arrested and Charged with Receiving Child Pornography over the InternetRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Ronald Eugene Mabrey, Jr. (34, Callahan) has been arrested and charged by a federal criminal complaint with receiving child pornography over the Internet. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison. A detention hearing is scheduled for July 30, 2015.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 28, 2015, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Mabrey’s residence in Callahan. During an interview, Mabrey admitted to searching for, downloading, and viewing child pornography. He estimated that his computer would contain “a couple thousand” images and “approximately 500 videos” depicting child pornography. A forensic examination of Mabrey’s laptop revealed images depicting the sexual abuse of a prepubescent child that had been recently downloaded.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case 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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Mother, Nurses Plead Guilty to Defrauding TennCare of $400,000Read the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A mother and four nurses assigned to care for her now-deceased son have all pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud.
According to the charging documents and plea agreements in the case, Josephine Coach’s son had a tracheotomy and required a ventilator for breathing assistance. The child, who was wheel-chair bound, also had gastrointestinal problems that required frequent monitoring. The child’s doctor ordered 19 hours of daily nursing care for the child. The child received health care through TennCare, the state of Tennessee’s Medicaid program, which provides health care services to qualifying indigent individuals.
Nurses employed with On Call Staffing, Inc. were supposed to provide the 19 hours of daily home health services ordered by the doctor. On Call Staffing was a subcontractor to Functional Independence Home Care, Inc., which contracted with TennCare to provide nursing services to patients who utilized the Medicaid program.
From January 2009 to August 2011, Coach knowingly and intentionally conspired with four of the nurses to defraud TennCare by billing the program for nursing services that were never provided to the child. Specifically, Coach and the nurses reached agreements whereby the nurses would not show up for their appointed shifts but still turn in time sheets as if they had worked. The nurses then split their pay for the shifts with Coach. As a result of the fraud, TennCare paid over $400,000 for nursing services that were never provided to the child.
"The defendants’ scheme of foregoing the medical needs of a severely disabled minor in exchange for financial gain at taxpayer expense is shocking and reprehensible," said U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III. "Each defendant, including the minor’s mother, will now be held accountable at sentencing."
The nurses involved with the scheme who pled guilty include: Falesha Wilson, Carla Surratt, Nakesha Stephens, and Nicole Douglass. Evidence obtained during the investigation indicates that the nurses who made similar arrangements with Coach may have actually worked approximately two out of every seven of their reported shifts.
According to the charging documents and plea agreements:
• Between February and August 2011, each of the four nurses received at least one paycheck in the amount of $1,462.34 for services supposed to have been provided to Coach’s son. The nurses then split the paychecks with Coach.
• Each nurse was assigned to work 9.5-hour shifts with Coach’s son.
• Douglass’ tenure caring for Coach’s son lasted from January 2009 to May 2011. TennCare paid $394 per shift for Douglass. She turned in time sheets for 721 shifts during her assignment.
• Wilson’s tenure caring for Coach’s son lasted from January to June 2011. TennCare paid $394 per shift for Wilson. She turned in time sheets for 643 shifts during her assignment.
• Surratt’s tenure caring for Coach’s son lasted from May to August 2011. TennCare paid $394 per shift for Surratt. She turned in time sheets for 103 shifts during her assignment.
• Stephens’ tenure caring for Coach’s son lasted from June to August 2011. TennCare paid $394 per shift for Stephens. She turned in time sheets for 75 shifts during her assignment.
Coach’s son passed away in April 2015 at age 12.
Douglass, Stephens, and Surratt are slated for sentencing on October 2, 2015.
Wilson is slated for sentencing on October 9, 2015.
Coach is slated for sentencing on October 23, 2015.
All defendants will be sentenced by Chief Judge J. Daniel Breen. They each face up to five years imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fabian is representing the government in this case.
Middle School Music Teacher Charged with Accessing, Possessing Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Somerset County, New Jersey, man was arrested this morning after FBI agents found sexually explicit images of children on his home computer, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Cliff Ramsay, 30, of Raritan, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of accessing images of child sexual abuse and one count of possessing images of child sexual abuse. He appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert in Trenton federal court and was detained pending a bail hearing.
According to the criminal complaint filed today and statements made in court:
On Feb. 25, 2015, and Feb. 27, 2015, Ramsay, a middle school music teacher who also gave music lessons to minors at his home, accessed a website known to contain images, videos and other material containing child pornography. After a search warrant was executed at Ramsay’s home earlier today, law enforcement agents found numerous videos and images of child sexual abuse on his computer, including material depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Each count charged in the complaint carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. Fishman also thanked the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Geoffrey D. Soriano; the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Anthony P. Kearns III; the Raritan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth McCormick; and the Readington Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sebastian Donaruma, for their assistance with this investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Brendan Day of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel: Joshua D. Altman Esq., Trenton, New Jersey
Meth Cook Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Justin Ryan Boles, 32, of Mobile, was sentenced today in federal court for his participation in conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and conspiracy to possess a List I chemical with knowledge it would be used to manufacture a controlled substance. Boles pled guilty to the offenses on November 14, 2014. Court documents reflect that Boles was manufacturing methamphetamine at a residence in west Mobile when his clandestine lab exploded and the house burned to the ground. Later, he fled from sheriff’s deputies when they had information that he was manufacturing methamphetamine in an apartment off Old Shell Road. Other individuals were arrested and active methamphetamine labs were seized at that location, but Boles evaded arrest. He was finally taken into custody when deputies located him at another residence in west Mobile. Boles was implicated as a prolific methamphetamine "cook" with numerous suppliers of pseudoephedrine pills, which is the List I chemical that acts as a precursor in the methamphetamine manufacturing process.
This morning, United States District Court Judge William H. Steele imposed a sentence of 188 months on each count, to be served concurrently. The judge also ordered that Boles serve a period of supervised release of three years following his release from prison. Boles was directed to undergo drug testing and treatment as a special condition of his supervised release. He was ordered to pay a special mandatory assessment of $200, but no fine was imposed.
Agencies participating in the investigation of the case were the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Saraland Police Department. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Member of Cherry Hill Group ‘UDH” Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III sentenced Bryan Turner, age 29, of Baltimore, to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin. Turner is a member of the UDH organization, which operates in the Cherry Hill section of Baltimore.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Interim Commissioner Kevin Davis of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
According to his plea agreement, Turner is a member of the UDH organization, which operates in the area of Cherry Hill known as “Up the Hill” or “Up da Hill.” UDH members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with members of an organization known as “Coppin Court” that is involved in criminal activity in the part of Cherry Hill known as “Down the Hill,” and since at least January 2011, have been in a dispute with members of “Little Spelman,” another organization that is involved in criminal activity in the Down the Hill section of Cherry Hill. UDH members and associates used violence and intimidation to protect themselves, the organization, and their control of the drug trade in part of Cherry Hill.
On August 5, 2011, Turner participated in the robbery of the Chesapeake Bank of Maryland in Arbutus, along with other UDH members. Turner and others went into the bank and presented the teller with a note demanding money. Turner and his associates stole $7,305, which was later divided between Turner and three other UDH members.
Turner admitted that as a member of UDH he sold crack cocaine, heroin and other narcotics with UDH members. They sold the drugs from a house located on Giles Road, in the UDH area of Cherry Hill. At one point, Turner even lived in the residence. In addition to selling drugs from this location, co-defendant Antione White and others stored firearms at the house, which were used communally by other UDH members. On March 8, 2011, officers executed a search warrant at a residence in the 2900 block of Cherryland Road. Turner and other UDH members were arrested and law enforcement recovered $105 from the toilet, where a UDH member had attempted to flush it; a backpack with 406 vials containing almost 25 grams of crack cocaine; drug paraphernalia and packaging material. Officers recovered $192 in cash and two Percocet pills from Turner. On January 18, 2013, Baltimore City Police arrested White and other UDH members at the Giles Road residence and seized cocaine, drug paraphernalia and a loaded gun.
During his participation in the UDH drug conspiracy Turner was responsible for distributing in excess of 280 grams of crack cocaine and more than a kilogram of heroin.
Antione White, age 27, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the ATF, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department, and Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Andrea L. Smith, Seema Mittal, and Patricia C. McLane who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
Man Sentenced to 80 Months for Multimillion-Dollar Mail and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A luxury automobile salesman has been sentenced to 80 months for operating a scheme that defrauded individuals of more than $2 million.
According to the indictment, from October 2010 to September 2013, Michael Brown offered upscale automobiles for sale through his business, Valkry Corporation. However, once he received payments from customers, Brown used the funds for personal benefit and failed to fulfill vehicle orders.
For nearly three years, Brown would partially satisfy order requests, or fail to deliver the vehicle(s) at all, according to the indictment. Brown would use the funds for personal endeavors, as well as travel and business expenses. He also used the funds to purchase additional vehicles, which he advertised to new customers. As a result of his scheme, Brown fraudulently obtained $1,984,803.
One victim of Brown’s scheme over that period is M Super Car, an international luxury automobile dealership based in Macau. In October 2010, M Super Car placed an order with Brown for the purchase of multiple vehicles for $1,268,000, according to the indictment. The dealership made multiple wire transfers from its bank accounts to Valkry Corporation’s First Tennessee accounts to purchase 16 Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a customized Porsche. However, Brown failed to fulfill the company’s order or refund their money for the cars he was unable to deliver.
England-based company KIS Cars, LTD. is another victim of Brown’s scheme. In November 2012, KIS Cars placed an order with Valkry Corporation for four Mercedes-Benz sedans and four Porsche Cayennes. The company paid Valkry Corporation for the orders via two wire transfers, one in the amount of $64,886 and another for $522,404. However, Brown failed to fulfill the orders and only provided a partial refund of $20,000 to KIS Cars.
In August 2013, Leonard Wright negotiated the purchase of a 2014 BMW 650i from Brown for $102,721.57. Wright financed the purchase through Orion Federal Credit Union. Although Brown received a check satisfying his asking price for the BMW, he failed to deliver the car to Wright.
Brown pled guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud in February 2015. Following his plea, Brown continued his scheme. One of the people he managed to defraud was legendary basketball player Julius "Dr. J" Erving. In February 2015, the former NBA star wired Brown $251,934.13 to purchase a 2015 Rolls Royce Wraith. Nevertheless, Brown failed to fulfill Erving’s order or provide him with a refund.
On Tuesday, July 28th, Brown was sentenced to 80 months by U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard represented the government in this case.
Man Pleads Guilty to Lucrative Federal Benefit Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A man responsible for executing a federal benefit fraud scheme that cost the government an estimated $400,000 pled guilty to conspiracy charges this week.
According to the indictment, Ray Chism III defrauded the government by purchasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from recipients for cash in amounts less than the face value of the benefits, and then redeemed the benefits at full monetary value.
From October 2011 to December 2013, Chism recruited multiple SNAP recipients willing to sell their allotted benefits for amounts less than face value. Chism subsequently redeemed the benefits through Maxi Foods, a grocery store owned by Chism’s relative, for full monetary value.
SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) is a program designed to help low- and middle-income families purchase food. A SNAP beneficiary is provided a designated amount of funding each month via a rechargeable Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Cardholders are able to use the allotted funding to purchase eligible food items at authorized retailers. Maxi Foods possessed a SNAP EBT card system, enabling SNAP beneficiaries to pay for eligible food items with their EBT card.
Chism also masterminded a scheme to defraud the Child Care Certificate Program, which provides federal funding to assist underprivileged families with child care costs, from October 2011 to December 2013. Chism paid cash to parents who qualified for Certificate Program benefits in exchange for use of their child care certificates. After acquiring the information, Chism would falsely report the children’s attendance to his daycare center, Helping Hands Enrichment Center, and receive reimbursement for care. Chism also provided non-qualifying parents with false employment verification, which qualified them for the Certificate Program.
On Tuesday, July 28th, Chism pled guilty to conspiracy to commit SNAP benefit fraud and conspiracy to commit child care benefit fraud. Chism faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a maximum fine of $500,000.
Chism is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, October 23, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. by U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr.
This investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General; United States Secret Service; United States Marshals Service; Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit; and the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
This case is being prosecuted for the government by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Larry Laurenzi and Debra Ireland.
Long Island Educator and Coach Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Long Island educator and coach Kevin Barry O’Connell, 54, pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography at his residence in Patchogue, New York. The plea proceeding was conducted before U.S. District Judge Leonard D. Wexler at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, NY. O’Connell faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, and a fine of $250,000.
Today’s guilty plea was announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York.
“Charged by profession with caring for children, the defendant instead acted to foster their victimization by receiving numerous images of the abuse of children,” stated Acting United States Attorney Currie. Mr. Currie thanked the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, HSI for its investigation of this case.
According to court filings and admissions made in court at the time he entered the plea, O’Connell downloaded video files of the rape and abuse of children as young as eight years old which he kept on thumb drives in his Patchogue home. During a court-ordered search of his residence on October 15, 2012, O’Connell initially lied to HSI agents and denied that he possessed child pornography until agents found three thumb drives in the pocket of a jacket at the house. O’Connell then admitted that he had hidden the drives in the jacket.
Following his arrest, O’Connell was suspended from his employment as an Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education in the Roosevelt Union Free School District. O’Connell had previously served as the Principal of Bellport Senior High School in the South Country Central School District and an Assistant Principal at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School. O’Connell was the Varsity Baseball Coach from 1990 to 2001 at William Floyd High School.
This prosecution is 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Allen Bode.
The Defendant:
Kevin Barry O’Connell
Age: 54
Patchogue, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 12-CR-715 (LDW)
Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar Software Piracy SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Las Vegas, Nev., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in one of the largest software piracy schemes ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The multi-million dollar scheme, with co-conspirators in the People’s Republic of China and across the United States, illegally sold millions of dollars of Microsoft Corporation and Adobe Systems, Inc., software product key codes through a charitable organization and several online businesses. More than $18 million in assets, including luxury automobiles and expensive real estate, have been seized through federal forfeiture complaints. Those affidavits allege that conspirators reaped about $30 million in profits from customers who paid about $90 million for the pirated software.
Arunachalam Annamalai, 48, a citizen of India residing in Las Vegas, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with participating in the software piracy conspiracy. Annamalai is the owner and operator of Vegascart, LLC.
By pleading guilty today, Annamalai admitted that he conspired with others to sell unauthorized software product key codes from Microsoft Corporation on Internet Web sites, eBay auctions, on-line merchant services, and other means. Microsoft product key codes are used to obtain full access to unlocked, licensed versions of various Microsoft copyrighted software programs.
Annamalai admitted that he purchased approximately 2,569 Microsoft software product key codes from co-conspirator Casey Lee Ross, 28, of Kansas City, Mo., between March and December 2013. These software key codes are calculated at a loss amount of $250 each, therefore, the relevant loss amount in this matter is estimated at $642,250.
Ross and Matthew Lockwood, 37, of Denver, Colo., have each pleaded guilty in separate but related cases to their roles in this same conspiracy.
According to court documents, the investigation began when federal agents in Kansas City, Mo., learned in 2013 that Ross had purchased (and redistributed) tens of thousands of illegitimate and unauthorized Microsoft product key codes and counterfeit product key cards from suspect sources in China.
Ross admitted that he purchased approximately 30,159 product key codes and counterfeit product key cards. Ross purchased these product key codes at prices well below that of the estimated retail price. In many cases, they were distributed on counterfeit card stock intended to make it appear as if they were genuine Microsoft products.
Ross (doing business as Software Slashers) distributed large quantities of these product key codes and counterfeit Microsoft product key cards to co-conspirators in the United States, who in turn sold the product key codes and counterfeit product key cards through their respective Web sites as well as on e-commerce sites such as eBay or Amazon.
Lockwood admitted that he paid Ross $1,127,190 for unauthorized product key codes and counterfeit product key cards. Lockwood also admitted that he paid $1,574,054 to unidentified persons in the state of Washington for various software items. Lockwood admitted that he obtained approximately 6,165 certificates of authenticity, 4,996 “Lenovo” product key cards and approximately 11,000 unauthorized product key codes.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Annamalai jointly recommend a sentence of time served to trigger his immediate deportation from the United States. Annamalai also must enter into a stipulation of settlement in several civil cases in which the government has seized two residential properties and $212,930 from a bank account.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly; Assistant U.S. Attorney Curt Bohling is responsible for the civil proceedings. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Lake Charles, Louisiana, Man Convicted in Nigerian Mail Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A 38-year-old Lake Charles, Louisiana, man has been convicted in a Nigerian mail fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Heesham Broussard, also known as Sudan, was found guilty by a jury for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft following a four day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider.
According to information presented in court, Broussard participated in a Nigerian-based mail fraud scheme that distributed counterfeit postal money orders and checks. The scheme targeted victims throughout the United States. Victims of the scheme were led to believe that they were working as mystery shoppers. Broussard served as a re-shipper or dispatcher of counterfeit postal money orders and checks. As part of the scheme, he sent packages to more than 600 intended victims and sent counterfeit items bearing a face value of more than $1 million. Broussard was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 22, 2014.
Broussard’s co-conspirators, Olumide Lalemi, also known as Paul Smith, the Nigerian organizer of the scheme, and Victoria Williams, a re-shipper, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Lalemi and Williams will appear before Judge Schneider for sentencing. At sentencing, both defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Broussard faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy conviction, 20 years for each mail fraud conviction, and two years for each aggravated identity theft conviction. A sentencing date has not been sent.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and D. Ryan Locker.
Any individuals with knowledge of these or other mail fraud violations are encouraged to contact the Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Tip Line at 877-876-2455.
Lackawanna Man Arrested, Charged with Attempting to Provide Support to IsilRead 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 Arafat M. Nagi, 44, of Lackawanna, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support and resources, namely, personnel, to a foreign terrorist organization, ISIL. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.“Our continuing fight against international terrorism today returns to Western New York,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “As alleged, Arafat Nagi pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and the leader of this terrorist organization. After buying military combat gear, he traveled twice to Turkey in an effort to help the group. Thanks to the combined efforts of law enforcement and community members, this defendant is no longer capable of achieving his goal of joining the most despicable group of our time.”
“The FBI has a responsibility to ensure that our law enforcement and intelligence agencies are positioned to identify existing or emerging threats,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Boetig. “Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) serve as the national platforms for deterring, detecting, and disrupting terrorist machinations. The JTTF in Buffalo relies on community engagement to gain perspectives on radicalization and to deter recruitment and the spread of radicalization messages. We continue to call upon people to contact law enforcement if they know of someone who has been influenced by ISIL rhetoric on social media – powerful propaganda that calls for followers to commit quick and unpredictable violent acts.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Joseph M. Tripi, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on August 28, 2014, a community member advised the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the defendant spoke about violent jihad to various people in the Lackawanna community and it was common for Nagi to get into verbal complaints over his jihadi beliefs.
Further investigation determined that the defendant pledged allegiance to ISIL and the leader of the terrorist group, Abu Bakr al Bagdadi. Investigators learned that the defendant traveled to Turkey on two occasions, in October, 2012 and July 2014 with the intention to meet with members of the group. Evidence revealed that prior to this trip, the defendant purchased a large number of military combat items, including a tactical vest, army combat shirt, body armor, Shahada Flag, combat boots, backpack, burn kit, a hunting knife, machete and night vision goggles.
During follow up interviews in December, 2014 and March 2015, the community member who alerted the FBI regarding Nagi’s actions stated that the defendant still possessed radical political and religious views. According to the individual, Nagi was angry about the killing of rebels in Yemen which he blamed on the United States; pledged an oath to ISIL leaders; expressed agreement with ISIL tactics, including the killing of innocent men, women and children; and planned to travel to Yemen and Turkey again soon.
The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism task Force which includes the Amherst Police Department, the Buffalo Police Department, the U.S. Department of State, the Federal Protective Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the New York State Police, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, the Niagara Falls Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Air and Marine Branch. Additional assistance was provided by the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Disability Discrimination in Housing by the City of Petal, MississippiRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the city of Petal, Mississippi, to resolve allegations of discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities who sought to live in supported housing in one of the city’s residential neighborhoods.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, alleges that the city violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act when it took actions to prevent three men with disabilities from residing together in a rented home on the same terms as non-disabled persons; under the city’s zoning code, up to four unrelated persons may reside together in a home in a residential neighborhood. The home at issue is run by Brandi’s Hope Community Services, LLC, a Magee, Mississippi-based company that provides around-the-clock support for residents.
Under the terms of the agreement, approved by the court on July 29, 2015, the city will pay $25,000 to Brandi’s Hope in monetary damages and $25,000 to the United States as a civil penalty. The city will take other remedial measures, including implementing the comprehensive reasonable accommodation policy and zoning code amendments it enacted as part of the settlement. The settlement also resolves a separate lawsuit against the city brought by Brandi’s Hope.
“Persons with disabilities have the right to live in and enjoy their communities, just as all families do throughout our nation,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to eliminate discriminatory barriers that impede these individuals from doing so. We commend the city of Petal for working cooperatively with the department to reach this resolution.”
“This office is pleased that the city of Petal will now implement comprehensive reasonable accommodation policies and zoning code amendments that will allow persons with disabilities to enjoy the same right to live in the community as others,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis of the Southern District of Mississippi. “These changes will positively impact the lives of many others with disabilities in the future.”
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Persons who believe that they have experienced unlawful housing discrimination may contact the Justice Department at 1-800-896-7743, or by e-mail at [email protected], or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.