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Thursday 16 April 2015
Four Defendants Charged with Passing Counterfeit MoneyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that four defendants have been charged by criminal complaint with distributing and passing counterfeit currency. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Under arrest are Tiffany Key, 42, Shamell McCullough, 24, and Turemail McCullough, 23, all of Rochester. Key and Shamell McCullough made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and were released on conditions. Turemail McCullough will make an initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Payson.
A fourth defendant, Dashawn Sanders, is still being sought by police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, ON February 9, 2015, an investigating began into multiple passes of counterfeit currency in Monroe County, NY. The four named defendants were identified in part by video surveillance and photographs from various victim merchants. Some of the alleged illegal transactions include:
• On February 16, 2015, Tiffany Key passed $1,340 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located Cicero, NY.
• On March 9, 2015, Tiffany Key and Shamell Mccullough passed $1,020 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Webster, NY.
• On March 9, 2015, Dashawn Sanders and Shamell Mccullough passed $900.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Irondequoit, NY.
• On March 10, 2015, Tiffany Key, Shamell Mccullough and Turemail Mccullough passed $1,640 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Greece, NY.
• On March 10, 2015, Tiffany Key and Dashawn Sanders passed $1,300.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Dollar General Store located in Greece, NY.
• On March 12, 2015, Dashawn Sanders passed $3,800.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Seneca Falls, NY.
• On March 17, 2015, Turemail Mccullough passed $980.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Henrietta, NY.
According to the complaint, the counterfeit currency is being obtained from the New York City area and brought to the Rochester area to be distributed and passed. The defendants are accused of passing a total of $92,960 in counterfeit currency.The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge C. Todd Laster.
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.
Four Defendants Charged with Passing Counterfeit MoneyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that four defendants have been charged by criminal complaint with distributing and passing counterfeit currency. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Under arrest are Tiffany Key, 42, Shamell McCullough, 24, and Turemail McCullough, 23, all of Rochester. Key and Shamell McCullough made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and were released on conditions. Turemail McCullough will make an initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Payson.
A fourth defendant, Dashawn Sanders, is still being sought by police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, ON February 9, 2015, an investigating began into multiple passes of counterfeit currency in Monroe County, NY. The four named defendants were identified in part by video surveillance and photographs from various victim merchants. Some of the alleged illegal transactions include:
• On February 16, 2015, Tiffany Key passed $1,340 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located Cicero, NY.
• On March 9, 2015, Tiffany Key and Shamell Mccullough passed $1,020 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Webster, NY.
• On March 9, 2015, Dashawn Sanders and Shamell Mccullough passed $900.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Irondequoit, NY.
• On March 10, 2015, Tiffany Key, Shamell Mccullough and Turemail Mccullough passed $1,640 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Greece, NY.
• On March 10, 2015, Tiffany Key and Dashawn Sanders passed $1,300.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Dollar General Store located in Greece, NY.
• On March 12, 2015, Dashawn Sanders passed $3,800.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Seneca Falls, NY.
• On March 17, 2015, Turemail Mccullough passed $980.00 in counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve Notes at a Walmart located in Henrietta, NY.
According to the complaint, the counterfeit currency is being obtained from the New York City area and brought to the Rochester area to be distributed and passed. The defendants are accused of passing a total of $92,960 in counterfeit currency.The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge C. Todd Laster.
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.
Former Steel Workers Union Official Charged with Theft of Union FundsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that criminal charges were filed late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Scranton against a former official of the United Steelworkers of America, Local 1338, for stealing almost $9,000 in union funds over a two-and-a-half year period.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the Information alleges that on multiple occasions between May 2011 and December 2013, David Deitrick, aged 50, of Ranshaw, Pennsylvania, abused his position as the union’s secretary/treasurer in order to steal a total of $8,993.38 of the labor organization’s money.
The investigation was conducted by investigators from the United States Department of Labor. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Hobart.
The maximum penalty under federal law for Embezzlement and Theft of Labor Union Assets is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Former State Official Convicted of Bribery Scheme Involving Louisiana State Board of CosmetologyRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today the conviction of a former official of the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology who engaged in a bribery scheme to sell answers to upcoming Board-administered cosmetology examinations for cash.
WINN E. JOHNSON, age 71, of Boyce, Louisiana, has been charged in a Bill of Information with two counts of using the telephone in aid of bribery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1952. This morning, JOHNSON appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson and pled guilty.
As described in Court earlier today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Office of the State Inspector General opened an investigation involving JOHNSON and others in 2013, based in part on allegations that JOHNSON would accept cash from individuals who were scheduled to take Board examinations. JOHNSON acknowledged in Court today that on three different occasions, he met with an individual whose wife, JOHNSON believed, was seeking to obtain a cosmetology license. Each time, JOHNSON provided the individual with answers to an upcoming Board examination, in exchange for $500 in cash. JOHNSON used his cellular telephone to arrange the meetings, which took place on various dates in 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Louisiana Inspector General Stephen Street commented: “We have zero tolerance for those who compromise the integrity of government in exchange for monetary gain. It undermines the entire system and is an enormous disservice to the taxpayers. We will continue working with the FBI and United States Attorney to make sure that anyone who does this faces criminal consequences.”
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “This case is a reminder that corruption comes in a wide variety of forms. Individuals at all levels of our government can misuse their positions of trust to line their pockets, and it is never acceptable. Working with our partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Inspector General’s Office, among other agencies, we will puruse these types of allegations whenever they come to our attention. I commend the State Board’s leadership on its assistance and cooperation in helping us root out this corrupt actor.”
This ongoing investigation is being handled jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana Office of State Inspector General, with valuable assistance from the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology. U.S. Attorney Green emphasized that the State Board’s leadership has consistently cooperated with the investigation. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan A. Stevens, who serves as a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
Former New York Pediatrician Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Daniel J. O’Hern, 65, a Mashpee resident and former New York pediatrician, pleaded guilty yesterday to distribution and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for July 21, 2015.
On May 31, 2014, law enforcement discovered that O’Hern was distributing child pornography when he utilized a public file sharing program to post pictures and videos of minors, between the ages of 5 to 12 years old, engaged in sexually explicit conduct with adults. In June 2014, federal agents executed a search warrant at O’Hern’s residence and seized multiple computers, external hard drives, hundreds of DVDs, and other media storage devices which contained an extensive collection of images and videos depicting children being sexually assaulted by adults.
The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a minimum mandatory term of five years and no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum term of five years to a lifetime of supervised release, and registration with the sex offender registration board. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a term of no greater than 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Chief Rodney Collins of the Mashpee Police Department; and Chief Paul MacDonald of the Barnstable Police Department made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Former Montgomery Nightclub Owner and Ringleader of Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY, AL – The ringleader of a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme and former nightclub owner was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Montgomery, Alabama, for stolen identity refund fraud related crimes, announced U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama, and Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
Tarrish Tellis, 38, of Montgomery, was sentenced to serve 223 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $694,366 in restitution. On Jan. 14, a federal jury convicted Tellis of conspiracy to commit theft of public money, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft.
“Stealing over $700,000 from innocent citizens is disgraceful and will not be tolerated,” stated U.S. Attorney Beck. “This sentence sends a message that if you steal, you will be caught, prosecuted and go to jail for a very long time.”
“As evidenced by today’s sentence, individuals like Mr. Tellis, who commit stolen identity theft crimes and in doing so, victimize innocent American taxpayers and brazenly steal from the U.S. Treasury, face lengthy incarceration and substantial financial penalties,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “The Tax Division and its law enforcement partners stand ready to vigorously pursue and prosecute these offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Tellis, the former owner of Club Iconz Bar and Grill in Montgomery, masterminded a more than $700,000 stolen identity tax refund scheme. Tellis’ co-conspirator, Nakia Jackson, obtained approximately 700 names, dates of birth and social security numbers from an employee of the Alabama Medicaid State Agency. Jackson provided some of the stolen names to Tellis, who in turn used them to file false income tax returns. In exchange, Tellis taught Jackson how to file false tax returns.
Tellis concealed the origin of the tax refund proceeds by recruiting friends and relatives, including Bobby Joe Means, Delancey Tolliver, Glen Powell Jr. and Tracey Montgomery, to open up bank accounts for the purpose of receiving the tax refunds. When the refunds were deposited into their bank accounts, Tellis directed them to withdraw the money and provide it to him. On the false tax returns submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Tellis directed more than $300,000 in refunds to be deposited in those accounts. Tellis also recruited a bank teller, Laquanta Clayton, who used her position to open up bank accounts in the name of fictitious individuals and in the name of her daughter’s father. On the false tax returns submitted to the IRS, Tellis directed approximately $200,000 in refunds to be deposited into the accounts that Clayton controlled. Clayton withdrew the refund proceeds in cash and provided the majority of the money to Tellis. Tellis also took steps to conceal his involvement in the filing of false tax returns, including filing numerous tax returns by accessing another person’s residential wireless router that was not password protected so that it appeared as though the owner of the residence had filed the returns.
In 2014, Tellis’ co-conspirators were sentenced to prison for their involvement in the stolen identity refund fraud scheme. Jackson was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison, Clayton was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison, Tolliver was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, Powell Jr. and Means were each sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and Montgomery was sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Beck commended the special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Gregory P. Bailey, Charles M. Edgar Jr. and Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown of the Middle District of Alabama, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at the division website.
Former Kirtland Hills police chief sentenced to two years in prison for stealing $80,000 from the villageRead the Press Release
The former police chief of Kirtland Hills was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding the village out of at least $80,000 by making unauthorized purchases of clothing, tools and goods for his own personal use, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office.
Gerald Smith, Jr., 57, of Kirtland, previously pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation.
To date, Smith has paid $140,503, which covers the amount he stole and the village's related legal expenses. He was ordered to pay an additional $9,034 in restitution.
“Mr. Smith used the village treasury as his own personal checkbook,” Dettelbach said. “He violated the public's trust."
“When any law enforcement officer crosses the line of being a law-abiding citizen to becoming a law-breaking citizen it is disheartening," Anthony said. "The FBI will continue to pursue and bring to justice those in a position of trust and authority that violate that trust by breaking the law."
Smith joined the Kirtland Hills police department in 1978 and served as chief from 1988 until April 4, 2014. In this capacity, Smith was authorized to reimburse officers for work-related expenses and use village funds to procure necessary supplies, including the use of several village credit cards or lines of credit, according to the information.
The department also had petty cash fund, maintained in Smith’s office, in which employees submitted receipts with their name and the purpose of the expense written on it, for which they were then reimbursed, according to court documents.
Smith made approximately $80,000 in personal expenditures using village credit cards between 2007 and 2014. Some of the items were used to partially furnish his Florida condominium. Items purchased include ceiling fans, plumbing supplies, vacuum cleaners, children’s lunch boxes and story books, clothing, televisions, book shelves, personal hygiene items, firearms, car repairs and more, according to court documents.
Smith concealed these purchases by making false entries on receipts to make it appear they were made by others or made for official police business. By spreading the purchases out among different funds, he prevented the village from readily noticing large amounts of expenditures from one particular fund, according to court documents.
For example, Smith went on a hunting trip to Pennsylvania in 2007. While on vacation, he made the following purchases on a Kirtland Hills credit card: knife sharpening ($70), items at an Army Navy store ($269.96), and items at a sporting goods store, including Pro Hunter pants and jacket and a shirt ($209.97). He then falsely wrote on the receipt that the sporting goods clothing was SWAT clothing for a Kirtland Hills officer, according to court documents.
In 2007, Smith ordered several items online, including a $107.96 pair of women’s tan Ugg boots with the village Mastercard. Smith falsely wrote on the receipt “Road Dept Boots and Boots for (a Kirtland Hills police officer),” knowing the officer did not receive the boots, according to court documents.
Smith also obtained Kirtland Hills money by submitting false claims to the petty cash fund. When Kirtland Hills officers went out to lunch, or when Smith took personal trips with officers and the group stopped for food, Smith at times asked for the receipts. He then submitted the receipts for petty cash reimbursement under the officers’ names but without their knowledge, taking the cash for himself, according to court documents.
On March 17, 2014, Smith was placed on leave by Kirtland Hills and required to surrender his access badges, keys and all village property. He was also served by FBI agents with a federal grand jury subpoena, which required the production of certain documents and items.
On March 20, 2014, Smith secretly brought more than 50 items from his residence to a village storage shed and placed the items on the shelves, to give the appearance that these items belonged to the Village of Kirtland Hills. Among the items Smith returned were a drill, heater, dehumidifier, air purifier, camouflage tarps, socket set, channel locks, extension cords, hammer, hand saw and other items, according to court documents.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Former Investment Adviser at Global Bank Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Multimillon-Dollar Scheme to Defraud ClientsRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Diego Rodriguez, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that MICHAEL OPPENHEIM was charged with wire, securities, and investment adviser fraud, as well as embezzlement, for allegedly using his position as an investment adviser at a global financial institution based in New York City (the “Bank”) to defraud multiple Bank clients out of approximately $20 million over a four-year period. OPPENHEIM was arrested this morning and will be presented later today in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Michael Oppenheim is alleged to have misrepresented to investment advisory clients what he would do with their money. The allegations include that he lied to his clients and misappropriated their money. I want to thank the FBI and the SEC for their continued vigilance in protecting investors and their money.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez said: “Investment advisers are required to act in the best interest of their clients. Oppenheim did just the opposite by allegedly taking advantage of those who trusted him. As alleged, he concealed their money in a game of hide-and-seek and personally benefitted from illegitimately obtained profits. Now that his actions have been exposed, he will be made to face the consequences of the justice system.”
According to the allegations in the Criminal Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
From at least March 2011 to March 2015, OPPENHEIM, a former investment adviser at the Bank, a global financial institution based in New York City, abused his relationship of trust with his clients in converting to his own use and benefit at least $20 million belonging to at least seven clients whose investment advisory accounts at the Bank he purported to manage.
In some instances, OPPENHEIM induced clients to consent to the withdrawal of hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, of dollars from their accounts at the Bank, based on false and misleading representations that OPPENHEIM would invest their money in low-risk municipal bonds to be held in an account at the Bank. In other instances, OPPENHEIM simply withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients’ accounts without their knowledge.
OPPENHEIM did not invest these clients’ money in low-risk municipal bonds at the Bank as promised. Instead, after taking a client’s money, OPPENHEIM, without the client’s knowledge, used the client’s money to obtain cashier’s checks purporting to be remitted by the clients. OPPENHEIM then deposited the cashier’s checks in at least three online brokerage accounts OPPENHEIM controlled at financial institutions other than the Bank. OPPENHEIM used clients’ funds for his own personal use, including on-line trading in accounts he controlled, and to pay for personal expenses such as a home loan and bills.
In an effort to cover up his fraudulent scheme, OPPENHEIM provided some clients with fraudulent Bank account statements. The purported Bank account statements reflected bonds held by other clients of the Bank, but OPPENHEIM caused his clients’ names to appear on the statements in order to give the false impression that OPPENHEIM had purchased bonds on behalf of those clients, as he had promised. In a further effort to conceal his fraud, on several occasions, and without his clients’ consent or authority, OPPENHEIM withdrew funds from one client and deposited those funds into the account of another client.
OPPENHEIM continued the fraud until he was terminated by the Bank in March 2015.
OPPENHEIM, 48, of Livingston, New Jersey, is charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of embezzlement, one count of securities fraud, and one count of investment adviser fraud. The embezzlement count carries a maximum of 30 years in prison. The wire fraud and securities fraud counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The investment adviser fraud count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The charges carry a maximum fine of $5 million, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
In a separate action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced civil charges against OPPENHEIM.
Mr. Bharara praised the work of the FBI, and thanked the SEC and FINRA for their assistance. He added that the investigation is continuing.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Since the inception of FFETF in November 2009, the Justice Department has filed more than 12,841 financial fraud cases against nearly 18,737 defendants including nearly 3,500 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit and the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janis Echenberg, Alexander Wilson, and Brooke Cucinella are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. v. Michael Oppenheim Complaint
Former Inmate Sentenced to 42 Years for Distributing Child Porn from PrisonRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former California prison inmate, incarcerated for state sex offenses, was sentenced in federal court today for using a smuggled cell phone to distribute child pornography over the Internet.
Eric Lee Bederson, 37, formerly an inmate at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 42 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 12, 2014, Bederson pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography. At the time he committed these offenses, Bederson was serving a 16-year state sentence in California for a charge involving the aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual conduct of a minor. Bederson, then a 21-year-old day care center teacher, had been arrested following an investigation into suspicions that he was molesting multiple children and possessed child pornography. According to court documents, Bederson molested at least 20 children. A civil lawsuit resulted in a judgment of more than $10 million in damages.
Bederson used smuggled cell phones to distribute numerous images and videos of child pornography while he was incarcerated. As his release date approached, Bederson began communicating with other traders of child pornography via e-mail. He amassed upwards of 40 gigabytes of images and videos in his multiple e-mail accounts, which he used to actively trade, receive, and distribute to others – including an undercover federal agent based in Kansas City, Mo. According to court documents, these images and videos constitute violent and disturbing child pornography, including minors as young as five years old.
Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 8, 2011, he sent six e-mails to an undercover agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which included a total of 164 images and 10 videos of child pornography. Bederson sent this child pornography with the hope and expectation that the undercover HSI agent (and others) would reciprocate in sending child pornography back to him in return. Bederson also admitted that his e-mail accounts contained multiple gigabytes of e-mails and attachments of child pornography.
For example, on Sept. 29, 2011, Bederson sent an e-mail with 24 attached images of child pornography to the undercover federal agent. On Oct. 1, 2011, Bederson sent another e-mail to the undercover federal agent, which contained a video of child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California State Prison security office.
Former Corrections Officers Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate Civil RightsRead the Press Release
PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – William F. Finch, 35, of Wauseau, Florida, and Dalton E. Riley, 24, of Bethlehem, Florida, pled guilty today to conspiring to violate the civil rights of an inmate at the Northwest Florida Reception Center (“NWFRC”), a state prison in Chipley, Florida. Their co-defendant, Robert L. Miller, 48, of Lynn Haven, Florida, pled guilty on April 1. The guilty pleas were announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
During their pleas, Finch, Riley, and Miller admitted to physically assaulting an inmate at NWFRC on August 5, 2014, without justification and causing the inmate bodily injury. To conceal the defendants’ actions, Finch falsified reports of the incident by falsely stating that the assault was in response to the inmate spitting on another officer.
Sentencing for Finch and Riley is scheduled for July 1, 2015, before United States District Judge Richard Smoak at the United States Courthouse, 30 West Government Street, Panama City, Florida. Sentencing for Miller is scheduled for June 17.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Corrections – Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gayle E. Littleton.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Former Chief Compliance Officer Arrested for Embezzling from EmployerRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Dawn Harris, 36, of Katy, a former chief compliance officer for LTD Financial Services L.P., has been charged with embezzling money from her then-employer from 2007 to 2013, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
The indictment was returned under seal April 15, 2015, and unsealed today upon her arrest. She is scheduled to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy on Friday, April 17, 2015.
According to the Indictment, Harris was employed by LTD Financial starting in 1999 and was promoted several times, eventually becoming LTD Financial’s vice president of compliance in 2011 and finally its chief compliance officer in April 2013.
Starting in 2007, according to the indictment, Harris embezzled money from LTD Financial by abusing her authority to issue checks to pay for invoices that the vendors did not submit. Later, as she was promoted, Harris allegedly modified her scheme by ordering checks to be issued to pay for legal settlements that did not exist. Harris then deposited these fraudulent checks into her account and used the money to support her lifestyle, according to allegations. Over this seven year period, Harris is alleged to have embezzled approximately $440,090.70.
The Indictment charges Harris with 10 counts of wire fraud which carries a potential term of 20 years in federal prison on each count of conviction as well as a $250,000 maximum fine or twice the pecuniary gain or loss.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service’s Houston Area Fraud Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chu.
An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Former Bergen County, N.J., Democratic Chairman Convicted on Racketeering ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A jury today convicted Joseph A. Ferriero, the former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO), in connection with a racketeering scheme involving fraud and soliciting and accepting bribes as a party official, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Ferriero, 57, was found guilty following an eight-week trial before U.S. District Judge Esther B. Salas in Newark federal court. The jury deliberated four days before finding Ferriero guilty of conducting the BCDO’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (Count One), using the mail and facilities in interstate commerce to promote bribery and distribute bribe proceeds (Count Three) and wire fraud (Count Five).
“Joseph Ferriero was convicted today of running a local political organization as a criminal enterprise, using his power and position to line his pockets,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “The evidence we presented at trial described a racketeering operation that ran on influence peddling, bribes and kickbacks. Rooting out and prosecuting this kind of political corruption is a constant priority for this office. The people of New Jersey are entitled to honest public service.”
“Today’s conviction of Joseph A. Ferriero reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to combat public corruption in New Jersey and serves as a reminder that those individuals who violate the public’s trust will be held accountable,” Richard M. Frankel, the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge, Newark, said.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
Ferriero served as the chairman of the BCDO from 1998 until January 2009 and was the sole member of SJC Consulting LLC. The jury found Ferriero accepted bribes in his capacity as BCDO chairman in the course of a scheme involving SJC. Ferriero agreed with John Carrino, a Nutley, New Jersey-based attorney and software developer that Ferriero would recommend and provide a favorable opinion of the software developer and his companies to various public officials in Bergen County with whom Ferriero had influence. The software developer agreed to pay Ferriero one-quarter to one-third of the gross receipts from any contract obtained as a result of Ferriero’s efforts. Ferriero’s financial interest in the software developer’s public contracts was completely hidden using two shell companies, one of which was created and incorporated in Nevada for the sole purpose of contracting with and accepting payments from another shell company controlled by the software developer.
The racketeering charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison; the Travel Act charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; and the wire fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Each count of the indictment also carries a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 27, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frankel, and investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Supervisory Criminal Investigator Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s conviction.
The government is represented by Counsel to the U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Llanes of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Michael Baldassare, Jennifer Mara and Dillon Malar Esqs., Newark
Former Alabama Nightclub Owner and Ringleader of Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
The ringleader of a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme and former nightclub owner was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court in Montgomery, Alabama, for stolen identity refund fraud related crimes, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. of the Middle District of Alabama.
Tarrish Tellis, 38, of Montgomery, was sentenced to serve 223 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $694,366 in restitution. On Jan. 14, a federal jury convicted Tellis of conspiracy to commit theft of public money, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft.
“As evidenced by today’s sentence, individuals like Mr. Tellis, who commit stolen identity theft crimes and in doing so, victimize innocent American taxpayers and brazenly steal from the U.S. Treasury, face lengthy incarceration and substantial financial penalties,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo. “The Tax Division and its law enforcement partners stand ready to vigorously pursue and prosecute these offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Tellis, the former owner of Club Iconz Bar and Grill in Montgomery, masterminded a more than $700,000 stolen identity tax refund scheme. Tellis’ co-conspirator, Nakia Jackson, obtained approximately 700 names, dates of birth and social security numbers from an employee of the Alabama Medicaid State Agency. Jackson provided some of the stolen names to Tellis, who in turn used them to file false income tax returns. In exchange, Tellis taught Jackson how to file false tax returns.
Tellis concealed the origin of the tax refund proceeds by recruiting friends and relatives, including Bobby Joe Means, Delancey Tolliver, Glen Powell Jr. and Tracey Montgomery, to open up bank accounts for the purpose of receiving the tax refunds. When the refunds were deposited into their bank accounts, Tellis directed them to withdraw the money and provide it to him. On the false tax returns submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Tellis directed more than $300,000 in refunds to be deposited in those accounts. Tellis also recruited a bank teller, Laquanta Clayton, who used her position to open up bank accounts in the name of fictitious individuals and in the name of her daughter’s father. On the false tax returns submitted to the IRS, Tellis directed approximately $200,000 in refunds to be deposited into the accounts that Clayton controlled. Clayton withdrew the refund proceeds in cash and provided the majority of the money to Tellis. Tellis also took steps to conceal his involvement in the filing of false tax returns, including filing numerous tax returns by accessing another person’s residential wireless router that was not password protected so that it appeared as though the owner of the residence had filed the returns.
In 2014, Tellis’ co-conspirators were sentenced to prison for their involvement in the stolen identity refund fraud scheme. Jackson was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison, Clayton was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison, Tolliver was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, Powell Jr. and Means were each sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and Montgomery was sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo and U.S. Attorney Beck commended the special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Gregory P. Bailey, Charles M. Edgar Jr. and Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Brown of the Middle District of Alabama, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at the division website.
Five Indicted in Large Scale Heroin and Cocaine Distribution and Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
$1.25 MILLION, COCAINE, HEROIN, FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION SEIZED
CINCINNATI –A federal grand jury has charged Christopher Whitfield, 41, of Cincinnati, Ohio, Tonia Whitfield, 39, of Cincinnati, Ohio and Steven Griffin, 39, of, Cincinnati, Ohio, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin, and five hundred grams or more of cocaine. Also, Christopher Whitfield, Tonia Whitfield, Dy Shay Anderson, 22, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Icierra Martin-Bronson, 37, of Cincinnati, Ohio were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering in an indictment returned in Cincinnati.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS), Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division, and Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell announced the indictment returned yesterday.
According to the indictment, the group allegedly processed, cut, packaged and stored cocaine and heroin in stash houses in the Cincinnati area prior to distribution.
Upon executing a search warrant, investigators found approximately one-quarter kilogram of heroin and over a kilogram of cocaine, plus narcotics paraphernalia (hydraulic presses, narcotics wrappers, grinders, scales, and baggies), numerous firearms, ammunition, and ballistic vests (body armor) and approximately $1.25 million in cash at the Cincinnati stash houses.
The indictment further alleges that between January 2011 and December 2014 Christopher Whitfield, Tonia Whitfield, Dy Shay Anderson, and Icierra Martin-Bronson conspired to commit money laundering by conducting financial transactions to launder the proceeds and/or profits earned from the illegal narcotics trafficking through various methods. They allegedly deposited smaller denominations of currency into bank accounts held in the names of others; deposited cash into bank accounts for the purpose of paying bills; obtained cashier’s checks to pay for Christopher Whitfield’s personal and business credit cards; used cash to purchase a 2010 BMW and purchased rental properties on behalf of EDC Properties with cash or cashier’s checks. Christopher Whitfield also allegedly filed false federal income tax returns with the IRS for the 2012 and 2013 tax years, by underreporting the amount of income he received in each of those years
Christopher Whitfield, Tonia Whitfield, and Steven Griffin were each charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin and five hundred grams or more of cocaine.
Christopher Whitfield and Steven Griffin were each charged with one count of possession with the intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin; one count of possession with the intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of cocaine; one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm; and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics offense.
Christopher Whitfield was also charged with two counts of maintaining a drug involved premises.
Steven Griffin was also charged with one count of maintaining a drug involved premises.Christopher Whitfield, Tonia Whitfield, Dy Shay Anderson, and Icierra Martin-Bronson were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Tonia Whitfield and Dy Shay Anderson were also each charged with three counts of money laundering, and Icierra Martin-Bronson with two counts of money laundering.
Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin and five hundred grams or more of cocaine carries a maximum prison term of 40 years in prison, and has a mandatory penalty of at least 5 years in prison.
Possession with the intent to distribute one hundred grams or more of heroin carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and has a mandatory penalty of at least 5 years in prison. .
Possession with the intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of cocaine carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and has a mandatory penalty of at least 5 years in prison.
Being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics offense carries a maximum penalty of Life in prison, and has a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Maintaining a drug involved premises, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Christopher Whitfield was arrested on March 31, 2015 on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute heroin. He was detained following his arrest.
Steven Griffin was arrested on March 31, 2015 on a charge of possession with the intent to distribute in excess of 100 grams of heroin. He was detained following his arrest.
“The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs. Without these ill-gotten gains, the traffickers could not finance their organizations,” said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “Today's indictment is a direct result of the excellent partnership that the IRS, U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and Cincinnati Police Department has in combating major drug trafficking organizations, which have such a negative impact on our community."
U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative law enforcement investigation, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Karl Kadon and Jessica Knight, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Judge Sentences Tax Preparer to 12 Months in Prison for Filing False ReturnsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal judge today sentenced a former Birmingham tax-return preparer to 12 months in prison and ordered her to repay $44,080 to the Internal Revenue Service for filing false returns, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and IRS, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced KRISTIE E. SYKES on two counts of aiding in the preparation of a false return. Sykes, 44, of Birmingham, pleaded guilty to the charges in September. Sykes worked at the the now-defunct tax preparation business, VIP Tax Services, on Bankhead Highway in Birmingham. Proctor ordered Sykes to serve a year of supervised release following her prison term. Among special conditions of that release, the judge ordered Sykes to pay the restitution to the IRS and to refrain from assisting or aiding others in the preparation of taxes.
Sykes must report to prison July 15.
According to court records, Sykes orchestrated a tax refund scheme through VIP Tax Services. During the time Sykes professionally prepared tax returns, from 2008 to 2010, she filed false tax returns on behalf of taxpayer clients who retained VIP’s services, often including numerous false items on client’s returns in order to maximize their refunds.
Sykes pleaded guilty to two counts of preparing a false federal tax return while operating a tax preparation service by adding a false First-time Homebuyer Credit, a false dependent, false net losses and false deductions -- including for tuition and fees, medical and dental expenses, gifts to charity and job expenses, to clients’ returns.
In her plea agreement, Sykes also admitted to causing 11 false U.S. tax returns for 10 of her clients to be filed with the IRS for the tax years 2007-2009. Those returns contained fictitious dependents, inflated deductions, false income and expenses, and false education credits, and First-Time Homebuyer Credits or Residential Energy credits. Some of the false deductions and credits also enabled the defendant’s clients to falsely claim the Earned Income Credit, the Additional Child Tax Credit, and the Making Work Pay Credit. The total loss to the government was $49,411.
In a related case, JANICE FOY, 52, of Snellville, Ga., who owned and operated VIP, was sentenced in September 2014 to seven months in prison after pleading guilty to a two-count indictment charging her with one count of subscribing to a false federal tax return and one count of aiding in the preparation of a false return.
As part of their plea agreements, both women agreed to be permanently enjoined from aiding or assisting others in the preparation of taxes.
IRS-CI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Chinelo Dike-Minor is prosecuting.
Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictment Charging Topeka Man in Bomb CaseRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment against a Topeka man who was charged in a criminal complaint last week with plotting to explode a bomb at the Fort Riley military base near Manhattan, Kan., U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
John T. Booker, Jr., 20, Topeka, Kan., was indicted on one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives), one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is a foreign terrorist organization.
If convicted, Booker would face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, including members from the FBI’s Kansas City Division, the Topeka Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith, and Trial Attorneys Josh Parecki and Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
OTHER FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS
Randal H. Duncan, 57, Wichita, is charged with one count of bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on April 6, 2015, he robbed the Emprise Bank at 237 N. Broadway in Wichita.
A criminal complaint filed in the case alleges he entered the bank about 12:50 p.m. and said to a teller, “I have a bomb, give me $40,000 cash.” He was arrested later at a laundromat at Hydraulic and Harry in Wichita.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Wichita Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
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Sixto Refugio Largerous-Perez, 42, who is not a citizen of the United States, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entered the United States after being deported. He was found April 1, 2015, in Olathe, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting.
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Carlos Byron, 59, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 30, 2015 in Kansas City, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas City (Kansas) Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask is prosecuting.
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James G. Martin, 40, Independence, Mo., is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit forgery one count of passing a counterfeit $100 bill and one count of possessing $570 in counterfeit bills. The crimes are alleged to have occurred from Sept. 1, 2013, to Feb. 1, 2015, in Johnson County, Kan.
f convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the conspiracy count; and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the other counts. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.
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Luis Gerardo-Montenegro, 21, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred April 2, 2015, in Wyandotte County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million on the drug charge, and penalty of not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and ICE-HSI investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward is prosecuting.
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Sarah Willson, 26, Olathe, Kan., is charged with one count of destroying mail while working as a U.S. Postal Service employee. The crime is alleged to have occurred Nov. 21, 2014, in Olathe, Kan.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Postal Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.
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Matthew Williams, 46, Junction City, Kan., is charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred from July 25 to August 2014.
The indictment alleges he submitted false documentation on a Veterans Affairs home loan from Pulaski Bank. He also is alleged to have used another person’s Social Security number.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $1 million on the bank fraud charge, and an additional two years on the identity theft charge. The Veterans Administration – Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.
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Bryce D. Draper, 26, Mission, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 7, 2015, in Douglas County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Lawrence (Kansas) Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.
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In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Federal Escapee Apprehended in San Antonio -- Charged in Connection with two Austin Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
In San Antonio yesterday, local authorities apprehended 37-year-old federal escapee Brian Anthony Whitford announced Acting United States Attorney Richard Durbin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, and United States Marshal Robert Almonte.
A federal criminal complaint filed today in Austin charges Whitford with one count of escape and two counts of bank robbery. According to the complaint, on Monday morning (4.13.15), Whitford escaped from a halfway house in Del Valle, TX, where he was completing his federal sentence for robbing two Austin banks in April 2010. The complaint alleges that on the same day of his escape, Whitford robbed the Compass Bank located on South Congress Ave. and attempted to rob the Wells Fargo Bank located on Guadalupe Street. The complaint further alleges that Whitford stole approximately $3,700 from Compass Bank.
According to court records, the Compass Bank and Wells Fargo Bank were the same two financial institutions Whitford was convicted of robbing back in April 2010 and subsequently sentenced to 71 months in federal prison.
Upon conviction, Whitford faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each bank robbery charge and up to five years in federal prison on the escape charge.
This joint investigation was conducted by the FBI and the United States Marshals Service with assistance from the Austin and San Antonio Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Hoff and Gregg Sofer are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
A criminal complaint is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Court Approves Justice Department Agreement to Protect the Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in IllinoisRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that the federal court in Chicago has approved an agreement between the department and Illinois officials to help ensure that military service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the upcoming special primary election and special election to fill a vacated seat in the state’s 18th Congressional District. The agreement is necessary to ensure Illinois’ compliance with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
The agreement, filed simultaneously with the complaint on April 6, 2015, requires that the state adopt an election calendar which enables local jurisdictions to transmit ballots to UOCAVA voters at least 45 days before the upcoming special elections as the federal law requires. The agreement establishes July 7, 2015, as the date for the special primary election and Sept. 10, 2015, as the date for the special election. These dates were selected to allow the election authorities sufficient time to complete all the pre-election steps necessary to timely transmit ballots to UOCAVA voters as required by the federal law. The agreement also requires that the state take measures to notify UOCAVA voters of the election dates and relevant deadlines.
“This agreement with Illinois reflects our continued commitment to ensure that members of our armed forces, their families and overseas U.S. citizens are offered a full and meaningful opportunity to vote in all federal elections, including the upcoming special elections for United States Representative from Illinois’ 18th Congressional District, and all future special elections,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will always work to ensure U.S. citizens can exercise their right to vote.”
UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters, serving both overseas and within the United States, and their families and U.S. citizens overseas to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office. In 2009, Congress enacted the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which amended UOCAVA to require that states transmit absentee ballots to voters covered under UOCAVA, by mail or electronically at the voter’s option, no later than 45 days before federal elections.
The complaint and agreement were necessary because Illinois law mandates a truncated election schedule for holding special elections to fill vacancies for U.S. Representative that prevents Illinois from ensuring transmittal of ballots to UOCAVA voters at least 45 days before the special primary election and the subsequent special election. Under the terms of the agreement, Illinois is also required to take the necessary action to ensure that UOCAVA voters have a fair and reasonable opportunity to participate in future federal special elections for U.S. Representatives in Congress, including pursuing permanent changes to Illinois law governing the state’s special election calendar that will permit compliance with UOCAVA’s ballot transmission requirements. The agreement also requires that Illinois provide detailed reports to the department concerning the transmission of ballots for the scheduled special elections in the 18th Congressional District.
More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/misc/activ_uoc.php. Please report any complaints to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section at 1-800-253-3931.
Etowah County Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison for Producing, Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal judge today sentenced an Etowah County man to 80 years in prison for exploiting two young children to produce child pornography, and for possessing about 1,500 pornographic videos and images of other children, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Acting Special Agent in Charge Cindy M. Johnson and Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin.
U.S. District Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins sentenced VICTOR GRAY DINGLER, 33, to the 80-year prison term, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Dingler pleaded guilty in November to five counts of producing child pornography between 2008 and 2014, and to two counts of possessing child pornography involving children younger than 12.
Some of the pornography Dingler produced involved a 3-year-old child. The second victim was an elementary school student in Etowah County, according to court records. The Alabama Department of Education was instrumental in helping law enforcement locate that child in September 2014, after HSI received a series of images that originated from a website located by Danish National Police. One of the images included a blanket bearing an Alabama university logo, according to court records.
“The government sought a sentence that would put this defendant behind bars for the rest of his life because of the serious and appalling nature of his crimes against young children," Vance said. "He has acknowledged that he sexually abused two young children, and that he produced and distributed pornographic images of his exploitation. His victims will have to live the rest of their lives with the memories of what he did to them, and with the knowledge that he memorialized his abuse in images and videos, some that travelled around the world," she said.
"Individuals who produce child pornography are directly responsible for what is, in plain language, the rape of children. Child pornography steals the innocence of children and destroys lives," Johnson said. "Sexual abuse scars children for life, and HSI will continue to use all the tools in its arsenal to identify the perpetrators of these horrendous acts and seek justice on behalf of their victims,” she said.
"We are pleased with the sentence given to this predator today," Entrekin said. "His disgusting behavior and abusive actions have taken away the innocence of young victims; something no one, no matter the age, should ever endure. I appreciate the cooperation among Homeland Security Investigations and the office of U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance in bringing this case to a close.”
The victimization of the innocent children depicted in the pornographic pictures Dingler possessed "continues to live on with an insidious vitality through the perverted behavior of people like the defendant, who each and every time they distribute and receive an image of a naked child, proliferate the available quantity of the material," the government said in its sentencing memorandum.
The Department of Homeland Security-HSI and the Etowah County Sheriff's Department investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacquelyn Hutzell, Xavier Carter and Daniel J. Fortune prosecuted.
East St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
On April 16, 2015, Troy Edwards, a twenty-six year old East St. Louis, Illinois, man, pled guilty in federal district court, in East St. Louis, to one count of Distribution of Cocaine, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Edwards is scheduled for sentencing on July 17, 2015, at 11 a.m. at which time he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000,000, not more than 3 years of supervised release after his prison term, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.
Facts presented in court revealed that Edwards sold approximately three ounces of cocaine and one ounce of heroin on January 25, 2013, to a confidential informant, acting at the direction of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, in East St. Louis, Illinois.
This case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.
Drug dealers face charges in federal court in BluefieldRead the Press Release
Bluefield, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that two drug dealers appeared in federal court in Bluefield, West Virginia. Shawn Owen Gillespie II, 25, of Shady Spring, West Virginia was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin. Gillespie pled guilty on December 3, 2014, admitting that on May 12, 2014, he possessed more than 400 pouches of heroin, which he intended to sell. Gillespie possessed the heroin in Princeton, West Virginia. Adrian Dewayne King, also known as “Fled,” 38, of Bluefield, West Virginia, pled guilty to using a communication facility to facilitate a felony. King admitted that on January 21, 2015, he had a telephone conversation with a confidential informant (CI) to set up a drug deal. A few minutes after the telephone conversation, King met the CI as planned, and sold hydromorphone to the CI. The phone call and drug deal took place in Bluefield, West Virginia. King faces up to four years in prison and a $250, 000 fine when he is sentenced on August 13, 2015.
These cases were investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force as part of the Bluefield Pill Initiative, 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. Assistant United States Attorney John File handled the prosecutions of Gillespie and King.
Dartmouth Selectman Convicted of EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dartmouth Selectman was convicted today of embezzling funds from his bus company, which was subsidized with taxpayer funds, to bankroll his personal farm.
John George, 68, was indicted in August 2014, and today he was convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy and one count of embezzlement. Sentencing is scheduled for July 15, 2015, before Judge Denise Casper.
The defendant owned Union Street Bus Company (USBC), a New Bedford-based company that operated public buses. During the same period, George operated John George Farms (JG Farm), a large produce farm based in Dartmouth. From approximately 1991 to 2011, USBC was awarded the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) contract to operate the SRTA public bus system that served a region that included New Bedford, Fall River, and several other neighboring towns.
The evidence at trial showed that, while USBC had the SRTA contract, George conspired with certain individuals to have various USBC employees work at JG Farm during their assigned USBC work hours. Such farm work included plowing, loading produce, and operating a produce stand at JG Farm, all during USBC business hours. As part of the conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, George deployed USBC workers to JG Farm to repair George’s farm equipment, used USBC equipment and labor to provide personal out-of-state roadside assistance, and inflated his final yearly salary from $75,000 to $275,000 in an attempt to fraudulently boost his SRTA pension.
The maximum penalty for the charge of embezzlement is a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 on the charge of embezzlement from an organization that received federal funds. On the charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, the maximum penalty is a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Todd A. Damiani, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dustin Chao and Assistant United States Attorney Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.
Darron Webb Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute More Than 100 Grams of HeroinRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that Darron Webb, 29, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced today, for possession with intent to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin.
Webb was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in September of 2014, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office Interdiction and Covert Enforcement Unit (Elkhart ICE Unit), the South Bend Police Department Metro Special Operations Section (South Bend MSOS), the Indiana State
Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms initiated an investigation into heroin trafficking by several individuals operating in South Bend, Indiana. Information was received by investigators indicating that a male known as “D” was dealing heroin in South Bend, Indiana. “D” was later identified as Darron A. Webb. In early October 2014, Darron Webb possessed at one time 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin as part of his heroin trafficking.
This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office Interdiction and Covert Enforcement Unit (Elkhart ICE Unit), the South Bend Police Department Metro Special Operations Section (South Bend MSOS), the Indiana State Police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald J. Schmid.
Columbus, Ohio, Man Charged with Providing Material Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury has charged Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, with one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to terrorists, one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and one count of making false statements to the FBI in an indictment returned in the Southern District of Ohio.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart of the Southern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division announced the indictment returned today.
According to court documents, Mohamud left the United States in April 2014 for the purpose of training and fighting with terrorists in Syria.
As a naturalized citizen of the United States, he obtained a U.S. passport and purchased a one-way ticket to Greece. He did not board his connecting flight to Athens, Greece, during his layover in Istanbul, Turkey, and instead completed pre-arranged plans to travel to Syria.
According to the indictment, Mohamud stated that, after arriving in Syria, he obtained training from a group in shooting weapons, breaking into houses, explosives and hand-to-hand combat. Mohamed also stated that, after completing this training, he was instructed by a cleric in the organization to return to the United States and commit an act of terrorism.
“According to the charges in the indictment, Mohamud allegedly traveled to Syria to train with and fight alongside terrorists” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “Identifying and neutralizing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters who return to the United States is one of the National Security Division’s highest priorities. I want to thank the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this ongoing investigation and today’s charges.”
“Mohamud sought and obtained terrorist training in Syria,” said U.S. Attorney Stewart. “Upon his return to the United States, he discussed carrying out acts in the United States.”
“The Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to protect our community," said Special Agent in Charge Byers. “Cases like this are tangible reminders of the threats we face each day.”
Providing material support to terrorists and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization – in this case, namely, Jabhat al-Nusrah – are each crimes punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Making false statements involving international terrorism carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.
Mohamud is scheduled to be transferred into federal custody based on today’s indictment. He was arrested and detained on state charges on Feb. 21, 2015.
Assistant Attorney General Carlin and U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the JTTF for its work on this investigation, and also thanked Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien and his office for their ongoing efforts in this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Doug Squires, Dana Peters and Salvador Dominguez of the Southern District of Ohio, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gibson with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office, and Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Mohamud Indictment
Columbus Man Charged with Providing Material Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –A federal grand jury has charged Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, of Columbus, with one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to terrorists, one count of attempting to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of making false statements to the FBI involving international terrorism in an indictment returned in Columbus, Ohio.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien and the FBI’s Columbus Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), announced the indictment returned today.
According to court documents, Mohamud left the United States in April 2014 for the purpose of training and fighting with terrorists in Syria.
As a naturalized citizen of the United States, he obtained a U.S. passport and purchased a one-way ticket to Greece. He did not board his connecting flight to Athens, Greece during his layover in Istanbul, Turkey, and instead completed pre-arranged plans to travel to Syria.
According to the indictment, Mohamud stated that, after arriving in Syria, he obtained training from a group in shooting weapons, breaking into houses, explosives and hand-to-hand combat. Mohamed also stated that, after completing this training, he was instructed by a cleric in the organization to return to the United States and commit an act of terrorism.
“According to the charges in the indictment, Mohamud allegedly traveled to Syria to train with and fight alongside terrorists” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “Identifying and neutralizing the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters who return to the United States is one of the National Security Division’s highest priorities. I want to thank the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this ongoing investigation and today’s charges.”
“Mohamud sought and obtained terrorist training in Syria,” U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart said. “Upon his return to the United States, he discussed carrying out acts in the United States.”
"The Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to protect our community," stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers. "Cases like this are tangible reminders of the threats we face each day."
“Our office worked with the JTTF to assist in the arrest and continued detention of Mohamud, including securing a terrorism indictment in State court,” Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said. “That state court charge will now be dismissed and that cooperation will continue in federal court with Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Gibson being named to the trial team to assist in the prosecution of the federal indictment that was announced today.”
Providing material support to terrorists and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization – in this case, namely, Jabhat al-Nusrah – are each crimes punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Making false statements involving international terrorism carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.
Mohamud is scheduled to be transferred into federal custody based on today’s indictment. He was arrested and detained on state charges on Feb. 21, 2015.
Assistant Attorney General Carlin and U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation of JTTF, and Assistant United States Attorneys Doug Squires, Dana Peters and Salvador Dominguez, Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Gibson with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office and Department of Justice National Security Division Trial Attorney Bridget Behling, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Columbus Man Charged for 6 Central Ohio Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged Thomas E. Shaffer, 62, of Columbus, Ohio, with six armed robberies in an indictment returned in Columbus.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Delaware County Sheriff Russell L. Martin, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division, Donald Soranno, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, Gahanna Police Chief Dennis Murphy, Powell Police Chief Gary L. Vest and Worthington Police Chief James Mosic announced the indictment returned today.
The indictment alleges that on six different occasions, Shaffer robbed establishments in Central Ohio while armed. Specifically, Shaffer allegedly robbed The Pub in Gahanna, Ohio; Halftime Tavern in Columbus, Ohio; Brew-Stirs on 23 in Columbus, Ohio; Lazy Chameleon in Powell, Ohio; Villa Nova in Worthington, Ohio and Aldi in Lewis Center, Ohio between March 2014 and December 2014 while brandishing a firearm.
Shaffer was indicted on six counts of robbery, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and six counts of using a firearm during the commission of the robberies. Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a potential penalty of seven years in prison for the first count of conviction and up to 25 years of prison consecutively for each additional count.
U.S. Attorney Stewart commended law enforcement’s cooperative investigation of this case, and Assistant United States Attorney David DeVillers and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Martinez, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Clearwater and Jacksonville Men Indicted for Manufacturing and Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve NotesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Darius Jondi Edwards (35, Clearwater) with manufacturing and passing counterfeit currency. His co-defendant, Timothy Deante Burroughs (28, Jacksonville), is charged with passing counterfeit currency. If convicted on all counts, Edwards faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison. Burroughs faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. Both men were arraigned earlier this month and ordered detained.
According to the indictment, Edwards began manufacturing counterfeit currency, beginning at least in November 2014. Edwards and Burroughs then began passing the counterfeit currency in Duval County, Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Chelmsford Man Charged in Plot to Murder State TrooperRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelmsford man was charged yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston for initiating a murder-for-hire plot.
Andrew S. Gordon, 52, was charged in a criminal complaint with use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. He is scheduled to have an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein on Friday, April 17, 2015.
According to the complaint, in October 2014, Gordon was charged by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office with plotting to have his estranged wife murdered. In that case, Gordon attempted to hire a “hit man” to kill his wife; however, the “hit man” was actually an undercover Massachusetts State Trooper. Since his arrest, Gordon has been held on state charges at the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail.
According to the federal complaint, while Gordon was incarcerated on the state charge, he attempted to hire a gang member living in New Hampshire to kill a Massachusetts State Trooper and another individual who were both witnesses against him in the pending case. For the commission of the murders, Gordon offered $15,000 and instructed that the murders were to appear accidental. Gordon, who believed that murdering the witnesses would effectively end the state’s ability to prosecute him, was actually communicating with an undercover officer.
The federal statute provides for a sentence of no greater than ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Gordon will be prosecuted and sentenced separately by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the crimes charged by the state.
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan; Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian; Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Cary, Illinois Man Charged in Federal Court with Robbery of Fifth Third Bank in Woodstock, IllinoisRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Cary, Ill. man was charged today in federal court with bank robbery. MICHAEL FETERICK, 45, of Cary, Ill., also known as “Michael Retterly,” was charged with the robbery of Fifth Third Bank, 1745 South Eastwood Drive, Woodstock, Ill., on April 15, 2015. According to the complaint, at about 10:50 a.m., Feterick entered the bank and presented a note written in black sharpie stating "Money, no dye pack" to a bank teller. The teller provided the subject with money from the teller’s drawer and left the bank. Feterick was arrested late yesterday by the FBI, and law enforcement officers of the Crystal Lake and Woodstock Police Departments, at a hotel in Algonquin, Ill. Feterick is presently in federal custody pending his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Iain D. Johnston at 3:30 p.m. today.
Bank robbery carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, up to 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and full restitution. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The charge was 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation; Robert W. Lowen, Chief of the Woodstock, Illinois Police Department; and James R. Black, Chief of the Crystal Lake, Illinois Police Department. The U.S. Marshals Service, and law enforcement officers of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and the Algonquin, Illinois Police Department assisted in the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Pedersen.
Complaint
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss – Otis McGee, 28, of Choctaw, Mississippi, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate, Jr. to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis. McGee pled guilty to the charge on January 29, 2015. The crime occurred on the tribal lands of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Lemon.
Brian Gill Sentenced to Life and His Brothers David Gill and Samuel Mcintosh Sentenced to 40 Years for Drug-Related MurderRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, Chief Judge Carol Bagley Amon sentenced defendant Brian Gill to life in prison and his brothers David Gill and Samuel McIntosh to 40 years in prison. Following a three-week trial in November 2014, the three brothers were convicted of the June 22, 1994, drug-related murder of Michael Dawson and conspiracy to commit the murder. Brian Gill and David Gill were also convicted of a narcotics trafficking conspiracy between 2011 and 2013. At sentencing, the court found by clear and convincing evidence that Samuel McIntosh also participated in the 2011-2013 narcotics trafficking conspiracy. The charges stemmed from the defendants’ control of a drug-trafficking organization that operated in the Park Hill housing complex in the Clifton neighborhood of Staten Island.
The sentences were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
Over the course of two decades, the defendants intermittently operated a lucrative drug distribution business in Park Hill. On June 22, 1994, in connection with that business and in retaliation for selling crack cocaine on the defendants’ turf, the defendants brazenly murdered 22-year-old Michael Dawson in broad daylight in the street outside 160 Park Hill Avenue, a profitable building for crack dealing. Shortly thereafter, Brian Gill fled Staten Island. In 2011, when Brian Gill returned to Park Hill after 17 years, he launched another crack dealing business in Park Hill from his residence at 160 Park Hill Avenue. David Gill and Samuel McIntosh participated in and helped Brian Gill with that business.
“For years, these defendants escaped punishment for a senseless murder they committed in a community plagued by drug-trafficking and violence for far too long,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “The sentences imposed appropriately reflect the seriousness of their crimes and demonstrate our steadfast commitment to holding accountable those who choose to commit murder and drug-trafficking, regardless of the age of their crimes.” Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and the Richmond County District Attorney for their outstanding work in this case.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime & Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Nadia Shihata, Alicyn Cooley, and Tali Farhadian are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
BRIAN GILL
Age: 46 years
Staten Island, New York
DAVID GILL
Age: 43 years
Staten Island, New York
SAMUEL MCINTOSH
Age: 40 years
Staten Island, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 13-CR-487 (CBA)
Boynton Man Sentenced to 188 Months for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that MICHAEL WAYNE CHERRY, age 48, of Boynton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release for Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
The charge arose from an investigation by and the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Department. The defendant was indicted in December, 2013 and was found guilty at a jury trial in September, 2014.
The evidence presented at trial proved that on or about September 4, 2013, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed in and affecting commerce, the following firearm; one Mossberg model 500A, 12 gauge pump action shotgun that had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the trial. The defendant will remain in custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which he will serve his nonparolable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow represented the United States.
Bowie Man Convicted in Identity Theft Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Kenneth Wayne Watford, age 55, of Bowie, Maryland, today of conspiring to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and attempted wire fraud, three counts of credit card fraud and attempted credit card fraud, and four counts of aggravated identity theft in connection with the wire and credit card fraud offenses. Watford’s fraud schemes involved using the stolen identities of others to purchase expensive cars and obtaining credit cards in Watford’s businesses’ names backed by other people’s credit. After being charged with the first scheme, and while on federal pre-trial supervision, Watford also used another victim’s stolen identity to obtain and use a credit card to make purchases exceeding $14,300.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kathy A. Michalko of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge David M. McGinnis of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, and Chief John Nesky of the Bowie Police Department.
According to evidence presented at his six day trial, Watford, Flinton Newton and Juan Carlos Willis obtained the identity information of credit-worthy individuals, created false identity documents in the names of those individuals, and then posed as those individuals at automotive dealerships in order to apply for vehicle financing. Watford and his coconspirators filled out credit applications with dealers in Maryland and Virginia, and then used the extended credit to purchase, or attempt to purchase, expensive cars without any intention of making payments on the loans.
On June 23, 2012, Watford, Willis and a coconspirator posing as an identity theft victim used the victim’s identity to complete and submit a credit application for $77,450 in financing to purchase a 2011 BMW 750 at BMW of Silver Spring, Maryland.
On June 29, 2012, Watford used the victim’s identity to apply for an American Express business credit card account in the name of Annie M’s Groceries, a business entity Watford had registered in North Carolina the previous year. Evidence presented at trial also revealed that Watford, Willis and the unidentified co-conspirator also attempted to purchase two Cadillac Escalades using the same victim’s credit from Capitol Cadillac in Greenbelt.
On July 19, 2012, Newton and Willis returned to Capitol Cadillac in Greenbelt. On that day, Newton posed as a second victim whose identity he had fraudulently obtained, to apply for $80,663 in financing to purchase a 2013 Cadillac Escalade in the second victim’s name. Watford had provided Willis with access to a business auto insurance policy he had established in the name of Annie M’s Groceries, a company which Watford claimed to have owned. Willis used this online access to Watford’s insurance policy to obtain proof of insurance in support of the vehicle purchase.
Later that evening, Newton and Willis drove to Mercedes-Benz of Silver Spring where Newton again posed as the second victim. The men attempted to purchase a 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL550 and a 2009 Mercedez-Benz S550 for a total of $120,056. They filled out credit applications to finance the entire purchase price, again using the victim’s identity and credit, and an insurance policy under the name of Annie M’s Groceries. The dealership manager, however, saw that the victim’s credit had just been used to purchase the Cadillac Escalade, so he notified Montgomery County Police, who responded and arrested Newton and Willis.
A subsequent search of Willis’ cell phone revealed text messages between Willis and Watford concerning the purchase and use of the BMW, as well as the victim’s personal information. On July 26, 2012, Watford was arrested while driving the BMW in Bowie. Inside the car were the victim's credit reports from three credit bureaus, and a social security card and driver’s license in the name of Watford’s alias, “Abdul Abrams.” Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Watford’s residence and seized credit reports and financial documents in the names of other victims.
The total attempted loss as a result of this fraudulent scheme was between $400,000 and $1 million.
After Watford was charged for the above scheme and released pending trial in 2013, he obtained the personal identifying information of a third victim. Using that identity to guarantee the cards, Watford twice applied for credit cards in the name of a second business entity he controlled, Futranet Coaches of America. Watford’s first attempt, an application to American Express in August 2013, was declined; however, in September 2013 Watford successfully used the third victim’s credit to obtain a $15,000 line of credit with Fleetcor, LLC, a credit-card issuer specializing in fuel cards. During the next month, Watford ran up over $14,300 in purchases on cards issued on that account, including $13,000 paid to a former business associate who was holding several vehicles belonging to Watford as collateral on a large outstanding debt Watford owed him. In addition to being found guilty of two counts of unauthorized credit card use and two counts of aggravated identity theft in conjunction with this post-release conduct, Watford was also found guilty of committing these offenses while on federal pre-trial release, which means that his sentences for these counts must run consecutive to his sentence on the automobile-related fraud charges.
The federal jury acquitted Watford of the charge of being a felon in possession of a gun.
Watford faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy count; 30 years in prison for each wire fraud count; 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm; 15 years in prison for each credit card fraud count; and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence for each aggravated identity theft count. U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte scheduled sentencing for July 28, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Flinton Newton, age 34, of Bartlett, Tennessee previously pleaded guilty to his participation in the scheme and was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Juan Carlos Willis, age 41, of Hyattsville, Maryland pleaded guilty to the same offenses on the day before his trial was scheduled to begin, and is awaiting sentencing.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 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. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Montgomery County Police Department and Bowie Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Adam K. Ake and Special Assistant United States Attorney James I. Pearce, who are prosecuting the case.
Bookie Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gambling and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Paul Borrelli, 70, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to illegal gambling and money laundering before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The defendant has forfeited over $3,200,000 in assets.Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that Paul Borelli conducted an illegal gambling business with co-defendants Mark Ruff, 40, of Connecticut and Joseph Ruff, 32, of Rochester. The gambling operation involved sports betting through multiple offshore internet gambling websites and involved at least $76 million in gross wagers.
Specifically, between January 13, 2012, and April 25, 2014, Borrelli deposited quantities of United States Currency into a Bank of America account, proceeds of the illegal internet gambling business. On July 5, 2012, Borrelli withdrew and transferred of $14,919.91 from the account by check the defendant made payable to the City of Rochester Treasurer.
Paul Ruff was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. Joseph Ruff was also convicted and sentenced to 41 months in prison.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, under the direction of Shantelle P. Kitchen, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli, Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Delano A. Reid, New York Field Division, Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Patrick Phelan, the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Joseph Rieger, and Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Sandra Doorley.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 8, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci.
Belleville Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Roshanda J. Story, a/k/a Roshanda J. Guyton, 34, of Belleville, Illinois, pled guilty today to the charge of Theft of Government Funds. Story faces the following maximum penalties: ten years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, restitution to the child care program and a special assessment of $100. The Court ordered that Story be held without bond until her sentencing on July 24, 2015.
Court records indicate that from December 2012 through May 2013, Story admitted to willfully and knowingly stealing government funds by falsifying application forms in order to receive child care benefits to which she was not entitled. She claimed child care benefits through the Illinois Department of Human Services, which are federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for being a single parent when in fact she lived with and was assisted in caring for a child with the child’s father. In all, Story improperly received $2,379.25 in child care benefits
The case was investigated by the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office for the Southern District of Illinois with the assistance of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Office of Inspector General, Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.
Bedford County Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing 19 Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A Bedford County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Johnstown on a charge of unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count indictment named Gene F. Bussard, 40, of Everett, Pa., as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, on Nov. 7, 2013, Bussard, who had been convicted in 2003 in the Allegany County, Md., of theft, unlawfully possessed 19 firearms and ammunition. Federal law prohibits persons who have been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year from possessing ammunition or firearms. Theft is such a crime.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
According to Mr. Hickton, Bussard is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime.
Beckley man pleads guilty to cocaine chargeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Bryan Cross, 31, of Beckley, West Virginia, plead guilty yesterday in federal court in Beckley to distributing cocaine. Cross admitted that on September 23, 2014, he sold cocaine to a person who was cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Canterbury Drive in Beckley, West Virginia.
Cross faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger scheduled the sentencing for August 12, 2015.
The Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit conducted the investigation.
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 United States 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.
Bank Teller Charged with FraudRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Christina Ann Ramirez, 26, of Houston, has appeared in court today on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
Ramirez surrendered to authorities yesterday and appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances H. Stacy.
The indictment alleges Ramirez used her position as a Wells Fargo Bank teller to cash approximately 95 tax refund checks that had been obtained by applying for refunds using stolen identities. Ramirez allegedly cashed the checks from May 2-25, 2012, which had a combined total of $610,228.48.
If convicted, she faces up to 30 years imprisonment and a $1 million possible fine for bank fraud as well as a mandatory two-year-term for aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed.
The charges are the result of an investigation by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of lawBakersfield Man Charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 12 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a single-count indictment today against Jonathan Arturo Alvarez, 25, of Bakersfield, charging him with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, on April 2, 2015, a California Highway Patrol officer conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle driven by Alvarez in Siskiyou County. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 12 kilograms of cocaine.
This case was the product of an investigation by the California Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Olusere Olowoyeye is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Alvarez faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million 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.
Artesia Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Drug and Firearm LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Martin O. Madrid, 25, of Artesia, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking and firearms charges.
Madrid and a co-defendant, Lillian Crosby, 21, of Hope, N.M., were federally charged in Jan. 2015, in a criminal complaint with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. According to the criminal complaint, the two were arrested on related state charges on July 12, 2014, by the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office after deputies found approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine, several scales and pipes, and other drug paraphernalia in a vehicle driven by Madrid with Crosby as his passenger. Madrid was arrested on the federal complaint in Jan. 2015, and Crosby was arrested in Feb. 2015.
During today’s plea hearing, Madrid entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Madrid admitted that on July 12, 2014, he and his co-defendant were in a vehicle that contained approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to others. He also admitted possessing a .40 caliber pistol which he was not permitted to possess because he previously had been convicted of a felony.
At sentencing, Madrid faces a statutory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison followed by a minimum of four years of supervised release. He remains detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Crosby has entered a plea of not guilty to the criminal complaint. Charges in complaints are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. A trial date has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force and the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Edwin Garreth Winstead, III, of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch office is prosecuting this case.
The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, the Artesia Police Department and the Carlsbad Police Department, and is part of the HIDTA Region VI Drug Task Force. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
Andre Allan Forbes Sentenced for Being A Felon in Possession of A Firearm, Cocaine Trafficking and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, David Capp, announced that Andre Allan Forbes, 32, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced yesterday, for crack cocaine trafficking, possession of a firearm by convicted felon and witness tampering.
Forbes was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and 6 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Forbes was previously convicted in 2010 in federal court of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal drug trafficking crime. In the Fall of 2013, while he was a convicted felon and while he was engaged in crack cocaine and powder cocaine distribution, Forbes illegally possessed a Kel-Tec pistol in South Bend, Indiana.
Additionally, after Forbes was indicted by a federal Grand Jury and while awaiting his trial in the case, Forbes asked his cousin to lie for him. This became the subject of an additional federal charge that was lodged against Forbes.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the South Bend Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald J. Schmid.
Andover Man Sentenced for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Andover man was sentenced today for stealing more than $149,000 in Social Security benefits.
Graeme Griffith, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Mark L. Wolf to four months in prison, two years of supervised release, and a $3,000 fine. Griffith also paid full restitution of $149,285 today. In January 2015, Griffith pleaded guilty to theft of public money.
In 2003, Griffith’s father died, but his monthly Social Security benefits continued to be directly deposited into a joint bank account in his and his father’s names. From 2003 to 2014, Griffith continued to receive his deceased father’s benefits totaling $149,285.
This case was brought as part of an ongoing effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in partnership with the Social Security Administration to investigate and prosecute the posthumous fraud of Social Security benefits. In many of these cases, family members, knowing they are not entitled to government benefits, continue to withdraw and spend the funds after a relative has died.
One of the ways the Social Security Administration detects this kind of fraud is through the Medicare Non-Utilization Project, in which the agency investigates people receiving benefits who are at least 90 years old and who have not used their Medicare Part B benefits for three or more years. In some instances, the agency learns that such a person is actually deceased, but a surviving child has continued to take the deceased person’s benefits.
Since October 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted several similar cases involving a total of more than $1 million in stolen government money.
Earlier this month, Frances Kenney Moseley, of Boston, was sentenced to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement, 1500 hours of community service, a fine of $5,000, and restitution of $470,188, of which she has paid $124,000. From 2003 to 2010, Moseley stole $222,172 in Social Security benefits and $248,016 in annuity funds paid to her deceased father.
In February 2015, Charles Gerbutavich, of Manchester, was sentenced to one year of probation, including three months of home confinement, and was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $161,587 in restitution to the Social Security Administration, which he paid in full in February. Gerbutavich pleaded guilty in connection with taking his deceased father’s Social Security benefits, which were directly deposited into a joint bank account after his death in 1993.
In October 2014, Mary Murphy, of Dorchester, was sentenced to 18 months of home confinement and 10 hours per week of community service, and was ordered to pay a fine of $40,000 and $331,630 in restitution, which she paid in full in October. Murphy pleaded guilty in connection with taking her deceased mother’s Social Security and Civil Service retirement benefits, which were directly deposited into a joint bank account after her death in 1977.
Also in October 2014, Richard Oldham, of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, was sentenced to four months in prison, six months of home confinement, and was ordered to pay $195,862 in restitution for endorsing Social Security checks in his deceased mother’s name following her death in 1993.
In August 2014, George Bergstrom, of Shrewsbury, was sentenced to one year of probation and was ordered to pay $57,948 in restitution – which he paid in full in August – for taking his deceased mother’s Social Security benefits, which were directly deposited into a joint bank account after her death in 2009.
In October 2013, John Flaherty, of Newburyport, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and was ordered to pay $168,830 in restitution for taking his deceased mother’s Social Security benefits, which were directly deposited into a joint bank account after her death in 1993.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The Griffith case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
Wednesday 15 April 2015
West Jordan Woman Sentenced Following Conviction for Using Identifiers of Deceased Individuals to Get Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Jacquelin Boyd, aka Jacquelyn Boyd, age 37, of West Jordan, who pled guilty in January to making a false claim to the IRS, has been sentenced to a year in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell imposed the sentence Wednesday afternoon.
Judge Campbell also ordered Boyd to serve 36 months of supervised release when she finishes her prison sentence. She must pay $32,243 in restitution to the IRS.
As a part of a plea agreement reached in the case, Boyd admitted that from May 2, 2012, through about Oct. 13, 2012, she worked with others to obtain the names, addresses, social security numbers and other personal identifiers of deceased individuals and used the information to file false and fraudulent tax returns with the IRS.
Boyd admitted that she created false records of employers, wages, and Utah addresses to submit with the returns. She directed that the refunds, based on the fraudulent information, be deposited to various bank accounts under her control. She withdrew the money after it was deposited in the accounts. She pled guilty to a count involving a false tax return filed on Oct. 13, 2012, in the name of A.B., who is deceased. A return of $2,444 was mailed to Boyd.
“Individuals thinking about stealing identities and participating in tax fraud including filing false tax returns should stop and look at the consequences,” stated John Collins, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of Utah. “These consequences include going to prison, being branded a convicted felon for the rest of their lives, and paying back all the taxes owed plus steep penalties and interest. It’s not worth it.”
Vinalhaven Man Pleads Guilty to Making Hoax Radio Call to Coast GuardRead the Press Release
Contact: Jonathan R. Chapman
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Owen R. Adair, 23, of Vinalhaven, Maine, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to a charge of making a false distress message to the United States Coast Guard.
According to court records, on September 30, 2014, Adair initiated a two-way radio conversation using a VHF radio with a radio operator at the United States Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. In ensuing transmissions, Adair repeatedly told the Coast Guard operator that he urgently needed assistance because a crewman on his fishing vessel had sustained a serious injury and was bleeding badly. In fact, the defendant was not aboard a vessel but was ashore on Vinalhaven Island and was using a VHS radio in his truck. There was no injured person. The Coast Guard dispatched a search and rescue vessel from Rockland. After a four-hour search, the Coast Guard abandoned its efforts and concluded that the distress call was a hoax.
Adair faces up to six years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Coast Guard Investigative Service.
U.S. Navy Officer Pleads Guilty to Selling Classified Ship Schedules as Part of Expanding Navy Bribery ProbeRead the Press Release
A lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy pleaded guilty to bribery charges in federal court today, admitting that he accepted cash, hotel expenses and the services of a prostitute in return for providing classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and other internal Navy information to an executive of a defense contracting firm.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy of the Southern District of California, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations James B. Burch of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Director Andrew L. Traver of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Director Anita Bales of the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) made the announcement.
“Another Navy officer has now pleaded guilty and admitted to taking bribes to reveal classified military information to a major supplier,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “It is both troubling and disappointing how many Navy officers we have exposed as willingly falling prey to GDMA’s corruption, and our investigation remains active and ongoing. Those who serve in our nation’s military must uphold the public’s trust or pay the consequences for their crimes.”
“The receipt of envelopes of cash and lavish hotel stays by our public officials at whatever level erodes the public’s trust in our institutions and our government,” said U.S. Attorney Duffy. “Today’s guilty plea reflects the next step in our ongoing effort to regain that public trust.”
Todd Dale Malaki, 44, of San Diego, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin of the Southern District of California to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 6, 2015.
As part of his guilty plea, Malaki admitted that in 2006, while he was working as a supply officer for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, he began a corrupt relationship with Leonard Glenn Francis, the former president and chief executive officer of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), a company that provided services to the U.S. Navy. As part of the scheme, Malaki provided Francis with classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and proprietary invoicing information about GDMA’s competitors. In exchange, Malaki admitted that Francis provided him with luxury hotel stays in Singapore, Hong Kong and the island of Tonga, as well as envelopes of cash, entertainment expenses and the services of a prostitute. Malaki admitted that the total value of the benefits he received was approximately $15,000.
Malaki is the eighth individual to plead guilty in this expanding probe into corruption and fraud in the U.S. Navy. GDMA pleaded guilty in January. Two other individuals, Paul Simpkins, formerly a Department of Defense (DOD) contracting officer, and Michael Misiewicz, a Captain-select in the U.S. Navy, have been charged and entered pleas of not guilty.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by NCIS and DCIS, with substantial assistance from the DCAA. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Brian R. Young of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher and Robert S. Huie of the Southern District of California.
Those with information relating to fraud, corruption or waste in government contracting should contact the NCIS anonymous tip line awww.ncis.navy.mil or the DOD Hotline at www.dodig.mil/hotline, or call (800) 424-9098.
U.S. Navy Officer Pleads Guilty to Selling Classified Ship Schedules as Part of Expanding Navy Bribery ProbeRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Todd Dale Malaki pleaded guilty to bribery charges in federal court today, admitting that he accepted cash, hotel expenses and the services of a prostitute in return for providing classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and other internal Navy information to an executive of a defense contracting firm.
Malaki, 44, of San Diego, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin of the Southern District of California to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 6, 2015.
As part of his guilty plea, Malaki admitted that in 2006, while he was working as a supply officer for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, he began a corrupt relationship with Leonard Glenn Francis, the former president and chief executive officer of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), a company that provided services to the U.S. Navy. As part of the scheme, Malaki provided Francis with classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and proprietary invoicing information about GDMA’s competitors. In exchange, Malaki admitted that Francis provided him with luxury hotel stays in Singapore, Hong Kong and the island of Tonga, as well as envelopes of cash, entertainment expenses and the services of a prostitute. Malaki admitted that the total value of the benefits he received was approximately $15,000.
“The receipt of envelopes of cash and lavish hotel stays by our public officials at whatever level erodes the public’s trust in our institutions and our government,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “Today’s guilty plea reflects the next step in our ongoing effort to regain that public trust.”“Another Navy officer has now pleaded guilty and admitted to taking bribes to reveal classified military information to a major supplier,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell. “It is both troubling and disappointing how many Navy officers we have exposed as willingly falling prey to GDMA’s corruption, and our investigation remains active and ongoing. Those who serve in our nation’s military must uphold the public’s trust or pay the consequences for their crimes.”
Malaki is the eighth individual to plead guilty in this expanding probe into corruption and fraud in the U.S. Navy. GDMA pleaded guilty in January. Two other individuals, Paul Simpkins, formerly a Department of Defense (DOD) contracting officer, and Michael Misiewicz, a Captain-select in the U.S. Navy, have been charged and entered pleas of not guilty.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with substantial assistance from the Defense Contract Audit Agency. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher and Robert S. Huie of the Southern District of California and Senior Trial Attorney Brian R. Young of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Those with information relating to fraud, corruption or waste in government contracting should contact the NCIS anonymous tip line at www.ncis.navy.mil or the DOD Hotline at www.dodig.mil/hotline, or call (800) 424-9098.
DEFENDANT Case Number: 15CR967-WQH Todd Dale Malaki Age: 44 San Diego, California CHARGESConspiracy to Commit Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Maximum penalty five years in prison, $250,000 fine or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater;
INVESTIGATING AGENCIESDefense Criminal Investigative Service
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Naval Criminal Investigative ServiceU.S. Government Concludes Major Public Corruption and Drug Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Federal authorities have concluded an extensive public corruption and drug trafficking investigation that spanned over five years and resulted in the convictions of a Customs and Border Protection Officer from Atlanta’s airport, a DeKalb County Police Officer, and more than 10 drug traffickers who were responsible for the distribution of approximately 1 million pills of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and benzylpiperazine (BZP), a drug similar to ecstasy.
Mark Tomlinson, a/k/a “Supa,” has been sentenced to 16 years in prison, and is the final defendant in this case which involved multiple federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies.
“This case began with a Customs and Border Protection officer taking payoffs to smuggle guns and purported drug money through Atlanta’s airport, and it ended with the dismantling of a large-scale drug trafficking organization and the seizure of hundreds of thousands of ecstasy pills,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn.
Daniel R. Salter, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division said, “Whether the crimes being committed were public corruption, marriage fraud, or drug trafficking, the coordinated law enforcement response demonstrates how spirited law enforcement cooperation on all levels produce fruitful results. I would like to personally thank everyone who worked tirelessly to make this investigation a success.”
The Department Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge James E. Ward said: “Today’s announcement sends a strong message, that we remain committed with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue such complex investigations. We are pleased with the overall outcome of this investigation; and we will remain vigilant in pursuing the prosecution of criminals, who brazenly defy federal law.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in late-2009, numerous federal, state, and international agencies conducted an extensive investigation into a corrupt federal and local law enforcement officer with ties to a major drug trafficking organization. The investigation led to the arrest, indictment, and conviction of more than 15 defendants.
Federal Corruption
Former Customs and Border Protection Officer Devon Samuels pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder drug money, attempting to bring guns onto an airplane, and conspiring to commit marriage fraud. The charges against Samuels centered around three undercover sting operations during which he smuggled drug money and guns through Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
More specifically, on November 3, 2010, an undercover officer (posing as a drug money launderer) gave Samuels approximately $25,000 in money represented to be from the sale of drugs. By unlawfully using his badge to bypass security and avoid screening, Samuels smuggled the money through Atlanta’s airport and onto a plane bound for Jamaica. Once in Jamaica, Samuels delivered the cash to a Jamaican undercover police officer who was posing as an international drug trafficker.
On November 19, 2010, another undercover officer gave Samuels over $50,000 in purported drug money. Samuels took the money, flew from Atlanta to Jamaica, and then delivered the money to Jamaican undercover police officers. While in Atlanta’s airport, Samuels unlawfully used his badge to bypass security and avoid being screened.
Finally, on November 30, 2010, Samuels accepted five firearms and approximately $20,000 in alleged drug money from an undercover police officer. Samuels smuggled the firearms and money into the airport by using his badge to bypass security. Once inside the airport, Samuels gave the firearms and money to a second undercover officer who had explicitly told Samuels that she was going to transport the firearms and money to Arizona for a meeting with members of a Mexican drug cartel.
On June 2, 2011, Devon Samuels, a/k/a “Smokey,” 49, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Marriage Fraud
Beginning in November 2009, Samuels and his wife Keisha Jones (a former Delta Airlines employee) used Samuels’ intimate knowledge of immigration policies to commit marriage fraud. In that regard, Samuels and Jones taught Carlton Ferguson and Dahlia McLaren how to deceive U.S. immigration authorities into believing that Ferguson and McLaren’s sham marriage was genuine and legitimate. Samuels and Jones were also paid to falsely complete the immigration paperwork necessary for McLaren to obtain United States citizenship through her sham marriage to Ferguson. Samuels, Jones, Ferguson, and McLaren all pleaded guilty to marriage fraud conspiracy charges. After her plea, McLaren was stripped of her U.S. citizenship and removed from the United States to Jamaica.
The following individuals were convicted on the marriage fraud indictment:
- On June 2, 2011, Samuels was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- On June 2, 2011, Keisha Jones, a/k/a Platinum, 34, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced six months of home confinement, three years of probation, and 150 hours of community service.
- On April 11, 2011, Carlton Ferguson, a/k/a “Fergie,” 39, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced to three years of probation and 150 hours of community service.
- On April 11, 2011, Dahlia McLaren, a/k/a “Dahlia McLaren Ferguson,” 34, formerly of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced to three years of probation and was removed from the United States.
Drug Trafficking
In a parallel investigation beginning in February 2010, law enforcement officers started investigating a major drug trafficking organization operating in the Atlanta-metropolitan area and in other areas across the country. The organization was led by Jerome Bushay, Otis Henry, and Mark Tomlinson.
Otis Henry was a major distributor of BZP (a drug similar to ecstasy) and marijuana who provided pills and marijuana to several lower-level drug dealers. Most notably, on October 1, 2010, law enforcement officers obtained a federal warrant to search Henry’s residence located in DeKalb County, Georgia. Inside the home, officers seized approximately 700,000 tablets of BZP – which was one of the largest domestic seizures of the drug in U.S. history. In particular, officers found the pills hidden all over the house, including in the walls of the house, behind insulation, under seat cushions, in crawl spaces, and stuffed into luggage. Officers also recovered a handgun, two pounds of marijuana, almost $40,000 in cash, and over 150 grams of methamphetamine from Henry’s residence. The street value of the pills was estimated at $2.8 million.After agents executed the search warrant, Henry fled from authorities and remained on the run for over a year. Ultimately, in January 2012, Henry was arrested in Tampa, Florida. Thereafter, agents searched Henry’s hotel room and recovered four pounds of marijuana and $3,300 in cash.
Jerome Bushay also organized and supplied countless drug transactions sales, in addition to supervising several lower-level drug traffickers. In total, Bushay distributed over 185,000 pills. Bushay also used former Customs and Border Protection Officer Devon Samuels to transport his drug money through the airport. For example, on November 12, 2010, Bushay had Samuels smuggle $40,000 in drug money into Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Inside the airport, Samuels used his badge to bypass airport security, which resulted in the bag not being screened. Thereafter, Samuels gave the bag to Bushay’s associate, who was destined for Texas.
On December 15, 2010, law enforcement officers executed a coordinated take-down. As part of the take-down, agents executed a search warrant on Bushay’s home, where they recovered an arsenal of weapons and cache of drug paraphernalia. Specifically, agents recovered: (1) a Cobra 9mm pistol; (2) a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol; (3) a Bushmaster Assault Rifle; (4) a .22 caliber rifle; (5) a Sturm Ruger Ranch Rifle with a scope; (6) a Glock semi-automatic pistol with a laser sight; (7) a Sten-Type 9mm machine gun; and (8) approximately 700 rounds of ammunition, including ballistic tipped and hollow point rounds. In addition to the weapons, agents found a narcotics ledger, an electronic money counter, two digital scales, and a baseball hat with “Customs and Border Protection” embroidered on it.
Mark Tomlinson also distributed thousands of pills of MDMA and BZP, while simultaneously running Club Intrigue (a nightclub in DeKalb County). In addition, in April 2010, Tomlinson brokered a major marijuana deal, which resulted in the seizure of over $100,000. After law enforcement seized the drug money, Tomlinson and others devised a scheme to make it appear that the money was actually to pay musicians for his nightclub. On December 15, 2010, law enforcement officers searched Tomlinson’s home, where they recovered: (a) a Remington 12 gauge shotgun, (b) a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, (c) a Taurus semiautomatic handgun, and (d) a drug ledger. In October 2014, after a one week trial, a federal jury convicted Tomlinson of conspiring to traffic MDMA, BZP, and marijuana.
The following individuals were convicted on the drug trafficking indictment:
- Mark Tomlinson, a/k/a “Supa,” 40, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Jerome Bushay, a/k/a “Romey,” 36, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Otis Henry, a/k/a “Wesley Johnson,” 44, of DeKalb County, Georgia, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Conrad Harvey, a/k/a “Fowley,” 45, Snellville, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years, one month in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Roshaun Hood, a/k/a “Shaun,” 33, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to nine years, three months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Dave Grant, a/k/a “David Clarke,” a/k/a “Scratchy,” 39, of Lithonia, Georgia; was sentenced to nine years in prison, followed by six years of supervised release.
- Nigel Edwards, a/k/a “Nigel the Barber,” 37, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was sentenced to four years, four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Ricardo Duncan, a/k/a “Ricky,” 32, of Lithonia, Georgia, was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Damien Aarons, a/k/a “Damage,” 39, of Covington, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Jermaine Campbell, a/k/a “Fatman,” 35, of DeKalb County, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, one month in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Christopher Williams, a/k/a “Eric Washington,” “Bobby,” “Beagle,” and “Apachee,” 49, of Snellville, Georgia, was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release.
Local Corruption
During the course of the operation, law enforcement authorities also learned that former DeKalb County Police Officer Donald Bristol abused his law enforcement position to help drug traffickers hide a stolen vehicle; that he unlawfully accessed his police computer; and that he lied to federal agents. More specifically, starting in April 2010, Bristol helped separately-charged defendants Christopher Dixon (currently a fugitive) and Ricardo Duncan hide the fact that the car they were driving was in fact a stolen vehicle. Bristol also misused his access to a sensitive law enforcement database to provide drug traffickers with confidential information, such as whether the drug traffickers had any open warrants. Finally, when questioned about his activities, Bristol made numerous false statements to federal agents.
On October 18, 2011, Bristol, 45, of DeKalb County, Georgia was sentenced to one year and one day of incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE); Drug Enforcement Administration; ICE - Office of Professional Responsibility; ICE - Office of Inspector General; ICE - Homeland Security Investigation; Jamaican Constabulary Force - Anti-Corruption Branch; DeKalb County Police Department; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Marshal’s Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and U.S. Department of State - Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis, L. Skye Davis, and Dahil Goss prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.com.
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.
U.S. Attorney's office establishes website for potential victims of Freedom chemical spillRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that his office has established a new website to provide information to potential victims of the January 9, 2014, Freedom Industries’ chemical spill. The website is located at http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/chemical-spill. The site may also be accessed from www.justice.gov/largecases.
In accordance with the Crime Victims’ Rights Act and the Attorney General’s Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance, the site will provide information to potential victims of the chemical spill. The information on the site will include links to all documents charging the defendants with crimes, dates and times of upcoming public criminal proceedings, and a listing of resources available to those who believe they may have been harmed by the chemical spill.
Anyone who believes that they are a victim of the chemical spill and wishes to receive notice of future developments in the criminal cases related to the spill, submit written information concerning the impact the alleged crimes have had on them, or attend the criminal court proceedings, should visit the website above or contact the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and ask to speak with the Victim-Witness Coordinator. The local number for the United States Attorney’s office is (304) 345-2200, and the toll-free number is (800) 659-8726.
Pending charges are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two convicted of oxycodone traffickingRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Keyara Peters, 21, of Rivesville, West Virginia, and Ryan Brooks, 28, of Morgantown, West Virginia, were convicted in federal court today for oxycodone trafficking, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
An investigation by the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Mon Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force revealed that Peters and Brooks participated in a drug distribution operation designed to transport heroin and prescription painkillers across state lines from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Morgantown, West Virginia for redistribution and sale.
The defendants each pled guilty today to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Oxycodone.” They each face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.00. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John S. Kaull presided.
Two Southern Illinois Residents Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that two southern Illinois residents were charged and appeared in Court today on child pornography offenses which are alleged to have occurred in Jackson and Richland Counties. Joseph R. Washburn, 33, of Murphysboro, Illinois, and Thomas C. Fulk, 46, of Olney, Illinois, were charged in separate cases with using a computer to access and download child pornography images from the internet.
If convicted, each person faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation in the Washburn case was conducted by the Secret Service Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force, The United States Marshals Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Benton, Illinois, Police Department, and the Murphysboro, Illinois, Police Department.
The investigation in the Fulk case was conducted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the Richland County State’s Attorney, the Illinois State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas E. Leggans.