Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Friday 27 February 2015
San Antonio Man Sentenced to Two Life Terms Plus 30 Years in Federal Prison in Connection with Sex Trafficking of Minors SchemeRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, a federal judge sentenced 38-year-old Marcus Deshawn Wright to two life imprisonment terms for sex trafficking of minors plus 30 years in prison for production of child pornography announced Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI’s San Antonio Division and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In addition to Wright, Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced: 22-year-old Malcom Deandre Copeland of San Antonio, to 18 years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release; 41-year-old Raymond Valas, a former U.S. Army Lt. Colonel in the New Hampshire National Guard, to 15 years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release; and, 20-year-old Amber Doak of San Antonio, to six months incarceration followed by 15 years of supervised release. Judge Biery also ordered that all four defendants be registered sex offenders for the rest of their lives. Wright, Copeland and Doak were also ordered to pay $1,500 restitution to their victim.
“Today’s sentencings by Chief Judge Biery should make it clear beyond doubt that engaging in the commerce of sex with minors in intolerable and unacceptable. Those who participate in such exploitation face serious consequences to their liberty,” stated Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr.
Last year, separate federal juries convicted Wright, Copeland and Valas of sex trafficking of a minor. Wright was also convicted of one count of child pornography. Prior to trial, Doak pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of minors.
Evidence presented during the trials revealed that in 2013, Doak, at the bidding of Wright and Copeland, encouraged a 15-year-old female, to engage in sexual acts for money. Using a mobile phone provided by Wright, Doak took pictures of the victim which Wright and Copeland subsequently used to promote her on an Internet website which advertised prostitution services under the pretext of “escorts.”
The evidence also revealed that Doak fielded inquiries from individuals responding to the prostitution advertisement and also traveled with Wright and Copeland as they transported the victim to multiple locations in San Antonio as well as Corpus Christi to engage in commercial sex. Testimony revealed that Valas solicited the minor female using the internet and that he knowingly had sex with her in a San Antonio hotel on two occasions in August 2013 while on temporary duty.
“Recruiting, exploiting, and transporting juveniles for the purpose of underage prostitution is among the lowest forms of human conduct,” said FBI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge, Christopher Combs. “Today’s sentences should send a clear message to those who engage in this revolting criminal activity; our children are not for sale.”
“Thanks to the collaborative efforts of state, local and federal law enforcement authorities, these four defendants were convicted for sex trafficking of minors,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “I congratulate everyone involved for taking these criminals off the streets and out of our communities. Texas has become and will remain a national leader in human trafficking prevention efforts. Together, we will continue to protect survivors and bring traffickers to justice.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) together with the San Antonio Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Bettina Richardson and Special Assistant United States Attorney Geoff Barr from the Texas Attorney General’s Office prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Salt Lake City Woman Arrested for Threatening a Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Joan Osborn, 57, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was arrested today for threatening to assault and murder a Utah federal judge, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho is handling the prosecution, rather than the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah, in accordance with Department of Justice policy because the federal judge sits in the District of Utah. Osborn was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on February 25, 2015.
Osborn is scheduled to appear in court on March 2, 2015, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Evelyn J. Furse at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City.
If convicted, the charge is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct and is not evidence of guilt. A person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Roswell Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Dominic A. Sedillo, 23, of Roswell, N.M., pleaded guilty this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to methamphetamine trafficking charges.
Sedillo was arrested on Jan. 24, 2014, in Roswell on a two-count indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine in Eddy County, N.M., on April 25, 2013 and June 5, 2013.
During today’s proceedings, Sedillo pled guilty to both counts of the indictment. In entering his guilty plea, Sedillo admitted selling 24 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $1,200.00 in April, and selling 58.8 grams of methamphetamine in change for $3,000.00 in June 2013. Both transactions occurred in Artesia, N.M.
Sedillo remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing Sedillo faces a prison sentence of not less than five years and not more than 40 years followed by at least four years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as A Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on February 20, 2015, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Cody Grass, age 31, was sentenced to 24 months in custody, 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The conviction stems from Grass failing to register as a convicted sex offender between May 10, 2014, and August 20, 2014.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Grass was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Prior Felon from Carlsbad Sentenced to Ten Years for Violating Federal Narcotics and Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Christopher O. Reza, 33, of Carlsbad, N.M., was sentenced yesterday afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to ten years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking and firearms conviction.
Reza was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Reza was arrested on May 19, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition and using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to the criminal complaint, officers seized numerous weapons and ammunition as well as methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana when they executed a search warrant at Reza’s residence in Carlsbad on Jan. 28, 2014. At the time, Reza was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because he previously had been convicted of numerous felony offenses including shooting at an inhabited dwelling, shooting from a motor vehicle, aggravated battery on a peace officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, breaking and entering, forgery and identity theft.
On Dec. 20, 2014, Reza pled guilty to a three-count felony information charging him with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In his plea agreement, Reza admitted possessing ammunition on Sept. 8, 2013, in Bernalillo County, N.M., and possessing 24 firearms and ammunition on Jan. 29, 2014, in Eddy County, N.M. He also admitted possessing 5.92 grams of pure methamphetamine on Jan. 29, 2014.
This case was investigated by the Roswell office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, the Carlsbad Police Department, the Artesia Police Department and the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gould prosecuted the case.
The Pecos Valley Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department and Artesia 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.
Operator of O.I.D. Process Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for $228 Million Fraudulent Tax Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Mark R. Maness was sentenced today to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $1,176,668 for conspiring to submit false claims against the United States, United States Attorney Melinda Haag and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge José M. Martinez, announced.
On November 18, 2014, Maness, 65, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to submit false claims. According to the plea agreement, Maness and a partner operated a business named O.I.D. Process. Through the business, Maness and his partner aided and assisted in the preparation and presentation to the IRS of fraudulent U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns; in the returns, Maness claimed fraudulent Original Issue Discount interest income and federal tax withholdings, resulting in claims for fraudulent federal income tax refunds.
O.I.D. Process clients filed approximately 200 returns requesting fraudulent refunds totaling approximately $228 million.
Maness and his partner charged clients a non-refundable registration fee to join the organization and a 20% “refund acquisition fee” for any refund check issued by the IRS. They also operated a website and conducted weekly conference calls with clients to offer advice and guidance on how to complete fraudulent tax returns. Clients were required to change their mailing addresses with the IRS to the address of an attorney in San Francisco, California, who was working with Maness and his partner, so that they could ensure receipt of their 20% refund acquisition fee.
The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Susan Illston, United States District Judge. District Judge Illston also sentenced the defendant to an 18-month period of supervised release.
United States Department of Justice Tax Division Trial Attorney Matthew J. Kluge and Assistant United States Attorney Michael G. Pitman are prosecuting this case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that on February 27, 2015, Todd Shannon Bartusek, age 43 of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced for felony tax evasion. The Honorable Joseph F. Bataillon, Senior United States District Court Judge, sentenced Bartusek to a three year term of probation and a $10,000 fine.
An investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service determined that between at least 2007 and 2010, Bartusek operated a sports bookmaking business while a resident of the District of Nebraska. While operating the sports bookmaking business, Bartusek collected losses, receiving payment in the form of cash, check, and internet payments. Bartusek did not report any of the income he received from the sports bookmaking business on his 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 personal income tax returns. The unreported income for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 resulted in an additional income tax due and owing the Internal Revenue Service of at least $256,902.
As part of his sentence, Bartusek agreed to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the total amount of $168,701.36. Bartusek will also be liable for Internal Revenue Service penalties on the unpaid tax amount.
The case was investigated by the Department of the Treasury, Criminal Investigations.
Ohio Woman Sentenced for Importing Drugs into U.S.Read the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Leeann Corley, 29, of Dayton, Ohio, who was convicted of importing approximately 32,000 pills containing methamphetamine, MDMA and BZP into the United States from Canada, was sentenced to 46 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.Assistant U.S Attorney Mary Catherine Baumgarten, who handled the case, stated that on March 3, 2011, the defendant attempted to enter the United States from Canada at the Peace Bridge as a passenger on a Greyhound bus. During a secondary inspection of the bus and its passengers, Corley was sent for a pat-down search after several inconsistencies were found in her statements to Customs and Border Protection Officers. During the search, officers located 33 ziplock bags containing multi-colored pills concealed in a bodysuit that the defendant was wearing.
A forensic analysis determined there were approximately 32,000 tablets containing methamphetamine, 3,4 methylene-dioxymethamphetamine, and benzylpiperazine, all controlled substances.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Securiy Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Hilmey, Acting Director of Field Operations.
Ohio Man Sentenced for Killing WildlifeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that an Ohio man convicted of Unlawful Taking of Wildlife was sentenced on February 25, 2015, by U.S. Magistrate Judge John E. Simko.
Randy Miller, age 59, was sentenced to 1 year of probation, ordered t o pay a $1,000 fine, and a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
In May 2013, Miller, while acting as a guide for turkey hunters, did knowingly shoot and kill a turkey vulture on a U.S. Forest Service trail. Turkey vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson.
Nursing Agency Operator to be Incarcerated for 92 Months and Forfeits HomeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a home nursing agency was sentenced yesterday to 92 months in prison for fraudulently billing millions of dollars of services to Medicare and then laundering the proceeds.
Michael Galatis, 63, of Natick, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 92 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, $7 million in restitution to Medicare, and to forfeit proceeds of the fraud scheme, including his house, valued at $850,000. Galatis was convicted following a 16-day trial in December 2014 of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, ten counts of health care fraud, and seven counts of money laundering.
Galatis, who is also a registered nurse, owned and operated At Home VNA (AHVNA), a home health agency located in Waltham. From 2006 to 2012, Galatis submitted more than $27 million in false and fraudulent home health care claims to Medicare. Medicare paid AHVNA more than $20 million of those fraudulent claims.
The Medicare program pays for home health services only if the services are medically necessary and the individual is homebound. Galatis ignored these requirements and trained AHVNA nurses to recruit healthy individuals with Medicare insurance who lived in large apartment buildings. Galatis held “wellness clinics” at these buildings where nurses convinced senior citizens to enroll with AHVNA and have a nurse visit them in their home. Galatis, and his co-conspirator, trained AHVNA nurses to manipulate the patients’ Medicare assessment forms to make it appear as though the patients qualified for Medicare home health services, when that was often not the case. Galatis paid a physician, Dr. Spencer Wilking, to sign the home health care orders, even though Dr. Wilking did not examine the vast majority of AHVNA’s patients.
Evidence at trial revealed the patients’ primary care physicians did not refer the patients to AHVNA and were unaware that AHVNA was sending nurses to see their patients in their homes. A number of these physicians complained to Galatis, informing him that the patients did not need a visiting nurse, but Galatis ignored these complaints. Similarly, AHVNA’s nurses testified that they informed Galatis that the patients did not need a visiting nurse, but Galatis refused to discharge the patients and continued to bill Medicare.
In 2011, Medicare passed a new requirement that a physician certify that she or he had a face-to-face encounter with the patient about the need for home health care. Even after this regulation was enacted, Galatis continued to bill Medicare for millions of dollars of home health care even though Dr. Wilking signed each order without examining any of the patients. Galatis used the proceeds of the fraud scheme to purchase a house currently valued at $850,000 in Natick free and clear of a mortgage.
Janice Troisi, also a registered nurse and the AHVNA clinical director, is scheduled to go to trial on July 27, 2015. Dr. Wilking, who pleaded guilty in February 2014 to health care fraud, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22, 2015.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Philip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement. The case was being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David S. Schumacher and Lisa A. Schlatz of Ortiz’s Health Care Fraud Unit. The trial team was also assisted by the New England Benefit Integrity Support Center, a fraud contractor for the Medicare program.
Norwalk Cocaine Distributor Sentenced to 32 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Follow @USAO_CT
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN YERINIDES, 51, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport to approximately 32 months of imprisonment, time already served, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine.
This matter stems from a year-long investigation headed by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Norwalk Police Department into the distribution of oxycodone, cocaine and marijuana in Fairfield County. Sixteen individuals were charged and convicted as a result of this investigation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, YERINIDES was intercepted approximately 180 times over a court-authorized wiretap engaging in telephonic and text communications with Konstantinos Zografidis, who was identified as a primary distributor of oxycodone and cocaine. The investigation revealed that YERINIDES was predominantly obtaining large quantities of cocaine from Zografidis for further distribution.
YERINIDES has been detained since arrest on June 12, 2012. On April 17, 2014, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Zografidis has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
This matter was investigated by the DEA’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Norwalk Police Department, with assistance provided by the Connecticut State Police and the Bridgeport, Stamford, Stratford and Westport Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards and Michael Runowicz.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
[email protected]Naples Businessman and Wife Indicted for Structuring and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Naples residents Sydney Jackson Williams, Jr. (66) and his wife, Lorie Ann Williams (48), with conspiracy to evade transaction reporting requirements and structuring cash withdrawals. Additionally, the indictment charges Sydney Williams with concealing property belonging to his bankruptcy estate and making a false declaration in relation to his bankruptcy proceedings. If convicted on all counts, Sydney Williams faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, and Lorie Williams faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment. The indictment also notifies the couple that the United States intends to forfeit $332,500, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
According to the indictment, from March 3, 2010, through April 22, 2010, Sydney and Lorie Williams conspired with each other to knowingly structure, assist in structuring, and attempt to structure withdrawals from a bank. The purpose of the structuring was to evade bank reporting requirements for currency transactions in excess of $10,000. As part of the conspiracy, Lorie Williams opened a checking account at a bank and wrote checks made payable to cash, each in the amount of $9,500. The couple then made 35 withdrawals by cashing the $9,500 checks, totaling $332,500.
The indictment also alleges that on September 30, 2010, Sydney Williams filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition with the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Middle District of Florida. On October 27, 2010, he signed, under penalty of perjury, and filed his Schedules and Statement of Financial Affairs in connection with his bankruptcy petition. In his bankruptcy proceedings, Sydney Williams concealed from the Chapter 11 Trustee and the creditors, property belonging to his estate, specifically, a safe deposit box held at a bank.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yolande G. Viacava and Charles D. Schmitz.
Michigan Psychotherapy Clinic Owner Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for his Role in $3.3 Million Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A former Michigan resident who directed a $3.3 million psychotherapy fraud scheme, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI Detroit Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Detroit Office.
Gerald R. Funderburg Jr., 35, of Syracuse, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III in the Eastern District of Michigan. In addition to his prison term, Funderburg was ordered to pay $1,453,064.59 in restitution.
According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, from November 2006 through April 2011, Funderburg owned and controlled Funderburg Clinical & Community Services (FCCS), which he used to submit false claims to Medicare for purported psychotherapy services.
Funderburg admitted that he used the Medicare information and identities of hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries without their consent to submit claims for psychotherapy services that were not actually provided. Funderburg also admitted that he used personal information of licensed social workers without their consent to obtain Medicare provider numbers in their names, which he then used to submit false claims to Medicare for services purportedly provided by the same social workers. The social workers, however, did not provide the care for which Funderburg billed Medicare.
Over the course of the scheme, Funderburg admitted that he caused FCCS to submit over $3.3 million in fraudulent claims, and Medicare paid $1,453,064 for those claims.
This case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Gejaa T. Gobena, Assistant Chief Catherine K. Dick and Trial Attorneys Matthew C. Thuesen, Dustin M. Davis and William G. Kanellis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,100 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6.5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Mexican Sentenced to Prison for Smuggling Meth in Frames of Religious ArtRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Mexican citizen living in Pittsburgh, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months of incarceration and five years of supervision on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on Carmelo Rojas- Perez, 31, born in Toluca, Mexico, and recently residing in Pittsburgh. Judge Conti noted that the defendant will be deported back to Mexico after serving his prison sentence.
According to information presented to the court, Rojas-Perez had initially received a “test” package from Toluca, Mexico, consisting of a framed religious picture, which contained no drugs. Rojas- Perez opened the package and assured himself that the package had not been tampered with, before storing it in his residence. Approximately one week later, Rojas-Perez received two additional framed religious pictures, containing nearly one kilogram of methamphetamine hidden inside the hollowed-out frames. Federal Homeland Security Agents and Pennsylvania State Police Western Interdiction Unit Troopers executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence before the methamphetamine could make it onto the streets. Investigators also located Rojas-Perez’s cellphone in his residence and determined that it contained both text messages with his methamphetamine co-conspirators and pictures of apparent drugs on top of piles of money. The methamphetamine seized is estimated to be worth between $22,000 and $45,000 on the street, depending on how much it was diluted before reaching actual drug users. Depending on that dilution, the drugs involved an estimated 3,500 to 7,000 individual hits of methamphetamine.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Conti noted that unlike American citizens who are jailed in federal facilities, illegal aliens are not eligible for early release from their sentences, do not get credit for completing drug programs, and often are unable to serve their time in a minimum security facility.
Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Pennsylvania State Police Western Interdiction Unit for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Carmelo Rojas-Perez.
Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
There will be a press conference held on Monday, March 2, 2015, following the sentencing in United States v. Mary Ann Ramos, Northern District of Iowa Case Number 13-2034.
The sentencing hearing will be held at the United States Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, 111 Seventh Avenue SE, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The press conference will be held at the United States Attorney’s Office on the second floor of the Courthouse. United States Attorney Kevin W. Techau and representatives of the investigating agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, will comment on the case.
Press releases and interview opportunities will be available. Representatives from the United States Attorney’s Office will escort any members of the media with camera equipment to the location of the press conference. Please note that cameras are not allowed elsewhere in the building.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury was sentenced on February 24, 2015, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Logan Hayes, age 25, was sentenced to 27 months in custody, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hayes was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 15, 2014. He pled guilty on November 3, 2014.
The conviction stems from an incident on July 31, 2012, when a concerned neighbor in McLaughlin called the Standing Rock Police Department to report that Hayes was beating up his dad and a female victim. An officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs responded and learned that Hayes came to his father’s house and an argument ensued. Hayes had kicked both the victim and his father as they lay on the floor, and the victim ran to a bedroom to attempt to call for help. Hayes followed her and ripped three phones out of the wall. Hayes caught up with the victim and shoved her through the back door, causing her to fall down the stairs of the house, landing on the cement driveway. The female victim was bleeding from a large laceration on her left forearm and her arm looked to be distorted. An ambulance was called and the victim was transported to the Mobridge Regional Hospital, and then transferred to the hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, with follow up care in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The x-rays revealed that the victim suffered a fracture of both the radius and ulna bones in her forearm.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Hayes was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
McDowell County man pleads guilty to distributing crackRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that William Sykes, 29, of Welch, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to distributing crack cocaine.
Sykes admitted that on June 15, 2011, he sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant. The drug deal took place in front of Sykes’ residence in Welch.
Sykes faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2015.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Southern Regional Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney John J. Frail is handling the prosecution.
###
Last of Twenty-One Defendants Arrested in November 2013 as a Result of a Mult-Agency Investigation into Heroin Trafficking in Doña Ana County Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Patrick Gonzalez, 39, of Las Cruces, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court to heroin trafficking and firearms charges under a plea agreement that requires him to serve an 18-year federal prison sentence followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Lead defendant Jovita Belmonte-Gonzalez, 43, a Mexican national from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, Gonzalez, and 19 other Las Cruces residents were charged with heroin trafficking offenses in five indictments filed in Nov. 2013, as a result of a multi-agency investigation led by the FBI that targeted Belmonte-Gonzalez’ heroin trafficking activities of in Doña Ana County, N.M. Belmonte-Gonzales was named as the lead defendant in four of five indictments which charged her with supplying heroin to drug trafficking organizations that distributed heroin in Doña Ana County.
Belmonte-Gonzalez, pled guilty to heroin trafficking charges in four of the five cases in June 2014, and admitted conducting frequent heroin transactions with her co-defendants between June 2013 and Oct. 2013. Court records reflect that Belmonte-Gonzalez typically negotiated heroin sales by telephone from Juarez and her co-defendants traveled from Doña Ana County to Juarez where they purchased the heroin from her and later distributed the drugs in Doña Ana County. Belmonte-Gonzales faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison and a maximum of life in prison, and will be deported after she completes her prison sentence. She remains in federal custody pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
During today’s proceedings, Gonzalez pled guilty to participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In entering his guilty plea, Gonzalez admitted that from Sept. 2013 through Oct. 2013, he facilitated at least a dozen drug transactions involving an aggregate of 2.4 kilograms of heroin between Belmonte-Gonzalez and other co-conspirators. Gonzalez also admitted that he arranged for individuals to travel to Belmonte-Gonzalez in Juarez, Mexico, to purchase heroin on his behalf and then bring the heroin back to him in Doña Ana County, N.M., where he distributed the heroin to others. He further admitted that on Nov. 15, 2013, he possessed four firearms and that he kept them because of the dangers associated with dealing illegal drugs though he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his status as a convicted felon.
Gonzalez is the last of the 21 defendants charged as a result of the investigation to enter a guilty plea.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Garreth Winstead, III, of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office. The investigation leading to the charges in the four cases was led by the Las Cruces office of the FBI in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Las Cruces Police Department and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation was designated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, a nationwide Department of Justice program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.
This case is being prosecuted pursuant to the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center that is partnering with the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative with the overriding goal of reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in the District of New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. The law enforcement component of the HOPE Initiative is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced for Part in Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Christopher Thomas, 50, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced on February 27, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East Saint Louis for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Thomas had previously pled guilty to the charge on October 15, 2014.
The district court sentenced Thomas to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release to follow imprisonment. Thomas was also ordered to pay a $200 fine and a $100 special assessment. In addition, a $500 forfeiture judgment was entered.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Illinois State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, Oklahoma State Patrol, and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce.
Las Cruces Resident Sentenced to Twenty Years in Prison for Violating Federal Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Clemente Eduardo Vasquez-De La Cruz, 27, a naturalized citizen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, who resides in Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon in federal court to 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violating the federal firearms laws.
Vasquez-De La Cruz was prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this anti-violence initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s District Attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.
Vasquez-De La Cruz was arrested in Dec. 2013, on a two-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition and possession of an unregistered short-barreled firearm. Vasquez-De La Cruz was charged with committing both crimes on April 5, 2013, in Doña Ana County, N.M. At the time, Vasquez-De La Cruz was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, shooting at an occupied building and being a felon in possession of a firearm or destructive device.
Vasquez-De La Cruz pled guilty to the two-count indictment on April 9, 2014, without the benefit of a plea agreement. According to evidence presented during the prosecution of the case, Vasquez-De La Cruz was charged based on an incident on April 5, 2013, when he fired a shotgun at a Deputy of the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office.
Vasquez-De La Cruz also was convicted on related state charges by the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. His federal sentence will run concurrent with his state sentence.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the New Mexico HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force (RIDTF)/Metro Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Anna Wright of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The HIDTA Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. 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.
Laconia Man Sentenced on Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Daniel Petrin, 51, of Laconia, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to 6 years in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas.
The investigation began in July 2009, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation received information that Petrin was among many individuals who had purchased images of child pornography from an individual in Italy who was operating a website featuring sexually explicit images of female children. Undercover law enforcement in Vermont and Oklahoma traced images of child pornography detected in a file sharing network to Petrin.
United States Attorney Kacavas said, “Identifying, finding, and prosecuting predators like the defendant has been, and will continue to be, among the highest priorities of my office.”
The defendant was fined $5,000.00, will be required to register as a sex offender in any state in which he lives or works and will be supervised by United States Probation for ten years after he is released from prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Hampshire and Vermont Crimes Against Children Task Forces and the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon.Kent Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Dealing Heroin While ArmedRead the Press Release
A Mexican citizen who illegally possessed a firearm while dealing heroin was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to eight years in prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Annette L. Hayes. Melquiades GARCIA GONZALEZ, 29, made a series of heroin sales to a person working with law enforcement in April 2014. In May 2014, GARCIA GONZALEZ agreed to sell three kilos of heroin to an undercover officer, with the promise of additional kilos of heroin in the future. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said GARCIA GONZALEZ “was controlling the lives of countless other people by providing the drug for their addiction.”
GARCIA GONZALEZ was arrested May 20, 2014, after attempting to deliver the three kilos of heroin to undercover officers in the parking lot of the Kent, Washington Home Depot. According to records filed in the case, GARCIA GONZALEZ drove through the parking lot at a high rate of speed narrowly missing other cars and pedestrians. Ultimately GARCIA GONZALEZ bolted from his car, and was chased on foot by officers. The officers saw GARCIA GONZALEZ throw a handgun into the bushes near a housing complex with young children playing in the yard. The weapon was a loaded Kahr .40 caliber pistol. In addition to the 3 kilos of heroin in the car, another kilo of heroin and a second loaded firearm was discovered at GARCIA GONZALEZ’ home.
On November 3, 2014, GARCIA GONZALEZ pleaded guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Heroin with Intent to Deliver; and Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crime.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers with Kent Police Department and Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs is a Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute gun cases in federal court.
Kansas City Man Sentenced for Scheme to Defraud Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Thomas Whitlow, 53, formerly of Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced on February 27, 2015, in Lincoln, Nebraska, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard to 9 years in prison following his conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud. In addition to the prison term, Whitlow was ordered to pay restitution of $17,521, to the victims of the scheme to defraud, serve a 3 year term of supervised release following the prison term and pay special assessments of $500.
Whitlow was convicted by a federal jury on November 18, 2014, of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud, after a three-day trial. Evidence presented at trial indicated that between May of 2011 and November of 2013, Whitlow was a member of a group which devised a conspiracy scheme to defraud elderly victims and to obtain money. As part of the scheme, Mr. Whitlow would contact the elderly victims, purporting to be a family relative, or a person acting on behalf of that relative. He would then solicit money from the elderly victims under a false pretense, such as a motor vehicle accident or some other type of fabricated emergency. The victims were then instructed to obtain a money order and to have it sent to a specific person. The victims then purchased money orders under the belief that they were helping that family member. Witnesses testified that Whitlow directed co-conspirators to send and receive proceeds of the scheme through wire transfers, including wire transfers conducted in the District of Nebraska. Once the wire transfers were received by the co-conspirators, the money would then be provided to Whitlow or used to pay expenses of Whitlow.
Over the course of this conspiracy, Whitlow and his co-defendants obtained approximately $20,000.00 from their victims. The other defendants have previously plead guilty and been sentenced by the Court.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, United States Department of Homeland Security and the Lincoln Police Department.
Joint Statement by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the Declassification of Renewal of Collection Under Section 215 of the USA Patriot ActRead the Press Release
Early last year in a speech at the Department of Justice, President Obama announced a transition that would end the Section 215 bulk telephony metadata program as it previously existed, and that the government would establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk data.
As a first step in that transition, the President directed the Attorney General to work with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to ensure that, absent a true emergency, telephony metadata can only be queried after a judicial finding that there is a reasonable, articulable suspicion that the selection term is associated with an approved international terrorist organization. The President also directed that the query results must be limited to metadata within two hops of the selection term instead of three.
These two changes have been in effect since February 2014.
In addition, the President also directed the Intelligence Community and the Attorney General to develop options for a new approach to match the capabilities and fill gaps that the Section 215 program was designed to address without the government holding this metadata.
After carefully considering the available options, the President announced in March that the best path forward is that the government should not hold this data in bulk, and that the data should remain at the telephone companies with a legal mechanism in place that would allow the government to obtain data pursuant to individual orders from the FISC approving the use of specific numbers for such queries.
The President also noted that legislation would be required to implement this option, and he has called on Congress to enact this important change.
As the White House said, the Administration welcomes the opportunity to work with the new Congress to implement the changes the President has called for. Given that legislation has not yet been enacted, and given the importance of maintaining the capabilities of the telephony metadata program, the government has sought a reauthorization of the existing program, as modified by the changes the President directed in January.
Consistent with prior declassification decisions and in light of the significant and continuing public interest in the telephony metadata collection program, DNI James R. Clapper declassified the fact that the government filed an application with the FISC to reauthorize the existing program until June 1, 2015, and that the FISC issued an order approving the government’s application. The Government sought renewal of this authority to and including June 1, 2015 in order to align the expiration date of the requested order for this program with the June 1, 2015 sunset of Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act.
The Administration is undertaking a declassification review of this most recent court order, and when complete, the ODNI will post the document to its website and icontherecord.tumblr.com.
Joint Federal/State Investigation Leads to Indictment of 17 Individuals for Smash and Grab Robberies Across the United StatesRead the Press Release
Seventeen individuals from the metro-Detroit area have been charged in a series of smash and grab robberies of jewelry stores across the United States, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Field Office, along with partners of the FBI Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force which include, Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office; Director Rebecca Adducci, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, Detroit Field Office; Commander Monica Yesh, Michigan State Police; Chief Eric Hawkins, Southfield Police Department; Chief Geof Gaudard, Bloomfield Township Police Department; Acting Chief Jeff James, Waterford Police Department; Chief Corrigan O’Donahue, Royal Oak Police Department; Assistant Deputy Director Beverly Smith, Michigan Department of Corrections; and other local police agencies.
Three separate federal indictments filed during the past month charge the defendants with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery of stores located in New York, Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, Nebraska and Connecticut.
These indictments follow a series of investigations nationally by various state, local and federal law enforcement agencies involving approximately 40 smash and grab robberies in 2014. In Michigan alone, between 2012 and 2014, approximately 25 smash and grab jewelry store robberies were committed. FBI agents and other state and local law enforcement officers continue to work collaboratively to identify and criminally charge all of the individuals responsible for these robberies.
According to the indictments, crews from the metro-Detroit area planned and executed six robberies. The crews traveled across the country to jewelry stores that sell Rolex watches and other jewelry. Several members of the crew entered the jewelry stores while they were open for business, smashed the Rolex display cases with sledge hammers and fled the store with Rolex watches, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The robbers escaped into waiting, stolen vehicles and returned to Michigan with the stolen watches.
The indicted defendants are:
- Elijah McKinney, 24, of Detroit,
- Darius Ellis, 30, of Detroit,
- Kordaryl Cross, 25, of Westland,
- Latrina Williams, 38, of Detroit,
- Lorenzo Daniel Terry, 21, of Detroit,
- Anthony Jerome Browner, 24,of Farmington Hills,
- DaJuan Cortez Marcellus, 24, of Detroit,
- Brandon Phillip Wilkerson, 24, of Detroit,
- Marquis Wade Cheatham, 24, of Detroit,
- Darien Savon Thompson, 21, of Detroit,
- Britnei Rodgers, 29, of Detroit,
- Ernie Thomas Evans, 25, of Detroit,
- Darrick Adams, 29, of Detroit,
- Brandon Mayes, 20, of Detroit,
- Bria Jackson, 22, of Shelby Township,
- Bria Stanford, 21, of Belleville, and
- Shaquita Wyatt, 24, of Detroit.
“These crimes, committed during business hours, are serious because of the danger and trauma they create for the victim customers and sales clerks,” McQuade said. “These defendants travelled around the country to commit their crimes in hopes of dividing and conquering witnesses and investigators, but with the collaboration of law enforcement agencies across the country, those schemes have been thwarted.”
Special Agent in Charge Abbate stated, "The defendants in this case intentionally targeted jewelry stores across the country, exposing the public to danger and attempting to thwart the efforts of law enforcement. Together, law enforcement at every level, through shared intelligence, resources, and evidence, brought their crime spree to a halt. The FBI stands, along with its partners, both local and national, ready to bring other criminal smash and grab robbery crews to justice.”
Sheriff Bouchard stated, “Clearly as evidenced by this case, criminals do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries. Therefore, it is imperative for all agencies to work together to defeat complex criminal activity. It's a pleasure for us to have the Gang and Violent Crime Task Force work out of our Pontiac substation and we are proud of the relationships and success that comes from this teamwork.”
Chief Hawkins stated, “This is another great example of how law enforcement agencies at different levels of government can work together to disrupt complex criminal enterprises and take dangerous individuals off the streets. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and all of the officers involved for their hard work on this case.”
John Kennedy, head of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) that represents the interests of 21,000 retail jewelry stores stated, “It’s very difficult for a local agency to address the problem by itself, but when the FBI—with its national and international scope—assists, the overall law enforcement effort is more effective.” The JSA also plays a key role in these investigations by offering law enforcement agencies access to its database of jewelry and gem thefts.
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company and an industry consortium are offering a combined reward of up to $45,000 for information leading to the arrest of other individuals responsible for these robberies.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force which is comprised of special agents and officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Oakland County Sheriff’s Office; Michigan State Police; Southfield Police Department; Bloomfield Township Police Department; Royal Oak Police Department; Waterford Police Department and the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Douglas Salzenstein and Jerome Gorgon.
IRS Employee Arrested on Indictment for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Yolanda Castro, 45, a Fresno employee of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, was arrested today following her indictment by a federal grand jury on February 26, 2015, on 10 counts of tax fraud and making false statements to a government agency, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to the indictment, Castro has been employed by the IRS for approximately 20 years, including as a tax examiner and contact representative. Between 2007 and 2013, she prepared and filed false federal income tax returns for herself, her family members and others in which she fraudulently claimed tax deductions and credits. For instance, on her own 2008 tax return, Castro claimed a credit for education expenses that she did not incur, and provided the IRS phony textbook receipts to support the claim. Likewise, in tax returns she prepared for herself and others, Castro claimed child care expenses that had not been incurred.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS‑Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Baker and Mark McKeon are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Castro face a maximum statutory penalty of three years in prison and a $100,000 fine for each of the six counts of aiding in the preparation of a false tax return, five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each of the two counts of making a false return by a U.S. employee, and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the two counts of making false statements to a government agency. 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.
Hudson Woman Convicted of Straw Purchase of FirearmsRead the Press Release
A Hudson woman was convicted of making false statements related to the purchase of three firearms, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Marcia M. Masters, 47, was convicted following a trial before U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 16.
Masters acted as a straw purchaser of a firearm from Semi-Arms Inc. in Broadview Heights, Ohio. She did this by lying on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Form, falsely stating that she was the actual buyer and recipient of a Smith and Wesson Model 317 .22mm revolver, a Colt Model AR15 .223mm rifle and another Colt Model AR15 .223mm rifle.
She was employed as a police officer at the time of the purchases.
Assistant United States Attorneys Marisa Darden and Matthew Kall are prosecuting the case following an investigation by the ATF.
Homeless Man Sentenced for Conveying A False ThreatRead the Press Release
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on February 26, 2015, Oliver M. Dotts, 41, with no legal address, was sentenced for Conveying a False Threat. Dotts was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. Dotts has been held without bond since his arraignment on a Criminal Complaint on July 9, 2014.
The investigation of Dotts began when, on July 8, 2014, Dotts came to the Federal Courthouse in East St. Louis, Illinois, and asked to speak with a Deputy United States Marshal (DUSM). Dotts told the DUSM that he was “having bad thoughts” and “not thinking right.” When asked what he meant, Dotts replied that he was thinking about getting some gas and burning some cars in the Courthouse parking lot, and also that he wanted “to get some gas and burn down the f**king Post Office.” After Dotts repeatedly made the threats despite the DUSM’s efforts to calm him down, the DUSM contacted the Department of Homeland Security - Federal Protective Service (FPS).
A Special Agent with FPS arrived at the Federal Courthouse and interviewed Dotts. When asked if he was serious about the comments he made to the DUSM, Dotts said that he was serious, and that, when he leaves the Courthouse, he is going to go buy some gas, set fire to the cars in the Courthouse parking lot and set fire to the Post Office. Dotts said that he did not want to hurt anyone. He said that he just wanted to draw media attention to his acts so someone would put him “in therapy or a program” to help him with this substance abuse problems and get him back on the medication he takes for his mental health issues. Dotts reported earlier to the DUSM that he went to a mental health facility and asked to be admitted to get back on his medication and “get into a program or some therapy.” Dotts said that, despite telling the staff at the facility that he was having serious problems with drugs and alcohol and would do something dangerous, the facility would not admit him. He said that it was then that he decided to walk to the Federal Courthouse.
Based on Dotts’ continued threats to burn cars in the Courthouse parking lot and the Post Office if he was released from the Courthouse, and his apparent calm and lucid behavior, Dotts was taken into custody, and a criminal complaint was issued the next day.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshal Service and the Department of Homeland Security – Federal Protective Service. The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
Hill City Woman Sentenced for Passport Application FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Hill City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Passport Application Fraud was sentenced on February 20, 2015, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Susan Ruth Weiner, a/k/a Linda Joyce Von Bargen, a/k/a Anita Marie Bernicette Wrotent, a/k/a Anitamarie Bernicette Wroten, a/k/a Corey Eden Johns, age 67, was sentenced to time served (approximately 7 months), 2 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Weiner pled guilty to the charge on October 10, 2014. The conviction stemmed from Weiner using the name and social security number of another female to obtain a passport, thus stealing her identity, on June 17, 2014.
This case was investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service – U.S. Department of State. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Four plead guilty to federal drug charges in BluefieldRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that four men pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in Bluefield.
Joshua Blevins, 30, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty to using a phone to facilitate a felony. He admitted that on Nov. 21, 2014, he was in the Bluewell, West Virginia, area when he had a phone conversation with a confidential informant to help set up a drug deal. Shortly after the call, Blevins distributed oxymorphone to the informant.
Blevins faces up to four years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Marcus Edwards, 40, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty to distributing hydromorphone to a confidential informant in Bluefield on Aug. 25, 2014.
Leonard Carey Rucker, 44, of Princeton, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to distributing heroin to a confidential informant on Nov. 4, 2014, in Princeton.
Carl E. Howard, Jr., also known as Preacher, 62, of Princeton, pleaded guilty to distributing hydromorphone to a confidential informant on July 8, 2014, in Princeton.
Edwards, Rucker and Howard each face up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.
All four men are scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2015.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the plea hearings.
The cases are being investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney John File is handling the prosecutions.
The cases are being prosecuted under the Bluefield Pill Initiative, part of the ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the sale of heroin and the illicit sale and misuse of opiate painkillers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing those who engage in illegal drug trafficking in the Southern District.
###
Four Indicted in Modesto Prescription Drug RingRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. —United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today the unsealing of an indictment, returned by the grand jury February 19, 2015, charging Christina Antonia Martinez, 27; Lance Aaron Wilson, 30; and Mona Alicia Chavarin, 43, all of Modesto; and Lenele Maria Nunez, 31, of Hughson, with conspiring to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone and possession of the same substances on two occasions.
Oxycodone (street names “Hillbilly Heroin,” “Kicker,” “OC,” “Ox,” “Oxy,” “Perc,” or “Roxy”) and hydrocodone (street names “Hydro,” “Norco,” or “Vikes”) are classified under federal law as Schedule II controlled substances although hydrocodone, until October 6, 2014 was previously a Schedule III controlled substance. Both substances, when legally prescribed for a legitimate medical purpose, are used for the relief of mild to moderate pain and can be habit forming. However, they are commonly unlawfully abused as recreational drugs and sold illegally.According to court documents, as early as December 1, 2013 and until January 13, 2015, the defendants conspired to unlawfully distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone. Nunez was an office manager at a Modesto pain management clinic and stole blank prescriptions from the clinic. Nunez provided these prescriptions to Martinez knowing that Martinez would enter false information on them, resulting in fraudulent prescriptions for large quantities of highly addictive, frequently diverted prescription drugs, including oxycodone and hydrocodone. Martinez and Wilson would provide these prescriptions to Chavarin, a pharmacy technician employed at a Modesto pharmacy. Nunez would verify the prescriptions to the pharmacy and Chavarin would provide the filled prescriptions of oxycodone or hydrocodone, or cause others to provide them, to Martinez and Wilson. Martinez and Wilson would distribute the unlawfully obtained oxycodone and hydrocodone to individuals for whom it had not been prescribed.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Modesto Police Department and the involvement of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen A. Servatius is prosecuting the case.
Martinez, Nunez, and Chavarin were arrested yesterday on the federal charges and appeared today in the United States District Court in Fresno for their first appearance. Nunez and Chavarin were ordered released from custody. Martinez will have a detention hearing tomorrow at 1:30. All defendants have a status conference on May 18 at 1:00 p.m.
If convicted, all defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of twenty years in prison and a $ 1 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 defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Fort Thompson Man Sentenced for Assault by Strangulation and SuffocationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation was sentenced on February 23, 2015, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Jared Blaine, age 20, was sentenced to 27 months in custody, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Blaine was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 16, 2014. He pled guilty on December 15, 2014.
The conviction stems from an incident on or about August 12, 2014, following a party, when Blaine assaulted his girlfriend by slapping and hitting her in the face and body, kicking her, and then strangling the victim until she could not breathe.
The victim was treated at the hospital in Chamberlain, South Dakota, where she was admitted overnight for observation. She suffered bruising and swelling to the face and body.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Blaine was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Former Rochester Mail Carrier Pleads Guilty to Abusing His Position to Steal from MailsRead 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 Michael Bianchi, 48, of, Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson to a misdemeanor theft and corruption charge. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a fine of $100,000, or both.Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the matter, stated that Bianchi worked as mail carrier for U.S. Postal Service in Rochester. On June 30, 2013, the defendant was observed using a debit card and PIN number that he stole from the mails to withdraw $400 from an ATM.
This plea is the culmination of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler, Eastern Area Field Office, Philadelphia, PA.
Sentencing is scheduled for Bianchi May 13, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Payson.
Former Puerto Rico Police Officer Sentenced for Committing Perjury During Civil Rights InvestigationRead the Press Release
Former Police of Puerto Rico Sergeant Antonio Rodriguez Caraballo was sentenced today to serve 46 months in prison and three years supervised release for making a false statement under oath to the federal grand jury investigating civil rights violations stemming from the fatal beating of Jose Luis Irizarry Perez, 19, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-of the District of Puerto Rico and Special Agent in Charge Carlos Cases of the FBI San Juan Field Office.
Rodriguez Caraballo pleaded guilty to perjury for providing false information to the grand jury concerning what he observed during the police-involved beating of Irizarry Perez. One other former Puerto Rico police officer has already been sentenced for his obstructive conduct during the federal investigation into the incident, while four other former Puerto Rico police officers, who also pleaded guilty, are awaiting sentencing for their roles in the beating and subsequent obstruction of the investigation. According to documents filed in connection with the guilty pleas, two former Puerto Rico police officers violated the constitutional rights of Irizarry Perez by striking him with their police batons while another former police officer physically restrained Irizarry Perez during an election evening celebration at the Las Colinas housing development in Yauco, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 5, 2008.
U.S. District Court Judge Juan M. Perez Gimenez issued the sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. During the three-year term, the defendant will be under federal supervision, and risks additional prison time should he violate any terms of his supervised release.
“The department will not tolerate those who violate the sanctity of the grand jury by lying under oath,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Gupta. “Such conduct is especially egregious in the case at hand, where a sworn law enforcement officer attempted to cover up an assault by police officers by misleading the grand jury.”
“When those who are sworn to uphold the law and protect others choose to abuse their power and position, they undermine the public’s confidence in the justice system and our government institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Rodriguez-Vélez. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice are committed to promoting trust in our system of justice by vigorously prosecuting those who obstruct justice.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s San Juan Division and is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gerard Hogan and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Olimpia E. Michel of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Contreras of the District of Puerto Rico.
Former Fund Coordinator Charged with Theft from Union FundRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging John Francis Songer (44, DeBary) with eight felony counts of theft from an employee benefit plan. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count.
According to the indictment, Songer was the Apprenticeship Administrator and Coordinator of the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee and Trust Fund for the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 15. Over an almost six-year period, Songer used a credit card belonging to the Fund to make more than $50,000 in unauthorized charges. The credit card bill was paid by checks written on the Fund’s bank account. Songer’s unauthorized charges included personal expenditures for adult entertainment, restaurants, and gambling. He also incurred charges for travel-related items that the Fund was not obligated to pay.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Former Enzyme Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns and PerjuryRead the Press Release
A Fort Wayne, Indiana, resident pleaded guilty yesterday in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Indiana to two counts of filing a false tax return and one count of perjury, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the information and court documents, in 2008 and 2009, Jared Hochstedler participated in five separate “wrap,” or stock-for-equity, agreements where two companies, Signature Worldwide Advisors LLC and K&L Enterprises Inc., assumed more than $3.2 million in debt owed to Hochstedler by his company, Enzyme Environmental Solutions Inc. (EES), primarily for his back wages in exchange for stock in EES. Signature and K&L then sold the stock on the over-the-counter market for profit and paid Hochstedler more than $2.8 million. Hochstedler failed to report this income on his 2008 and 2009 individual federal income tax returns. Hochstedler also failed to report more than $1 million paid by K&L as purported loans.
Hochstedler engaged in another stock-for-equity agreement with Bebida Beverage Company, where he assumed the debt of Bebida in exchange for its stock. In 2009, he sold the Bebida stock for more than $1 million and substantially underreported the capital gain on his tax return.
In June of 2009, the SEC deposed Hochstedler regarding the stock-for-equity transactions. During the deposition, Hochstedler falsely stated that the stock he received from Bebida represented repayment of loans and that he sold the Bebida stock for $300,000 to $400,000, when the actual sales price was in excess of $1 million.
Hochstedler faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each false return count, and a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the perjury count.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo commended the special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation who investigated the case, as well as Trial Attorneys Richard Rolwing and Christopher O’Donnell of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case. She also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana for their assistance.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Former Correctional Officers and Drug Supplier Sentenced to Prison in Baltimore Jail Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced former correctional officer Derrick Jones, age 41, of Aberdeen, Maryland, today to 20 months in prison, followed by 18 months of supervised release, for racketeering conspiracy arising from their participation in the smuggling of drugs and contraband for members of the Black Guerilla Family (BGF) gang inside the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC). Judge Hollander also sentenced Linnard Wortham, a/k/a “Stu,” age 29, of Pikesville, Maryland, to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for the racketeering conspiracy and for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Judge Hollander is expected to sentence the defendants in this case who pleaded guilty and did not testify at trial.
Also today, U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced former correctional officer Katera Stevenson, a/k/a KK, age 24, of Baltimore, to two years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for her role in the racketeering conspiracy. Last week, Judge Motz sentenced former correctional officers Danielle Forrest, age 28, to 21 months in prison; and Jasmin Jones, a/k/a/ J.J., age 24, and Tanierdra Finch age 26, both of Baltimore, each to a year and a day in prison. Judge Motz also sentenced former CO Vivian Matthews to six months of home detention and outside supplier Teshawn Pinder to time served, each followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Motz is sentencing the defendants in this case who pleaded guilty and testified at trial, as well as the defendants convicted at the trial.
The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Secretary Stephen T. Moyer of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS); Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
“I have a strong relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and look forward to working with them and the FBI to continue weeding out corruption,” said Stephen T. Moyer, Secretary of the MD Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
This case developed as a result of the efforts of the Maryland Prison Task Force, formed in 2011 with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors. The Task Force has met regularly for over three years, generating recommendations to reform prison procedures and producing leads that have been pursued by state, local and federal criminal investigators. Investigations are continuing.
According to court documents, BGF has been the dominant gang at the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC), and in several connected facilities, including the Baltimore Central Booking Intake Center, the Women’s Detention Center, which houses many men, and in the Jail Industries Building. Tavon White and other BGF leaders and members incarcerated at BCDC were involved with and often directed the smuggling of contraband into BCDC, including cell phones, tobacco and drugs, through the services of correctional officers (CO’s), who received payments, gifts or a share of the profits.
Former correctional officers Katera Stevenson, Derrick Jones, Danielle Forrest, Jasmin Jones, Tanierdra Finch, and Vivian Matthews admitted that while they worked at BCDC, they helped smuggle contraband into the jail, including tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drugs, on behalf of and for further distribution by BGF members. Derrick Jones also admitted to smuggling cell phones to BGF members. Vivian Matthews supplied prescription pills to associates of Tavon White, including Tyesha Mayo, to be smuggled into BCDC. The defendants knew that by smuggling such contraband into BCDC, they furthered the racketeering enterprise of BGF.
Stevenson, Forrest, Finch and Jasmin Jones also entered into personal and sexual relationships with inmates who were BGF gang members. For example, Stevenson had a sexual relationship with BGF leader Tavon White, by whom she had a child. Stevenson had “Tavon” tattooed on her wrist. Jasmin Jones and Finch had sexual relations with BGF member Jamar Anderson, for whom they also smuggled contraband. On behalf of BGF leaders White and Jamar Anderson, Jasmin Jones also opened cells to allow gang members to mingle on the tier, and she warned of impending searches by prison officers. Danielle Forrest admitted that she had sexual relations with inmates who were BGF leaders. At the direction of one of those inmates Forrest met outside suppliers to obtain contraband, which she smuggled into BCDC. Forrest also managed payments for drugs using her Green Dot account on behalf of those inmates.
Wortham admitted that he supplied contraband, including marijuana, that was smuggled into BCDC. Wortham gave the contraband to COs who then smuggled the contraband to BCDC inmates, including Derius Duncan and Jamar Anderson. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Wortham’s residence on November 20, 2013 and seized crack cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and $4,000.
Teshawn Pinder picked up contraband from sources outstide BCDC on behalf of Jamar Anderson and held the items until COs recruited by Anderson could pick them up and smuggle them into BCDC. Pinder also facilitated payment for the drugs, purchasing “Money Paks” for Anderson and transmitting the numbers to him or loading them herself onto Green Dot cards.
Tavon White, a/k/a Bulldog and Tay, age 37, of Baltimore was sentenced to 12 years in prison; Jamar Anderson, age 24, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 121 months in prison; Jermaine McFadden, age 26, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 140 months in prison; and Derius Duncan, age 28, of Baltimore, was sentenced to five years in prison, for their participation in the racketeering conspiracy. Outside supplier Tyesha Mayo pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
Forty of the 44 defendants charged in the racketeering conspiracy have been convicted, including 24 correctional officers. Thirty-five defendants pleaded guilty; five defendants were convicted after trial. Three defendants were acquitted and one defendant died.
U.S. Attorney Rosenstein recognized the efforts of the other members of the Maryland Prison Task Force, including: the Maryland State Police, Prince George’s County Police Department, United States Marshals Office, DEA, Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, Baltimore Police Department, and Maryland Prison Task Force, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Robert R. Harding and Ayn B. Ducao, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
Former Castle High School employee indicted on theft chargesRead the Press Release
PRESS RELEASE
EVANSVILLE- United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler, announced today federal charges against the former extra-curricular treasurer of Castle High School. Rebecca A. McKee, 60, Newburgh, Indiana, was indicted this week on three counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.
"The public deserves better from officials in positions of trust,” said Minkler. “Those who choose to steal from our public institutions will be held strictly accountable”
Rebecca McKee served as the extra-curricular treasurer at Castle High School in Newburgh, where she handled large amounts of cash for school activities. She disbursed funds related to extra-curricular organizations operating within Castle High School and was the primary person controlling the Newburgh National Bank School Extra-Curricular Account for Castle High School.
From July 2010 until August 2012, it is alleged she embezzled over $134,000 during the following fiscal years from the Warrick County School Corporation:
- 2010 -2011--$19,863.49
- 2011-2012--$89,819.06
- 2012-2013--$24,325.40
This investigation was a collaborative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
“The Board of Accounts will continue to work in cooperation with its federal, state, and local partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who would violate the public’s trust,” said Paul Joyce State Examiner. “We all have the right to expect honest representation from our elected and/or appointed officials at all levels of government. I hope that those few public servants that decide to violate this trust will see that we are prosecuting these officials and realize that this is not acceptable and we will hold them accountable.”
McKee had her initial appearance in federal court on Thursday and was released. Her trial date is set for April 27, 2015.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Sawa, who is prosecuting this case for the government, McKee faces up to 10 years for each count if convicted.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Campaign Coordinator Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzling Millions of Dollars from Former Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst’s Campaign AccountsRead the Press Release
In Austin today, 58-year-old political consultant Kenneth Barfield (aka “Buddy Barfield”) was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for stealing more than $2.5 Million in campaign funds from former Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst announced Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, and IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge William Cotter.
In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Sam Sparks ordered that Barfield pay $2,513,778 restitution to the Barfield Litigation Trust Settlement and be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term. Barfield also owes the Internal Revenue Service $427,073 in back taxes. Judge Sparks allowed Barfield to remain on bond pending Bureau of Prisons facility designation.
On October 21, 2014, Barfield pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of making a false tax return and one count of embezzlement of federal campaign funds. According to court documents, Barfield, and through his Austin-based companies, was a member of the campaign staff and committee for Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst’s run for the Republican nomination for United States Senate in 2012. Barfield and his companies were responsible for securing, paying, and/or subcontracting legal and legitimate activities on behalf of Dewhurst’s campaign and had a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the campaign, including oversight and maintenance of financial records.
By pleading guilty to the charges, Barfield admitted to knowingly engaging in a scheme to steal campaign funds and use it for his own personal expenses including his home mortgage, school tuition for his children, personal investments and other living expenses. Barfield further admitted that on his 2008 Income Tax return, he knowingly stated that his Taxable Income was zero when, in fact, his Taxable Income should have been reported as approximately $582,000. Barfield also admitted that under his direction, fraudulent documentation was submitted in disclosure reports to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) regarding expenditures for campaign disbursements.
“The victim in this case, a campaign fund, was out of the ordinary. But the crime, a brazen theft, was straightforward. Barfield stole a lot of money. The Court's sentence properly holds him responsible for his misdeeds,” stated Acting United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr.
“Today's sentencing is an important victory for the American taxpayer. For those who abuse their position of public trust and engage in fraud of this magnitude and complexity, as in the case of Mr. Barfield, there are serious consequences,” stated William Cotter, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. “This sentence should serve as a deterrent to anyone contemplating similar theft from the hard working public for their own greedy benefit. IRS Criminal Investigation remains determined and vigilant in ferreting out such nefarious schemes to defraud the citizens of this great county.”
“Whenever an individual utilizes their position to defraud the public for their own personal gain by stealing campaign contributions, it tarnishes our political process. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who choose to line their pockets with public funds and abuse their positions of trust are held accountable,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs.
This case was investigated by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation together with the Travis County District Attorney’s Special Prosecution Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Guess and Ashley Hoff prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Former Cambridge Man Sentenced for Theft of Old South Church DiaryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Cambridge man was sentenced today for identity fraud related to the sale of a valuable diary from the 1600s.
Michael Ford, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole to 16 months in prison, half to be served in jail and half in community confinement, for using the identity of another man in August 2008 in connection with the sale a diary stolen from Boston’s historic Old South Church. Ford pleaded guilty in November 2014.
The diary was written by James Hull in 1652 and contained some unpublished sermons that had been given to soldiers before they departed to fight Native Americans. It had been stolen from the Old South Church in Boston earlier in the summer of 2008. On Aug. 11, 2008, a man sold the diary to Gray Booksellers in Harvard Square for $750, using the driver’s license of another man as identification. Within 40 minutes of this transaction, Ford had obtained the check and the driver’s license and, using the license as identification, cashed the check at a bank in Harvard Square. Gray Booksellers thereafter realized the diary was valuable and sold it to a collector in Rhode Island for $40,000, but upon learning that the diary had been stolen from the Church, the bookstore bought it back and restored it to the Church.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Field Division; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Harvard University Police Francis D. Riley; and Boston University Police Chief Thomas G. Robbins made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
Former Baggage Handler at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport ArraignedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Eugene Harvey, a former baggage handler for Delta Air Lines, has been arraigned on federal charges of conspiring to carry dangerous weapons on an aircraft, firearms trafficking, and illegally entering an airport area to evade security and commit crimes. Harvey was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 18, 2015.
“The indictment alleges that Harvey used his security badge again and again to bypass security and avoid screening, so that he could smuggle over one hundred firearms - many loaded - onto passenger planes” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Reducing firearms trafficking is a priority for this office, especially when it threatens the safety of passengers at our airports.”
J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “The FBI continues to play a vital role in working with its many law enforcement partners in ensuring that our nation’s airports and those traveling in and out of them remain safe. Those who violate procedures in place that jeopardize that security will be investigated and presented for federal prosecution.”According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges, and other information presented in court: Throughout 2014, Harvey, then a baggage handler for Delta Air Lines, worked with another former Delta employee to smuggle firearms through airport-controlled security checkpoints and onto planes. Specifically, after using his security badge to smuggle the firearms into the secure area of Hartsfield-Jackson, Harvey would transfer the firearms to his accomplice who would then conceal the firearms in his carry-on luggage and take the firearms into the passenger cabins of flights traveling between Atlanta and New York's JFK and LaGuardia Airports. Harvey's accomplice then flew to New York with the guns, where they were illegally sold.
The federal investigation into Harvey began when the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Kings County, New York, District Attorney's Office notified the FBI that a then-unidentified individual was helping a gun-trafficker move guns illegally from Georgia into New York. By that time, the NYPD had identified and arrested the New York seller of the illegal firearms, and was working with Atlanta FBI to investigate how the guns were being smuggled into New York. Upon learning the firearms were being smuggled by passenger plane, Delta Airlines worked closely with law enforcement to identify Harvey and immediately terminated him.
Since January 2014, Harvey trafficked 135 firearms between Georgia and New York. The last shipment on December 10, 2014, contained 18 firearms, 7 of which were loaded.
Harvey, 31, of College Park, Georgia, was arrested on December 20, 2014, and was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge E. Clayton Scofield III. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Transportation Security Administration.
Assistant United States Attorneys L. Skye Davis and Kim S. Dammers are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.Florida Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Puerto Rican Identity Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
A Florida man pleaded guilty today for his role in a large-scale identity trafficking ring, which sold the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens to foreign nationals to allow them to enter or remain in the United States illegally. To date, a total of 14 individuals have been charged for their roles in this identity trafficking ring, and four have pleaded guilty.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodríguez-Vélez of the District of Puerto Rico, Director Sarah R. Saldaña of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Chief Postal Inspector Guy J. Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Director Bill A. Miller of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
Rey David Bravo-Aguirre, 43, of Bartow, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit identification fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain and one count of transferring and possessing means of identification of another person during and in relation to a felony. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 3, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Juan M. Pérez- Giménez of the District of Puerto Rico.
According to his plea agreement, Bravo-Aguirre operated as a broker of Puerto Rican identities and corresponding identity documents out of Bartow, Florida. In that role, Bravo-Aguirre received identity documents from other members of the conspiracy located in the Caguas-area of Puerto Rico and sold them to individuals unlawfully residing in Florida. Specifically, Bravo-Aguirre admitted that he provided Social Security cards and corresponding Puerto Rico birth certificates to his customers.
The charges are the result of Operation Island Express II, an ongoing, nationally-coordinated investigation led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), USPIS, DSS and IRS-CI offices in Chicago, in coordination with the ICE-HSI San Juan Office. The Illinois Secretary of State Police also provided substantial assistance. The ICE-HSI Attaché office in the Dominican Republic, National Drug Intelligence Center - Document and Media Exploitation Branch and International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2) provided invaluable assistance, as well as various ICE, USPIS, DSS and IRS CI offices around the country.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Marianne Shelvey of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and William Kenety of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Ramos of the District of Puerto Rico.
Potential victims and the public may obtain information about the case at: www.justice.gov/criminal/vns/caseup/beltrerj.html. Anyone who believes their identity may have been compromised in relation to this investigation may contact the ICE toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) and its online tip form at www.ice.gov/tipline. Anyone who may have information about particular crimes in this case should also report it to the ICE tip line or website.
Anyone who believes that they have been a victim of identity theft, or wants information about preventing identity theft, may obtain helpful information and complaint forms on various government websites including the Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Website. Additional resources regarding identity theft include the Office for Victims of Crime’s Identity Theft and Financial Fraud; the Social Security Adminstration’s Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number; the FBI’s Identity Theft; and the IRS’s Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Deer TraffickingRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS – Donald W. Wainwright Sr., 49, of Live Oak, Florida, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to 12 charges related to violating the Lacey Act, one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud.
Carter Stewart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Greg Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, Chief Scott Zody, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Chief Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
According to court documents, Wainwright illegally trafficked in live white-tailed deer. Wainwright owned hunting preserves in Logan County, Ohio, and Live Oak, Florida; both preserves were named Valley View Whitetails. Wainwright illegally shipped deer to Florida from Ohio and attempted to ship deer to Georgia from Ohio. The deer herds involved with these shipments were not certified to be free from chronic wasting disease, tuberculosis and brucellosis. Federal Law requires interstate shipment of deer to be certified to be disease free. As a result, deer herds in Florida were potentially exposed to these diseases. Wainwright’s attempted shipment to Georgia was intercepted on I-71 South, about 50 miles from the Ohio River, when Ohio Wildlife officers noticed deer noses and antlers inside a cargo trailer and pulled over a truck driven by Wainwright’s employees.
Wainwright also sold illegal white-tailed deer hunts at Valley View Whitetails of Ohio. The defendant induced clients from around the country to hunt at Valley View Whitetails of Ohio – charging customers from $1,000 to $50,000 to kill deer inside his high fence preserve when Wainwright did not have a hunting preserve license. The customers then took the bucks back to their home states, including: Florida, Michigan, Alabama and Virginia.
Wainwright pleaded guilty to 12 charges related to violating the Lacey Act, one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. The parties have proposed a sentence of 21 months in prison and a fine of $125,000.00.
“One of the many dangers of illegal wildlife trafficking is its potential to spread disease,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said. “My office is committed to combating this serious threat.”
Under the Lacey Act it is unlawful to import, export, sell or purchase wildlife or transported, or sold: 1) in violation of U.S. law or 2) in interstate or foreign commerce involving any fish, wildlife, or plants taken possessed or sold in violation of State law. When it was passed in 1900, the Lacey Act became the first federal law protecting wildlife.
U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by law enforcement, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Heather Robinson and Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Glenn-Applegate and J. Michael Marous, who are representing the United States in this case.
Five People Charged and Arrested for Smash and Grab Jewelry Robbery in Cherry CreekRead the Press Release
DENVER – Five individuals were arrested early Wednesday morning in Northern California after law enforcement determined that they were allegedly responsible for the smash and grab robbery of the Williams Jewelers store in Cherry Creek, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle announced. A Criminal Complaint was filed in the District of Colorado charging the five individuals with Robbery affecting commerce and Conspiracy to commit robbery affecting commerce. They are scheduled to appear this morning before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of California, Oakland Division.
Charges have been filed against Anthony Domino, age 21, Summer Sawyer, age 30, Sharde Suwannabart, age 24, Sean McCullough, age 23, and Anthony Tyree, age 23, all of San Francisco, California. According to the affidavit in support of the Criminal Complaint, on February 24, 2015 at 10:30 a.m., the Denver Police Department responded to a robbery at Williams Jewelers in the Cherry Creek area. The owner of the store met with officers, telling them that a black female first entered the store looking at watches. She later left the store stating she was going to get her credit cards. At that time, three black males wearing black hoodies and black masks and armed with handguns entered the store and robbed the victims at gunpoint. Williams, the owner, reported that one of the robbers moved him from the back of the store to the desk area of the store at gunpoint. Employees at the jewelry store described certain characteristics of the female who was in the store prior to the robbery, including the way her fingernails were painted.
Several witnesses observed a maroon Chevy Blazer fleeing the area of the robbery at a high rate of speed. One witness observed people yelling with urgent voices as they jumped into a running and moving red SUV. Denver Police officers tracked that Chevy Blazer SUV to an alley next to 370 Clayton Street in Denver. A records checked determined that the owner of the Blazer was an Aurora resident. When that resident was contacted by police he said he had sold the vehicle the night before to two unknown black males and two unknown black females after he placed an advertisement on Craigslist. The buyers contacted him from an out of state phone number. The owner sold the individuals the vehicle for $1,550 in cash. The sale took place in the parking lot of University of Colorado Hospital parking lot. The buyers came to the purchase in a newer Cadillac “Crossover” SUV with California plates. Law enforcement was able to determine the California license plate number.
Additional investigation determined that based on the license plate the Cadillac SUV was rented at San Francisco Airport from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. On February 25, 2015, agents obtained a federal court order to contact OnStar. An employee from OnStar utilized the GPS feature for the vehicle in question, determining that at approximately 3:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, or roughly nearly 17 hours after the robbery of Williams Jewelers, the vehicle was located driving in a southbound direction on Interstate 80 near Roseville, CA. The FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force agents made contact with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). CHP units attempted to make contact with the Cadillac SUV. At that time the SUV led law enforcement on a vehicle pursuit. After the Cadillac was involved in a single vehicle crash off of Interstate 80, in the San Francisco Bay Area, officers reported that four to five occupants fled the vehicle on foot. Ultimately five occupants were taken into custody by the CHP.
In the vehicle was a Glock semi-automatic handgun. One defendant had at least five Rolex watches, including one that had serial numbers matching a watch taken at Williams’ Jewelry. Follow up investigation with witnesses and victims of the crime, as well as additional analysis of evidence obtained resulted in all five people in the car being charged with federal Robbery crimes, as related to the Hobbs Act. Sawyer, who matches the surveillance video of the woman in the store who said she was interested in watches and was observed to have specifically painted fingernails and who is seen on video opening the store doors for the robbers, was in the crashed car. Suwannabart was also in the crashed car. She matches surveillance video taken from the Englewood Williams Jewelers store, where on February 23, 2015 she was carefully watching the store. The three males from the car matched witness descriptions and/or had stolen evidence in their possession at time of arrest.
“The raw violence used in the take-over robbery of a Denver jewelry store left no doubt of the urgent need to identify, locate and arrest the perpetrators,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “Thanks to the extraordinary work of the FBI, the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, and the many law enforcement partners who worked together with prosecutors from this office late into the night, a crew of violent interstate robbers was apprehended in California less than 24 hours after their crime.”
“The arrests in this case highlight the success that can be attained when federal, state, and local agencies combine resources to aggressively pursue those that commit serious acts of violence,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle. “We extend our gratitude to our law enforcement partners for working together and using innovative strategies to quickly apprehend violent criminals threatening the safety of our community.”
If convicted of Robbery affecting commerce, each defendant faces not more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine. If convicted of Conspiracy to commit robbery affecting commerce, each defendant faces not more than 5 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.
This matter was investigated by the FBI, the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, with substantial thanks to local citizens, the Denver Police Department, the Aurora Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Denver District Attorney’s Office, the State Auto Theft Intelligence Coordination Center, the California State Threat Assessment Center, the Chico (California) Police Department, the Martinez (California) Police Department, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Folsom (California) Police Department. All of these agencies focused resources on this incident and contributed to the identification, location and apprehension of the suspects.
The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Celeste Rangel and Matthew Kirsch.
A Criminal Complaint is a probable cause charging document. Anyone accused of committing a felony violation of federal law has a Constitutional right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
The charges in the Criminal Complaint are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
First Lottery Scam Defendants SentencedRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Eric Klumb (843) 727-4381
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Shadiki Brown, 29, of Little River, SC; Davion Bellamy, age 26, of Conway; and Ann Marie Yapp, age 44, of North Myrtle Beach were sentenced for their roles in a bogus lottery scam that targeted elderly victims around the country, notifying them that they had won a lottery or sweepstakes, but needed to pay fees or taxes in advance in order to receive their winnings. A total of 18 individuals were indicted in the case; the South Carolina three defendants are the first to be sentenced. Brown and Bellamy had previously entered guilty pleas in July, 2014, and Yapp in September. United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell, of Florence, citing the devastating impact on the more than 150 victims of the scam, imposed prison terms of 78 months for Bellamy, 41 months for Brown, and 27 months for Yapp. Each was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $839,827.
The case was investigated by Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Inspectors with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). Assistant United States Attorneys A. Bradley Parham and Eric Klumb are prosecuting the case.#####
Federal Jury Finds Deming Residents Guilty on Kidnapping and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury sitting in Las Cruces, N.M., returned a guilty verdict earlier today finding Jessie Hopper, Sr., 54, and Polly Hopper, 61, of Deming, N.M., guilty on kidnapping and firearms charges after a five-day trial. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Special Agent Carol K.O. Lee of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI, Special Agent in Charge Thomas G. Atteberry of the Phoenix Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas and Luna County Sheriff Jonathon Mooradian.
Hopper, Sr., Polly Hopper, and their co-defendant Jessie A. Hopper, Jr., 30, also of Deming, were arrested in June 2014, on a federal criminal complaint charging them with kidnapping and firearms charges. The three defendants subsequently were charged with conspiracy and kidnapping in a six-count indictment filed in May. 2014. The indictment also charged Hopper, Sr., and Hopper Jr., with brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, being felons in possession of firearms, and unlawfully possessing a sawed-off shotgun.
On Nov. 21, 2014, Hopper, Jr., entered a guilty plea to the five charges against him. Hopper, Sr., and Polly Hopper elected to proceed to trial, which commenced on Feb. 23, 2015 and concluded early this afternoon when the jury returned a guilty verdict finding both guilty on all charges against them.
The evidence at trial established that the three defendants kidnapped a woman and transported her in interstate commerce. It established that Hopper, Jr., and Hopper, Sr., kidnapped the victim in Hot Springs, Ark., on May 8, 2014, with the assistance of Polly Hopper. Hopper, Jr., handcuffed the victim and a firearm was brandished at the victim to force her to comply with Hopper, Jr.’s demands, including a demand that she telephone family members to assure them that she was voluntarily leaving Arkansas with Hopper, Jr. On May 8 and 9, 2014, the three defendants drove the victim from Arkansas to the defendants’ residence in Deming, where Hopper, Jr., and Hopper Sr., sexually assaulted the victim several times.
All three defendants have been in federal custody since their arrests and remain detained pending sentencing hearings, which have yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, each of the defendants faces a maximum of life imprisonment on the kidnapping charges. Hopper, Sr., and Hopper, Jr., each face a seven-year prison sentence for brandishing a firearm that must be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the kidnapping charges.
The three defendants initially were arrested by the New Mexico State Police on state charges on May 10, 2014. They remained in state custody until they were transferred to federal custody on May 16, 2014, to face the charges in the federal case. The state charges, which were filed by the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for the State of New Mexico, were dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI, the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Mexico State Police and the Luna County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for the State of New Mexico. The FBI in Little Rock, Ark., the Garland County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas also assisted in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy M. Castellano and Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
East St. Louis Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Timothy Davis, Jr., 47, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced in federal district court in East St. Louis for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and for Distribution of a Controlled Substance to 37 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $200 special assessment, and a fine of $500. The sentencing judge also ordered forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition. The charges relate to an incident that occurred on June 3, 2013, in East St. Louis, Illinois, when Davis sold a .38 caliber S&W revolver and 1.9 grams of crack cocaine to a cooperating individual in a controlled purchase supervised by law enforcement agents. Davis was previously convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.
The case was investigated by members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen B. Clark.
East Saint Louis Man Indicted for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Kasmiel Samuel Sumrall, 28, of East Saint Louis, was arraigned today, after being indicted last week by a federal grand jury, on charge of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The charge carries maximum penalties of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sumrall is detained pending trial which is set for April 20, 2015.
The indictment alleges that on or about October 6, 2014, in Saint Clair County, Sumrall, a/k/a “Kash,” possessed a 9-mm. Ruger semi-automatic pistol, its magazine, and ten rounds of 9-mm. ammunition. The indictment also alleges that Sumrall had previously been convicted, on October 30, 2007, of the felony offense of Aggravated Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the United States must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by East Saint Louis Housing Authority, the East Saint Louis Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.
District Man Sentenced to 66 Years in Prison for Armed Sexual Assaults Defendant Met Victims Through Backpage.comRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Prince Jones, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 66 years in prison for a series of crimes, including two armed sexual assaults of women he met through online advertisements, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Jones was found guilty by a jury in November 2014, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed with aggravating circumstances; two counts of kidnapping while armed; four counts of robbery while armed; and one count of threatening to injure a person. He was sentenced by the Honorable Jennifer Anderson. Jones also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, Jones preyed on women who advertised their services as escorts on backpage.com. In October 2013, he lured his first victim to a building where he used to live in Southeast Washington, led her into a dark basement, where he held a knife to her throat, and forced her to perform oral sex on him. After the assault, he forced her back to her car, where her cousin was waiting for her, and robbed both women of their cellphones and several other personal items.
Two days later, Jones committed the exact same crime on a different woman. Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were able to locate him within hours of the second assault. Jones was still armed with the knife he used to commit the assaults, and he had the cell phones of all three of the victims in his car with him. DNA recovered from the second sexual assault victim’s sexual assault kit, as well as DNA recovered from the crime scene, linked the defendant to the second assault.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the officers and detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Sexual Assault Unit. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Resendiz; Victim Services Specialist LaJune Thames, Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Jones and Wanda Trice; Information Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Lazarus who investigated, indicted and tried the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Uma Amuluru, who co-tried the case.
15-033
District Man Sentenced to 37 ½ Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old Girl Defendant Earlier Convicted of Similar OffenseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Orlando Roberts, 46, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 37 ½ years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl within months after he got out of prison for a similar attack, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Roberts, who in 2001 was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, was found guilty by a jury in October 2014 of six counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a child. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Jennifer Anderson. Following his prison term, Roberts will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 13, 2014, Roberts drove to the 14-year-old victim’s foster home, together with Javon Henson, 19. Roberts referred to Henson as his “son,” though there was no biological relationship between the two.
Henson had met the victim online a few days earlier, and he had asked her to accompany him on a date at the park. The victim responded that she would need the permission of her foster mother. On the evening of July 12, Roberts called the victim’s foster mother and assured her that he would look out for her foster daughter on her date with his “son.” The foster mother agreed to meet them the next day. Arriving at the foster home on July 13, Roberts again assured the foster mother that he would chaperone the entire date between the victim and his “son” and that nothing would happen to her on his watch. Roberts also lied about Henson’s age, telling the foster mother that he was only 17. After much deliberation, the foster mother agreed to let victim leave her house with Roberts and Henson.
Roberts drove Henson and the victim to Hains Point. Although he had told the foster mother that he would drive the victim home immediately after they left the park, he instead took her and Henson back to his home in Northwest Washington.
Once inside Roberts’s home, Roberts got the victim and Henson into the basement, where his bedroom was located. Roberts instructed the 14-year-old victim to remove her clothing. She complied out of fear. Roberts then retrieved a flashlight from a counter in the basement and proceeded to use the flashlight to show Henson the victim’s genitalia. The victim was mortified and placed her hands over her eyes. Roberts then performed various sexual acts on the victim under the guise the he was merely teaching his “son” how to perform those sexual acts. Roberts directed Henson to perform the same sexual acts that he had just performed. When he was finished with her, Roberts drove the victim to a mall, where he bought her some T-shirts and a pair of earrings, before taking her back to her foster mother’s house.
Both Henson and Roberts were subsequently arrested. Henson immediately admitted his role in the assault and pled guilty to second-degree sexual abuse of a Child. He testified against Roberts at trial. He was sentenced today to three years in prison, with all but six months suspended on the condition that he successfully complete five years of probation. He also must register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.
In the 2001 case, Roberts was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse of a child for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in the parking lot of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. He was sentenced to 14 years of incarceration and released in October 2013—just eight months before sexually assaulting the 14-year-old victim in this matter. He was registering as a sex offender and under Court order to stay away from all children when he committed this offense.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including the detectives of the Youth Investigations Division and the Sexual Assault Branch. He also expressed appreciation for assistance provided by the Laurel, Md. Police Department as well as Jason Harley, a social worker with the Charles County, Md. Department of Social Services. In addition, he recognized the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson, Paralegals Jason Manuel and Troy Griffith, Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Elizabeth Trosman, Chief of the Appellate Division, who provided legal advice throughout the trial.
Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld and Jason Park, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
15-034