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26 March 2015
Charleston husband and wife admit illegal firearm possessionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that Carl Taylor, 64, and Patsy Taylor, 52, of Charleston pleaded guilty today to unlawful possession of a firearm. On January 4, 2013, Carl Taylor received a package of 100 oxycodone pills. Just weeks earlier Carl and Patsy Taylor had received a package of 90 oxycodone pills. During a search of the Taylor residence, a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun was discovered. The Taylors admitted that at the time they jointly possessed the firearm, they were unlawful and habitual users of oxycodone.
The Taylors face up to 10 years in federal prison when they are sentenced on July 9, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn is in charge of the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime. This case is also being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Chad Heins Pleads Guilty to Prison Tax Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Chad R. Heins (40, Nekoosa, Wisconsin) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and must pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 23, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, Heins spent 13 years and 8 months in prison after being arrested, tried, and convicted of first-degree murder. After his release, he communicated with at least one State of Florida inmate and reached an agreement to split tax refund proceeds that had been obtained from the filing of fraudulent tax returns. Heins opened bank accounts in his name and fraudulently obtained income tax refunds in the total amount of at least $1,258,178, which were to be deposited into his accounts.
Five other individuals, Laura Wright (71, Lecanto, FL), Tiffani Manning (31, Jacksonville, FL), Silvester Bowens (48, Jacksonville, FL), Christopher Wyant (39, Morristown, TN), and Tabatha Dubois (34, Morristown, TN), previously pleaded guilty for their roles in this case.
This case was investigated by The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Florida Department of Corrections. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and Mark Devereaux are prosecuting this case.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael Woods, 25, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm, before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated on March 19, 2012, Woods was riding in a vehicle that Buffalo Police attempted to pull over. Rather than comply with the police request, the vehicle led the officers were on a pursuit. The defendant eventually got out of the vehicle and threw a .45 caliber gun to the ground while attempting to flee the scene. A search of the vehicle uncovered crack cocaine in the back seat of the vehicle where the defendant had been sitting before he fled from the vehicle. As part of his plea, Woods admitted that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his crack cocaine business.
On May 27, 2013, Buffalo Police again stopped a vehicle Woods was riding in. The defendant got out, threw 9mm gun to the ground and four vials of marijuana while running away from police. He was later apprehended by police officers after a foot chase.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 22, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Drug ChargesRead 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 Deandre Sparks, a/k/a Dee Dee, 23, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of crack cocaine, before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that between June 2013 and February 25, 2014, possessed and distributed crack cocaine. Specifically, on February 12, 2014, Sparks gave crack cocaine to a co-defendant, who then distributed the drugs to a confidential source working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 15, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty Onstruction of MailsRead 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 Brian Jaszczak, 24, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy, to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of the mails. The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a fine of $5,000, or both.Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth R. Moellering, who is handling the case, stated that on December 19, 2014, the defendant, a former employee of the United States Postal Service, discarded pieces of mail that had been entrusted to him for delivery.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Monica Weyler.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 15, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. before Judge McCarthy.
Bridgeport Restaurant Owner Admits Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MARIA PINHEIRO, 57, of Trumbull, waived her right to indictment and pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to filing false tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, PINHEIRO owns and operates the Dolphin’s Cove Marina (“DCM”), a seafood restaurant in Bridgeport. From 2007 through 2009, PINHEIRO was the sole shareholder and bookkeeper for DCM, and she handled all of the DCM finances. In pleading guilty, PINHEIRO admitted that instead of depositing all of the cash receipts from DCM into the DCM business checking account, she deposited substantial amounts of cash from business into her personal checking account. She then failed to provide her personal bank records to the firms that prepared the federal income tax returns for her and DCM.
Between 2007 and 2009, PINHEIRO deposited $352,437 in cash that DCM received into her personal bank account. Some of deposits were structured in amounts of less than $10,001 in order to evade her bank’s currency transaction reporting requirements. PINHEIRO caused the filing of false personal and corporate tax returns, resulting in a tax loss of $92,251.
PINHEIRO pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return. She is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven on June 15, 2015, at which time she faces a maximum term of imprisonment of three years and a fine of up to $100,000. PINHEIRO also has agreed to pay $243,956.98 in back taxes, interest and penalties.
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Boone County Man Indicted for Violations of the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – DANIEL T. WRIGHT was indicted involving his failure to properly dispose of asbestos from a former school building in Owensville, Missouri.
According to the indictment, in August 2013, Wright was contracted to remove and properly dispose of asbestos from a former school building in Owensville, Missouri, for $104,000. Wright solicited and received a verbal bid for asbestos abatement and disposal from GEHM Environmental for $86,000. However, Wright ultimately decided to employ workers who were not licensed or trained to work with asbestos to complete the abatement. The crew was mostly comprised of local people, including high school students.
After being advised by the City of Owensville that he needed to obtain a demolition permit, Wright obtained a demolition package, which included a notice that demolitions needed to comply with all state and federal guidelines and required notifications. A demolition permit was granted by the City of Owensville. The day after receiving the permit, the project was shut down by the Owensville Police Department after having received complaints from local citizens. The indictment alleges that Wright continued unpermitted demolition activities and asbestos removal at the building even after being informed by the City that the building contained asbestos and that demolition activities were banned. Wright failed to ensure that the asbestos insulation was deposited at an approved waste disposal site. Instead, Wright had the untrained workers dispose of the material in large boxes that remained on the property and in rented dumpsters that sat behind the school.
Wright, Harrisburg, Missouri, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three felony counts of violation of the Clean Air Act relating to the removal and disposal of asbestos.
If convicted, each of these charges carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Owensville Police Department. United States Attorney Dianna Collins is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud for Embezzling over $700,000 from Community Health CharitiesRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that PATRICIA BLANCHARD, age 67, formerly of New Orleans, pled guilty yesterday to mail fraud for her role in embezzling approximately $715,000 from Community Health Charities of Louisiana and Mississippi (“CHC”).
According to court documents, BLANCHARD’S husband, G.B., was hired in 2000 to be the Executive Director and President of CHC, a not-for-profit charitable organization that raised, collected, and distributed funds to local charities through workplace giving campaigns. CHC received pledges from federal civilian, postal, and military donors to support eligible non-profit organizations. In about 2005, he arranged for BLANCHARD to be hired as CHC’s bookkeeper. As bookkeeper, BLANCHARD was responsible for overseeing CHC’s finances and accounts, including reconciling accounts payable and receivables.
Between 2006 and November 2011, BLANCHARD embezzled approximately $715,000 from CHC in three ways. First, she mailed checks drawn on CHC’s accounts to pay her own credit card bills. To disguise her behavior and make the checks look legitimate, BLANCHARD added fictitious notes on the checks, such as “Cancer Research Institute,” “AIDS Research Foundation,” “MARCH OF DIMES,” “NO AIDS/TASK FORCE,” “American Heart Assoc.,” and “AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY.” Second, BLANCHARD obtained cash advances on her Shell gas card without authorization and reimbursed herself from CHC’s accounts, making it look like the reimbursement were for legitimate travel and gas expenses. Third, BLANCHARD paid for personal expenditures and items directly from CHC’s bank accounts without authorization.
BLANCHARD faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release after any term of imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. As part of her plea, BLANCHARD also agreed to repay CHC for the amount she stole, $715,000. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing on June 25, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is in charge of the prosecution.
Boise Man Sentenced for Internet Sex CrimeRead the Press Release
BOISE - William Bryon Chest, 41, of Boise, Idaho, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for transfer and attempted transfer of obscene images to minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chest pleaded guilty on January 15, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, in April and May 2014, Chest sent sexually explicit images accompanied by graphic sexual messages to a 13-year-old girl from Oregon and convinced her to send nude photos of herself to him using the social media website “Kik.” “Kik” is an instant messaging service based in Canada that is available as an application for smart phones. The FBI in Portland was notified and an agent took over the girl’s identity and continued to communicate with Chest. According to the plea agreement, Chest sent obscene images to the undercover agent, and twice discussed plans to travel to Oregon to meet the teen girl for sex, although he never actually did so. Chest was arrested at his home in Boise on September 25, 2014, and has remained in custody since.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Portland and Boise, assisted by officers from the Boise Police Department and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Baton Rouge Attorney Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today that U.S. District Judge Shelly D. Dick has sentenced W. STEVEN MANNEAR, age 62, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to one hundred twenty (120) months in federal prison as a result of his receipt of child pornography over a three (3) year period. MANNEAR was also sentenced to pay restitution in the amount of $2,000 to one of his victims, to pay a fine of $20,000, and to serve a five (5) year term of supervised release following imprisonment.
On August 7, 2014, MANNEAR pled guilty to receiving child pornography via the Internet from at least August 2009 through September 2012, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2).
MANNEAR’S online criminal activities were initially uncovered by a Special Agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. On March 26, 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office executed simultaneous federal search warrants on MANNEAR’S house, law firm, and car. Pursuant to the search warrants, law enforcement agents seized, among other things, two computers that belonged to MANNEAR and which contained a large amount of child pornography.
United States Attorney Green stated: “Today’s sentence should serve as a reminder that child pornographers, regardless of their occupation or station in life, will face significant punishment in federal court. Attorneys, like anyone else, must comply with the law and will be held accountable for criminal activity, whether it be child pornography or any other federal criminal offense. It is unfortunate that the actions of criminals like this defendant cause the honest endeavors of the vast majority in the legal profession to be overshadowed.”
“Today's sentencing is a result of months of collaborative efforts among law enforcement agencies,” EBR Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. “Such crimes will not be tolerated, and we will continue to be vigilant in working together to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”
This matter was handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Dippel, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney Rene Salomon.
Baltimore Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Richard Bruzdzinski, age 43, of Baltimore, today to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for committing an armed robbery, and for using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to his plea agreement, on October 2, 2013, Bruzdzinski and co-conspirator Derek Roberts robbed a store in Timonium, Maryland. The owner of the establishment recognized Bruzdzinski, who had been a customer of the store a few weeks earlier. The owner opened the electronic door for Bruzdzinski and he and Roberts entered the store. Immediately, Roberts drew a handgun, pointed it at the owner, and stated that a robbery was occurring. Bruzdzinski drew a stun gun from his pocket. The two men directed the owner and an employee to go to the office in the back of the store, then ordered the victims to the ground. Bruzdinski and Roberts tied the hands of the victims with plastic zip ties. Bruzdzinski and Roberts stole money, gold jewelry, coins, the owner’s Glock pistol, and the victims’ cell phones.
Derek Roberts, age 45, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to his role in this robbery, as well as three other robberies. Roberts and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea, Roberts will be sentenced to 228 months in prison. Judge Quarles has scheduled sentencing for May 14, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. Roberts remains detained.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Scott A. Lemmon and Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.
Anne Arundel County Woman Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute and Receive Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Erin Elizabeth Mali, age 32, of Arnold, Maryland, today to seven years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, and for distribution of child pornography. Judge Garbis ordered that upon her release from prison, Mali must register as a sex offender in the place where she resides, where she is an employee, and where she is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.
According to her plea agreement and testimony at the trial of co-defendant Howard James Clem IV, Mali met Clem in a mobile social networking and dating application in September 2012. Many of the communications exchanged by Mali and Clem, and images Mali sent to Clem, focused on graphic sexual conduct involving prepubescent minors. Mali sent Clem images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including a prepubescent female whom Mali and Clem identified by name.
On June 3, 2013, the social networking and dating application and website captured the images and communications exchanged by Mali and Clem, including child pornography, which caused a “cybertip” to be generated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. An investigation by the Anne Arundel County Police Department resulted in a search warrant being executed at Mali’s and Clem’s residences and on their social networking accounts. Law enforcement recovered the SD card on which many of the images Mali distributed to Clem were stored. In addition, law enforcement recovered the images and communications Mali and Clem exchanged from searches of their mobile social networking and dating application. Mali admitted that she knew the minors depicted in the images were all under 16 years old.
On January 29, 2015, Howard James Clem IV, a/k/a “Jamie,” age 33, of Pasadena, Maryland, was convicted after a six-day trial for conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography, and for receipt and possession of child pornography. Upon his conviction, Judge Garbis ordered that Clem be immediately taken into custody. Clem faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography and for each of two counts of receipt of child pornography; and a maximum of 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography, each followed by up to lifetime of supervised release. Judge Garbis has scheduled sentencing for Clem on May 27, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Leo J. Wise, who prosecuted the case.
A Miami County Resident Charged for Her Alleged Trafficking in and Unauthorized Use of Personally Identifying InformationRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rafiq Ahmad, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations (OLRFI-Miami), Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Paula Reid, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director, State of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), and Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), made the announcement.
Cora Eutsay, 50, of Miami, was charged by criminal complaint with trafficking in and using unauthorized access devices to obtain anything of value, aggregating $1,000 or more in a one year period.
As alleged in the complaint, Eutsay worked for CareerSource South Florida in the Opa Locka office. During her employment, Eutsay sought and inappropriately obtained access to the Department of Children and Families’ ACCESS Florida System, a State database containing the personally identifying information, including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers (“PII”) of individuals who applied for public benefits in Florida. Eutsay’s employment credentials were used on several occasions to run queries in the ACCESS Florida database for the PII of persons who had previously applied for public benefits. Eutsay then sold the PII of more than 200 individuals.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, OLRFI-Miami, IRS-CI, USSS, DEO and BSO. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Galvin.
A complaint is only an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
25 March 2015
Woonsocket Resident Pleads Guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery, Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Tyronne Seams, 29, of Woonsocket, pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence on Tuesday to his role in a September 2013 armed robbery at a Woonsocket residence, during which time he and an accomplice allegedly fired their weapons at the occupants, assaulted at least one person, and fled with a bag of cocaine and a firearm they allegedly stole from one of the occupants, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas S. Carey.
Seams, who pleaded guilty as charged in a three-count indictment to one count each of conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, faces a statutory penalty of a minimum of 10 years up to life imprisonment when he is sentenced on June 12, 2015, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith.
Appearing before Chief Judge William E. Smith on Tuesday, Seams admitted to the court that on September 12, 2013, he conspired with David Bunnell, 22, of Franklin, Mass., to plan the robbery of a Woonsocket residence in order to acquire drugs. Soon after, Seams admitted, armed with a handgun and a double barrel shotgun, the two men broke into the intended apartment.
Once inside the apartment, Seams admitted to the court, he and Bunnell fired their weapons at or near the occupants of the apartment. Seams admitted that after subduing the occupants, he grabbed a gun from one of the occupants, assaulted one of the occupants and demanded to know where drugs could be found. Seams admitted that he located and took a bag containing cocaine and then fled with the drugs and the gun taken from one of the residents.
According to court documents, inside a second floor apartment Woonsocket Police Department officers discovered a substantial amount of blood; numerous spent shell casings from at least two firearms; bullet holes in the kitchen counter, bathroom door and bathroom wall; an individual with a head wound from blunt force trauma; and materials associated with the preparation and sale of drugs.
Bunnell, who has been detained along with Seams since their arrest by Woonsocket Police on October 19, 2013, is awaiting trial on charges of one count each of conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
An indictmentis merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.
Woonsocket Police Department officers and detectives were assisted in the investigation of this matter by agents and officers from ATF, the DEA Drug Task Force, Rhode Island State Police, North Smithfield Police Department and the Franklin and Blackstone, Mass., Police Departments.
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To assist the media and the public, a glossary of federal judicial terms and procedures is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/justice101/
Contact: 401-709-5357
[email protected]Williamsburg County Sheriff, Columbia Man Sentenced for FraudRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Winston Holliday (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that former Williamsburg County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson, age 39, of Salters, South Carolina, and Lester L. Woods, age 49, of Columbia, South Carolina, were sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, a violation of Title 18, U. S. C. §1349. Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten sentenced Johnson to 30 months imprisonment and Woods to 33 months imprisonment. The Court also ordered restitution and imposed 3 years supervised release to follow the terms of imprisonment. Both were convicted in September 2014 after a four-day trial.
Evidence presented at the trial established that Lester Woods held himself out as a credit repair specialist. People would come to him to raise their credit scores, sometimes paying him over $1,000. He then got in touch with former Sheriff Michael Johnson.
Johnson would write up police reports, or incident reports, saying that a particular client of Woods had been a victim of identity theft in Williamsburg County. He would then send the incident report to Woods.
Woods would often write out a cover page of accounts that supposedly were fraudulent, attach the incident report Johnson wrote, and fax it to Equifax. Once Equifax received the report, it relied on the information sent by Woods and Johnson as true and deleted those debts and other derogatory information from Woods’ clients’ credit history. When the bad debts were removed from the credit history, the credit score of the client would often go up. This made it more likely that the client could be extended credit or get more loans, but since the underlying debt often remained, the client was much more likely to default on the new debt.
In all, Woods and Johnson caused to be suppressed over $11 million dollars in credit information.
United States Attorney, Bill Nettles, stated “Abuse of public office is an abuse of public trust, which is illegal. Our office will continue to place these prosecutions at the top of our priority list.”
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Winston Holliday of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.#####
West Haven and Hartford Residents Charged with Narcotics and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANTHONY SABATO, 57, of West Haven, and MIGUEL JOEL ROMAN, 25, of Hartford, were arrested yesterday on federal narcotics and firearm offenses. SABATO and ROMAN are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport at 12:30 p.m.
This matter stems from an investigation being conducted by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets Task Force, the West Haven Police Department and the Darien Police Department. The investigation employed the use of an undercover law enforcement officer.
As alleged in the criminal complaint, between January and March 2015, the undercover officer purchased crack cocaine from SABATO and ROMAN. SABATO and ROMAN also negotiated the purchase of a handgun from the undercover officer, and arranged to sell him two ounces of crack cocaine at a price of $2,000 per ounce. SABATO and ROMAN were arrested after they met the undercover officer at SABATO’s West Haven home to consummate the crack cocaine and firearm transactions.
The complaint charges SABATO and ROMAN with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack cocaine”), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and conspiring to possess a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics trafficking offense, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets Task Force includes personnel from the FBI, West Haven Police Department, New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Lee Dayton.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
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(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Walnut Grove Man Found Guilty of Trying to Pass Counterfeit One Hundred Dollar Bills at CasinoRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict this afternoon against Woodie Bufkin, Jr., 39, of Walnut Grove, Mississippi, for possessing and passing five (5) counterfeit one hundred dollar bills at the Silver Star Casino in Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis announced.
Bufkin will be sentenced on June 10, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. by Judge Carlton W. Reeves. He faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and the Choctaw Police Dept. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Dowdy, Jr. prosecuted the case.
Vergennes Man, Kyle Tetreault, Sentenced to 38 Months in Jail for Being A Felon in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
Eugenia A.P. Cowles, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, stated that Kyle Tetreault, 24, of Vergennes, Vermont, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge William K. Sessions III, to 38 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms. Tetreault was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison.
According to Court records, Tetreault committed a number of residential burglaries in Vermont during which he stole firearms and other items. Subsequently, Tetreault traded some of the stolen firearms to an out-of-state drug dealer in exchange for heroin. Tetreault had previously been convicted in Vermont state court of a felony offense for which the sentence was punishable by more than one year in prison. Thus, he was prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of the conduct at issue in the case.
Tetreault was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 20, 2014. He pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on August 18, 2014, and has been detained in prison since November 17, 2014.
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”). The Acting United States Attorney, Eugenia A. P. Cowles, commends those agencies for their work. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Creswell. The defendant was represented by Attorney Michael Desautels of the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Two Bridgeport Men Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking HeroinRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that two Bridgeport men have been sentenced for trafficking heroin. RASHAD HEARD, also known as “Shotty,” 25, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. Today, Chief Judge Hall sentenced TYSHEEM WRIGHT, 28, to approximately 15 months of imprisonment, time already served, and five year of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2012, the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, Bridgeport Police Department and Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force began an investigation into narcotics trafficking and violent criminal activity in and around the Trumbull Gardens housing complex in Bridgeport. The investigation revealed that Ronell Hanks, also known as “Biz” and “Ace,” headed an organization that sold heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
HEARD and WRIGHT received heroin from Hanks and sold the drug to their own customers.
During the course of the investigation, investigators seized approximately one kilogram of heroin, one-half kilogram of crack cocaine, approximately $100,000 in cash, three vehicles, jewelry, nine firearms, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition.
On December 18, 2013, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging HEARD, WRIGHT, Hanks and 11 other individuals with narcotics and firearms trafficking offenses.
HEARD and WRIGHT have been detained since their arrests in December 2013. Both defendants previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.
HEARD’s criminal history includes a conviction in December 2007 for first-degree robbery and attempted murder. He served approximately seven years of imprisonment for those offenses.
Hanks pleaded guilty and, on February 26, 2015, was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, in coordination with the Bridgeport Police Department, the Trumbull Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Statewide Narcotics Task Force. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Fairfield are assisting this investigation and prosecution. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Lee Dayton and Rahul Kale.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Twenty-Two Individuals from Nine Counties and Three States Arrested for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Firearms Related ChargesRead the Press Release
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — On Mar. 25, 2015, 22 individuals from over nine counties, spanning southeast Tennessee, northern Georgia, and northern Alabama, were arrested for their roles in a large methamphetamine distribution conspiracy centered in Marion County, Tenn.
An investigation led by special agents and task force officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) along with detectives of the Marion County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, resulted in two separate grand jury indictments, which include charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by prohibited people.
Details of the charges are outlined in two criminal indictments on file with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Those charged in the first indictment include: David Henderson, 45, of Wildwood, Ga.; Ronald Green Jr., 49, of Jasper, Tenn.; James Ray Pritchett, 36, of South Pittsburg, Tenn.; Dennis Reed, 44, of South Pittsburg, Tenn.; Steve Hankins, 58, of Jasper, Tenn.; Christopher Brian Janeway, 41, of South Pittsburg, Tenn.; Kevin, Denney, 40, of South Pittsburg, Tenn.; James Allen Sexton, 50, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Kelly Nance, 34, of Jasper, Tenn.; Jason Boston, 35, of South Pittsburg, Tenn.; Charles Meeks, 41, of Tracy City, Tenn.; Michael Patterson, 40, of Philadelphia, Tenn.; and Robert Graham, 46, of Trenton, Ga.
Initial appearances for individuals listed above who were arrested on Mar. 25, 2015, are scheduled for 3:00 p.m., Thursday, Mar. 26, 2015, in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga, before the Honorable Susan K. Lee, U.S. Magistrate Judge.
Those charged in the second indictment include: Monica Sha Newman, 38, of Jasper, Tenn.; Mark Anthony Johnson, 33, of Tracy City, Tenn.; Terry Jones, 53, of Crandall, Ga.; Ronald Terry Wilmore, 46, of McMinnville, Tenn.; Tiffany Hadder, 32, of Gruetli Laauger, Tenn.; Nathan Carlton, 40, of Stevenson, Ala.; Rodney Craig Akins, 49, of Dunlap, Tenn.; Jamie Harris, 43, of Whiteside, Tenn.; and Jeremy Toro, 40, of Tracy City, Tenn.
Initial appearances for these individuals, who were arrested on Mar. 25, 2015, are scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Thur. Mar. 26, 2015 in U.S. District Court before the Honorable William B. Carter, U.S. Magistrate Judge. Eight of the individuals charged in these indictments are already in custody on other charges and will have initial appearances at later dates.
In addition to ATF and the Marion County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, state and local law enforcement agencies who assisted with the arrests include: the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; Tennessee Highway Patrol; Dade County Georgia Sheriff’s Office; Grundy County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office; Jackson County Alabama Sheriff’s Office; Loudon County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office; Murray County Georgia Sheriff’s Office; Sequatchie County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office; Warren County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office; Monteagle Tennessee Police Department; and Chattanooga Tennessee Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Bay will represent the United States.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until his or her guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Twenty-Three Individuals Charged in A Prescription Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DALLAS — An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Dallas last month, and unsealed late yesterday, charges 23 individuals with offenses related to their participation in a prescription drug distribution conspiracy, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
The defendants charged are:
Sina Athari, 24, of Houston, Texas
Shane Barron, 27, of Austin, Texas
Carolina Giselle Berrio, a/k/a “Carolina Slocum Berrio” and “Karrie,” 36, of Lafayette, Louisiana
Angela Moore Booth, 48, of Lafayette, Louisiana
Earl Cain, 53, of Houston, Texas
Glenda Cane, 46, of Houston, Texas
Lashavia Syneice Denson, a/k/a “Shae Denson” and “Shay Denson,” 26, of Houston, Texas
Jason Edgecombe, 38, of Houston, Texas
Darlene Viola Fortenberry, 69, of Houston, Texas
Bertha Alicia Garcia, 49, of Houston, Texas
Tony Sue Griggs, 34, of Dallas, Texas
William Hopkins, a/k/a “New York,” 53, of Dallas, Texas
Fahim Ahmed Khan, 57, of Houston, Texas
Candis O’Shaea Lewis, 29, of Dallas, Texas
Patrick Moore, a/k/a/ “Crowley,” 23, of Lafayette, Louisiana
Ivery Myers, 63, of Houston, Texas
Taneisha Nicole Nickerson, a/k/a “Nookie,” 28, of Houston, Texas
Cornelius Delshun Robinson, a/k/a “Tadow,” 36, of Houston, Texas
Shalisa Shaunta Robinson, a/k/a “Shalisa Speed,” 29, of Houston, Texas
Markii Josett Shular, 30, of Dallas, Texas
Tasmin Jamal Stewart, a/k/a “Taz,” 30, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Muhammad Taylor, 32 of Houston, Texas
Cy Viator, 32, of Houston, Texas
Twenty-one of the 23 defendants have been taken into custody in Texas and Louisiana. Each indicted defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Nineteen of the defendants are also charged with unlawful use of a communication facility.
The indictment alleges that from at least May 2013 through July 2014, these individuals participated in a scheme to illicitly obtain prescriptions for pain medications, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and then distribute those controlled substances for profit. As part of the conspiracy, individuals, often homeless or of limited means, were recruited and paid a fee to pose as patients at medical clinics, including the McAllen Medical Clinic in Dallas, to obtain prescriptions and to fill those prescriptions at designated pharmacies. The organizers, sometimes referred to as “script ring leaders,” paid the recruits, the costs of the clinic visits, and the costs to fill the prescriptions. The script ring leaders then obtained the pharmaceuticals and distributed them for profit in Dallas, Austin, Houston and Louisiana.
A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. The maximum statutory penalty for the offense charged in Count 1 is 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum statutory penalty for each of the offenses charged in Counts 2-27 is four years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana State Police, the Grand Prairie Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Houston Police Department, the Arlington Police Department, the Greenville Police Department, the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters is prosecuting the case.
Three Indicted for Identity Theft and Tax Schemes Involving Nearly 300 VictimsRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA –United States Attorney Walt Green announced the filing of criminal charges against three (3) individuals accused of committing theft of government property, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, and related crimes in the Baton Rouge area. Collectively, these three individuals are alleged to have misused the names and social security numbers of nearly 300 different taxpayers and of fraudulently obtaining numerous federal income tax refunds. The charges are the result of an initiative by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations Division, and the United States Department of Justice’s Tax Division to combat stolen identity refund fraud and other tax fraud schemes.
The following individuals have been charged:
JASON DEANDRE DAVIS, age 30, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was charged in an indictment with five counts of theft of government property, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 641 and 2, five counts of receipt of stolen government property, also in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 641 and 2, and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. The indictment alleges that DAVIS obtained numerous federal tax refunds, either via electronic deposits to bank accounts DAVIS controlled or debit cards that had been pre-loaded with the refunds, knowing that the refunds belonged to other taxpayers and that he was not entitled to the funds. According to the indictment, during and in relation to his fraudulent receipt of one of the refunds, DAVIS also knowingly possessed and used one of the taxpayer’s names and social security numbers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney René I. Salomon.
TASHA THOMAS, age 26, of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, was charged in an indictment with access device fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(2), and aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. The indictment alleges that from January 2012 through August 2012, THOMAS used and trafficked in the social security numbers assigned to more than two hundred and fifty (250) different taxpayers. Then, in August 2013, the indictment alleges that THOMAS trafficked more than twenty (20) additional social security numbers assigned to other individuals. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill.
Finally, SHONDA V. JOHNSON, age 42, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was charged in an indictment with three counts of receipt of stolen government property, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, and one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A. The indictment alleges that JOHNSON obtained several federal tax refunds via paper checks and electronic deposits to a bank account that JOHNSON controlled, knowing that the refunds belonged to other taxpayers and that she was not entitled to the funds. According to the indictment, during and in relation to her fraudulent receipt of one of the refunds, JOHNSON also knowingly possessed and used one of the taxpayer’s names and social security numbers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica M.P. Thornhill.
If convicted of the charges returned by the federal grand jury today, each defendant faces a significant term of imprisonment, fines, restitution, and the forfeiture of the proceeds from these alleged schemes. All three investigations are ongoing.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “This office will continue to aggressively pursue criminals who commit identity theft and use those stolen identities to defraud the United States and line their own pockets. The filing of these three new cases is another significant step in that important effort. Working with our federal, state, and local partners, our investigations of this type of crime in our district will continue.”
“Protecting taxpayer money and trust is an integral part of this agency's mission. We will vigorously pursue fraudulent refund claims and those individuals who engage in identity theft,” stated Jerome R. McDuffie, Special Agent-in-Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. “We will continue to work aggressively with the United States Attorney's Office to protect innocent taxpayers and preserve the integrity of our tax system. The message to be taken from today’s indictments in Baton Rouge is simple. Participation in refund fraud schemes does not pay and those who do will be prosecuted and be held accountable for their illegal activities.”
NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by the Grand Jury. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.
Texan sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor into producing pornographyRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Texan was sentenced to 120 months in prison for trying to lure a minor into producing a sex video.
Sach Kevin Vu, 33, of Arlington, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. for one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to evidence presented at the October 23, 2014 guilty plea, an undercover officer posing as a 16-year-old girl responded on February 7, 2014 to an online advertisement seeking models for a photo shoot. Vu began communicating with the officer posing as a 16-year-old girl and set up a meeting in Haynesville, La., where he planned to produce a pornographic video. While arranging the meeting, Vu communicated in detail the types of sex acts he wanted performed in the video. He was arrested on February 20, 2014, in Haynesville, La., after traveling there from Texas. Sex toys and camera equipment were found in his vehicle.
“This defendant’s goal was to convince a minor to take part in sexual acts,” Finley stated. “Not only did he plan on abusing a girl, he also intended to record it. We take sexual abuse of minors and the production of child pornography seriously. If members of the public are found to be engaging in such illegal activities, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The FBI and the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Those concerned may also leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously. The Shreveport FBI office number is (318) 861-1890.
Summer Camps Must Reasonably Accommodate Children with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
Summer camps are legally required to make reasonable accommodations to accept children with disabilities, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
With summer approaching, parents are beginning to think about sending their children to summer camps. To help ensure that children with disabilities receive the opportunity to attend summer camp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office recently sent the attached flyer to hundreds of summer camps located within the Eastern District of Michigan reminding them of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
Under the ADA, summer camps, both private and those run by municipalities, must make reasonable modification to enable campers with disabilities to participate fully in all camp programs and activities. This generally means that children with disabilities are entitled to attend any camp or activity that non-disabled children attend, that camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis and that camps must train their staff in the requirements of the ADA. Camps are obligated to pay for the cost of any reasonable modifications necessary for disabled children to participate in camp activities, and parents should not be charged any additional fee beyond standard camp enrollment costs.
“Summer camps present tremendous growth opportunities for children to learn independence, try new activities and gain self-confidence,” McQuade said. “The law requires camps to provide equal opportunities to disabled children whose needs can be reasonably accommodated.”
Additional information about the ADA is available at www.ada.gov, or through contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at (313) 226-9151.
Suffolk County Resident Indicted for Fraudulent Lien Scheme Perpetrated Against Suffolk County State Court JudgesRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging Jerry Campora, Jr., a resident of Setauket, New York, with eight counts of mail fraud. Campora was arraigned this afternoon before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert at the federal courthouse in Central Islip. He was released on a $50,000 bond and ordered not to file any liens or affidavits in other jurisdictions without the prior approval of the court.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Diego G. Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
According to the indictment and related court proceedings, beginning in 2010, Campora was named as a defendant in a foreclosure action in Suffolk County Supreme Court, due to his failure to pay the mortgage on his house located in Seatauket, New York. Campora represented himself in the foreclosure action and, after several of Campora’s pro se motions were dismissed, his house was ordered to be sold at auction. Thereafter, in October and November of 2013, in retaliation for the adverse decision in the foreclosure action, Campora filed fraudulent affidavits and liens through the mail with the Lamar County Superior Court Clerk’s Office in Barnesville, Georgia, against three Suffolk County state court judges and one private attorney appointed by the court to serve as a referee in Campora’s foreclosure action. The affidavits purported to confer legal rights upon Campora against the victims and also claimed that the victims admitted to having illegally violated Campora’s rights. Campora then cited these fraudulent affidavits as serving as a legal basis to further file false liens with the Lamar County Superior Clerk’s Office against each of the four victims in an amount in excess of $1,500,000.
“We will continue to aggressively identify and pursue those who would manipulate the judicial system through private vendettas in the hope of causing financial hardship to public servants with whom they disagree,” stated Unites States Attorney Lynch. Ms. Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the New York State Court System for its assistance and cooperation in this investigation.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Rodriguez stated, “Mr. Campora allegedly used the legal system to retaliate against Suffolk County Court judges who had ordered a foreclosure action on his house. Vendettas against members of the judiciary have no place in our legal system.”
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Campora faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 on each of the eight counts.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
The Defendant:
JERRY CAMPORA, JR.
Age: 46
Setauket, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-123
Staten Island Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax Charge Related to Illegal GamblingRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SALVATORE FERRAIOLI, 33, of Staten Island, New York, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to a federal tax charge stemming from his involvement in an illegal sports gambling operation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, FERRAIOLI was a bookmaker in a sports gambling operation run by Dean DePreta and Richard Uva, two alleged associates of the Gambino organized crime family. DePreta and Uva used sports-gambling websites, particularly 44wager.com based in Costa Rica, to conduct their bookmaking operation.
FBI analysis of 44wager.com website data determined that the total gross revenues of the Stamford-based gambling operation were nearly $1.7 million from October 2010 to June 2011.
In court, FERRAIOLI admitted to being a bookmaker in the operation, and for failing to register with the Internal Revenue Service or to file a wagering tax return in 2011.
FERRAIOLI pleaded guilty to one count of failing to file a wagering tax return. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on June 17, 2015, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of one year and a fine of up to $25,000. FERRAIOLI also has agreed to forfeit $160,988, and to pay back taxes, interest and penalties.
This matter was investigated by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Chen and Peter Jongbloed.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]St. Charles Man Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA - On March 25, 2015, Jay A. Ochanpaugh, age 50, of St. Charles, Iowa, and formerly of Ames, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 12 months and one day in federal prison for filing a false income tax return for the calendar year 2009, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Ochanpaugh will be required to serve one year of supervised release following his release from prison, and will be required to cooperate with the Internal Revenue Service to pay his tax liability. Ochanpaugh will be required to surrender to the United States Bureau of Prisons at a date to be determined.
In a written plea agreement filed December 12, 2014, Ochanpaugh admitted that he filed false income tax returns for the calendar years 2007 through 2010, underreporting his business income, which resulted in a tax loss of at least $80,000. Ochanpaugh is in the insurance sales business, working for Ochanpaugh Financial Group, LLC, but he will not be permitted to continue to sell insurance as a result of this conviction.
This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Southern California Man Charged in Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. - A Southern California man is expected to make his initial court appearance today for allegedly conspiring to transport 12 kilograms of cocaine from California to New Jersey and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jesus Raul Iribe, 37, of Riverside, California, is charged by federal criminal complaint with one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine. Iribe is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court.
Iribe has been in custody since he was arrested at his home on March 10, 2015. When federal agents arrested Iribe, they found $460,000 in cash hidden in the house, as well as three guns, including an AR-15 assault rifle.
According to the complaint:On Feb. 8, 2013, law enforcement recorded and observed meetings between Iribe and other conspirators in which they allegedly planned to use a tractor-trailer to transport cocaine from California to New Jersey and other destinations along the East Coast. Eventually, law enforcement followed the tractor trailer to Bronx, New York, where they recovered a produce box containing 12 kilograms of cocaine.
The conspiracy charge carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski in Newark, the DEA Los Angeles Field Office and the Fontana, California, Police Department with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Kamar and David Eskew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.15-102
Slidell Woman Sentenced for Embezzlement of Union FundsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that ANDREA HOBGOOD, age 36, of Slidell, was sentenced today, having pled guilty to embezzlement of union funds. HOBGOOD had been a union’s office manager and, on more than 100 occasions, failed to deposit members’ dues payments into the union’s bank account and instead kept and spent the money for herself.
U.S. District Judge Helen G. Berrigan sentenced HOBGOOD to 5 years probation and ordered her to pay restitution.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Chandra Menon was in charge of the prosecution.
Six Charged in Scheme to Commit Marriage FraudRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of six Houston residents have been charged in a nine-count indictment alleging their involvement in a marriage fraud scheme involving Nigerian nationals, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston.
The indictment was returned under seal Feb. 26, 2015, and unsealed today as Shakietha Ann Joseph, 39, Nathan Michael, 36, Trevor Ray Frenney, 39, and Hauwa Bello, 37, all of Houston, made their initial appearances in federal court. At that time, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy ordered they be detained pending further criminal proceedings.
Anthony Andrews 27, also of Houston – is in state custody on unrelated charges and is expected to make his appearance in federal court in the near future.
A final defendant - Anisha Nicole Gable, 33 – is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for her arrest. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact HSI at 281-985-0500.
The six defendants allegedly conspired together in connection with a marriage fraud ring involving arranged “sham” marriages between recruited U.S. citizens and Nigerian nationals. A “sham” marriage is a marriage that is entered into for the primary purpose of circumventing the immigration laws.
“Becoming an American citizen is an honor and a privilege,” said Moskowitz. “Obtaining citizenship through fraud is an affront to every person who has played by the rules and it threatens the integrity of our legal immigration system. HSI special agents will continue to work with our partners to ensure that those who use criminal and dishonorable means to achieve the most honorable of goals are brought to justice.”
The indictment alleges conspirators would pay U.S. citizens for entering into fraudulent marriages to Nigerian nationals who had originally entered the country on tourist visas. The conspirators would then complete immigration documents and submit them to Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) to obtain legal permanent resident status, according to the indictment. As part of the conspiracy, the indictment further alleges they would take staged photographs of themselves as a couple for documentation of an allegedly meaningful relationship. The conspirators also allegedly coached the recruits and/or the Nigerian nationals on what to say when questioned or interviewed by law enforcement or immigration officials about the legitimate nature of the marriages.
The indictment charges all six with conspiracy commit marriage fraud. Gable is also charged with four counts of aiding and abetting marriage fraud, while Joseph and Frenney are each charged with two counts of the same allegation. Michael and Bello were also indicted on one count of committing marriage fraud.
Gable allegedly recruited Andrews, Frenney and Joseph to marry Nigerian nationals. The indictment further alleges Bello did knowingly marry Frenney, a U.S. citizen for the for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws of the United States. Similarly, Michael allegedly entered into a sham marriage with Joseph, according to the allegations. At the time of their respective marriages, Bello and Michael were natives and citizens of Nigeria and were in the U.S. temporarily on B1/B2 non-immigrant visas.
If convicted on any of the counts as charged, each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
The charges are the result of an investigation by HSI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, Office of Fraud Detection, CIS and the Department of Agriculture - Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Bennett and Mark Evans are prosecuting the case.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Sexual Predator Receives Lengthy Prison Sentence for Extorting Girls to Send Him Pornographic ImagesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Destin Whitmore has been sentenced to 17 years, six months for extortion, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. The defendant used a social media site, where he maintained two fake aliases as well as a personal account, to entice and then force nine minors to provide him pornographic images of them.
“This case is a sad example of the dangers of the Internet for teens that aren’t careful,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “This defendant victimized at least nine teenage girls by using their images to extort pornographic images, creating a vicious cycle of exploiting vulnerable victims.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: In April 2012, a girl in Arizona reported that she had been contacted on Facebook by an individual using the profile name “Ralph Jenkins.” The individual using the Jenkins profile, later identified as Destin Whitmore, sent the teen compromising images of herself that she had previously sent to Whitmore, and he threatened to send those images to other persons, including her family members, if she did not immediately create additional images for him.
A subsequent investigation of that profile, along with a profile using the name “Lenny Carlington,” showed that both profiles were used by Whitmore, along with his own Facebook account, to transmit pornographic images of numerous teen girls to the girls in order to extort them for additional images. He threatened to distribute the pornographic images to others and post them on various websites for public consumption if they did not comply with his demands. Whitmore knew many of the girls through personal relationships or through long-term communications using web cameras with the girls online. Some of the girls had previously sent sexually explicit images to Whitmore or had provided such images to others, which Whitmore subsequently obtained. The investigation revealed that Whitmore contacted and extorted at least nine minors over a period of six months.
Whitmore, 23, of Canton, Georgia, has been sentenced to 17 years, six months in prison to be followed by supervised release for life. Whitmore was convicted of these charges on September 22, 2014, when he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cobb County Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mary Webb and Paul R. Jones prosecuted the case.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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/.
Seventeen Charged in White Plains Federal Court with Massive Oxycodone and Heroin Conspiracies in and Around Rockland CountyRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Thomas Zugibe, Rockland County District Attorney, James Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and Ed Day, Rockland County Executive, announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging 17 defendants with conspiring to distribute oxycodone and heroin in and around Rockland County.
Twelve of the seventeen defendants charged in the Indictment unsealed today were arrested today or had previously been taken into custody. Those defendants are expected to be presented in White Plains federal court today before Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy. In a related prosecution, New York State has charged an additional 12 defendants.
U.S. Attorney Bharara stated: “What we have more and more in this country is poison by prescription. The abuse of prescription painkillers, and oxycodone in particular, has become a crisis of epidemic proportions. Today we announce the unsealing of charges against members of a massive drug trafficking organization who sought to capitalize on this increasingly deadly epidemic. The federal Indictment names 17 defendants, and the Rockland County DA is bringing a related prosecution against 12 additional defendants. We will not permit prescription painkillers and other illegal drugs to decimate our community, our state, or our nation. This has to stop, and we will do everything we can to stop it.”
District Attorney Zugibe stated: “Dealers in this operation are alleged to have sunk to a new low, selling prescription drugs and heroin at popular locations where parents drop off their kids to see a movie, attend a birthday party or spend time ice skating with friends. With today’s federal indictment, we take a giant step to ensure a feeling of safety and security in our community – making certain that Rockland County continues to be a great place to live and work. Our success in this ongoing investigation is the direct result of the exceptional cooperation with U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, the DEA and state and local law enforcement agencies. My office is dedicated to continuing to work with our partners to target, investigate and bring to justice those who prey on our community.”
DEA SAC Hunt stated: “Throughout the nation, opioid overdose and abuse statistics have become reality in our local towns, suburban communities and inner city. Diverted prescription pain medication and heroin drug crews are public health enemy #1. Today’s arrests of Victor Esteban and his alleged drug crew demonstrate law enforcement’s commitment to arresting those responsible for arming addicts with their drug of choice and protecting residents from the possibility of being another statistic.”
County Executive Day said: “We are losing an average of two local residents each month to the scourge of heroin and prescription drugs. It’s happening to wealthy families and to poor families. It doesn’t know any boundaries. This operation demonstrates how police and prosecutors continue to work together to dig in at the local level and hammer away at the drug markets plaguing our neighborhoods. I want to commend District Attorney Zugibe and U.S. Attorney Bharara for leading a dedicated team in the support of making Rockland County a safer community.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment and other documents in the public record:
The defendants were part of a sophisticated drug trafficking organization (the “Organization”) that operated in the area of Rockland County, New York. The Organization, led by defendant VICTOR ESTEBAN, distributed massive quantities of oxycodone and heroin, often in highly public locations, including at the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack, New York.
Since 2014, members and associates of the Organization have conspired to distribute more than 50,000 oxycodone tablets, with a value in excess of $1 million, in and around Rockland County. The defendants obtained the oxycodone through deceptive means, including the use of forged and fraudulent prescriptions. For example, defendant JUSHAWN STEVENS used his home computer to fill out official blank New York State prescriptions with fraudulent information about purported patients and prescribing doctors. Law enforcement officers also identified a defendant posing as a doctor on the phone when a pharmacy called to inquire about an oxycodone prescription. After generating fraudulent prescriptions, the defendants employed lower-level members of the Organization, known as “runners,” to go to pharmacies across New York State to fill the fraudulent prescriptions.
The principal supplier of heroin to the Organization was JUAN AGRAMONTE, who was based in the Bronx. ESTEBAN pooled money with other defendants to purchase significant quantities of heroin from AGRAMONTE, which they then distributed in locations around Rockland County.
The defendants distributed oxycodone and heroin in a multitude of public places. They sold these illicit drugs in the parking lots of the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack, New York, at the Mt. Ivy Trailer Park in Pomona, New York, and in various motels around Rockland County, where they would rent rooms to meet with customers.
Certain defendants also celebrated their oxycodone and heroin trafficking activity on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram. Some of the defendants referred to themselves as the “TMC” crew, meaning “Too Much Cash.” For example, on one occasion, a defendant posted a message on Twitter saying, “Shout out my TMC bros we taking over the streets.” On another occasion, a defendant posted a message on Twitter saying, “I make money without a 9-5 gimmie some feens a trap fone and I’ll be fine . . . ,” meaning that he did not need a legitimate job, but rather only some drug addicts and a “trap phone” with which to arrange drug deals. This defendant also posted a message saying, “The feds just wanna see me in jail.”
The Indictment charges 17 defendants and contains two counts. Charts containing the names, ages, residences, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad (Group TDS-NY), which comprises agents and officers from the DEA, the New York City Police Department, Town of Orangetown Police Department and the Westchester County Police Department. He also thanked the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office for its participation, and the Internal Revenue Service for its assistance.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Turner and Douglas Zolkind are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
US v. Esteban et al Indictment
Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings, Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay over $232.7 Million for Violating U.S. Sanctions by Facilitating Trade with Iran and SudanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd. (SOHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd., has agreed to enter a guilty plea and to pay a $232,708,356 penalty to the United States for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by willfully facilitating illegal transactions and engaging in trade with Iran and Sudan, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
“This is a landmark case that puts global corporations on notice that they must respect our trade laws when on American soil,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Even if you don’t directly ship goods from the United States to sanctioned countries, you violate our laws when you facilitate trade with those countries from a U.S.-based office building. For years, in a variety of ways, this foreign company facilitated trade with Iran and Sudan from Sugar Land, Texas. Today’s announcement should send a clear message to all global companies with a U.S. presence: whether your employees are from the U.S. or abroad, when they are in the United States, they will abide by our laws or you will be held accountable.”
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin and Under Secretary Eric L. Hirschhorn of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) joined in the announcement.
The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the court’s approval, requires that SOHL pay the U.S. government $232,708,356 and enter into a three-year period of corporate probation. SOHL’s monetary penalty includes a $77,569,452 criminal forfeiture and an additional $155,138,904 criminal fine. The criminal fine represents the largest criminal fine in connection with an IEEPA prosecution.
The plea agreement also requires SOHL to submit to a three-year period of corporate probation and agree to continue to cooperate with the government and not commit any additional felony violations of U.S. federal law. In addition to SOHL’s commitments, under the plea agreement, SOHL’s parent company, Schlumberger Ltd., has also agreed to the following additional terms during the three-year term of probation, inter alia: (1) maintaining its cessation of all operations in Iran and Sudan, (2) reporting on the parent company’s compliance with sanctions, (3) responding to requests to disclose information and materials related to the parent company’s compliance with U.S. sanctions laws when requested by U.S. authorities, and (4) hiring an independent consultant to review the parent company’s internal sanctions policies and procedures and the parent company’s internal audits focused on sanctions compliance.
The guilty plea concludes a joint investigation commenced in 2009 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Dallas Field Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is a national leader in export enforcement cases designed to stem the flow of weapons, technology, and other goods to sanctioned countries and entities overseas, including Iran, Sudan, and Cuba. Additionally, over the past five years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has obtained more than $1.5 billion in recoveries from European banks – including ABN Amro Bank, ING Bank N.V., Standard Chartered Bank, and Commerzbank AG – that have admitted moving money illegally through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned countries and entities, including Iran, Sudan, and Cuba.
“Over a period of years, Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd. conducted business with Iran and Sudan from the United States and took steps to disguise those business dealings, thereby willfully violating the U.S. economic sanctions against those regimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The International Emergency Economic Powers Act is an essential tool that the United States uses to address foreign threats to national security through the regulation of commerce. Knowingly circumventing sanctions undermines their efficacy and has the potential to harm both U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. The guilty plea and significant financial penalty in this case underscore that skirting sanctions for financial gain is a risk corporations ought not take.”
“Today's criminal guilty plea demonstrates the Commerce Department’s commitment to aggressively prosecute multinational corporations for violations involving embargoed destinations,” said Under Secretary Hirschhorn. “We will continue to pursue violators wherever they are located and whatever their size. I commend the Office of Export Enforcement and the Department of Justice for their outstanding efforts to investigate and prosecute this case.”
A criminal information was filed today in federal court in the District of Columbia charging SOHL with one count of knowingly and willfully conspiring to violate IEEPA. SOHL waived the requirement of being charged by way of federal Indictment, agreed to the filing of the information, and has accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct and that of its employees by entering into a plea agreement with the government.
In addition to SOHL’s agreement to continue its cooperation with U.S. authorities throughout the three-year period of probation and not to engage in any felony violation of U.S. federal law, SOHL’s parent company, Schlumberger Ltd., also has agreed to continue its cooperation with U.S. authorities during the three-year period of probation, and hire an independent consultant who will review the parent company’s internal sanctions policies, procedures and company-generated sanctions audit reports.
Summary of the Criminal Conduct
According to court documents, starting on or about early 2004 and continuing through June 2010, Drilling & Measurements (D&M), a United States-based Schlumberger business segment, provided oilfield services to Schlumberger customers in Iran and Sudan through non-U.S. subsidiaries of SOHL. Although SOHL, as a subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd., had policies and procedures designed to ensure that D&M did not violate U.S. sanctions, SOHL failed to train its employees adequately to ensure that all U.S. persons, including non-U.S. citizens who resided in the United States while employed at D&M, complied with Schlumberger Ltd.’s sanctions policies and compliance procedures. As a result of D&M’s lack of adherence to U.S. sanctions combined with SOHL’s failure to train properly U.S. persons and to enforce fully its policies and procedures, D&M, through the acts of employees residing in the United States, violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and Sudan by: (1) approving and disguising the company’s capital expenditure requests from Iran and Sudan for the manufacture of new oilfield drilling tools and for the spending of money for certain company purchases; (2) making and implementing business decisions specifically concerning Iran and Sudan; and (3) providing certain technical services and expertise in order to troubleshoot mechanical failures and to sustain expensive drilling tools and related equipment in Iran and Sudan.
The Illegal Schemes
Illegal U.S. Person Approval of Capital Expenditures. According to court documents, one of the important functions of D&M management personnel was the supervision of D&M’s capital expenditure (CAPEX) process. The CAPEX process was a forecasting mechanism enabling oilfield locations to predict what tools and equipment they would need to meet anticipated demand for oilfield services. Oilfield personnel worldwide made requests through an automated system for the manufacture of new tools and for permission to spend money for certain purchases in order to support oilfield operations. Once approved by the D&M Global Asset Manager in the United States, a request for new equipment was transmitted to one of three manufacturing centers for the production of new tools and other assets. The spending of funds for large-scale purchases was authorized once the request was approved by the D&M Global Asset Manager. Under the CAPEX process in place during the relevant time period, approval by the D&M Global Asset Manager, a U.S. person, was required for every CAPEX request, including requests submitted by or for the benefit of D&M oilfields in Iran and Sudan.
Consequently, D&M’s CAPEX process violated sanctions with Iran and Sudan in a number of ways. Although CAPEX approvals were ordinarily sought through an automated computer system, D&M personnel outside the United States frequently sent emails to the D&M Global Asset Manager in the United States justifying particular requests, many of which related to requests submitted by or on behalf of Iran and Sudan. Furthermore, in these email communications, D&M personnel outside the United States referred to Iran as “Northern Gulf” and Sudan as “Southern Egypt” or “South Egypt” in email communications with D&M personnel in the United States.
In addition, D&M personnel outside the United States implemented a process designed to disguise the identities of the embargoed locations in the automated computer system in order to obtain approval from the D&M Global Asset Manager in the United States. Orders entered into the automated computer system were identified by a series of numbers and letters. Typically, the alpha-numeric identifier included a two or three-letter code indicating the country that placed the order. Instead of entering the country code for Iran or Sudan, D&M personnel entered non-embargoed country codes for embargoed location orders. Specifically, the code “BGM,” which identified a bonded-goods warehouse in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, was used in place of the Iran and Sudan country codes in order to disguise the true locations. These efforts were deliberately taken and demonstrate the company’s involvement in contriving ways intended to evade restrictions imposed by U.S. sanctions.
D&M Headquarters Involvement in Iran and Sudan. According to court documents, separate and apart from the illegal CAPEX approval process that violated U.S. sanctions, D&M headquarters personnel made and implemented business decisions involving D&M operations in Iran and Sudan—again, all in violation of U.S. sanctions’ restrictions on the facilitation of trade with Iran and Sudan. D&M’s illegal involvement in the day-to-day operations in Iran and Sudan, through U.S. persons working at D&M headquarters, occurred with D&M’s knowledge and understanding of the applicability of U.S. sanctions laws to the company.
Technical Services. According to court documents, when technical problems arose in oilfield locations related to the operation of drilling tools, D&M personnel would enter relevant information about the technical issue into an automated computer system. D&M’s automated computer system would generally route the query to a technical expert who could assist the oilfield location in addressing the technical issue. If the technical issue was sufficiently complex, the query would ordinarily be routed to the technical experts located at the product center that manufactured the tool. At times, queries entered by, or on behalf of, D&M personnel in Iran and Sudan were addressed by D&M personnel located in the United States. The technical services provided to Iranian and Sudanese operations, by U.S. persons, violated the prohibitions of trade with Iran and Sudan required by U.S. sanctions.
SOHL and Schlumberger’s Remediation Efforts
In 2009, in consultation with the U.S. Department of State, Schlumberger agreed to no longer pursue new oilfield contracts in Iran. In 2011, Schlumberger voluntarily decided to cease providing oilfield services in Iran and the Republic of the Sudan (North Sudan). As of June 30, 2013, Schlumberger ceased providing oilfield services in Iran, and presently, Schlumberger has ceased providing oilfield services in North Sudan as well.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Attorney General Carlin and Under Secretary Hirschhorn commended the work of Special Agent Troy Shaffer from BIS’s Dallas Field Office. They also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and DOJ’s National Security Division, including former Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Borchert and Ann H. Petalas and former Trial Attorney Ryan Fayhee.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maia L. Miller of the National Security Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, both of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Casey Arrowood of DOJ’s National Security Division.
Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay over $232.7 Million for Violating US Sanctions by Facilitating Trade with Iran and SudanRead the Press Release
Parent Company, Schlumberger Ltd., Also Agrees to Continue Cooperation With U.S. Authorities and To Hire an Independent Consultant to Review Its Sanctions Policies, Procedures and Internal Sanctions Audits
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia and Under Secretary Eric L. Hirschhorn of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced today that Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd. (SOHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd., has agreed to enter a guilty plea and to pay a $232,708,356 penalty to the United States for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by willfully facilitating illegal transactions and engaging in trade with Iran and Sudan.
The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the court’s approval, also requires SOHL to submit to a three-year period of corporate probation and agree to continue to cooperate with the government and not commit any additional felony violations of U.S. federal law. In addition to SOHL’s commitments, under the plea agreement, SOHL’s parent company, Schlumberger Ltd., has also agreed to the following additional terms during the three-year term of probation, inter alia: (1) maintaining its cessation of all operations in Iran and Sudan, (2) reporting on the parent company’s compliance with sanctions, (3) responding to requests to disclose information and materials related to the parent company’s compliance with U.S. sanctions laws when requested by U.S. authorities, and (4) hiring an independent consultant to review the parent company’s internal sanctions policies and procedures and the parent company’s internal audits focused on sanctions compliance. The guilty plea concludes a joint investigation commenced in 2009 and led by the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Dallas Field Office.
“Over a period of years, Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Ltd. conducted business with Iran and Sudan from the United States and took steps to disguise those business dealings, thereby willfully violating the U.S. economic sanctions against those regimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The International Emergency Economic Powers Act is an essential tool that the United States uses to address foreign threats to national security through the regulation of commerce. Knowingly circumventing sanctions undermines their efficacy and has the potential to harm both U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. The guilty plea and significant financial penalty in this case underscore that skirting sanctions for financial gain is a risk corporations ought not take.”
“This is a landmark case that puts global corporations on notice that they must respect our trade laws when on American soil,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “Even if you don’t directly ship goods from the United States to sanctioned countries, you violate our laws when you facilitate trade with those countries from a U.S.-based office building. For years, in a variety of ways, this foreign company facilitated trade with Iran and Sudan from Sugar Land, Texas. Today’s announcement should send a clear message to all global companies with a U.S. presence: whether your employees are from the U.S. or abroad, when they are in the United States, they will abide by our laws or you will be held accountable.”
“Today's criminal guilty plea demonstrates the Commerce Department’s commitment to aggressively prosecute multinational corporations for violations involving embargoed destinations,” said Under Secretary Hirschhorn. “We will continue to pursue violators wherever they are located and whatever their size. I commend the Office of Export Enforcement and the Department of Justice for their outstanding efforts to investigate and prosecute this case.”
A criminal information was filed today in federal court in the District of Columbia charging SOHL with one count of knowingly and willfully conspiring to violate IEEPA. SOHL waived the requirement of being charged by way of federal Indictment, agreed to the filing of the information, and has accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct and that of its employees by entering into a plea agreement with the government. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the court’s approval, requires that SOHL pay the U.S. government $232,708,356 and enter into a three-year period of corporate probation. SOHL’s monetary penalty includes a $77,569,452 criminal forfeiture and an additional $155,138,904 criminal fine. The criminal fine represents the largest criminal fine in connection with an IEEPA prosecution.
In addition to SOHL’s agreement to continue its cooperation with U.S. authorities throughout the three-year period of probation and not to engage in any felony violation of U.S. federal law, SOHL’s parent company, Schlumberger Ltd., also has agreed to continue its cooperation with U.S. authorities during the three-year period of probation, and hire an independent consultant who will review the parent company’s internal sanctions policies, procedures and company-generated sanctions audit reports.
Summary of the Criminal Conduct
According to court documents, starting on or about early 2004 and continuing through June 2010, Drilling & Measurements (D&M), a United States-based Schlumberger business segment, provided oilfield services to Schlumberger customers in Iran and Sudan through non-U.S. subsidiaries of SOHL. Although SOHL, as a subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd., had policies and procedures designed to ensure that D&M did not violate U.S. sanctions, SOHL failed to train its employees adequately to ensure that all U.S. persons, including non-U.S. citizens who resided in the United States while employed at D&M, complied with Schlumberger Ltd.’s sanctions policies and compliance procedures. As a result of D&M’s lack of adherence to U.S. sanctions combined with SOHL’s failure to train properly U.S. persons and to enforce fully its policies and procedures, D&M, through the acts of employees residing in the United States, violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and Sudan by: (1) approving and disguising the company’s capital expenditure requests from Iran and Sudan for the manufacture of new oilfield drilling tools and for the spending of money for certain company purchases; (2) making and implementing business decisions specifically concerning Iran and Sudan; and (3) providing certain technical services and expertise in order to troubleshoot mechanical failures and to sustain expensive drilling tools and related equipment in Iran and Sudan.
The Illegal Schemes
Illegal U.S. Person Approval of Capital Expenditures. According to court documents, one of the important functions of D&M management personnel was the supervision of D&M’s capital expenditure (CAPEX) process. The CAPEX process was a forecasting mechanism enabling oilfield locations to predict what tools and equipment they would need to meet anticipated demand for oilfield services. Oilfield personnel worldwide made requests through an automated system for the manufacture of new tools and for permission to spend money for certain purchases in order to support oilfield operations. Once approved by the D&M Global Asset Manager in the United States, a request for new equipment was transmitted to one of three manufacturing centers for the production of new tools and other assets. The spending of funds for large-scale purchases was authorized once the request was approved by the D&M Global Asset Manager. Under the CAPEX process in place during the relevant time period, approval by the D&M Global Asset Manager, a U.S. person, was required for every CAPEX request, including requests submitted by or for the benefit of D&M oilfields in Iran and Sudan.
Consequently, D&M’s CAPEX process violated sanctions with Iran and Sudan in a number of ways. Although CAPEX approvals were ordinarily sought through an automated computer system, D&M personnel outside the United States frequently sent emails to the D&M Global Asset Manager in the United States justifying particular requests, many of which related to requests submitted by or on behalf of Iran and Sudan. Furthermore, in these email communications, D&M personnel outside the United States referred to Iran as “Northern Gulf” and Sudan as “Southern Egypt” or “South Egypt” in email communications with D&M personnel in the United States.
In addition, D&M personnel outside the United States implemented a process designed to disguise the identities of the embargoed locations in the automated computer system in order to obtain approval from the D&M Global Asset Manager in the United States. Orders entered into the automated computer system were identified by a series of numbers and letters. Typically, the alpha-numeric identifier included a two or three-letter code indicating the country that placed the order. Instead of entering the country code for Iran or Sudan, D&M personnel entered non-embargoed country codes for embargoed location orders. Specifically, the code “BGM,” which identified a bonded-goods warehouse in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, was used in place of the Iran and Sudan country codes in order to disguise the true locations. These efforts were deliberately taken and demonstrate the company’s involvement in contriving ways intended to evade restrictions imposed by U.S. sanctions.
D&M Headquarters Involvement in Iran and Sudan. According to court documents, separate and apart from the illegal CAPEX approval process that violated U.S. sanctions, D&M headquarters personnel made and implemented business decisions involving D&M operations in Iran and Sudan—again, all in violation of U.S. sanctions’ restrictions on the facilitation of trade with Iran and Sudan. D&M’s illegal involvement in the day-to-day operations in Iran and Sudan, through U.S. persons working at D&M headquarters, occurred with D&M’s knowledge and understanding of the applicability of U.S. sanctions laws to the company.
Technical Services. According to court documents, when technical problems arose in oilfield locations related to the operation of drilling tools, D&M personnel would enter relevant information about the technical issue into an automated computer system. D&M’s automated computer system would generally route the query to a technical expert who could assist the oilfield location in addressing the technical issue. If the technical issue was sufficiently complex, the query would ordinarily be routed to the technical experts located at the product center that manufactured the tool. At times, queries entered by, or on behalf of, D&M personnel in Iran and Sudan were addressed by D&M personnel located in the United States. The technical services provided to Iranian and Sudanese operations, by U.S. persons, violated the prohibitions of trade with Iran and Sudan required by U.S. sanctions.
SOHL and Schlumberger’s Remediation Efforts
In 2009, in consultation with the U.S. Department of State, Schlumberger agreed to no longer pursue new oilfield contracts in Iran. In 2011, Schlumberger voluntarily decided to cease providing oilfield services in Iran and the Republic of the Sudan (North Sudan). As of June 30, 2013, Schlumberger ceased providing oilfield services in Iran, and presently, Schlumberger has ceased providing oilfield services in North Sudan as well.
In announcing the plea, Assistant Attorney General Carlin and U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of Special Agent Troy Shaffer from BIS’s Dallas Field Office. They also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case from the National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Trial Attorney Ryan Fayhee and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Borchert and Ann H. Petalas.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Casey Arrowood of the National Security Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maia L. Miller of the National Security Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.
Schlumberger Plea Agreement
Schlumberger Statement of Offense
Schlumberger Information
Roswell Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Jaime Juan Alvarado, 36, of Roswell, N.M., pleaded guilty this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge.
Alvarado was arrested on Jan. 20, 2015, in Roswell after agents and officers from the DEA, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Lea County Drug Task Force executed a federal search warrant at his residence. According to the criminal complaint, the law enforcement officers seized approximately 35.7 grams of methamphetamine, heroin, several safes and a digital scale when they executed the search.
During today’s proceedings, Alvarado pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering the guilty plea, Alvarado admitted that on Jan. 20, 2015, in Chaves County, N.M., agents executed a federal search warrant on his residence and found methamphetamine in his kitchen which he planned to distribute to others.
Alvarado remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Alvarado faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison followed by a minimum of three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the DEA, the Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terri J. Abernathy of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
The Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and the Lea County Drug Task Force are part of the NM 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.
Rochester Attorney Sentenced for Obtaining A Controlled Substance by MisrepresentationRead 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 Salvatore J. Marcera, Jr., 54, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, was sentenced to three years probation by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. Marcera also was ordered to pay restitution to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield in the amount of $1,965.71.Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank H. Sherman, who handled the case, stated that on July 28, 2006, the defendant was a sole practitioner attorney in Rochester. Marcera obtained prescriptions from a medical doctor, including OxyContin and Roxycodone, both of which contain oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance. The defendant did this on behalf of his brother, who was incarcerated in the Monroe County Jail at the time. In order to obtain the prescriptions, Marcera claimed that the drugs were medically necessary for his brother, knowing that in fact the prescriptions were not medically necessary.
After obtaining the prescriptions, the defendant then gave them to another family member knowing that family members would arrange to have the prescriptions filled at a pharmacy on behalf of Marcera’s brother. The prescriptions were subsequently filled at a pharmacy and paid for by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.
As part of the same case, Marcera was previously convicted of filing a false personal income tax return for tax years 2004 through 2007 by understating the gross receipts of his law practice. The defendant was sentenced in March 2014 to five years of probation, including one year of home confinement, on the tax charges. Marcera also was ordered to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $104,074.
As part of the sentencing proceeding, Marcera reported to the Court that his law license has been suspended and that he is subject to further disciplinary proceedings in May 2015 before the Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Shantelle P. Kitchen, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. O’Donnell, as well as Investigators from the New York State Insurance Department's Frauds Bureau, under the direction of Frank Orlando.
Prior Felon from Eunice Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Firearms LawsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Ramon Perez, Sr., 33, of Eunice, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to violating federal firearms laws. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Perez will be sentenced to 72 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Perez is being 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.
Perez was arrested on Nov. 17, 2014, on an indictment charging him with unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition on Dec. 31, 2013, in Lea County, N.M. At the time, Perez was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because he previously had been convicted of numerous felony offenses including possession of cocaine, discharging a firearm, possession of narcotics with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a controlled substance.
During today’s proceedings, Perez pled guilty to the indictment and admitted possessing three pistols, two of which had obliterated serial numbers, and multiple rounds of ammunition.
Perez has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lea County Drug Task Force and the New Mexico State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy M. Castellano of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The Lea County Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Hobbs Police Department, Lovington Police Department, Eunice Police Department the Tatum Police Department and the Jal Police Department, and is part of the NM 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.
Previously Convicted Owings Mills Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PorngraphyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Shawn Joseph Eisenstein, age 28, of Owings Mills, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography. Eisenstein was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in Baltimore County and was required to register as a sex offender.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to Eisenstein’s plea agreement, on May 28, 2008, in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Maryland, Eisenstein was convicted of distribution of child pornography, and was sentenced to five years’ incarceration, with three years and six months suspended. Eisenstein was placed on three years of probation upon his release from prison and was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
According to his plea agreement, in July 2014, Eisenstein uploaded images containing child pornography to his email account. Following the email provider’s discovery of the images, a search warrant for Eisenstein’s residence was executed on July 29, 2014. Eisenstein was present during the execution of the search warrant. After being advised of his rights, Eisenstein voluntarily spoke to the investigators and admitted to using his cell phone and his email accounts to trade files of child pornography with people he met on an image board website. He stated that he viewed the child pornography on his cell phone.
During the search warrant, investigator’s seized Eisenstein’s cell phone, which was forensically examined by a Baltimore County Computer Forensic Examiner (CFE), and found to contain over 100 images of children engaged in child pornography. In all, Eisenstein possessed over 600 images of child pornography, including pre-pubescent children and images portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence.
Eisenstein further admitted that in October 2011, while still on probation for his previous conviction for distribution of child pornography, he used an email account to communicate with an undercover Baltimore County detective who represented himself as a 13 year old female. During those conversations Eisenstein discussed meeting the “girl” to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
As part of his plea agreement, Eisenstein must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Eisenstein and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Eisenstein will be sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell has scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, HSI Baltimore, Baltimore County Police Department and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the case.
Police officer pleads guilty to accepting cash payments from Desperado’s Cabaret ownerRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Carencro Police officer pleaded guilty to receiving cash payments from James Panos, former owner and manager of Desperado’s Cabaret, while the officer was in charge of regulating exotic dancer permits for the Carencro Police Department, and during a time Desperado’s operated as an illegal enterprise.
Timothy Prejean, 42, of Carencro, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Prejean accepted cash payments from James Panos during the years Prejean processed and delivered exotic dancer licenses for Desperado’s employees. Additionally, Prejean failed to investigate reported illegal activity at Desperado’s from 2007 to December 5, 2012. The illegal activity involved prostitution in the VIP room and drug distribution/use inside the business. During this time, Prejean was assigned as the liaison officer between the Carencro Police Department and Desperado’s for the purpose of enforcing local ordinances pertaining to exotic dancer licensing and related regulations.
Prejean improperly received a total of $10,000 in cash and other benefits from club owners James and Jennifer Panos while in performance of his regulatory duties. Other benefits included no cover charge to enter, free access to the VIP rooms, and free drinks.
James Panos, Jennifer Panos, and eight other defendants were charged in a 10-count indictment on May 15, 2013, alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy, and firearms charges. The charges are the result of an investigation of drug trafficking, drug distribution, prostitution, and other illegal activity that took place at Desperado’s Cabaret in Carencro located on Northeast Evangeline Thruway.
“Timothy Prejean violated his oath of office and the public’s trust by failing to uphold the law and by taking cash payments from a corrupt business,” said Finley. “The people of Carencro deserve and expect more from their law enforcement officers. My Office will lead the charge in investigating and bringing to justice corrupt public officials.”
James Panos, Jennifer Panos and the remaining defendants were sentenced on August 7, 2014. As part of the plea agreement, the owners agreed to forfeit illegal proceeds already seized, return proceeds illegally earned, and they agreed to forfeit the Desperado’s property to include the building and land.
Prejean faces up to 20 years in prison, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.
The DEA, FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, and Lafayette Metro Narcotics investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers P. Namie and Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.
Pineville Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Porn, Faces at Least 25 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Pineville, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court today to producing child pornography.
Jeremy Wayne Law, 30, of Pineville, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to attempting to use a minor to produce child pornography. Law, who was previously convicted of sexual abuse with a minor in New York, is a registered sex offender.
By pleading guilty today, Law admitted that he communicated via text messages with a 16-year-old female, identified as “T.C.,” who resided in New York. Investigators found pornographic images and videos of T.C. on Law’s computer. Law also admitted that he had twice engaged in sexual intercourse with T.C. in a vehicle and that he had sent her an image of his genitalia.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the court is requested to impose a sentence of at least 25 years in federal prison without parole and not more than 35 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Hamburg, N.Y., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Prison Nurse Charged with Providing Contraband to Yazoo Federal InmateRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Lavonne Boose, 43, of Benton, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda R. Anderson on March 23, 2015 for an arraignment pursuant to a Criminal Information charging her with providing contraband to a federal inmate, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and FBI Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway announced today.
Boose, who was employed as a nurse at the Yazoo Federal Corrections Complex, is charged with providing the inmate with a telephone, in violation of federal law. This case is set for trial on May 5, 2015. If convicted, Boose faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Lemon is prosecuting the case.
Prison Nurse Charged with Providing Contraband to Yazoo Federal InmateRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Lavonne Boose, 43, of Benton, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda R. Anderson on March 23, 2015 for an arraignment pursuant to a Criminal Information charging her with providing contraband to a federal inmate, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and FBI Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway announced today.
Boose, who was employed as a nurse at the Yazoo Federal Corrections Complex, is charged with providing the inmate with a telephone, in violation of federal law. This case is set for trial on May 5, 2015. If convicted, Boose faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Lemon is prosecuting the case.
Nigerian Woman Pleads Guilty; Sentenced for Improper Use of A PassportRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul. Jr. announced today that Elizabeth Afola Oyenekan, 42, of Nigeria, pleaded guilty to improper use of another’s passport. The defendant was sentenced to time served by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott S. Allen, Jr., who handled the case, stated that the defendant attempted to enter the United States at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry on February 1, 2015. Oyenekan presented a Canadian passport to a Customs and Border Protection Officer bearing the name Diana Adetuni. When asked where she was born, Oyenekan stated Nigeria but quickly retracted and claimed she was born in Saint Vincent. The defendant also told the officer she was traveling to Brooklyn, NY to stay with a friend.
A search of the defendant’s luggage revealed a credit card in the name of E. O. Oyenekan which was a possible match to a previous Visa Waiver Refusal in Ireland in October 2014. An officer then entered the defendant’s fingerprints into a Fingerprint Identification System and determined that she was in fact Elizabeth Afola Oyenekan and not Diana Adetuni.
The plea and sentencing are the culmination of an investigation on the part of Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Hilmey, ActingDirector of Field Operations.
New York City Tax Return Preparer Indicted for Aiding or Assisting in Preparation of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York returned an indictment today charging a Brooklyn, New York, tax return preparer with 31 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal income tax returns, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2010, Phillip Baynes operated a tax preparation business called Small Mans Accounting and Tax Service in Brooklyn. During that time, Baynes allegedly prepared false individual income tax returns for taxpayer clients. On the returns, Baynes falsified business expenses and losses, charitable contributions and unreimbursed employee expenses.
If convicted, Baynes faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo commended the special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Mark Kotila and Brittney N. Campbell of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceeding.
Morgantown woman convicted of oxycodone traffickingRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Alicia Tavagilone, 21, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was convicted in federal court today of selling oxycodone in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
An investigation by the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Mon Valley Drug and Violent Crime Task Force revealed that Tavagilone participated in a drug distribution operation designed to transport heroin and prescription painkillers across state lines from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Morgantown, West Virginia for redistribution and sale.
Tavagilone pled guilty today to one count of “Distribution of Oxycodone.” She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.00. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John S. Kaull presided.
Montgomery Vermont Man Sentenced in Cross-border Marijuana Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont has stated that Roy “Opie” McAllister II, 39, of Montgomery, Vermont has been sentenced to prison for his role in a cross-border marijuana trafficking conspiracy. In September 2014, McAllister was convicted of two counts of tax filing false tax returns following a jury trial. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the marijuana conspiracy charge and the Court declared a mistrial. A retrial was scheduled for December 2014. On November 24, 2014, before the retrial against McAllister on marijuana trafficking charges, McAllister pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana. McAllister has been ordered to serve 30 months in jail on each count of conviction, with the time periods to run concurrently. McAllister has also been ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and to serve three years of supervised release following his jail sentence. As a condition of his supervised release, McAllister has been ordered to file corrected tax returns and pay taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service. McAllister will begin serving his jail sentence in April 2015.
McAllister, and his co-conspirator, Jeffrey Donna, have been described as kingpins in a marijuana trafficking business that began in the mid-2000s and continued until the two were arrested on May 29, 2013. The two defendants were responsible for bringing bulk quantities of marijuana across the Canadian border into northern Vermont for several years. According to the evidence of record, McAllister was responsible for between 1,000 and 3,000 kilograms of marijuana as part of the conspiracy. The marijuana trafficking has been characterized as a for-profit enterprise, in which McAllister made lavish expenditures using drug proceeds.
McAllister has been ordered to forfeit a home heating oil delivery truck used by McAllister Fuels, 115 Troy Street, Montgomery, Vermont, which the government alleged was bought with McAllister’s drug proceeds. He has also been ordered to forfeit more than 30 guns, two Harley Davidson motorcycles, a Polaris ATV, a Chevy Tahoe, a Ford F-150 Harley Davidson edition pick-up truck, a GMC Yukon and expensive jewelry purchased during the time of the conspiracy. A forfeiture action against his residence of 2404 Regan Road, Montgomery, Vermont, is pending.
As part of the marijuana trafficking conspiracy, McAllister and Donna were assisted by Jesse Soule, 48, also of Montgomery, Vermont. Soule was convicted in January 2014 of his role in the marijuana trafficking conspiracy. According to court records, Soule participated in the conspiracy by storing bulk marijuana on his farm. Soule is currently in jail serving a 13 month sentence. He has forfeited $250,000 in drug proceeds to the government and a Polaris ATV.
Kirt Westcom, 48, of Fairfield, Vermont, also has been convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. He received bulk marijuana from Donna and McAllister at his farm on 262 Egypt Road, Fairfield, Vermont for several years. Westcom is currently in jail serving a 24 month sentence. Westcom has forfeited $135,000 to the government, as well as a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and a Ford F-350 pick-up truck.Seven other individuals have pleaded guilty to federal crimes arising out of this drug enforcement action in Franklin County, Vermont. They are Jeffrey Baisley, 32, of Richford, Vermont, Jeffrey Tatro, Jr., 28, of Richford, Vermont, Robert Patterson, 55, of Richford, Vermont, Jonathan Palermo, 29, of Essex, Vermont, and Benjamin Pratt, 32, of Colchester, Vermont, who all have been convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Eric Jette, 32, of Enosburg, Vermont and Johnthan Aldrich, 34, of Richford, Vermont also have been convicted of federal drug charges.
The United States Attorney’s Office would like to thank the United States Border Patrol, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their work in conducting this investigation. This investigation was also assisted by the United States Internal Revenue Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Ross. Roy McAllister II was represented by Peter Langrock, Langrock Sperry & Wool.
Minnesota National Guardsman Indicted for Producing Child Pornography While Deployed to AfghanistanRead the Press Release
A Minnesota National Guardsman was indicted last week for inducing a 14 year-old girl to send him nude photos over the Internet while he was deployed to Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger of the District of Minnesota.
Andrew Schiller, 28, of Lakeville, Minnesota, is charged with one count of production of child pornography. Schiller was ordered detained pending trial today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson of the District of Minnesota.
According to allegations in the indictment and the government’s request for pretrial detention, between Sep. 23, 2013, and Jan. 12, 2014, Schiller contacted a 14 year-old girl from Minnesota via Skype. During repeated communications with the girl, Schiller allegedly requested that she send sexually explicit photos of herself to him. The victim allegedly sent several images in response to Schiller’s requests, including at least one sexually explicit image.
According to additional allegations in the government’s request for pretrial detention, Schiller used various social media platforms to communicate online with dozens of girls between the ages of 13 and 17. Among those platforms were MyLOL (“funinlife”), Skype (“thriller_a_schiller3”), Meet Me (“mnfuntimes”) and Facebook. Schiller also allegedly used KIK, an instant messaging application for mobile devices that allows users to share photographs and other content. After establishing online contact with the girls, Schiller allegedly directed the conversation to sexual topics and attempted to convince the girls to send sexually explicit videos or images of themselves to him. Schiller allegedly shared sexually explicit images of himself to encourage the girls to send photographs and videos of themselves, and he sometimes promised money or alcohol in exchange for sexually explicit images or live video chats.
The charges contained in the indictment and the allegations contained in the government’s request for pretrial detention are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with additional information about this case can call the FBI Minneapolis Field Office at 763-569-8000. If you know of any child who may have been a victim of exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.com.
This case is being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigative Division and the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jeffrey H. Zeeman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine T. Buzicky of the District of Minnesota.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Schiller Indictment
Schiller Detention Memo
Minnesota National Guardsman Indicted for Producing Child Pornography While Deployed to AfghanistanRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger and Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division today announced the indictment of a Minnesota National Guardsman for inducing a 14 year-old girl to send him nude photos over the Internet while he was deployed to Afghanistan. ANDREW SCHILLER, 28, of Lakeville, Minnesota, is charged with one count of production of child pornography. SCHILLER was ordered detained pending trial today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson of the District of Minnesota.
According to the indictment and the government’s request for pretrial detention, between September 23, 2013, and January 12, 2014, SCHILLER contacted a 14 year-old girl from Minnesota via Skype. During repeated communications with the girl, SCHILLER allegedly requested that she send sexually explicit photos of herself to him. The victim allegedly sent several images in response to SCHILLER’s requests, including at least one sexually explicit image.
According to additional allegations in the government’s request for pretrial detention, SCHILLER used various social media platforms to communicate online with dozens of girls between the ages of 13 and 17. Among those platforms were MyLOL (“funinlife”), Skype (“thriller_a_schiller3”), Meet Me (“mnfuntimes”) and Facebook. SCHILLER also allegedly used KIK, an instant messaging application for mobile devices that allows users to share photographs and other content. After establishing online contact with the girls, SCHILLER allegedly directed the conversation to sexual topics and attempted to convince the girls to send sexually explicit videos or images of themselves to him. SCHILLER allegedly shared sexually explicit images of himself to encourage the girls to send photographs and videos of themselves, and he sometimes promised money or alcohol in exchange for sexually explicit images or live video chats.
Anyone with additional information about this case can call the FBI Minneapolis Field Office at 763-569-8000. If you know of any child who may have been a victim of exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800- 843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.com.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Army Criminal Investigative Division and the FBI.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine T. Buzicky of the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Jeffrey H. Zeeman of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Defendant Information: ANDREW SCHILLER, 28
Lakeville, Minn.
Charges: • Production of child pornography, 1 countThe charges contained in the indictment and the allegations contained in the government’s request for pretrial detention are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Milton Man, Scott Taylor, Sentenced to 48 Months in Jail for Possession of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
Eugenia A.P. Cowles, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, stated that Scott Taylor, 21, of Milton, Vermont, was sentenced on March 25, 2015 by United States District Court Judge William K. Sessions III, to 48 months in prison for being in possession of stolen firearms. Taylor was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison.
According to Court records, Taylor committed a number of residential burglaries in Vermont during which he stole firearms and other items. Subsequently, Taylor traded some of the stolen firearms to an out-of-state drug dealer in exchange for heroin.
Taylor was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 20, 2014. He pled guilty to possessing stolen firearms on August 18, 2014. He has been detained in prison since October 7, 2014.
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”). The United States Attorney, Eugenia A. P. Cowles, commends those agencies for their work. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Creswell. The defendant was represented by Attorney Michael Desautels of the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Milford Man Sentenced to Prison for Stealing $292K in SSA Benefits Deposited into Deceased Mother's AccountRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM E. CHASE, 69, of Milford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for stealing his deceased mother’s social security benefits for more than 25 years.
According to court documents and statements made in court, CHASE’s mother, a Social Security benefits recipient, died in November 1988. At the time of his mother’s death, CHASE was a co-signor on the checking account into which his mother’s monthly Social Security benefits were deposited. Despite the fact that CHASE was identified as the informant on his mother’s death certificate in 1988, he failed to notify the Social Security Administration of her death or take any steps to stop the monthly benefit payments. From the time of his mother’s death until May 2014, $307,396 in Social Security benefits were direct deposited into the bank account controlled by CHASE. CHASE utilized more than $292,000 of the deposited benefits for his personal use and enjoyment.
In May 2014, the bank returned the remaining balance of the checking account, approximately $14,761, to the Social Security Administration.
CHASE was ordered to pay full restitution.
On December 3, 2014, CHASE pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds.
This matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General – Office of Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia Enos King.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]