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7 January 2015
Mailman Sentenced for Throwing Away MailRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for one count of obstruction of mail.
Alfonso Pitpit, 36, of Anchorage, pled guilty and was sentenced yesterday by United States Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith to one year of probation and a fine of $1,000.
Pitpit was an employee of the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier at the Russian Jack facility in Anchorage. On October 4, 2014, a witness observed Pitpit empty two trays of first class mail into two different garbage cans along his mail route. The witness notified the Post Office and the mail was recovered and delivered. Pitpit admitted that he threw the mail away.
Magistrate Judge Smith noted the importance of reliable mail delivery and the need to deter others from cutting corners as Pitpit had done.
Ms. Loeffler commends the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General for the investigation of this case.Los Departamentos de Educación y Justicia Publican una Guía para Garantizar que los Estudiantes que Aprenden Inglés Tengan Igual Acceso a una Educación de Alta CalidadRead the Press Release
Los departamentos de Educación (ED) y Justicia (DOJ) publicaron hoy una Guía de orientación para recordar a los estados, distritos escolares y escuelas que tienen la obligación, según la ley federal, de asegurar que los estudiantes en proceso de aprender inglés tengan igual acceso a una educación de alta calidad y la oportunidad de lograr su pleno potencial académico.
“La diversidad de nuestra nación es uno de nuestros mayores atributos”, dijo Vanita Gupta, fiscal general auxiliar (en fuciones) en la División de Derechos Civiles del DOJ. “Cuando apoyamos la educación de los estudiantes que aprenden inglés, nos apoyamos a nosotros también. La Guía publicada hoy —40 años después de que se promulgó la Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidad Educativa— ayudará a las escuelas a cumplir con su obligación legal de asegurar que todos los estudiantes puedan triunfar”.
“Hace cuatro décadas, la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos sostuvo en el caso Lau v. Nichols que todos los estudiantes merecen igual acceso a una educación de alta calidad, independiente de su origen lingüístico o lo bien que saben inglés”, dijo Catherine E. Lhamon, subsecretaria para derechos civiles de ED. “La orientación que hoy publicamos no sólo nos recuerda la sentencia del tribunal, sino que también proporciona información útil a las escuelas que trabajan para asegurar la equidad para los estudiantes y las familias con dominio limitado del inglés”.
Además de la Guía, ED y DOJ también han proporcionado herramientas y recursos adicionales para ayudar a las escuelas a prestar servicio a los estudiantes que aprenden inglés y a los padres con dominio limitado del inglés:
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Una hoja informativa en inglésy en otros idiomas sobre las obligaciones que tienen las escuelas, según la ley federal, de asegurar que los estudiantes que aprenden inglés puedan participar de manera significativa e igual en la escuela.
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Una hoja informativa en inglés y en otros idiomas sobre las obligaciones que tienen las escuelas, según la ley federal, de transmitir a los padres con dominio limitado del inglés información en un idioma que puedan entender.
Un paquete de herramientas preparado por la Oficina de Adquisición del Inglés de ED para ayudar a los distritos escolares a identificar a los estudiantes con dominio limitado del inglés. Este es el primer capítulo de una serie de capítulos para ayudar a las agencias de educación estatales y distritos escolares a cumplir sus obligaciones con los estudiantes que aprenden inglés.
Esta es la primera vez que una guía trata solo sobre las varias leyes federales que rigen las obligaciones que tienen las escuelas con los estudiantes de inglés. La guía reconoce el 40 aniversario de Lau v. Nichols y la Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidad Educativa de 1974 (EEOA), y también el 50 aniversario de la Ley de Derechos Civiles. Igual que la EEOA, Lau requiere que las escuelas públicas adopten medidas apropiadas para ayudar a los estudiantes de inglés a superar las barreras lingüísticas y asegurar su capacidad de participar por igual en la escuela.
La Guía explica las obligaciones que tienen las escuelas de:
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identificar a los estudiantes con dominio limitado del inglés de una manera oportuna, válida y fiable;
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ofrecer a todos los estudiantes que aprenden inglés un programa sólido de ayuda con el idioma;
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proporcionar personal calificado y recursos suficientes para instruir a los estudiantes que aprenden inglés;
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garantizar que los estudiantes que aprenden inglés tengan un acceso equitativo a los programas y actividades de la escuela;
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evitar que los estudiantes que aprenden inglés sean segregados o apartados sin necesidad de los demás estudiantes;
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vigilar el progreso de los alumnos en el aprendizaje del inglés y el trabajo en el aula a nivel de grado;
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remediar cualquier falta académica que los estudiantes que aprenden inglés incurrieron mientras que asistían a programas de ayuda con el idioma;
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sacar a los estudiantes de los programas de asistencia de lenguaje cuando ya sean competentes en inglés y darles seguimiento para asegurar que no sean retirados de esos programas antes de tiempo;
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evaluar la eficacia de los programas para los estudiantes que aprenden inglés; y
- proporcionar a los padres con dominio limitado del inglés información sobre los programas escolares, servicios y actividades en un idioma que comprendan.
Casi cinco millones de estudiantes en Estados Unidos están aprendiendo inglés, y constituyen el nueve por ciento de todos los estudiantes en las escuelas públicas del país. Del 2002 al 2011, el porcentaje de estudiantes que aprenden inglés en las escuelas públicas aumentó en 40 estados y el Distrito de Columbia. En la actualidad, tres de cada cuatro escuelas públicas tienen estudiantes que aprenden inglés.
La aplicación de la Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidad Educativa y del Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, que asegura a los estudiantes que aprenden inglés y a los padres con dominio limitado del inglés acceso igual a los servicios que tienen derecho, es una prioridad de la División de Derechos Civiles del DOJ. Hay más información aquí sobre los esfuerzos de DOJ para brindar igualdad de oportunidad en la educación a todos los estudiantes.
La misión de la Oficina para Derechos Civiles de ED (OCR) es garantizar la igualdad de acceso a la educación y promover la excelencia educativa en todo el país mediante la aplicación rigurosa de las leyes de derechos civiles. La OCR es responsable de aplicar las leyes federales de derechos civiles que prohíben la discriminación por las instituciones educativas por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, discapacidad, sexo y edad, así como la Ley de Igualdad de Acceso para los Boy Scouts of America de 2001. Hay información adicional sobre la OCR aquí, y hay recursos adicionales, incluido las guías publicadas anteriormente sobre este tema, aquí.
- Asegurar que los estudiantes aprendices del inglés participen de forma significativa y equitativa en programas educativos
- Tools and Resources for Identifying all English Learners
- Estimado colega
- Información para padres y tutores con dominio limitado del idioma inglés (LEP) y para las escuelas y distritos escolares que se comunican con ellos
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Local Woman Arrested for Tax Refund FraudRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Nicole Dette Perkins has been arrested on charges of making false claims for tax refunds in returns she prepared for other taxpayers and for falsifying her own tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Lucy Cruz, special agent in charge of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
A federal grand jury returned the sealed 14-count indictment on Dec. 16, 2014. It was unsealed today upon her arrest. Perkins is expected made her initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Smith at 2:00 p.m.
According to the indictment, Perkins prepared and filed tax returns on behalf of other tax payers for the 2009 tax year that claimed false refund amounts. The indictment further alleges she falsified her own tax returns for the years 2008 and 2009 by reporting false tax withholdings on fabricated W-2 Forms.
If convicted, Perkins faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine for each of the 12 counts of making false claims for tax refunds. For each of the two counts of falsifying her own tax returns, she faces up to three years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
IRS-CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Corso is prosecuting.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Last Defendant Sentenced in Drug Trafficking and Violent Crime Sweep on and Near the Yavapai-apache Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – On Jan. 5, 2015, almost 20 months following a large drug and violent crime sweep on and near the Yavapai-Apache Indian Reservation, the last of 22 defendants was sentenced in federal district court. Raul Valdez Hernandez, 55, of Seligman, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to 10 years imprisonment for distributing methamphetamine. A list of related court numbers appear below.
This coordinated multi-agency community impact initiative spanned over a year and resulted in the successful prosecution of 22 defendants, several are active members of the Yavapai-Apache Indian Reservation, for various charges, including drug trafficking and firearms violations, as well as assault and domestic violence related charges. The individual sentences ranged from time served with supervised release up to 15 years imprisonment.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Arizona Safe Streets Task Force, Yavapai County’s Partners Against Narcotics Traffickers (P.A.N.T.), and the Yavapai-Apache Tribal Police Department. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The prosecution was handled by Dimitra H. Sampson, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBERS: CR-13-8066-PCT-DGC
CR-12-8258-PCT-GMS
CR-12-8259-PCT-JAT
CR-13-8054-PCT-PGR
CR-13-8055-PCT-NVW
CR-13-8056-PCT-GMS
CR-13-8057-PCT-GMS
CR-13-8058-PCT-PGR
CR-13-8059-PCT-DGC
CR-13-8060-PCT-NVW
CR-13-8061-PCT-PGR
CR-13-8062-PCT-DGC
CR-13-8063-PCT-DGC
CR-13-8065-PCT-NVW
CR-13-8066-PCT-DGC
CR-13-8067-PCT-GMS
CR-13-8068-PCT-PGR
CR-13-8069-PCT-NVW
CR-13-8070-PCT-GMS
CR-13-8118-PCT-DGC
CR-13-8119-PCT-NVW
CR-13-8120-PCT-DGC
CR-13-8121-PCT-DGCRELEASE NUMBER: 2015-002_Hernandez et al.
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE –Eddie Gallardo, 31, of Las Cruces, N.M., entered a guilty plea yesterday afternoon in Las Cruces federal court to cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking charges. The guilty plea was entered pursuant to a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gallardo was arrested on May 22, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with a methamphetamine trafficking charge and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The complaint alleged that on May 13, 2014, Gallardo sold a handgun and methamphetamine to an undercover FBI agent. At the time, Gallardo was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of a drug trafficking offense.
Gallardo subsequently was charged in a seven-count indictment filed in Aug. 2014. Counts 1, 2 and 3 of the indictment charged Gallardo with distributing cocaine in Doña Ana County, N.M., on three separate occasions between Aug. 7, 2013 and Oct. 30, 2013. Counts 3, 5 and 6 charged Gallardo with distributing methamphetamine on three separate occasions between Aug. 2013 and May 2014. Count 7 charged Gallardo with using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
During yesterday’s change of plea hearing, Gallardo pled guilty to Counts 1 through 6 of the indictment. In entering his guilty plea, Gallardo admitted selling cocaine and methamphetamine to a law enforcement officer who was acting in an undercover capacity between Aug. 7, 2013 and May 13, 2014.
Gallardo has been in federal custody since his arrest. He remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Gallardo faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison to be followed by not less than four years of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case. This is one of many cases generated by a 15-month investigation by the FBI’s Las Cruces Southwest Border/Safe Streets Task Force and the New Mexico HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force (Metro Narcotics Task Force). The investigation, which concluded in Aug. 2014, initially targeted methamphetamine manufacturers and traffickers operating out of Doña Ana County, but expanded to include individuals trafficking in other drugs and using firearms to facilitate their drug trafficking crimes. The investigation identified sources of drug supply in Los Angeles, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., and El Paso, Texas, who were supplying drug traffickers in southern New Mexico with high-grade methamphetamine, and led to the filing of criminal charges against 75 individuals, including 42 federal defendants and 33 state defendants. Law enforcement officers seized more than 29 pounds of methamphetamine, 37 pounds of cocaine, 4.5 ounces of heroin, 30 pounds of marijuana, 74 firearms and 17 vehicles during the course of the investigation.Keene Man Sentenced on Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE – Daniel Erickson, 39, of Keene, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas
The investigation began in March, 2014, when the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that images of child pornography being traded via email. The Task Force traced the images to a computer associated with the defendant’s address. After further investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the Hinsdale Police Department, a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s home in May of 2014. An external computer storage device seized from the defendant was found to contain images of child pornography which had been downloaded through the internet.
The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender in any state in which he lives or works and will be supervised by United States Probation for five years after he is released from prison.
The charge was the result of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Hinsdale Police Department and the New Hampshire ICAC Task Force and is being prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. 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 (CEOS), 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Helen White Fitzgibbon.Joliet Area Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Filing Hundreds of False Returns, Causing IRS to Lose More Than $5.3 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Joliet area tax preparer pleaded guilty today to filing hundreds of false federal income tax returns for clients, causing the Internal Revenue Service to lose more than $5.3 million. The defendant, JEFFREY SHELBY, JR., 31, of Joliet, pleaded guilty at his arraignment after being charged last week in U.S. District Court.
With the 2014 tax season just getting underway, IRS officials said the case serves as a reminder to tax preparers and taxpayers alike to comply with their tax obligations. “While most return preparers are honest and provide excellent service, others file false returns to defraud their clients and the United States government,” said James C. Lee, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.
The guilty plea was announced by Mr. Lee and Zachary T. Fardon, United States
Shelby pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal income tax returns. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis scheduled a status hearing for March 24 to set a sentencing date.
Between at least 2009 and 2012, Shelby owned Shelby Investment LLC, which had two locations, one in Crest Hill and the other in Joliet, and he worked primarily in the Crest Hill office. Shelby admitted that for tax years 2009 through 2012, he filed hundreds of individual income tax returns for clients, each of which fraudulently and intentionally reduced the tax liabilities and increased the tax refunds for those taxpayers. Among other ways, Shelby overstated and misrepresented taxpayers’ eligibility to claim tax credits, including education credits and the Earned Income Credit; misrepresented taxpayers’ business income and expenses; and overstated and misrepresented his clients’ gifts to charity. As a result, he caused the IRS to lose approximately $5,350,243 in tax revenue.
Shelby is subject to an order to pay full restitution. The Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker.
Plea Agreement
Jefferson County Inmate Sentenced to 40 Months in Federal Prison for Threatening the President of the United StatesRead the Press Release
DENVER – Patrick James Murray, age 50, formerly an inmate of the Jefferson County Jail, but now in federal custody, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Y. Daniel to serve 40 months in federal prison for threatening to kill the President of the United States. The sentence is to run consecutively with a 7 year state prison sentence the defendant is already serving regarding the illegal possession of a weapon and eluding police. Once released from prison, Murray was ordered to serve 3 years on supervised release.
Murray was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on March 22, 2012. He pled guilty to Threats against the President of the United States before Judge Daniel on September 3, 2014. He was sentenced yesterday, January 6, 2015.
According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on or about February 3, 2012, a letter addressed to a United States District Judge was delivered via U.S. Mail to the Alfred Arraj Courthouse in downtown Denver. The envelope had as a return address: Patrick J. Murray, with his registration number at the Jefferson County Detention Facility. In the enclosed letter, Murray stated that he was no longer intending to kill the particular U.S. District Judge to whom he had sent the letter, but instead, that he now planned to kill the President.
On February 5, 2012, a special agent with the United States Secret Service met with the defendant at his place of incarceration. After acknowledging that he understood his rights and agreeing to speak with the agent, the defendant admitted that he wrote and mailed the letter threatening the President. He also stated his intention to kill the President when he got out of jail. After the interview with the Secret Service agent, the defendant mailed two additional letters to the same U.S. District Judge. The first was a letter addressed to the President, expressing his intent to assassinate him. The second letter was addressed to Judge Krieger asking that she forward the first letter to the President.
“As today’s prison sentence demonstrates, threats against any public official, and especially a threat against the President of the United States, are serious crimes,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “In this day and age, threats to public officials – whether to law enforcement, to state or local officials, or to federal officials – will draw a quick, determined and effective response.”
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Allison, Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado.
Irondequoit Man Sentenced for Possessing and Distributing Child Pornography, Making False StatementsRead 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 Robert Cavigliano, 56, of Irondequoit, N.Y., who was convicted following a jury trial of distributing child pornography, possessing child pornography and making a false statement to federal agents, was sentenced to 27 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Miller, Craig R. Gestring and Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that in October and November 2011, undercover agents in both Rochester, N.Y. and Montana received child pornography from the defendant, through a peer-to-peer software program. Agents executed a search warrant at Cavigliano’s residence in January 2012, at which time they located items of digital media, including a laptop computer. That computer was later discovered to contain images and videos of child pornography. The defendant also made a false statement to federal agents when he stated to members of the FBI that he did not own or possess any laptop computers, during an interview with agents prior to the execution of the warrant.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Geraci stated that the images distributed by the defendant were terrible and very disturbing. The judge added that each photo is a child who was raped and victimized and those photos were shared with the world and are out there forever because of Cavigliano’s actions. Judge Geraci also stated that the defendant’s conduct destroys children, families, and communities and calls for the most severe sentence. The judge also noted that Cavigliano accepted no responsibility for his actions and is a risk to society.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Task Force, consisting of Special Agents of the FBI, deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn, and investigators with the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli. Assistance was also provided by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department in Montana, under the direction of Roger Thompson.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Local RobberiesRead the Press Release
Southside businesses robbed at gunpoint, suspect then led law enforcement on high-speed chase
PRESS RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS - Josh J. Minkler, Acting United States Attorney, announced today an Indianapolis man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for robbing two Indianapolis businesses at gunpoint in October of 2013. Joseph Dale Hamilton, 48, was sentenced in federal court by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence after being found guilty of using a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of a firearm by an armed career criminal.
“Keeping our communities safe by prosecuting the worst-of-the-worst, has been, and will remain a top priority for this office,” said Minkler. “If you are a felon and choose to illegally carry a firearm, you can expect the full wrath of federal prosecution.”
Evidence from the sentencing indicated Hamilton robbed a Phillips 66 gas station on Madison Avenue on October 18, 2013, and a Walgreens pharmacy two miles south of that location on October 21, 2013. During both robberies, Hamilton menaced employees of the victim businesses with a shotgun and demanded money from their cash registers. Hamilton obtained approximately $150 from the Phillips 66 and approximately $45 from the Walgreens. Law Enforcement officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department obtained surveillance video from the two businesses and were able to identify Hamilton as the suspect.
On October 25, 2013, FBI agents and IMPD officers attempted to arrest Hamilton as he drove a vehicle along I-65 on the south side of Indianapolis. Hamilton did not stop, however, and instead led police on a high speed chase which ended after Hamilton’s vehicle left the interstate at the I-65 / I-70 interchange, crossed a grass embankment, and came to rest in a parking lot in the 900 block of South East Street. Hamilton attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended a short distance away.
Hamilton, who was convicted of three counts of robbery in 1987, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in 2000, possession of cocaine in 2006, and residential entry in 2013, is considered an armed career criminal under federal law and received an enhanced sentence for the firearm possession charge due to his violent criminal history. He also received a consecutive five year sentence for using that firearm during a crime of violence.
Special Agent in Charge W. Jay Abbott stated, “This case demonstrates the commitment of the FBI and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to identify, investigate, and prosecute violent criminal organizations in the Indianapolis area. The sentence imposed, as a result of our investigation, should send a powerful message to violent criminals that they will be held accountable for their actions.”
“We are encouraged by the continuous dedication and efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our law enforcement partners and the detectives involved in this case in making our communities safe,” said Chief Rick Hite of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. “By seeking the maximum sentence allowable by law, we are sending the message that these violent individuals will no longer be allowed to pose a threat or continue to instill fear in our communities.”
According to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Rinka, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Lawrence also imposed a $1,000 fine and ordered Hamilton to serve five years of supervised release upon discharge from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Hurricane man pleads guilty in federal court to theft of government moneyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Vallas Paul Bell, 31, of Hurricane, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to fraudulently taking $24,660 in Social Security benefits to which he was not entitled, in a hearing before United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston in Charleston.
Bell admitted to receiving and cashing his deceased mother’s Social Security benefits beginning June 2011. The funds were deposited in the mother’s City National Bank checking account. Bell continued to withdraw the benefits through April 2013.
The Social Security Administration turned off the benefits in April 2013, after receiving a fraud alert from City National Bank.
Bell faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He has also agreed to pay $24, 660 in restitution. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 8, 2015.
The investigation was conducted by the Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Blair L. Malkin and Erik S. Goes are in charge of the prosecution.
Houlka, MS, Woman Sentenced to 21 Months for Failure to Report and Concealment of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that DEJA MONET PHILLIPS, age 18, of Houlka, Mississippi, sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, followed by 1 year of supervised release for Misprison of a Felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 6.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Information alleged that on or about March 6, 2014, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant assisted another individual in concealing a large quantity of methamphetamine and failed to report it to law enforcement when the opportunity arose.
The Honorable James H. Payne, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant will remaining in custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which time she will serve her nonparolable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Waters represented the United States.
Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally ReentryRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that ELIAZAR GUSTAVO GARCIA-GARCIA, age 30, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to a one-count Bill of Information for illegal reentry of a removed alien.
U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr. sentenced GARCIA-GARCIA to time served. GARCIA-GARCIA will be surrendered to the custody of the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.According to court documents, GARCIA-GARCIA was found in the United States after having been officially deported and removed on or about March 11, 2014.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Custom Enforcement and Removal in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González was in charge of the prosecution.
Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Immigration OffenseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that JASON GUZMAN-URQUIA, age 36, a native of Honduras, pled guilty today to a one-count indictment for illegal entry of a removed alien.
According to court documents, GUZMAN-URQUIA was found in the United States on October 22, 2014, after having been previously removed from the United States on August 2, 2007.
GUZMAN-URQUIA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 2 years, as well as a fine of $250,000. U.S. District Court Judge Stanwood R. Duval set sentencing for April 22, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
Herndon Man Indicted in Drug Related MurderRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Saul Pacheco Mejia, 48, of Herndon, Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, and the use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime resulting in death.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement.
Pacheco Mejia faces a maximum penalty of death, or up to life imprisonment if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The determination as to whether or not to seek the death penalty has not been made in this case.
According to the indictment, Pacheco Mejia and two conspirators traveled to Reston, Virginia, to sell cocaine to Colvin Morris. After Morris attempted to rob them of the cocaine, Pacheco Mejia and his co-conspirators chased Morris from the apartment, shooting and killing him as he attempted to flee. Pacheco Mejia and his co-conspirators fled the scene and later fled to Honduras.
This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Fahey and Michael Ben’Ary are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No.1:15cr2.Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Illegally ReentryRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that ISIDRO OROZCO-LOPEZ, age 34, a citizen of Guatemala, pled guilty to a one-count Bill of Information for illegal reentry of a removed alien.
According to the Bill of Information, on or about November 8, 2014, OROZCO-LOPEZ was found in the United States after having been officially deported and removed on or about November 25, 2013.
OROZCO-LOPEZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years and a fine of $250,000, or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant, one year supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance set sentencing for April 29, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is in charge of the prosecution.
Greenville Men Sentenced for Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced DERRICK HOWARD, 46,of Greenville, North Carolina, to 108 months in prison and 4 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. HOWARD previously pled guilty to this charge on August 4, 2014. On December 17, 2014, Judge Boyle sentenced another member of the conspiracy, CHAUNCEY GREEN, 46, of Greenville, North Carolina, to 131 months in prison and 4 years of supervised release for the same charge. HOWARD and GREEN are from New Jersey and moved to Greenville, N.C., in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The investigation revealed that between July 2011 and February 20, 2013, GREEN arranged for over 40 shipments of heroin to be brought from New Jersey to Greenville, N.C., for resale to street-level heroin dealers. HOWARD delivered many of the shipments of heroin from New Jersey and was involved in many of the sales to the street-level dealers. On January 23, 2013, the Greenville Regional Drug Task force used an informant to buy 150 bags of heroin (1.97 grams) from HOWARD. Surveillance officers saw GREEN drive HOWARD to meet the informant and GREEN pick up HOWARD after the sale. During a traffic stop on February 20, 2013, HOWARD was found to be in possession of 21 grams of heroin that he was transporting from New Jersey to Greenville.
HOWARD and GREEN received enhanced sentences as career offenders based on their multiple New Jersey convictions for distributing controlled substances.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force. The Greenville Regional Drug task force is comprised of officers from the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, Farmville Police Department, East Carolina University Police Department and the Winterville Police Department. The federal prosecution was handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry. Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office. Pitt County District Attorney Kimberly Robb has assigned Mr. Perry to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters. Mr. Perry’s assignment to the United States Attorney’s Office has been made possible by grants funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission.
Gila River Man and Woman Sentenced to Prison for Lying to the Grand JuryRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – On Jan. 5, 2015, Logan Keenan Brown, 21, of Chandler, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa to 40 months in prison, having previously plead guilty to the offense of making a false declaration before a grand jury. On Dec. 8, 2014, Georgina Holguin, 44, of Bapchule, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes to 24 months in prison for a false declaration in front of the same grand jury.
As part of an investigation of an Aug. 29, 2013 shooting of a man at the home of Holguin on the Gila River Indian Community, both defendants were called to testify before the grand jury and asked who was at the house at the time of the shooting. Both defendants intentionally lied to the grand jury in their responses.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gila River Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Raynette Logan and Melissa Karlen, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-14-00502-PHX-DJH and CR-14-00503-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2015-001_Brown et alFor more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Former Juneau Carpenters Union Official SentencedRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a former union financial secretary was sentenced in federal court in Juneau for embezzling funds from Carpenters Local Union 2247.
Jonathan H. Smith, 42, of Juneau, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess to five years of probation with the condition that he serve four months in community confinement, perform 250 hours of community work service and pay full restitution of $41,770.47.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis, who prosecuted the case, stated that between June 2006 and May 2012, Smith held the elected position of Financial Secretary for Carpenters Local Union 2247 (LU 2247) in Juneau, which is a labor union representing approximately 150 members. As Financial Secretary, Smith was an officer of LU 2247, and responsible for making deposits in the union bank account, paying bills, co-signing checks and managing the day-to-day business of the union. This was an elected unpaid position. During this time period, Smith was also employed by the Alaska Regional Council of Carpenters as Business Agent from 2004 until 2012, earning an annual salary ranging from $66,000 to $93,000.
Beginning in approximately April 2007, and continuing until May 2012, Smith improperly used the union’s ATM/debit card and the union checkbook to steal money from LU 2247. Smith used the ATM/debit card and union checks to make cash withdrawals and to use union money to pay for personal expenditures including personal travel, meals at restaurants, purchasing alcohol, eating and drinking at bars and to buy consumer goods throughout Alaska and elsewhere in the country.
Smith also withdrew thousands of dollars in union funds from the union’s First National Bank of Alaska account that he used to gamble at several casinos in Las Vegas and Washington State. He was not authorized to make any of these non-union purchases and cash withdrawals. In total, Smith knowingly and willfully embezzled, stole and illegally converted union funds to his own personal use in the amount of $41,770.47.
Judge Burgess noted that Smith had abused a position of trust, and that his sentence should deter others from engaging in similar crimes.This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards.
Former Jetblue Employee Sentenced for Smuggling Contraband Through Security at LoganRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former JetBlue Airways employee was sentenced today for smuggling thousands of dollars of what he believed to be drug money past security checkpoints at Logan International Airport.
Rupert Crossley, 26, of Lynn, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,000 in criminal forfeiture. In October 2014, Crossley waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a four-count Information charging conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two counts of illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony.
In August 2012 and March 2013, a federal undercover operation revealed that Crossley used airport security credentials to evade TSA security and smuggle $85,000, which was represented to be drug proceeds, from non-secure airport areas such as curbside passenger drop-off/pick-up or public restrooms near baggage claim to secure areas of the airport such as passenger departure gates. In return, Crossley received a total of $4,000 as compensation from a cooperating witness involved in the investigation.
Four co-defendants are alleged to have also used their airport credentials to evade security as part of the scheme. Alvin Leacock, Eric Vick and Dino Dunkley were indicted in September 2014 on money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering, and illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony.
Co-defendant Anthony Trotman pleaded guilty in October 2014 to a five-count Information charging money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and three counts of illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony. Trotman is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2015 before U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Saylor.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The case was investigated with the assistance of Bob Allison, Federal Security Director, Transportation Security Administration; Dwain Troutt, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Air Marshal Service; and Colonel Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of the Massachusetts Port Authority, JetBlue Airways Corporate Security and Delta Airlines. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. Lpez of Ortiz’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit and Dustin Chao of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit.
Former Irondequoit Man Sentenced for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael D. Schluter, 46, formerly of Irondequoit, N.Y., who was convicted after a jury trial of production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, was sentenced to 262 months in prison and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
“The actions committed by this defendant were heinous and as a result, he will spend the next 21 years behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “In his attempts to negatively impact the innocence and life of a child forever, the defendant was only successful in losing his freedom for a very long period of time.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany H. Lee and Craig R. Gestring, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that in January 2009, a minor reported that she had been sexually abused by the defendant. In July 2008 Schluter took photographs of the minor in sexually explicit poses. Further, in 2007, the defendant transported the minor to Massachusetts and Vermont in 2007 for the purpose of raping the minor.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and the Irondequoit Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard V. Tantalo.
Former HUD Employee Sentenced to 26 Months in Prison for Theft of over $843,000 of Government MoneyRead the Press Release
Brian E. Thompson, 54, a former loan guarantee specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was sentenced today to serve 26 months in prison for a scheme in which he stole over $843,000 of government money.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia, Inspector in Charge Gary R. Barksdale of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Special Agent in Charge Cary A. Rubenstein of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD-OIG).
Thompson, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in October 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of wire fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman. Upon completion of his prison term, Thompson will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $843,400 in restitution to the federal government. Finally, he is subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $645,700, in addition to over $150,000 previously seized from his financial accounts.
According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Thompson carried out his scheme from May 2013 until March 2014, while he was working for HUD’s Office of Loan Guarantee for Native American programs. This office handles the reselling of properties that have been acquired by HUD after borrowers defaulted on their HUD-guaranteed mortgages. Thompson was a loan guarantee specialist. His duties included selling these HUD real estate owned properties for the best possible price in order to reimburse the government for the payments made to the mortgage lender for the insured loan. He advised supervisors of the progress of reselling properties, and he also coordinated with the title and escrow agents at settlements.
From June 2013 until March 2014, Thompson sold parcels of such real estate properties on behalf of HUD. For five of those parcels, he made materially false misrepresentations to third parties and diverted over $843,000 of the sales proceeds to bank accounts under his control. In order to conceal these thefts from HUD, Thompson used and submitted fictitious settlement statements that falsely listed the buyer, and/or the contract sales prices, and/or the seller proceeds.
“Brian Thompson will be a federal inmate because of his crooked dealings,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He ripped off the taxpayer and harmed the integrity of program designed to help underprivileged Native American homeowners. Public service is a calling, not a get-rich-quick opportunity. I want to thank the other public servants at the Office of Native American Programs who came forward and raised concerns about Thompson’s conduct.”
“As today’s sentence demonstrates, those who attempt to defraud the U.S. government will be held accountable,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Barksdale. “Postal Inspectors applaud the efforts of its law enforcement partners at HUD-OIG. Our combined efforts brought the individual responsible for this crime, which involved the U.S. mail system, to justice.”
“The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General is tasked with investigating allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse in HUD-sponsored programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Rubenstein. “When we learn of HUD employees who engage in fraud, and in this instance elect to enrich themselves at the expense of a HUD program designed to ensure that Native Americans are provided the American dream of home ownership, we vigorously investigate these allegations in order to bring the employees to justice and remove them from current and future employment with HUD and the federal government. We wish to thank our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and United States Attorney’s Office for their steadfast efforts, hard work and dedication. This was a truly collaborative effort that led to the sentencing today.”
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Inspector in Charge Barksdale, and Special Agent in Charge Rubenstein commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and HUD’s Office of the Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kristy Penny, the Asset Forfeiture Section’s staff, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Virginia Cheatham.
Former HUD Employee Sentenced to 26 Months in Prison for Theft of over $843,000 of Government MoneyDefendant Sold HUD Properties, Kept A Portion of the Proceeds for HimselfRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Brian E. Thompson, 54, a former loan guarantee specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was sentenced today to 26 months in prison for a scheme in which he stole over $843,000 of government money.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Gary R. Barksdale, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Cary A. Rubenstein, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD-OIG).
Thompson, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in October 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of wire fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman. Upon completion of his prison term, Thompson will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $843,400 in restitution to the federal government. Finally, he is subject to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $645,700, in addition to over $150,000 previously seized from his financial accounts.
According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Thompson carried out his scheme from May 2013 until March 2014, while he was working for HUD’s Office of Loan Guarantee for Native American programs. This Office handles the reselling of properties that have been acquired by HUD after borrowers defaulted on their HUD-guaranteed mortgages. Thompson was a loan guarantee specialist. His duties included selling these HUD real estate owned properties for the best possible price in order to reimburse the government for the payments made to the mortgage lender for the insured loan. He advised supervisors of the progress of reselling properties, and he also coordinated with the title and escrow agents at settlements.
From June 2013 until March 2014, Thompson sold parcels of such real estate properties on behalf of HUD. For five of those parcels, he made materially false misrepresentations to third parties and diverted $843,000 of the sales proceeds to bank accounts under his control. In order to conceal these thefts from HUD, Thompson used and submitted fictitious settlement statements that falsely listed the buyer, and/or the contract sales prices, and/or the seller proceeds.
“Brian Thompson will be a federal inmate because of his crooked dealings,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He ripped off the taxpayer and harmed the integrity of program designed to help underprivileged Native American homeowners. Public service is a calling, not a get-rich-quick opportunity. I want to thank the other public servants at the Office of Native American Programs who came forward and raised concerns about Thompson’s conduct.”
“As today’s sentence demonstrates, those who attempt to defraud the U.S. government will be held accountable,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Barksdale. “Postal Inspectors applaud the efforts of its law enforcement partners at HUD-OIG. Our combined efforts brought the individual responsible for this crime, which involved the U.S. mail system, to justice.”
“The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General is tasked with investigating allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse in HUD-sponsored programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Rubenstein. “When we learn of HUD employees who engage in fraud, and in this instance elect to enrich themselves at the expense of a HUD program designed to ensure that Native Americans are provided the American dream of home ownership, we vigorously investigate these allegations in order to bring the employees to justice and remove them from current and future employment with HUD and the Federal Government. We wish to thank our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and United States Attorney’s Office for their steadfast efforts, hard work and dedication. This was a truly collaborative effort that led to the sentencing today.”
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Inspector in Charge Barksdale, and Special Agent in Charge Rubenstein commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and HUD’s Office of the Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kristy Penny, the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section’s staff, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Virginia Cheatham.
15-006Former Florida Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Murder-for-hire Conspiracy and Related Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a former resident of Cape Coral, Florida, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison by Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo for conspiring with a Scranton man to commit a murder-for-hire and committing two related firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Edward McLaughlin, age 65, previously admitted to conspiring with Gary Williams to murder McLaughlin’s ex-wife. McLaughlin admitted to offering Williams a job with a company in Florida if he would carry-out the murder, and Williams agreed to do so.
The conspiracy began when McLaughlin and Williams were cell mates in the Pike County Prison in June 2011, and continued through June 2012. During that time period, McLaughlin shipped a German Mauser rifle and ammunition from Florida to Williams in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to be used to carry-out the murder. McLaughlin and Williams also used the mail and telephones in planning and attempting to carry-out the murder.
McLaughlin pleaded guilty to three crimes related to the interstate murder-for-hire scheme: conspiracy to use interstate facilities to commit a murder-for-hire; carrying and possessing a firearm in relation to and in furtherance of a crime of violence; and unlawfully shipping a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce as a convicted felon.
The charges against McLaughlin resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Scranton Police Department.
Judge Caputo also ordered McLaughlin to serve three years on supervised release following his prison sentence, pay a special assessment of $300, and pay $2200 in restitution.
Gary Williams, McLaughlin’s co-defendant, was previously convicted by a jury of five counts related to the murder-for-hire scheme and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa prosecuted the case.
****Former Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison for Using Excessive Force Against Detainee in MaywoodRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former Cook County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced today to one year in federal prison for violating the civil rights of a man who was being held in the county’s detention lockup facility in Maywood in 2010. The defendant, RAFAEL MUNOZ, pleaded guilty in September to using unreasonable force.
“What happened here was extremely serious,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez said in imposing the sentence in U.S. District Court. Munoz was ordered to begin serving his sentence on Feb. 6 and was placed on supervised release for one year following his prison term.
In pleading guilty, Munoz, 39, of Chicago, admitted that he grabbed and forcibly pulled the chain that connected a pretrial detainee’s ankle shackles to each other, causing the victim to flip forward and hit his head and face on the concrete floor. As a result of using excessive force, the victim suffered injuries, including a broken nose, a broken tooth, swelling, bruising, and bleeding from cuts to his lip and nose.
Munoz became a sheriff’s deputy in August 2006 and resigned in 2013. As part of his plea agreement, Munoz agreed not to seek or accept any future law enforcement employment or any position that would require or permit him to supervise or care for detainees or prisoners.
According to court records, the victim, identified as M.O., was arrested on July 8, 2010, and transported to the Maywood lockup, where he was detained in a holding cell. In that cell, M.O. was restrained with his hands handcuffed behind his back and his legs in ankle shackles. Shortly after 2 a.m. on July 8, 2010, Munoz entered the cell in response to M.O.’s request to loosen his handcuffs. Munoz ordered M.O. to turn around and face the wall and M.O. complied with Munoz’s instructions such that M.O.’s back and handcuffs faced Munoz while M.O. faced the rear of the cell. Throughout Munoz’s interaction with M.O., the victim complied with Munoz’s orders and did not pose a threat to Munoz, any other person, or himself.
After forcing the victim to fall by pulling his ankle chain, Munoz admitted that he attempted to cover up his use of excessive force by completing three false law enforcement reports. In each of those documents, Munoz reported that he entered the cell and “grabbed [M.O.’s] handcuffs to loosen at which time [M.O.] rolled onto the cell floor,” which Munoz knew was false.
The sentence was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrianna Kastanek and Nathalina Hudson and DOJ Trial Attorney Ali Ahmad.
Former Clinic Owner Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for $3.4 Million Medicaid Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Defendant Spent Stolen Funds on Luxury Vehicles and Jewelry
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ronnie Lorenzo Robinson, 37, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in a $3.4 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving sham mental and behavioral health services, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Chief U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney also ordered Robinson to serve three years under court supervision and to pay $3,153,074 in restitution to Medicaid.
U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division and Attorney General Roy Cooper, who oversees the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division (MID).
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from in 2007 to 2011, Robinson engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid of at least $3.4 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims submitted to Medicaid. Court records show that Robinson owned and operated Peaceful Alternative Resources, Inc. (PAR), a purported non-profit Medicaid-approved company providing mental health and mentoring services with offices in Charlotte, Mooresville and Greensboro, N.C. Robinson and PAR defrauded Medicaid by submitting false reimbursements to the government program for bogus mental health services. Contrary to the submitted claims, the claimed services were either provided by unlicensed, non-Medicaid approved individuals, or were never provided at all.
According to filed documents, Robinson submitted the fraudulent reimbursement claims using the Medicaid provider numbers of at least three licensed clinicians who had performed some work for PAR. Court records indicate that these clinicians never provided the claimed services and were not aware that Robinson was submitting the false claims using their provider numbers. Court documents also indicate that Robinson obtained Medicaid beneficiary information from other organizations and used that information to submit claims for the made-up services. According to court documents, that Robinson submitted claims to Medicaid totaling approximately $3.4 million and received approximately $3.1 million in payments. Robinson pleaded guilty in January 2014 to two counts of health care fraud.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized a 2004 Land Rover Range Rover HSE, a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban, a 2007 Mercedes S550 and a 1 5/8 carat oval ladies diamond ring, purchased with money fraudulently obtained from Medicaid. Agents also seized a classic 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle-Malibu, a 2006 Chrysler 300 and approximately $660,000 in funds in connection with the fraud.
Robinson will report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Two social workers, formerly employed by the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services (DSS), who provided Robinson the Medicaid beneficiary information of DSS clients, have already pleaded guilty to health care fraud charges. Ieshia Hicks Watkins pleaded guilty in October 2014 to one count of health care fraud conspiracy and one count of receiving illegal kickbacks. Ryce Edward Hatchett pleaded guilty on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, to one count of receiving illegal kickbacks. Both defendants await sentencing.
The investigation into Robinson was handled by the FBI and MID. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelli Ferry of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
The investigation and charges are the work of the Western District’s joint Health Care Fraud Task Force. The Task Force is multi-agency team of experienced federal and state investigators, working in conjunction with criminal and civil Assistant United States Attorneys, dedicated to identifying and prosecuting those who defraud the health care system, and reducing the potential for health care fraud in the future. The Task Force focuses on the coordination of cases, information sharing, identification of trends in health care fraud throughout the region, staffing of all whistle blower complaints, and the creation of investigative teams so that individual agencies may focus their unique areas of expertise on investigations. The Task Force builds upon existing partnerships between the agencies and its work reflects a heightened effort to reduce fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.
If you suspect Medicare fraud please report it by phone at 1-800-447-8477 (1-800-HHS-TIPS), or E-Mail at [email protected]. To report Medicaid fraud in North Carolina, call the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division at 919-881-2320.
Former Chickasaw Country Club Clerk Admits to Stealing $736,000Read the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Edward L. Stanton III, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced today that Sue M. Winfrey, age 58, of Memphis, TN, entered a plea of guilty yesterday to defrauding Chickasaw Country Club of approximately $736,000.
Winfrey was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2014. According to the seven-count indictment, between 2003 and August 2013, Winfrey, a former payroll clerk at Chickasaw Country Club, submitted fraudulent payroll data to Chickasaw’s payroll processor, Paychex of New York. The indictment alleged that as a result of the submission of the fraudulent payroll data, Winfrey unlawfully received approximately $736,000, which was deposited electronically into bank accounts she maintained at Bank of America.
“This case underscores our unwavering commitment to bring to justice those who steal from others and brazenly line their pockets by committing white collar crimes,” said U.S. Stanton. “When employees such as Sue Winfrey fraudulently divert funds from employers, the United States Attorney’s Office will work with law enforcement partners to ensure those individuals are held accountable and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Winfrey faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is currently set for April 1, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. before United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes.
This investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service. This case is being prosecuted for the government by Assistant United States Attorney Carroll L. Andre III.
Spanish Version
Floridian Charged with Narcotics PossessionRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Tyrone Dixon, 34, of Florida, appeared yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington following his arrest for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy released Dixon on conditions pending his next court hearing.
According to court records, in the early morning of January 5, a Customs and Border Protection Officer stationed at the Derby Line Port of Entry noticed a vehicle making an illegal U-turn in between the ports of entry for the United States and Canada. The car had traveled north towards the port of exit in the United States but turned back before attempting entry into Canada. After Customs and Border Protection Officers inspected the vehicle and conducted preliminary interviews with driver Tyrone Dixon and passenger Emily Lasell of Vermont, Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations arrived on the scene to assist with the investigation. While Special Agents from Homeland Security interviewed the driver and the passenger, Customs and Border Protection Officers conducted a thorough search of the vehicle. From the vehicle, a Customs and Border Protection Officer recovered a green and black bag containing approximately five syringes that appeared to have been used, approximately twenty-five used or torn white packages consistent with the packaging commonly seen in the heroin trade, and a hollowed-out loaf of bread concealing approximately 84 grams of a substance that was field tested with presumptively positive results for crack cocaine. From inside the passenger’s bra, a Customs and Border Protection Officer recovered two small packages commonly known as “tickets” of heroin.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge against Dixon is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
If convicted, Dixon faces up to twenty years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.
Dixon is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Abigail Averbach.
Five Men Plead Guilty to Passing Counterfeit United States Currency to Individuals Selling Items on CraigslistRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Deandre Wright, 24, Demetrius James, 20, Keartic Threatt, 20, Tauris White, 20, and Travis Raggs, 19, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and pass counterfeit United States currency to individuals selling items on Craigslist, announced Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
According to the indictment and statements made in open court, beginning in early 2014, Wright and James began manufacturing counterfeit federal reserve notes. Once the notes were made, Wright, James, Threatt, White and Raggs began targeting individuals selling items on Craigslist. The group specifically targeted individuals selling PlayStations, Xboxes, and cell phones. An individual selling his or her item would be contacted by one of the defendants, and a meeting location would be arranged where the merchandise would be exchanged for the currency. Once the parties met at the designated location and the exchange was made, the victim would quickly learn that the currency was counterfeit. The defendants would display a show of force and then quickly flee the location. The PlayStations and Xboxes were being sold for between $200 and $400.
Based on the investigation, approximately 50 victims were defrauded by the group. The victims included several teenagers and adults, and many lived in Shelby County and surrounding communities.
The defendants face a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
This investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service and Special Agent Michael Riddle. The Secret Service is asking victims to contact their office if they were victims of this scheme. This case is being prosecuted for the government by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin P. Whitmore.
Spanish Version
Federal Jury in New Mexico Convicts Arkansas Woman on Methamphetamine and Cocaine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Earlier this afternoon a federal jury sitting in Albuquerque, N.M., found Shelia Villegas, 47, of Manila, Ark., guilty on methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking charges after a two-day trial. The guilty verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, Acting Special Agent in Charge Tom Hernandez of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in El Paso, Texas, and Chief Gorden Eden of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).
Villegas was arrested on April 29, 2014, on a criminal complaint alleging methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking charges. She subsequently was indicted in a two-count indictment charging her with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleged that Villegas committed the two offenses on April 29, 2014, in Bernalillo County, N.M.
Trial of this case began on Jan. 6, 2015 and concluded this afternoon when the jury returned a guilty verdict on both counts of the indictment. The evidence at trial established that on April 29, 2014, an APD officer conducted a routine traffic stop of Villegas for failure to maintain a single lane. After issuing a citation to Villegas, the officer asked and received Villegas’ consent to a search of her vehicle. The officer then deployed a narcotics canine on the vehicle. After the canine alerted and thus indicated the presence of drugs, the officer and HSI agents searched Villegas’ vehicle and found 19 bundles, 18 of which contained an aggregate of 20 pounds of methamphetamine and one which contained more than 700 grams of cocaine.
The evidence at trial included the APD officer’s recording of his encounter with Villegas. In addition, an HSI agent testified that Villegas made a post-arrest statement in which she acknowledge that she was transporting drugs from Calif. to Ark. in exchange for $10,000.00 plus $500 in travel expenses.
The jury deliberated approximately two hours before returning its guilty verdict.
Villegas was remanded into federal custody after the jury returned its guilty verdict. She will remain in custody pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Villegas faces a maximum statutory penalty of life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of HSI and APD and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and Nicholas Jon Ganjei.FBI Arrests Defendants Charged with Trafficking Heroin and Other Drugs in Jefferson CountyRead the Press Release
FBI agents today arrested five of six Jefferson County, Alabama, men indicted by a federal grand jury in November on charges they operated an illegal organization trafficking heroin, cocaine, prescription painkillers and other drugs in the western part of the county. The sixth defendant already was in custody in Jefferson County on state charges related to the drug-trafficking organization.
U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Haley III, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale, Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler and Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division announced today's arrests.
The November indictment charges Ladaryl Keith "Eric" Spriggs, 30, Michael "Mike" Watson Jr., 28, Boris Bernard "Buck" Edwards, 45, and Marquis Rashad "Bobo" Abernathy, 23, all of Brighton, Alabama, as well as Damien Jamaar "Two for 15" Scott, 29, of Bessemer, Alabama, and Antione Rashun "Twan" Bell, 29, of Birmingham, Alabama, with conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, codeine, hydrocodone, suboxone and alprazolam between August 2013 and Nov. 17, 2014.
Arrested today were Spriggs, Watson, Abernathy, Edwards and Bell. Scott was already in custody.
"The indictment and arrests of these defendants reflects my office's commitment to work with law enforcement to battle the country's epidemic problem of heroin and opioid painkiller abuse on the supply side," said U.S. Attorney Vance. "There have been at least 123 heroin overdose deaths in Jefferson County, alone, in 2014. As a community, we must wage battle on many fronts, including seeking more education and awareness about opiate abuse and more addiction treatment options."
“This investigation shows the FBI’s resolve to target organizations that are bringing heroin and other dangerous drugs into the Birmingham area," said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Haley. "Today, along with our law enforcement partners, we were able to remove dangerous people from the streets and take another step toward making our community safer.”
"The drug trade is a deadly business and none more deadly than heroin," said Sheriff Hale. "This investigation and subsequent number of arrests will certainly have a positive impact in our area, as these are major players in this deadly game. Lives will be saved because of it. I want to thank United States Attorney Joyce Vance and her team, along with all of the federal and local enforcement partners for their commitment to this initiative. We are a powerful force working together and we are committed to continuing this fight.”
"The heroin problem is a metro-wide epidemic that needs a cooperative response from law enforcement, on all levels, across the area," said Police Chief Hagler. "The leadership shown by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on this issue has been both welcomed and effective. I’m sure I speak for all my fellow police chiefs when I say we appreciate Joyce Vance’s efforts in helping to spearhead a multi-agency law enforcement strategy to deal with this threat to all our communities."
According to the indictment, Spriggs, Watson and Abernathy are charged with trafficking more than 1,000 grams of heroin as part of the conspiracy, and Scott's, Bell's and Edwards' participation in the conspiracy involved more than 100 grams of heroin.
Count 2 of the indictment charges Spriggs and Watson with possessing and intending to distribute heroin and oxycodone from a Fairfield, Alabama, house located within 1,000 feet of a public school, Fairfield High School, on July 17.
Count 3 charges Spriggs, Scott and Watson with possessing and intending to distribute heroin on August 8.
The remaining 11 counts variously charge all defendants, except Scott, with using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime.
The indictment seeks a forfeiture judgment of at least $1 million from the defendants as proceeds of illegal activity.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to distribute drugs illegally is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 grams of heroin carries a penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine, and conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin carries a penalty of five to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
The maximum penalty for possessing with intent to distribute heroin or oxycodone is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum penalty doubles for distribution within 1,000 feet of a school.
The maximum penalty for using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime is four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case, in conjunction with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Hueytown Police and IRS-CID. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory R. Dimler is prosecuting the case.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
FBI Arrests Defendants Charged with Trafficking Heroin, Other Drugs in Jefferson CountyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- FBI agents today arrested five of six Jefferson County men indicted by a federal grand jury in November on charges they operated an illegal organization trafficking heroin, cocaine, prescription painkillers and other drugs in the western part of the county. The sixth defendant already was in custody in Jefferson County on state charges related to the drug-trafficking organization.U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Haley III, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale, Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot announced today's arrests.
The November indictment charges LADARYL KEITH "Eric" SPRIGGS, 30, MICHAEL "Mike" WATSON JR., 28, BORIS BERNARD "Buck" EDWARDS, 45, and MARQUIS RASHAD "Bobo" ABERNATHY, 23, all of Brighton, DAMIEN JAMAAR "Two for 15" SCOTT, 29, of Bessemer, and ANTIONE RASHUN "Twan" BELL, 29, of Birmingham, with conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, codeine, hydrocodone, suboxone and alprazolam between August 2013 and Nov. 17, 2014.
Arrested today were Spriggs, Watson, Abernathy, Edwards and Bell. Scott was already in custody.
"The indictment and arrests of these defendants reflects my office's commitment to work with law enforcement to battle the country's epidemic problem of heroin and opioid painkiller abuse on the supply side," Vance said. "There were at least 123 heroin overdose deaths in Jefferson County, alone, in 2014," she said. "As a community, we must wage battle on many fronts, including seeking more education and awareness about opiate abuse and more addiction treatment options.""This investigation shows the FBI's resolve to target organizations that are bringing heroin and other dangerous drugs into the Birmingham area," Haley said. "Today, along with our law enforcement partners, we were able to remove dangerous people from the streets and take another step toward making our community safer."
"The drug trade is a deadly business and none more deadly than heroin," Hale said. "This investigation and subsequent number of arrests will certainly have a positive impact in our area, as these are major players in this deadly game. Lives will be saved because of it. I want to thank United States Attorney Joyce Vance and her team, along with all of the federal and local enforcement partners for their commitment to this initiative. We are a powerful force working together and we are committed to continuing this fight," he said."The heroin problem is a metro-wide epidemic that needs a cooperative response from law enforcement, on all levels, across the area," Hagler said. "The leadership shown by the U.S. Attorney's Office on this issue has been both welcomed and effective. I'm sure I speak for all my fellow police chiefs when I say we appreciate Joyce Vance's efforts in helping to spearhead a multi-agency law enforcement strategy to deal with this threat to all our communities."
According to the indictment, Spriggs, Watson and Abernathy are charged with trafficking more than 1,000 grams of heroin as part of the conspiracy, and Scott's, Bell's and Edwards' participation in the conspiracy involved more than 100 grams of heroin.
Count 2 of the indictment charges Spriggs and Watson with possessing and intending to distribute heroin and oxycodone from a Fairfield house located within 1,000 feet of a public school, Fairfield High School, on July 17.
Count 3 charges Spriggs, Scott and Watson with possessing and intending to distribute heroin on Aug. 8.
The remaining 11 counts variously charge all defendants, except Scott, with using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime.
The indictment seeks a forfeiture judgment of at least $1 million from the defendants as proceeds of illegal activity.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to distribute drugs illegally is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 grams of heroin carries a penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine, and conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin carries a penalty of five to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
The maximum penalty for possessing with intent to distribute heroin or oxycodone is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum penalty doubles for distribution within 1,000 feet of a school.
The maximum penalty for using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime is four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case, in conjunction with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Hueytown Police and IRS-CID. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory R. Dimler is prosecuting the case.The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ex Secretaria De Chickasaw Country Club Admite Haberse Robado $736,000Read the Press Release
Memphis, TN - Edward L. Stanton III, fiscal federal para el Distrito Oeste de Tennessee, ha anunciado hoy que Sue M. Winfrey, de 58 años de edad, de Memphis, TN, se declaró ayer culpable de estafar a Chickasaw Country Club de aproximadamente $736,000 dólares.
Winfrey fue acusada por un gran jurado federal en octubre de 2014. Según las acusaciones de siete cargos, entre 2003 y agosto de 2013, Winfrey, una ex empleada de nómina en Chickasaw Country Club, presentó datos fraudulentos en la nómina al procesar la nómina de Chickasaw, Paychex de Nueva York. La acusación alega que, como resultado de la presentación de datos fraudulentos en el pago de la nómina, ilegalmente Winfrey recibió aproximadamente $736,000, que fue depositado electrónicamente en cuentas bancarias que mantiene en el Banco de América.
"Este caso pone de manifiesto nuestro firme compromiso de llevar a la justicia a los que le roban a otros y descaradamente llenan sus bolsillos cometiendo delitos de cuello blanco", dijo el Stanton. "Cuando los empleados como Sue Winfrey fraudulentamente desvían fondos de los empleadores, la Oficina del Fiscal de los Estados Unidos trabajarà con los socios encargados de hacer cumplir la ley para garantizarle a los individuos que tienen que rendir cuentas y ser procesados con todo el rigor de la ley."
Winfrey se enfrenta a una pena màxima de 20 años de prisión y una multa de hasta $250,000. La sentencia està programada actualmente para 01 de abril 2015 a las 9:30 am ante el Juez de Distrito de los Estados Unidos John T. Fowlkes.
Esta investigación fue realizada por el Servicio Secreto de los Estados Unidos. Este caso està siendo procesado por el gobierno ante el Fiscal Federal Auxiliar Carroll L. Andre III.
Version en Inglés
Eufaula Man Sentenced to 25 Months for CounterfeitingRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that RICKY ELLIS LAMB, age 33, of Eufaula, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 25 months imprisonment, followed by supervised release for Possession and Uttering a Counterfeit Security, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 513(a).
Charges arose from an investigation by the United States Secret Service. The defendant was indicted in June, 2014 and pled guilty in September, 2014.
The Indictment alleged that on or about June 20, 2012 in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, RICKY ELLIS LAMB, defendant herein, knowingly possessed, uttered and caused to be uttered counterfeit securities, to wit: Counterfeit check # 6410 on a closed account, made payable to Staples in the amount of $665.58, and drawn on Weokie Credit Union, an organization which operates in interstate commerce, with intent to deceive another.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which he will serve his nonparolable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Melody Noble Nelson represented the United States.
Duquesne Heights Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 32 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry imposed the sentence on Michael Powers, 66, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
According to information presented to the court, on or about June 21, 2013, Powers knowingly possessed videos and images in computer graphic files, the production of which involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Lieber Smolar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Pittsburgh Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Powers.
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.
Dundalk Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Previously Convicted for Possession of Child Pornography in Anne Arundel County
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. sentenced Donald P. Blair, age 56, of Dundalk, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. Judge Quarles ordered that upon his release from prison, Blair 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).The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to Blair’s plea agreement, in 2013, HSI New Orleans was investigating an email account that was sending and receiving child pornography. The investigation revealed that Donald Blair was sharing child pornography with the individual whose email account was being investigated. On July 8, 2013, a search warrant was executed at Blair’s home and law enforcement seized two hard drives and several flash drives, all of which contained images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, Blair knowingly possessed 288 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on a desktop computer. In 2006, Blair was convicted for possession of child pornography in Anne Arundel County.
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 HSI Baltimore, Maryland State Police and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
Dona County Men Plead Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Derek Cruz Rubalcava, 24, of Anthony, N.M., and Mark Jessie Rodriguez, 24, of Las Cruces, N.M., entered a guilty plea yesterday afternoon in Las Cruces federal court to methamphetamine trafficking charges. The guilty pleas were entered into pursuant to plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Rubalcava and Rodriguez were arrested on a criminal complaint on July 25, 2014, in Doña Ana County, N.M. The two men subsequently were indicted on methamphetamine trafficking charges in a four-count indictment filed in Nov. 2014.
Count 1 of the indictment charged Rubalcava and Rodriguez with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in July 2014. Count 2 charged Rubalcava with distributing methamphetamine on July 24, 2014. Counts 3 and 4 each charged Rubalcava with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute on July 25, 2014. According to the indictment, the two men committed these crimes in Doña Ana County, N.M.During yesterday’s proceedings, Rubalcava pled guilty to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In entering his guilty plea, Rubalcava admitted selling approximately six ounces of methamphetamine to an undercover FBI agent for $4,600.00 on July 24, 2014. Rubalcava also admitted negotiating the sale of approximately eight ounces of methamphetamine to the same FBI agent for $6,400.00. He was arrested before the transaction was completed. At the time of his arrest, Rubalcava was in possession of a portion of the methamphetamine that he intended to sell to the FBI agent and the rest of the methamphetamine was seized from his residence pursuant to a search warrant.
Rodriguez also entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted supplying the methamphetamine that Rubalcava sold to the undercover agent on July 24, 2014. He also admitted supplying the methamphetamine seized from Rubalcava and from Rubalcava’s residence on July 25, 2014.
At sentencing, Rubalcava and Rodriguez each face a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison followed by not less than four years of supervised release. The two men are in federal custody pending sentencing hearings which have yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Las Cruces/Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Numerous Charges for Attacking Woman in Her HomeDefendant Forced Way into Apartment, Stabbed Victim, and Attempted to Rape HerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Demarco Myles, 21, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to numerous charges, including assault with intent to kill while armed, attempted first-degree sexual abuse while armed, and mayhem while armed, stemming from an attack in 2012 in which he forced his way into a woman’s apartment, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Myles pled guilty to a total of 10 charges in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. For one of the 10 offenses – attempted first-degree sexual abuse while armed - he entered what is known as an Alford plea. Under such a plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations, but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction. He is to be sentenced on all 10 of the charges on April 24, 2015 by the Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 67½ years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early afternoon hours of Oct. 26, 2012, Myles gained entry to a secured apartment building in Northeast Washington. Once inside, he was able to take the elevator by riding with a tenant, who had a card-key to the elevator.
After getting off the elevator, Myles began knocking on doors. When he got to the victim’s apartment, she opened her door a crack to see who was knocking. Myles forced his way inside, knocking her to the floor. She began screaming, and Myles brandished a knife, held it to her throat, and ordered her to stop or he would kill her. He then forced the victim into her bathroom, where he attempted to rape her at knifepoint. Before he could, however, the victim fled into her bedroom and tried to shut herself inside a walk-in closet. Myles overpowered her, forcing his way into the closet, where he began stabbing, kicking and punching the victim.
By the time he finished, Myles had stabbed the victim more than 20 times, including in both eyes, her face and neck, and on her arms and legs. Myles left her lying on her floor, bleeding and unconscious, with life-threatening wounds. He then stole items from her apartment and left.
The victim, remarkably, regained consciousness, crawled across her floor to her phone and was able to call 911. The police and ambulance crew were able to get to the victim before she bled to death. She spent the next several weeks in a hospital, undergoing several surgeries, but survived. As a result of the wounds that Myles inflicted, the victim has had to undergo months of physical therapy and still suffers some limitations.
After the attack, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) posted footage from the apartment building’s security camera, trying to determine who committed this attack. Following up on investigative leads, MPD secured a search warrant for Myles’s home, where they recovered items that he stole from the victim’s apartment, as well as a pair of his pants that were covered in blood. DNA testing established that the blood on his pants belonged to the victim.
Myles has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 3, 2012.
In announcing today’s plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of members of MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit, Criminal Investigations Unit, and Fifth District. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel, D’Yvonne Key and Joyce Arthur; Victim/Witness Advocate Melissa Milam; La June Thames and Katina Adams-Washington, of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Information Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown; Intelligence Specialist Sharon Johnson, and Criminal Investigators Steve Cohen and Durand Odom. He also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Trosman, Chrisellen Kolb, and Elizabeth Danello of the Appellate Section, for assistance on legal issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Kennedy, for assistance on mental health-related issues. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Hertzfeld, John L. Hill and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
15-007Detroit man pleads guilty to heroin distributionRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Terrell Montaie, 31, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin, in a hearing before United States District Court Judge Thomas Johnston in Charleston.
Montaie admitted that on March 19, 2014, he sold a quantity of heroin to a Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department confidential informant in exchange for $80. The transaction occurred at a residents on Kay Lane in Charleston where Montaie was staying. He further admitted to possessing a handgun and additional heroin at the time of his arrest on March 26, 2014.
Montaie faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $1,000,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 8, 2015.
The case was investigated by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney John Frail handled the prosecution of this case.
This case is 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 heroin and prescription drugs. 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 in communities across the Southern District.
Denver Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. for Running an Illegal Gambling BusinessRead the Press Release
DENVER – Kerwin Dale Sande, age 60, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced earlier this week by U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore to serve 15 months in federal prison for Conspiring to Own and Operate an Illegal Gambling Business and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the IRS-Criminal Investigation announced. Following his prison sentence, Sande was ordered to serve 3 years on supervised release. As part of resolving his case, Sande agreed to the forfeiture of $2.0 million in cash and assets. Judge Moore ordered the defendant to report to a Bureau of Prisons facility once one is designated.
According to the Information and plea agreement, starting in the summer of 2006 and continuing through October of 2013, Sande operated a gambling business. He operated his business out of his home; he maintained his primary residence in the Denver Metropolitan area while also living at times in a secondary residence in Scottsdale, Arizona. He recruited, entertained and interacted with bettors at exclusive golf and country clubs; he maintained over a half-dozen memberships in such private clubs in various states including Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and California. His business focused primarily on sports bookmaking which included wagers on a variety of sporting events to include major league baseball games and golf, as well as professional and collegiate football, basketball and hockey.
Sande would assign a given bettor a credit limit within which the bettor was authorized to place bets and accepted bets through various means including on the telephone, through at least 5 or more "bet-takers", and over the internet using an off-shore internet betting website which he controlled (www.playfastsports.com). The website was housed and maintained through computer servers registered in Costa Rica.
Sande collected gambler's debts in a variety of ways including taking cash payments directly from bettors at golf clubs, private parties or other public locations. He also accepted checks from bettors which would commonly be made out to his company, KDS Enterprises., Inc., as well as collecting wire transfers. On occasions he received payment in the form of valuable coins, and, on one occasion, he accepted a motorcycle, in place of monetary payment. He paid bettors their winnings in cash but occasionally he would write checks and he would sometimes send cash payments directly to bettors using federal express in which he would conceal the cash in the sealed pages of a magazine. Sande drove and owned several high-end sports and luxury cars, a number of which contained built-in, hidden lock boxes which he utilized to transport and transfer large sums of bulk currency for his unlawful gambling operation.
“Defendant’s elaborate and extensive gambling enterprise was completely outside the law,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “The sentence in this case is a warning and a reminder that unlicensed gambling – including sports bookmaking -- is a serious crime.”
“Yesterday’s sentencing is indicative of the success that can be attained when agencies combine resources to investigate illegal gambling operations,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle. “It takes joint investigations such as this one, which combined our state and federal resources, to investigate criminal organizations of this nature. The FBI is committed to continue working with our law enforcement partners and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute alleged organized criminal activity.”
“The scope of this illegal gambling and money laundering operation wasn’t isolated to Colorado; rather, this activity reached an international level and impacted numerous lives over a seven-year period,” said CBI Director Ron Sloan. “However, the dedication and investigative tenacity demonstrated by CBI agents and our local and federal partners ensured Mr. Sande will be held accountable for his actions.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is experienced in unraveling complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the true source of their money," stated Stephen Boyd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Denver Field Office. “This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who might contemplate similar fraudulent actions.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim R. Neff.
Dallas Man Known as Baja Bandit Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Committing Armed Robberies of Local Insurance BusinessesRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A Dallas man, who admitted committing the armed robberies of insurance companies in Dallas last year, received a lengthy federal prison sentence today, announced John Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Michael Dewayne Cleveland, 31, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to 420 months (35 years) in federal prison. Cleveland pleaded guilty in June 2014 to four of seven counts charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Dallas in December 2013. Specifically, Cleveland pleaded guilty to two count of interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of carrying or possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to plea documents filed in the case, Cleveland admitted entering a Baja Insurance company office in Dallas on September 3, 2013, approaching an employee with a gun drawn and demanding money. He admitted stating, “Tell me where it’s at or I’m gonna kill you.” The employee, in fear for her life, pointed to a desk drawer. Cleveland, later dubbed the “Baja Bandit,” took the money from the drawer and left the location.
Cleveland also admitted entering a State Farm Insurance company office in Dallas on September 18, 2013, pulling out a gun, pointing it at employees and demanding money. Two employees, in fear for their lives, complied with Cleveland’s demands. Cleveland took money and credit cards from the business and fled.
Baja Insurance lost money as a direct result of the robbery, temporarily closed its office and lost several employees who feared for their safety. The State Farm office also lost money as a direct result of the robbery, temporarily closed its office and the branch made less in overall monthly proceeds. The robberies had a direct effect on both company’s revenue and commerce.
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dallas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taly Haffar prosecuted.
Conspirator Sentenced to over 2 Years in Prison in Residential Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Conspirators Used Other Individuals’ Identities, False Income and Credit Information to Induce Lenders to Provide Home Mortgage Loans
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George Jerrod Hazel sentenced Annika Boas, age 37, of Mount Rainier, Maryland, today to 27 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy, wire fraud and making a false statement on a loan application, arising from a residential mortgage fraud scheme.The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Cary A. Rubenstein of the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations; Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Rene Febles of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Kathy Michalko of the United States Secret Service – Washington Field Office; John L. Phillips, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to the evidence presented at her four day trial, from March 2007 to November 2008, Boas conspired with real estate agent Edgar Tibakweitira, Ayoub Luziga with whom Boas was in a relationship, and others to fraudulently obtain residential mortgage loans by making false statements during the loan application and approval process. The conspirators used stolen or false identity information, false documents – including W-2 forms, earnings and banks statements – and false credit information to induce lenders to provide mortgage loans to straw purchasers, such as Boas and others recruited by Luziga and Tibakweitira. As part of the scheme, Tibakweitira inflated the sales price of the property by creating false documents for repairs and renovations that were never made. After the settlement, the conspirators divided up the cash received for the purported repairs.
Witnesses testified that the conspirators obtained the identity information of a least four individuals without their knowledge. Boas and other conspirators assumed the identities of these individuals and acted as straw buyers to obtain the loans used to purchase the properties. The evidence showed that Boas assumed the identity of one of the victims using a fraudulent North Carolina driver’s license with the victim’s name but Boas’ photo, to pose as the victim at the settlement for two properties.
As a result of the conspiracy, Boas caused $511,147.06 in losses to federally-insured financial institutions.
Co-conspirators Edgar Tibakweitira, a/k/a “Edgar Julian,” “Charles Edgar Tibakweitira,” and “Edgar Gaudious Tibakweitira,” age 46, of Severn, Maryland and Ayoub Luziga, age 35, of Bowie, Maryland, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. Luziga was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $999,762. Tibakweitira awaits sentencing.
Five other conspirators have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme, including: Tibakweitira’s wife Flavia Makundi, age 42, of Severn; Mokorya Cosmas Wambura, age 41, of Takoma Park, Maryland; Raymond Abraham, age 47, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Cane Mwihava and Abdallah Suleiman Kitwara, both age 43, of Bowie. Wambura was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $434,867.65. Abraham was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $999,762. Kitwara was sentenced to 15 months and ordered to pay restitution of $290,954. Makundi was sentenced to time served. Mwihava is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23, 2015.
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force was established to unify the agencies that regulate and investigate mortgage fraud and promote the early detection, identification, prevention and prosecution of mortgage fraud schemes. This case, as well as other cases brought by members of the Task Force, demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protect consumers from fraud and promote the integrity of the credit markets. Information about mortgage fraud prosecutions is available http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_financialfraud.html.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised HUD-OIG, FHFA-OIG, Treasury OIG, U.S. Secret Service and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Di Gregory, Investigative Counsel for the Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General, who prosecuted the case.
Collinsville Housewife Indicted for Triple Bank BurglaryRead the Press Release
Follow @SDILNewsA United States Grand Jury sitting in Benton returned an indictment against Easter Jimison, 37, of Collinsville, Illinois, charging her with three counts of Bank Burglary, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
The offenses charged in the indictment allege that on November 7, 2014, Easter Jimison entered First Collinsville Bank in Caseyville, Illinois, and handed the teller a note which read “put the money in a bag. Act normal. Don’t look around.” The bank teller placed stacks of bills on the counter until Jimison said “that’s enough,” then she put the money inside of her coat and walked out the front door of the bank. As a result, the FCB Caseyville Branch suffered a loss of $4,621. On December 5, 2014, Jimison is charged with walking into the Bank of Edwardsville in Swansea, Illinois, and displaying a demand note to a bank teller which read “give me the money, this is not a joke.” The bank teller promptly gathered the money from her drawer and placed it on the counter. Jimison then stated that she was unable to go through with the robbery and began to apologize and make excuses stating that she needed the money for rent. On December 10, 2014, Jimison is alleged to have arrived at First Collinsville Bank in Maryville, Illinois in Madison County where she unfolded a note to the teller which stated “act normal” and “withdrawal.” The bank teller promptly complied with the demand note and handed Jimison $1,144.00. Jimison then left the bank taking the money and the demand note with her.
If convicted, Jimison faces a term in prison of up to 20 years on each count of Bank Burglary, and a $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Caseyville Police Department, Maryville Police Department, with assistance from the Swansea Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Hallock.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
Clearwater Man Sentenced to More Than Nineteen Years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking a ChildRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Gerald Eugene Mayham (41, Clearwater) to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison for sex trafficking a child. The Court also ordered him to serve a 10-year term of supervision upon his release and to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, in June and July 2013, Mayham conspired with Joel Raymond Nauta to cause a 16-year-old girl to engage in prostitution. Mayham, who knew that the victim was a minor, arranged the sex acts by soliciting men at various locations in Clearwater and Dunedin. To get the victim to comply with the scheme, Mayham threatened her and provided her with drugs. Mayham received the money from the sex acts, some of which he used to purchase drugs.
On April 29, 2014, Nauta pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 4, 2015.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Clearwater Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Largo Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph W. Swanson and Simon A. Gaugush.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Cinco Hombres Se Declararon Culpables De Pagar Con Monedas De Estados Unidos Falsas A Personas Que Venden Articulos En CraigslistRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN - Deandre Wright, 24, Demetrius James, 20, Keartic Threatt, 20, Tauris White, 20, y Travis Raggs, 19, se declararon culpables de conspiración por fabricar y pasar moneda de Estados Unidos falsificadas a personas que venden artículos en Craigslist, anunciaron Edward L. Stanton III, Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Oeste de Tennessee.
Según las acusaciones y las declaraciones hechas en audiencia pública, a partir de principios de 2014, Wright y James comenzaron a fabricar billetes de la reserva federal falsificados. Una vez que se hacían los billetes, Wright, James, Threatt, White y Raggs comenzaron a atacar a las personas que venden artículos en Craigslist. El grupo dirigido específicamente a los individuos a vender PlayStations, consolas Xbox y teléfonos celulares. Una persona que vende su artículo sería contactado por uno de los acusados y un lugar de reunión estaría dispuesto donde se intercambia la mercancía por el dinero. Una vez que las partes se reúnen en el lugar designado y el intercambio se hace, la víctima notarà ràpidamente que el dinero era falso. Los acusados podrían mostrar una demostración de fuerza y luego huir ràpidamente del lugar. Los PlayStations y consolas Xbox se vendían por entre $200 y $400.
Basada en la investigación, aproximadamente 50 víctimas fueron defraudados por el grupo. Entre las víctimas había varios adolescentes y adultos, y muchos vivían en el condado de Shelby y las comunidades circundantes.
Los acusados se enfrentan a una pena màxima de hasta 20 años de prisión y una multa de hasta $250,000.
Esta investigación fue realizada por el Servicio Secreto de los Estados Unidos y el agente especial Michael Riddle. El Servicio Secreto està pidiendo a las víctimas que se contacten con su oficina si fueran víctimas de este esquema. Este caso està siendo procesado por el gobierno por el Fiscal Federal Auxiliar Kevin P. Whitmore.
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Calhoun City, MS, Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that BRANDON JEVAR PITTMAN, 32, of Calhoun City, Mississippi, was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment, followed by 4 years of supervised release for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The defendant was indicted in June 2014 and pled guilty in August 2014.
The Indictment alleged that on or about March 6, 2014, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant did knowingly possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of Methamphetamine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance.
The Honorable James H. Payne, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant will remaining in custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which time he will serve his sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Waters represented the United States.
Buffalo Man Sentenced on 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 Anthony Drayton, Jr., 38, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of crack cocaine, was sentenced to 108 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.Assistant U.S. Thomas S. Duszkiewicz, who handled the case, stated that between December 2010 and June 21, 2011, the defendant traveled from buffalo to Olean, NY to sell quantities of crack cocaine. On June 9 and June 21, 2011, Drayton sold crack cocaine to undercover police officers.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Michael Cerretto.
Buffalo Man Sentenced on 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 Rudell Jackson, 26, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, was sentenced to 60 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $1,600.Assistant U.S. George C. Burgasser, who handled the case, stated that between August 2012 and March 27, 2013, the defendant conspired with others to distribute crack cocaine in the City of Buffalo. Jackson met his co-conspirators at various locations including the Big Bosch Food Market at Jefferson and Carlton Streets and the McDonald’s Restaurant at Bailey Avenue and Genesee Street. In addition, the defendant sold crack cocaine to an undercover officer on four occasions in September and October of 2012.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Safe Streets Task Force and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda.
Browning Man Sentenced to Prison for StrangulationRead the Press Release
(GREAT FALLS) A Browning man has been sentenced to prison following a guilty verdict in a September 2014 trial. Jordan James Lamott was sentenced to 32 months in prison followed by 3 years supervised release for strangling his girlfriend. This is the first case in the District of Montana that a defendant has been convicted at trial for strangulation in federal court since the inception of the statute. It is also one of the first such cases in the entire country.
On March 7, 2013, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This law contains provisions that significantly improve the safety of Native women and that importantly allow federal and tribal law enforcement agencies to hold more perpetrators of domestic violence accountable for their crimes. Many of these critical provisions were drawn from the U.S. Department of Justice’s July 2011 proposal for new Federal legislation to combat violence against native women.
The tribal provisions in VAWA address three significant legal gaps by: (1) recognizing certain tribes’ power to exercise concurrent criminal jurisdiction over domestic violence cases, regardless of whether the defendant is Indian or non-Indian; (2) clarifying that tribal courts have full civil jurisdiction to enforce protection orders involving any person, Indian or non-Indian; and (3) creating new federal statutes to address crimes of violence, such as strangulation, committed against a spouse or intimate partner and providing more robust federal sentences for certain acts of domestic violence in Indian country.
These steps have been taken, at least in part, because a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that 46% of Native American women have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Lamott was indicted on July of 2014 by a federal grand jury. At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon presented evidence that Lamott’s girlfriend wore a skirt to impress him. Lamott became angry, and he strangled his girlfriend three times. The final time, Lamott’s girlfriend lost consciousness. In the morning, Lamott requested that his girlfriend have sex with him, and when she refused, he kicked her out of the house. When arriving at the hospital a few hours later, Lamott’s girlfriend explained that she had been strangled. Medical professionals testified that the bruising around the neck of Lamott’s girlfriend was consistent with strangulation.
Lamott was interviewed by federal agents. He claimed that he remembered everything on the night of the assault. When confronted with evidence that his girlfriend had strangulation marks on her neck, Lamott ultimately admitted that it was “possible” that he strangled his girlfriend.
U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter said the trial in this case represents the office’s dedication to working with reservations to ensure that Native American women and families are protected from domestic violence. “The strangulation statute and VAWA offers the U.S. Attorney’s Office a critical weapon to ensuring that domestic violence is dealt with swiftly and with harsh consequences. Victims of one episode of strangulation are six times more likely to be a victim of attempted homicide by the same partner. These same victims are seven times more likely to actually die at the hands of their loved ones. It is this type of violence that tears apart families, damages children, and can have lethal consequences. The ability to proceed to trial on strangulation cases has proven effective, and we are proud to be one of the first districts to ensure this statute is vigorously enforced.”
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.Brookfield Man Indicted for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Project Safe Childhood
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former Trenton, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for attempting to produce child pornography.
Edward Allen Stieber, 46, of Brookfield, Mo., formerly of Trenton, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that Stieber attempted to use a minor, identified as “Jane Doe,” to produce child pornography on separate occasions between January 2009 and January 2011.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. It was investigated by the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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." . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."