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Friday 18 July 2014
Grand Junction Real Estate Developers Plead Guilty to Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
DENVER – Franklin Thad Harris, age 58, and Merlin D. Unruh, age 53, both of Grand Junction, Colorado, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello to money laundering, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation announced. Judge Arguello is scheduled to sentence Harris and Unruh on November 10, 2014. Harris and Unruh were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on January 8, 2013, for charges of bank fraud and money laundering. The indictment remained under seal until their arrest on January 11, 2013. A superseding information was filed on April 14, 2014.
According to information contained in court documents, including the stipulated facts contained in their plea agreements, Harris was in the business of constructing housing developments throughout the Grand Junction, Colorado, area. In the mid to late 2000s, Harris was involved in the purchase of several acres of land for various planned housing developments in Grand Junction. Financing for the projects came in the form of secured loans from First National Bank of the Rockies (FNBR). Harris’s partner, Unruh, was in the construction business and was the general contractor on building projects with Harris. TDSM was a Colorado real estate development company incorporated in February 2003 and Harris and Unruh were sole members of the board of directors of TDSM. HARRIS was the President and Registered Agent of TDSM. Unruh was Secretary/Treasurer of TDSM. Unruh incorporated and was the registered agent for McGleeson, Inc., a construction company.
In 2010, several construction loans to Harris had become problem loans as they were in default with FNBR. The Special Assets Department of FNBR began to review the loans and identified potential fraud and requested an outside forensic audit which eventually lead to federal law enforcement agencies being notified. Between October 2007 and December 2008, Harris and Unruh obtained loan disbursements totaling $3,718,351.83. They submitting false and fraudulent expense documentation, primarily false invoices, which represented various types of construction work completed at both sites. In fact, much of the work reflected in the invoices had not been performed at the Chatfield site, and no work was done on the Thunder Valley development.
An IRS Special Agent conducted an analysis of the flow of funds and found Harris and Unruh, on numerous occasions, conducted a series of financial transactions after the draw money was deposited into their construction business account. They diverted funds meant to pay subcontractor invoices to private bank accounts and retirement accounts owned/controlled by them and their spouses.
Harris and Unruh each pled guilty to one count of money laundering which carries a penalty of not more than 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000 per count.
This case was investigated by agents with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer.
Gibsonton Woman Sentenced for Aggravated Identity Theft Relating to Fraudulent Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Bernadette Demps (41, Gibsonton) to 2 years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. In addition, the Court ordered her to serve a 1 year term of supervision, following her release from prison, and to pay restitution of over $34,000 to the United States Internal Revenue Service.
Demps pleaded guilty to the offense on April 25, 2014.
According to her plea agreement, in 2011, Demps received more than $43,000 in income tax refund checks into a business bank account which she controlled. All of these deposits were in the names of other individuals. Those direct deposits were all the result of fraudulent tax returns that had been filed a short time earlier with the IRS, using the names and personal identifying information relating to those persons. Demps withdrew the funds from her account almost immediately, either via ATM cash withdrawals or by other means.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from the Clearwater Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Fort Berthold Man Sentenced for Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on July 16, 2014, Richard G. Staples, 24, Parshall, N.D., pleaded guilty to and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of sexual abuse.
Judge Hovland sentenced Staples to serve five years and four months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Hovland ordered Staples to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund. Staples will also be required to register as a sex offender once released from prison.
In or about May of 2013, Staples, an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, sexually abused an individual incapable of consenting to sexual activity on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Fort Berthold Agency and Three Affiliated Tribes Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Volk.
Former West Palm Beach Police Officer SentencedRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, David W. Bourne, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office, and Bryan Kummerlen, Chief, West Palm Beach Police Department, announce that Dewitt McDonald, 46, of Wellington, was sentenced today in Ft. Lauderdale by United States District Judge James I. Cohn to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. McDonald was also ordered to pay $25,810.00 in restitution. The defendant pled guilty on April 30, 2014, to carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). At the time of this offense, the defendant was a police officer with the West Palm Beach Police Department.
When he entered his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that, while he was employed as a police officer, the defendant operated two businesses: Prime Performance Wellness Centers, Inc., located in Lake Worth, and Prime Health and Rejuvenation Clinic, located in Wellington, through which he unlawfully distributed anabolic steroids and other prescription drugs. The defendant further admitted that, on March 5, 2013, while on duty and carrying his Smith & Wesson MP40 pistol, the defendant made a delivery of these drugs to someone in Palm Beach County.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and FDA-Office of Criminal Investigations. Mr. Ferrer also thanked the West Palm Beach Police Department for their cooperation and assistance in this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio, Paul F. Schwartz and Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Fort Polk Soldier Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Sexually Abusing MinorsRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. –A former Fort Polk soldier was sentenced Thursday to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release for sexually abusing a minor under the age of nine, U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today.
Emil Roland Rath, 39, of Mena, Ark., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi for one count of abusive sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12. As a part of his sentencing, he is also required to register as a sex offender. According to the evidence presented at the guilty plea on February 20, 2014, Rath admitted that he knowingly engaged in sexual contact with a child under the age of nine on the Fort Polk military base in November of 2003. The defendant, who was in the U.S. Army at the time, was watching an animated movie with the child at the victim’s residence when the abusive contact occurred. In determining the sentence, the court also considered prior convictions and prior conduct involving abuse of other minors by Rath.
“Unfortunately, when these acts occur, the impact is long term and affects the entire family,” Finley stated. “This defendant took advantage of the family’s trust and the child’s innocence to commit this horrendous crime. Children’s safety is a primary concern and a priority of this office. We will continue to prosecute those who abuse minors to the fullest extent of the law.”
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Myers Namie and Daniel J. McCoy prosecuted the case.
Former Employee of Timeshare Consulting Firm Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former employee of The Vacation Ownership Group LLC, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution for conspiring to defraud owners of timeshare properties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Eric Reilly, 34, of Galloway, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Reilly entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman, who also imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The Vacation Ownership Group, a/k/a VO Group LLC, purported to offer owners of timeshares consulting services, including timeshare cancellation services. In September 2010, Reilly started working at the VO Group and was trained by VO Group managers to call using a prepared script and regularly lie to customers. Reilly would falsely state he was calling in response to a complaint they had made to timeshare developers and lenders. He gave customers the false impression that he was working for Wyndham Vacation Resorts, a developer of timeshare resorts. Reilly then would falsely represent that the VO Group could pay off the customers’ timeshares or have their timeshares cancelled. Reilly falsely told some customers that their credit would not be damaged if they stopped paying for their timeshares. Reilly gave some customers “references” who were actually VO Group employees posing as satisfied customers. After hearing Reilly’s false representations, some customers sent checks to the VO Group, including one customer who sent the VO Group a $31,385 check. Reilly admitted to causing more than $70,000 in losses.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Reilly to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $3,040,767.54 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents from the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark; and special agents from the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Garcia, New York Region, for the investigation.
Defense counsel: Gilbert J. Scutti Esq., Somerdale, New Jersey
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. David Walk Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
14-255Former Chief Financial Officer for Boggs Paving Inc. Pleads Guilty in Connection with $87 Million Fraud Scheme Involving Government Funded Construction ProjectsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kevin Hicks, 43, of Monroe, N.C. and former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Boggs Paving Inc. (Boggs Paving) entered a plea of guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer for his role in an $87 million fraud scheme involving government-funded construction projects, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Hicks is one of the eight named defendants charged with government procurement fraud and related offenses. During the relevant time period, Hicks served as the CFO for Boggs Paving and Boggs Group, and was in charge of Boggs Paving’s accounts payable and receivable, job cost accounting, human resources and information technology. Today, Hicks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
Marlies T. Gonzalez, Regional Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Region IV; John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division; and Thomas J. Holloman III, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), join U.S. Attorney Tompkins in making today’s announcement.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, from 2003 through 2013, Boggs Paving and the defendants conspired and fraudulently obtained federally and state funded construction contracts by falsely certifying that a disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) or a small business enterprise (SBE) would perform and be paid for portion of the work on those contracts. The purpose of USDOT’s DBE program is to increase the participation of DBEs and SBEs in federally-funded public construction and transportation-related projects. Styx Cuthbertson Trucking Company, Inc. (“Styx”) is a road construction hauler owned by John Cuthbertson and based in Monroe, N.C. The company is also a certified DBE and SBE. According to filed court documents, Boggs Paving and the defendants used Styx as a “pass through” entity to obtain the lucrative government-funded construction contracts.
Court records indicate that to conceal the fraud and to appear as if Styx was doing and being paid for the necessary work, the conspirators ran payments through a nominee bank account in Styx’s name, and then funneled the money back to Boggs Paving and its affiliates. According to court documents, John Cuthbertson allegedly received kickbacks for allowing his company’s name and DBE status to be used by Boggs Paving. Court documents reflect that the defendants took additional steps to conceal their fraud, which included using magnetic decals bearing the “Styx” company logo to cover the “Boggs” logo on company trucks to create the appearance that Styx was the company performing the work.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, from June 2004 through July 2013, Boggs Paving was the prime contractor on 35 federally-funded contracts, and was a subcontractor for two additional contracts, worth over $87.6 million. Boggs Paving claimed DBE credits of approximately $3.7 million on these contracts for payments purportedly made to Styx. Styx only received payments of approximately $375,432 for actual work on these contracts, court records show.
A superseding indictment filed in October 2013 also brought criminal charges against Arnold Mann, 55, of Fort Mill, S.C. Mann was a project manager, estimator and area manager for Boggs Paving, and his duties included bidding and managing municipal, commercial, military, and North and South Carolina Department of Transportation projects. Mann pleaded guilty in June 2014, to one count of conspiracy to defraud USDOT. Greg Tucker, 41, of Oakboro, N.C. and Boggs Paving’s project manager, estimator and vice president in charge of bidding on federal construction projects in North Carolina, has also agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud USDOT. Tucker’s plea agreement was filed today and he is scheduled to appear tomorrow before Judge Cayer to enter a formal plea.
The remaining defendants in the case are Boggs Paving Inc., Carl Andrew Boggs, III, 50, of Waxhaw, N.C., Greg Miller, 60, of Matthews, N.C., John Cuthbertson, 69, of Monroe, and Styx Cuthbertson Trucking Company, Inc., of Wingate, N.C. They face multiple charges including conspiracy to defraud USDOT, wire fraud and mail fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and money laundering conspiracy. John Cuthbertson and Styx Cuthbertson Trucking are also charged with one count of making a false statement on a loan application.
Both Hicks and Mann have been released on bond and will be sentenced by the Court at a later date. The conspiracy to defraud USDOT charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. Each of the charges also carries a $250,000 fine.
The investigation of the case was handled by USDOT-OIG, FBI and IRS. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jenny G. Sugar and Michael E. Savage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Federal Court Sentences Former Davenport Man on Child Enticement ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA - On July 17, 2014, Jesse Dewayne Moore, age 26, formerly of Davenport, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 120 months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Moore was also ordered to serve ten years of supervised release following the imprisonment and pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund. Moore will also be required to register as a sex offender.
On multiple occasions, staff members of the Internet website, meetme.com, reported instances of what appeared to be sexually explicit images of an individual purporting to be a juvenile from Davenport, Iowa. This information was forwarded to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation who used records to identify this subject as Jesse Dewayne Moore. At approximately the same time, the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department was conducting an investigation concerning an adult suspect making inappropriate contact with a 13 year old minor. The minor reported meeting Moore on the website, meetme.com, and corresponding with Moore by text messaging. Law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for text messages off of Moore’s cellular phone. This search warrant found a large number of text SMS messaging between Moore’s phone number and the minor’s phone number. In these text messages, Moore makes numerous references to his desire to have sex with and perform sex acts on the minor. These text messages include a series of texts on January 2, 2013 that discussed arrangements to Page 2 of 2 meet at the library. Later on that same day, the text messages from Moore’s number discussed whether the minor enjoyed giving him oral sex. The text messages also discussed future plans to meet for more oral sex and actual sexual intercourse. Moore later admitted that he posed as a 14 to 15 year old male on the meetme.com website, that he used this website and later his cellphone to make contact with a minor he knew was only 13 years old. Moore admitted that he made arrangements to meet this minor at a Davenport library, and later that day Moore had sexually explicit contact with the minor.
This case was investigated by the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Child initiative.
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Fairfax Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Three Years for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thuy Tien Le, 41, of Sterling, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for preparing false income tax returns and committing wire fraud, in connection with her operation of a tax return preparation business called T2 Advantage Services, LLC. Le was also ordered to pay $456,305 in restitution to the IRS and other victims, and to forfeit to the government the proceeds of her crimes.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.
Le pleaded guilty on April 30, 2014. According to court documents, from 2005 through 2013, Le owned T2 Advantage Services, LLC, a tax return preparation business she operated from her home in Fairfax, Va. Le prepared federal income tax returns for her clients and led them to believe she had electronically filed legitimate returns with the IRS. Prior to filing, however, Le altered the returns by adding false itemized deductions in order to generate large income tax refunds. Le prepared and filed false income tax returns in this manner for more than 100 taxpayers, without their knowledge or consent, and caused more than $450,000 in fraudulently generated income tax refunds to be deposited electronically into bank accounts she controlled.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Nathanson prosecuted the case.
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. 1:14-cr-138.
Essex Iowa Resident Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Federal Charge of Using A Computer to Transport Obscene MaterialRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA- On July 18, 2014, Danny Joel Hummel, a 60 year-old resident of Essex, Iowa, was sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge Robert Pratt to sixty months in prison, and ten years of Supervised Release following the period of imprisonment, on the charge of Using a Computer to Transport Obscene Material, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt.
On July 11, 2014, Hummel pled guilty to the charge, which was the result of his obtaining images in December of 2013 from an off-site electronic data storage location. At the time of the offense, Hummel was under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for the Southern District of Iowa after having been sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography in a prior case.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Probation Office for the Southern District of Iowa and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Cyber Crimes Unit. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Davenport Men Sentenced on Federal Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – On July 17, 2014, Delbert Lorenzo Sykes, Jr., age 34, and Darross Tyrese Sykes, age 30, both of Davenport, Iowa, were sentenced by United States District Judge Stephanie M. Rose for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, cocaine, and marijuana announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Delbert Sykes, Jr. was sentenced to 108 months imprisonment. Darross Sykes was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment. Both were also ordered to serve four years of supervised release following the imprisonment and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund. Judge Rose also ordered the forfeiture of all remaining property listed in the Indictment including $130,400 in United States Currency, a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro registered to Delbert Sykes, and a Ruger .40 caliber handgun and ammunition, all seized from Delbert Sykes, Jr.’s residence.
Over the course of many years, beginning in the early 2000’s and continuing until about August 2013, Delbert Sykes, Jr. and Darross Sykes conspired with each other and other persons to distribute cocaine base, cocaine, and marijuana in the Davenport, Iowa area. Specifically, during the above-mentioned time period law enforcement completed numerous controlled purchases of drugs from the Sykes’, including purchases of ounce quantities of crack cocaine and cocaine. In August 2013, law enforcement executed several search warrants for residences associated with the Sykes. At Delbert Sykes, Jr.’s residence agents located, among other things, $130,400 in U.S. Currency which included drug proceeds, a Ruger .40 caliber handgun and Page 2 of 2 ammunition, a digital scale with cocaine residue, and packaging material. Items associated with drug trafficking were seized from the other searched residences, all of which were in Davenport.
This case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement; the United States Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Dallas Woman Sentenced to 12 Months in Federal Prison for Committing Perjury Related to Bankruptcy FilingsRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A Dallas woman, Estela Martinez, 54, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in federal prison following her guilty plea in August 2013 to one count of making a false statement, under penalty of perjury, related to bankruptcy filings. U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas, whose office has been placing increased emphasis on investigating and prosecuting bankruptcy fraud, made the announcement today.
Martinez, who had been on pretrial release, failed to appear for her July 9, 2014 sentencing hearing. Following the issuance of an arrest warrant that same day, Martinez was arrested at her home on July 10, 2014. After a hearing on July 11, 2014, the Court revoked her pretrial release and she was remanded into custody pending her sentencing hearing.
According to the original indictment filed in the case, Martinez filed six voluntary bankruptcy petitions: in April 2009, July 2009, January 2011, March 2011, November 2011 and in November 2012. Separate counsel represented her in each of the 2009 filings; she represented herself in each of the 2011 and 2012 filings.
In each of the four 2011 and 2012 filings, according to that indictment, Martinez falsely and fraudulently omitted information concerning previous bankruptcy filings that she was obligated to disclose, under the penalty of perjury. Martinez fraudulently omitted listing her assigned social security number in several of the filed bankruptcy petitions.
Martinez was sentenced today for making a false statement under penalty of perjury in her November 7, 2011 bankruptcy petition, in which she fraudulently concealed that she filed four other bankruptcy cases during the period 2009 through 2011.
This case is one of several felony prosecutions of bankruptcy-related crimes generated by the recent Bankruptcy Fraud Initiative within the Northern District of Texas. Since February 2013, seven debtors have been charged with various felony offenses. Four defendants have entered guilty pleas (two have been sentenced), one defendant is set for trial and two defendants remain in fugitive status with outstanding arrest warrants.
The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Jarvis prosecuted.
Coralville Man Sentenced on Federal Felon in Possession ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA - On July 17, 2014, Orlando Antwoin Brown, age 31, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 46 months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Brown was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following the imprisonment and pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund.
On July 12, 2013, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence in North Liberty, Iowa. In this apartment, law enforcement officers found and seized several items including: a digital scale in a kitchen cabinet; a marijuana grinder; a green book bag on the kitchen floor containing approximately 2.9 ounces of marijuana and 11 individually wrapped rocks of crack cocaine, ecstasy pills; and a loaded Springfield Armory Model XD 9 mm handgun found in a kitchen drawer. This same firearm was identified as stolen in a 2012 Iowa City burglary. Brown had a residence in Coralville, but was distributing drugs out of the North Liberty location. Brown admitted that the Springfield Armory Model XD 9 mm handgun and the 9 mm ammunition belonged to him, that he knew this firearm and ammunition were located in the kitchen where they were found, and that he had access and control over this firearm.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Johnson County Drug Task Force, the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the North Liberty, Iowa, Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Coos Bay Company, Its Owner and Four Employees Plead Guilty to Fraud on Defense ContractsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Coos Bay business, its owner, and four employees pled guilty before the Honorable Michael J. Mosman in federal court today to conspiracy to defraud the United States. Kustom Products, Inc. (KPI), a vehicle parts supply business located in Coos Bay, Oregon, its owner, and four employees admitted that they committed fraud on contracts with the United States Department of Defense (DOD).
Pleading guilty were the owner of KPI, Harold Ray Bettencourt II, 60, of Coos Bay, Oregon; his sons, Bo Bettencourt, 34, Nicholas Ryan Bettencourt, 32, and Peter Tracy Bettencourt, 28, of North Bend, Oregon; and KPI’s office manager, Margo Antoinette Densmore, 43, also of Coos Bay, Oregon. The matter is scheduled for sentencing on December 10 and 11, 2014. All defendants were released on conditions pending sentencing.
The United States Attorney charged that KPI, Bettencourt, and the others conspired to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and trafficking in counterfeit goods and services. As part of the plea, the defendants agreed to forfeit all proceeds traceable to the fraud, including $365,503.26 in funds from 20 bank accounts, eight vehicles, one boat, two boat trailers, two jet skis, and three all-terrain vehicles.
Amanda Marshall, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, emphasized the serious nature of the charges. “The actions of these defendants in putting their own greed before the safety of military personnel warrant serious repercussions,” Marshall stated. “We will bring the full extent of this criminal activity to the Court’s attention during the sentencing hearing.”
The defendants’ scheme, as laid out in Court during the guilty plea hearing, related to the defendant’s actions while contracting to provide supplies to the Department of Defense (DOD) from approximately 2006 through 2010. The DOD sought equipment, supplies, and services that were filled through purchase orders awarded to DOD contractors, including KPI. Some of these products were identified as critical application items, meaning that they were items essential to weapons systems performance or operation, or to preserve the life and safety of military personnel. The contracts were awarded through a web-based posting of contract solicitations. Each contained the specific details about the items to be procured, including the requirements related to the specific part desired by Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) part number and by approved OEM vendor, whether the part was a critical application, and whether the part was required to be manufactured in the United States. In solicitations for specific products, the contractor was required to supply the “exact product” and to certify that fact by stating that the bid was “without exception.” The solicitation made clear that submitting alternate products could result in criminal and civil penalties.KPI, acting through the individual defendants, lied to the DOD in order to secure what the government found to include 750 fraudulent contracts with a value in excess of $10,000,000 and used wire communications in interstate and foreign commerce to carry out the scheme. In addition, the defendants knowingly engaged in approximately $8,000,000 in monetary transactions in amounts greater than $10,000 derived from the wire fraud scheme. Finally, in some contracts, the defendants supplied counterfeit Freightliner parts and shipped some parts on pallets that falsely contained the logo and heat treatment certification stamp of Timber Products Inspection, Inc. In essence, the defendants bid to supply a specific OEM part from an approved vendor at a price consistent with an OEM part, but instead knowingly provided a knock-off part from an unapproved vendor that cost them significantly less. This allowed them to under-bid the competition, and generated substantial profits for KPI and the individual defendants.
To highlight one contract, the United States set out the defendants’ actions related to the provision of aviation locknuts. In 2008, KPI was awarded contracts to supply aviation locknuts to the DOD, which were used to secure the blades to the main rotary assembly of the Kiowa Helicopter. The locknuts were flight critical and of proprietary design to be acquired from only two approved manufacturers, SPS or Bristol Industries. Rather than obtain the locknuts from one of the approved sources, Nicholas Bettencourt contacted Coloc Manufacturing in Texas and arranged with them to make and deliver thousands of non-conforming locknuts for fulfillment of the contract. Coloc was unaware that the parts they were contracted to manufacture were proprietary and were to be used in a flight-critical military application. In August 2008, the defective locknuts were detected throughout the military supply chain, which triggered the issuance of a DOD-wide safety alert, a worldwide inspection of all aircraft and stockpiles. After DOD notified KPI about the defective parts, Nicholas Bettencourt provided the DOD officials with false information in an attempt to cover up the acquisition of the defective locknuts.
KPI was also contacted by a DOD inspector, who requested KPI officials provide a written response as to the cause of the deficiency. KPI, through employee Josh Kemp, provided the DOD with a false explanation as to why the locknuts were not in compliance with the contract requirements, explaining that the parts were pulled from the wrong storage bin.
Even after the defendants were notified of the deficiency, instead of replacing the defective parts with authentic parts from the approved manufacturers, they went back to Coloc and directed them to re-machine another batch of non-conforming locknuts to more closely resemble the authentic part. The additional defective locknuts were shipped to the DOD, all with complete disregard for the contract specifications on this critical application and the potential for catastrophic failure to the helicopter and injury or death to the occupants as a result.Again, when the second batch of defective locknuts were detected in the supply chain, DOD officials requested acquisition records from KPI. In response, Nicholas Bettencourt, in conjunction with Margo Densmore, created false records that reflected that the correct parts were ordered by KPI and supplied to the military. Several more requests for records were made by DOD officials, and in response to these requests, Harold Bettencourt II provided the DOD with falsified records and false explanations as to the origin of the defective locknuts. KPI, through Margo Densmore, altered purchase orders to indicate that the correct parts were ordered, and produced those altered documents to DOD officials and investigators. Harold Bettencourt II also provided DOD officials with these false purchase orders and provided DOD officials with a price quote from a parts dealer for authentic conforming parts that KPI never actually ordered. Harold Bettencourt II obtained this quote for the purpose of deceiving the DOD into believing that the correct parts had been ordered.
The United States alleged that these actions by the defendants compromised the integrity of the aviation supply chain and put service members in harm's way by knowingly placing defective and unsafe aviation components into the supply chain and attempting to conceal their actions by falsifying records, and misleading DOD officials and investigators with false statements and information.
“The guilty pleas of the owners and operators of Kustom Products, Inc. (KPI) are part of an ongoing effort by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and its law enforcement partners to bring to justice to individuals who seek unjust enrichments at the expense of U.S. taxpayers, while recklessly compromising the safety of U.S. service members,” said Chris Hendrickson, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS Western Field Office. “This is an unfortunate example of a dishonest contractor who disregarded safety and profited through risking the lives of our troops by knowingly placing faulty and unsafe parts and equipment, including flight critical components, into the military supply chain. This plea serves as notice that these types of practices by a contractor will be fully investigated and punishment pursued.”
“The financial cost of this fraud – more than $10 million – is significant, but the human cost could have been much higher,” said Greg Bretzing, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “The counterfeit hardware that Kustom Products passed off as real could have led to catastrophic failures of trucks and helicopters used by our military. This case shows that we – with many partners at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security as well as the IRS – will not allow anyone to make what they believe to be an easy buck on the backs of our service members.”
“As a law enforcement official I’m proud that my agents helped bring these criminals to justice, and as a Veteran it is hurtful to see profit put before the safety of our nation’s most precious treasure, our sons and daughters,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Hines of IRS Criminal Investigation. “These crooks took deliberate actions to supply defective equipment to our military, putting our service men and women in harm’s way during a time of war. Then, they spun a web of complex lies to cover it all up. This a clear message from the IRS and DOD-OIG Special Agents and the United States Attorney’s Office that this will not happen on our watch. If your actions harm or place our military service members at risk, we will bring you to justice.”
The case is being investigated by the Department of Defense/Office of Inspector General/Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigative Division Major Procurement Fraud Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.
Cocoa Man Resentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography at Sea WorldRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL - U.S. Chief District Judge Anne C. Conway sentenced Michael Brian Grzybowicz (30, Cocoa) yesterday to 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child by producing child pornography, and a term of 10 years’ imprisonment, to be served concurrently, for possession of child pornography. The Court also sentenced Grzybowicz to a lifetime term of supervision, following his release. A federal jury found Grzybowicz guilty of the charges, as well as distribution of child pornography on January 23, 2012.
On June 28, 2012, U.S. Chief District Judge Anne C. Conway sentenced Grzybowicz to 30 years in federal prison. Grzybowicz appealed the judgment on July 13, 2012. On May 6, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated the conviction on distribution of child pornography and vacated the sentences on all counts. The case was remanded back to the District Court for resentencing.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Grzybowicz went to Sea World with a family, including a 2 year-old girl and a 5 year-old boy, to celebrate the children’s mother’s birthday. While at the park, Grzybowicz was asked by the parents of the children to watch the minor girl and her brother while the parents rode a roller coaster. While the parents were on the roller coaster, Grzybowicz molested the 2 year-old and took explicit photographs of the child, using his cell phone. He emailed those pictures to his personal e-mail address after leaving the park. Two days later, at their Cocoa residence, Grzybowicz's wife found one of the photographs on Grzybowicz's cell phone. She reported the photographs to the Cocoa Police Department. Law enforcement authorities located Grzybowicz's computer, which contained other images of child pornography, including the images he had taken of the child at the theme park. Grzybowicz was arrested after he provided a statement to a police detective.
This case was investigated by the Child Exploitation Task Force for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Cocoa Police Department, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff's Office's Sex Crimes Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Davis Wilson (former) and Christopher LaForgia.
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 visitwww.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Chesterfield Towne Center Armed Robber Sentenced to 20 YearsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Samuel G. Mamudu, 26, of Henrico, Virginia, was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, followed by an additional 24 months for a supervised release violation, for the October 9, 2013, armed robbery of the Prince Jeweler’s Jewelry Store, located inside the Chesterfield Towne Center Mall, committed while the defendant was on federal supervised release.
Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
On March 12, 2014, after a two day trial, Mamudu was found guilty of interference with commerce by robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a), and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). According to court records and evidence at trial, Mamudu entered into the Prince Jeweler’s jewelry store, located in Chesterfield Towne Center Mall, brandished a firearm, robbed the clerk of several items of jewelry, and fled the scene. Several days later, Mamudu was identified as the armed robber and arrested by the Chesterfield County Police Department with several of the stolen pieces of jewelry in his possession. At the time of the armed robbery, Mamudu was on a period of federal supervised release following a 2010 conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chesterfield County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Peter S. Duffey are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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. 3:14-cr-227.
Charlotte Jury Finds Former Chief Accounting Officer for Beazer Homes USA, Inc. Guilty of Accounting Fraud and Obstruction of Justice in Second TrialRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury sitting in Charlotte has convicted the former Chief Accounting Officer for Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (“Beazer”) of conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges stemming from a federal investigation into a seven-year accounting fraud conspiracy at Beazer. The jury returned the guilty verdict today against Michael T. Rand, 52, of Alpharetta, Ga., following a two-week trial. This was the second trial for the defendant, who was previously found guilty in October 2011. That verdict was later vacated due to juror misconduct and the Honorable Robert J. Conrad, Jr. ordered a re-trial.
The charges arise from a government investigation involving Beazer and its employees that began in March 2007. In July 2009, a federal bill of information was filed in U.S. District Court charging Beazer with, among other things, participation in the conspiracy and securities fraud with Rand. Beazer accepted responsibility for those charges and, in a deferred prosecution agreement, agreed to pay restitution of $50 million. Rand was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2010.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our financial markets from corporate executives like Rand, who put profits ahead of duty. Rand’s actions breached his obligation to the investors and the public and jeopardized the stability of the housing industry. Today’s verdict is a warning and a reminder that our office will continue to pursue corporate corruption to protect our economy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill W. Rose, in making today’s announcement.
“The FBI makes it a high priority to protect shareholders and help to uphold the integrity of our financial markets. Today’s verdict should send a clear message that corporate fraud, in this case cooking the books, will not be tolerated and you engage in such frauds at the risk of your freedom,” stated John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge for the Charlotte Division of the FBI.
The federal jury convicted Rand of five counts related to his conduct while serving as Beazer’s Chief Accounting Officer. Specifically, Rand was convicted of directing an accounting fraud conspiracy to falsify reported profits at Beazer by lying to Beazer’s auditors, fraudulently achieving earnings targets, falsifying Beazer’s books and records, and deceiving the public by boosting and lowering earnings at Beazer. According to evidence presented at Rand’s second trial, Rand executed the conspiracy in two main ways: Between 2005 and 2006, Rand entered into a hidden oral side agreement with another company through one of its employees, which was designed to allow Beazer to obtain cash and to improperly report revenue from purported “sales” of model homes. This activity was in direct contravention of the accounting rules and hidden from Beazer’s auditors. Between 2000 and 2007, Rand directed a scheme to commit securities fraud and create false books and records at Beazer by practicing “cookie jar accounting,” which allowed Rand and others to falsely report profits in Beazer’s publicly reported financial statements.
Rand was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, to make false and misleading statements to auditors and accountants, to circumvent Beazer’s internal accounting controls, and to falsify the books, records, and accounts of Beazer. Rand was also convicted of engaging in a wire fraud conspiracy.
The jury also convicted Rand of obstruction of justice in relation to a federal grand jury investigation. Trial evidence showed that after being notified of the federal grand jury’s investigation of Beazer in March 2007, Rand deleted nearly 6,000 emails, obstructing the grand jury investigation then focused on the separate investigation into mortgage fraud at Beazer.
Finally, the jury convicted Rand of lying to hinder an investigation conducted by the Charlotte FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina, by making numerous false statements to investigators on behalf of the Audit Committee of Beazer’s Board of Directors, after learning that such false statements would be reported to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The securities fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Wire fraud conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The obstruction of justice charge carries a penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of misleading conduct to hinder an investigation carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine, and the obstruction of official proceedings charge carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. Rand’s actual sentence will be determined by the U.S. District Court at sentencing. Rand has been released on bond until his sentencing hearing, which has not been set yet.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office credited the FBI for conducting an investigation which resulted in today’s conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kurt W. Meyers and Maria K. Vento of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
CEO Pleads Guilty to Securities Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The CEO of two publicly-traded companies was convicted today on charges that he paid kickbacks in return for purchases of his companies’ stock.
Shailesh Shah, 48, of Chino, Calif., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23, 2014.
Shah was the President and Chief Executive Officer of two publicly-traded companies, SOHM, Inc. and Costas, Inc. Shah agreed to pay secret kickbacks to an investment fund representative in exchange for having the investment fund buy stock in these two companies. The kickbacks were concealed through the use of sham consulting agreements and other fraudulent documents. In actuality, however, and unbeknownst to Shah, the purported investment fund representative was an undercover FBI agent.
The plea follows a lengthy investigation focusing on preventing fraud in the microcap stock markets. Microcap companies are small publicly-traded companies whose stock often trades at pennies per share.
The charging statutes provide a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss on each count. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. U.S. Attorney Ortiz expressed appreciation for the significant assistance her office received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander H. Berlin.
This case was brought in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
Broward Resident Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Charges Involving Stolen Identity Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Donnell Young, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Paula Reid, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, announce that Willy Toussaint, 41, of Lauderhill, pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and two counts of bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344. Toussaint also agreed to an order of restitution in the amount of $208,261.90, which represents the actual loss suffered by the IRS in this case.
At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to thirty years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 10, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Ft. Lauderdale.
According to court documents, Toussaint obtained counterfeit means of identification, including counterfeit State of Florida driver’s licenses, and caused multiple unauthorized personal and business bank accounts to be created at JP Morgan Chase Bank in the names of unsuspecting identity theft victims utilizing their personal identification information (PII). As compensation for opening the bank accounts, Toussaint paid the bank employees between $2,000 and $10,000.
Court documents also state that co-conspirators utilized stolen PII to submit false, fictitious, and fraudulent federal income tax returns to the IRS claiming tax refunds to which they were not entitled. The fraudulently claimed tax refunds were then deposited into the bank accounts established with the assistance of Toussaint. After the tax refunds were received at the bank, co-conspirators would either “wire” the money out of the established accounts or would utilize multiple automated teller machines (ATMs) to withdraw the money in cash.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI and the USSS. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc S. Anton.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Brookfield Man Sentenced on Federal Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – MARK JACKSON, Brookfield, MO, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for his possession of child pornography between January 2008 and November 2011.
He pled guilty in March to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey.
This case was investigated by the Kirksville Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kirksville Police Department, Brookfield Police Department, Kirksville Regional Computer Crimes Unit and the Linn County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Erin Granger handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Aurora Return Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
DENVER – Elizabeth A. Eurioste, age 64, of Aurora, Colorado was sentenced earlier this week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson to serve 6 months in federal prison for aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false individual federal income tax return, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Stephen Boyd announce. Following her prison sentence, Eurioste, was ordered to spend 1 year on supervised release.
Eurioste was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on April 9, 2013. She pled guilty on February 14, 2014 to one count of aiding or assisting in the preparation of a false individual federal income tax return. She was sentenced on July 15, 2014.
Eurioste has been preparing individual and business income tax returns since 1971. For purposes of her plea agreement, the period of relevant conduct covered is tax years 2004 through 2007, and she worked out of her own business, Eurioste Accounting, Inc. She entered false deductions, expenses, business losses, and underreported income and gains on her clients’ tax returns to reduce the amount of tax due and owing.
Eurioste repeatedly created the false entries on income tax returns for the years covered by the indictment and she had approximately 1200 clients. The total amount of tax loss resulting from Eurioste’s actions for tax years 2004 through 2007 was at least $400,000.
Particularly, on March 30, 2007, Eurioste prepared the individual income tax return for tax year 2006 for a married couple. She included false and unsupported deductions on their Form 1040 including a $3,000 capital loss, $93,950 loss from the sale of a business property, and $27,351 in itemized deductions. These were false entries that material affected the calculation of the tax due and owing. Eusrioste knew that entries on the income tax return she prepared were false and in violation of the internal revenue laws.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Special Enforcement Program of the Internal Revenue Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Edgar and Suneeta Hazra.
Attorney General Eric Holder visits BuffaloRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced that United States Attorney General Eric Holder visited the Buffalo Office of the Western District of New York today.
Attorney General Holder, U.S. Attorney Hochul and staff discussed a number of issues important to the safety of the Western New York community. Topics included the Office’s successful efforts in prosecuting violent crime, public corruption, national security, human trafficking, and financial crime. Regarding the Office’s civil programs, the Attorney General and staff also reviewed last year’s record financial collections of $94.2 million.
Mr. Holder also met with the entire staff of both the Buffalo and Rochester Offices. He told the 100 prosecutors and support staff members gathered “I’ve got great faith in your abilities,” and that the Office is known for its exemplary work.
U.S. Attorney Hochul stated “It was an honor to host the Attorney General of the United States and share with him the results of the hard work of our staff.” Hochul further commended the efforts of the Attorney General to fight for the tools and funding needed to continue the fight against all crime occurring in the 17 counties of Western New York.Atlanta Armed Robbery Crew SentencedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Woodrow Rudolph Dixon, Jr., and Cornelius Bernard Wilson each have been sentenced to federal prison for planning to rob a drug stash house while dressed as police officers.
“These two planned to conduct home invasions while impersonating police officers,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “The safety of our citizens is a top priority for this office. Their removal from our community will make Atlanta safer.”
“Individuals brazen enough to pose as law enforcement to commit armed robberies are clear and present dangers to our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Shaefer. “These sentences send an unequivocal message that this conduct will not be tolerated and provide more evidence of ATF’s commitment to combating violent crime through use of the Frontline strategy by utilizing all available resources to make our communities safer.”
Harry S. Sommers, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division stated, “Drug dealing breeds violence and drug traffickers often commit acts of violence while carrying out their criminal activities. In this case, these dangerous criminals never had the opportunity to commit yet another robbery because of the dedicated efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved.”
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: In May 2012, the ATF began investigating Dixon, based on information the agency received that Dixon was an experienced leader of a crew of men who conducted armed home invasion style robberies of drug stash houses in the Atlanta, Ga., area. At that time, Dixon was planning to have his crew rob a man named “Tony,” a man who Dixon believed to be a high-level cocaine trafficker in the Atlanta area. “Tony” was in fact an undercover narcotics Task Force Officer for the DEA, who Dixon had met when “Tony” tried to buy cocaine from Dixon as a part of an investigation.
As the ATF investigation into Dixon's armed robbery plans continued, the investigation revealed that Dixon, leading a crew, had carried out previous armed robberies of houses with the purpose of stealing cocaine or other drugs. The ATF investigation later identified Wilson as a member of the crew Dixon assembled to rob “Tony.” On June 21, 2012, the day of the planned robbery, Wilson and other members of the robbing crew met in advance to prepare for the robbery. Dixon, who had left Atlanta, directed their actions over the telephone.
To prepare for the robbery, the men dressed up in police gear, including police badges, and armed themselves with loaded firearms: a sawed-off shotgun, a .44 caliber revolver, and a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. They then met with two undercover ATF agents who they believed were going to lead them to “Tony’s” stash house so that the crew could carry out the robbery. Instead, once the men met with the undercover agents, they were arrested. Dixon, the leader of the crew, was arrested five days later after he returned to Atlanta.
Both Dixon and another member of the robbing crew, Kirk Floyd, were convicted on November 25, 2013, after a week-long jury trial on federal charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of firearms in connection with the armed robbery charge, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine for leading a crew of armed home invasion robbers in the Atlanta area who sought to rob what the crew believed to be a cocaine “stash house.” Wilson, a member of the armed robbery crew, pleaded guilty on December 3, 2013, to federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in connection with the drug charge.
Woodrow Rudolph Dixon, Jr., a/k/a Dro, 42, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced to 20 years in prison to be followed by six years of supervised release. Dixon was found guilty by a jury on November 25, 2013. Cornelius Bernard Wilson, a/k/a Dog-man, 45, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Wilson pleaded guilty on December 3, 2013. Kirk Floyd was found guilty by a jury on November 25, 2013, and is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
This case was investigated by the David G. Wilhelm OCDETF Strike force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mary L. Webb and William Tolliver prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.
Aryan Brotherhood Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering ChargesRead the Press Release
Two Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang members have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.
Kenneth Michael Hancock of Dallas, Texas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity. James Erik Sharron, aka “Flounder,” of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to the same charge on July 14, 2014.
According to court documents, Hancock, Sharron and other ABT gang members and associates agreed to commit multiple acts of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the ABT gang. Hancock, Sharron and numerous ABT gang members met on a regular basis at various locations throughout Texas to report on gang-related business, collect dues, commit disciplinary assaults against fellow gang members and discuss acts of violence against rival gang members, among other things.
By pleading guilty to racketeering charges, Hancock and Sharron admitted to being members of the ABT criminal enterprise.
According to the superseding indictment, the ABT was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system. The gang modeled itself after and adopted many of the precepts and writings of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that was formed in the California prison system during the 1960s. According to the superseding indictment, the ABT was primarily concerned with the protection of white inmates and white supremacy/separatism. Over time, the ABT expanded its criminal enterprise to include illegal activities for profit.
Court documents allege that the ABT enforced its rules and promoted discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, assault, robbery and threats against those who violated the rules or posed a threat to the enterprise. Members, and oftentimes associates, were required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”
According to the superseding indictment, in order to be considered for ABT membership, a person must be sponsored by another gang member. Once sponsored, a prospective member must serve an unspecified term, during which he is referred to as a prospect, while his conduct is observed by the members of the ABT.
Hancock and Sharron are both scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8, 2014. Each faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Hancock and Sharron are two of 36 defendants charged with conducting racketeering activity through the ABT criminal enterprise, among other charges. To date, 34 defendants have pleaded guilty.
This Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Rangers; Texas Department of Public Safety; Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General; Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Atascosa County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Orange County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Alvin, Texas, Police Department; Carrollton, Texas, Police Department; Mesquite, Texas, Police Department; Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office; and the Atascosa County District Attorney’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.Aryan Brotherhood Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering ChargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang members have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson and Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
Kenneth Michael Hancock, of Dallas, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake to one count of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity. James Erik Sharron, aka “Flounder,” of Houston, pleaded guilty to the same charge on July 14, 2014.
According to court documents, Hancock, Sharron and other ABT gang members and associates agreed to commit multiple acts of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the ABT gang. Hancock, Sharron and numerous ABT gang members met on a regular basis at various locations throughout Texas to report on gang-related business, collect dues, commit disciplinary assaults against fellow gang members and discuss acts of violence against rival gang members, among other things.
By pleading guilty to racketeering charges, Hancock and Sharron admitted to being members of the ABT criminal enterprise.
According to the superseding indictment, the ABT was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system. The gang modeled itself after and adopted many of the precepts and writings of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that was formed in the California prison system during the 1960s. According to the superseding indictment, the ABT was primarily concerned with the protection of white inmates and white supremacy/separatism. Over time, the ABT expanded its criminal enterprise to include illegal activities for profit.
Court documents allege that the ABT enforced its rules and promoted discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, assault, robbery and threats against those who violated the rules or posed a threat to the enterprise. Members, and oftentimes associates, were required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”
According to the superseding indictment, in order to be considered for ABT membership, a person must be sponsored by another gang member. Once sponsored, a prospective member must serve an unspecified term, during which he is referred to as a prospect, while his conduct is observed by the members of the ABT.
Hancock and Sharron are both scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8, 2014. Each faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Hancock and Sharron are two of 36 defendants charged with conducting racketeering activity through the ABT criminal enterprise, among other charges. To date, 34 defendants have pleaded guilty.
This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Federal Bureau of Prisons; Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Rangers; Texas Department of Public Safety; Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General; sheriff’s offices in Harris, Tarrant, Atascosa, Orange and Waller Counties; police departments in Alvin, Carrollton and Mesquite Texas; as well as the Montgomery and Atascosa County District Attorney’s Offices.The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Thursday 17 July 2014
X-Ray Technician Who Became Company’s Vice President Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Performed and Interpreted X-rays and Other Tests in Lieu of Qualified Physicians and Radiologists, in Scheme Involving Over $2.5 Million in Medicare Losses
Baltimore, Maryland – Timothy Emeigh, age 50, of York Springs, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty today to health care fraud arising from a scheme in which insurance providers and Medicare were fraudulently billed for tests interpreted by unlicensed personnel, and for tests and services which in fact had not been provided.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to his plea agreement, Emeigh was a licensed x-ray technologist in Maryland. Emeigh was not a licensed physician. Emeigh worked at Alpha Diagnostics Services beginning in 1993 as an x-ray technologist. In 1997, he was named vice president of the company’s operations.Alpha Diagnostics was principally a portable x-ray supplier in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia. However, Alpha Diagnostics also supplied or provided portable ultrasound tests, electrocardiograms (“EKGs”), echocardiograms and Holter monitors. The majority of its clients were nursing homes, whose patients Alpha Diagnostics tested. Alpha Diagnostics was headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland with an office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Alpha Diagnostics was enrolled in the Medicare program. Medicare required that a licensed physician order and interpret the x-ray or other test, and render a formal report.
Nonetheless, in 1997, Emeigh began performing x-ray interpretations in lieu of a licensed physician or radiologist, and producing fraudulent reports using the names of actual physicians who had never seen the x-rays in question. In 2003, as technology improved, Emeigh began interpreting medical tests and writing reports in the name of registered licensed physicians from his home using his home computer. In addition to x-rays, Emeigh began interpreting and drafting fraudulent reports for ultrasounds and EKGs from his home, while traveling out of state, and at times, from overseas. Sometimes Emeigh performed medical interpretations and transmitted x-ray images using a cell phone application.
By 2010, Emeigh performed more than 70% of the x-ray interpretations, masquerading as a licensed radiologist or physician. On an average month, more than 1,000 x-ray interpretations were conducted by Alpha Diagnostics in Maryland alone.
Emeigh suggested to Alpha Diagnostics that he transmit particularly difficult medical interpretations to actual licensed physicians. If a patient caregiver contacted Alpha Diagnostics to question any of the medical interpretation reports generated by Emeigh or other unlicensed Alpha Diagnostics personnel, the diagnostic interpretation was reassigned to an actual licensed physician for a second interpretation, who would not be apprised of the first interpretation and conclusion.
Alpha Diagnostics would bill insurance providers for 2-view chest x-rays even where single-view x-rays had been ordered or performed. Alpha Diagnostics routinely submitted insurance payment claims which exaggerated the number of anatomical views performed by its x-ray and ultrasound technologists; and for multiple transportation charges on occasions when multiple patients had been examined at the same facility. Alpha Diagnostics would routinely bill Medicare for “global” x-ray procedures (i.e., both professional and technical components), along with transportation and setup charges, for studies interpreted "in-house" by Emeigh or other unlicensed Alpha Diagnostics personnel.
From January 2007 through October 2012, the financial loss to Medicare alone for the misconduct described herein was more than $2.5 million.Emeigh faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar scheduled sentencing for October 29, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the HHS- Office of Inspector General and FBI for their work in the investigation, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. Crooks, who is prosecuting the case.Willoughby Hills Man Faces Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
A three-count criminal information was filed charging a Willoughby Hills man with filing false tax returns, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Alexander J. Cucu filed false tax returns in 2008, 2009 and 2010, underreporting his income by approximately $139,434, according to the information.
This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Roberts following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record , the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Vian Man Sentenced to 135 Months, $50,000 for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that BOBBY LEE ROWELL, age 54, of Vian, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 135 months, followed by 4 years of supervised release and a $50,000.00 money judgment for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 846.
The charge is a result from an investigation by the Sallisaw Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The defendant was indicted in August 2013 and pled guilty in September 2013.
The Indictment alleged that beginning on an unknown date and time but as early as August, 2012, and continuing until the present, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, the defendant and others did willfully and knowingly combine, conspire, confederate and agree together, to distribute 50 Grams of 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 remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal prison at which he will serve his nonparolable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Waters represented the United States.
United States Attorney Announces Felon in Possession SentenceRead the Press Release
Hogsett continues aggressive fight against illegal firearm possession to protect Hoosiers
INDIANAPOLIS– Joseph H. Hogsett, United States Attorney, today announced the conviction and sentencing of Donald T. Bryant, 43, Avon, for one count of felon in possession of a firearm, one count of use of false identification in the acquisition of a firearm, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Bryant was sentenced to 78 months (6 ½ years), in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
“My office has been relentlessly committed to taking illegal gun owners off the streets,” said Hogsett. “Our communities have suffered too much violence at the hands of felons in possession of firearms. We continue to do our part to help stop the senseless violence suffered in our Hoosier communities.”
On August 30, 2012, Bryant purchased a Smith and Wesson, 9mm pistol from Fort Liberty Firearms, a firearms dealer in Avon, Indiana. When making the purchase, Bryant identified himself as “R.B.” a man who died in Lake County, Indiana in 1989. Bryant provided an Indiana Identification Card and other documents in the name of “R.B.” displaying photographs of Bryant, not “R.B.”, on them.
It is illegal to purchase a firearm using a “straw-man” purchase. Usually, this illegal transaction happens when a felon asks a non-felon to purchase a firearm for him or her. Bryant used the identity of a deceased man, to make the illegal purchase.
According to federal law, it is illegal for a person convicted of a felony to possess a firearm. Between 1992 and 2011, Bryant had acquired five separate felony convictions, each with a prison sentence of a year or more. In 2002 Bryant was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for a firearms conviction in the Northern District of Indiana. He then violated his supervised release conditions and was returned to the Bureau of Prisons for an additional 18 months.
“This case shows the success of our Violent Crime Initiative. One of the most effective ways to prevent violence in our communities is to make sure those with prior felonies are not armed,” said Hogsett.
The United States Attorney’s Violent Crime Initiative began in 2011, and is intended to focus on the “worst of the worst” violent offenders by marshaling federal resources to provide local partners the additional tools they may need to succeed in their effort to promote peace. In 2011, only 14 firearms charges were filed. Since then, over 325 firearms cases have been prosecuted. By charging these cases federally, violent felons must serve 85 % of their sentence at a minimum.
According to Assistant United States Attorney Mathew Rinka, who prosecuted this case for the government, Bryant must pay $14,800 in restitution to the Department of Education for fraudulently obtaining student loans and serve three years of supervised release after his sentence.
U.S. Citizen Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison in 1984 Hijacking CaseRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that William Potts, Jr., a/k/a William Freeman, a/k/a Lieutenant Spartacus, 57, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on charges of kidnapping. Potts is eligible for parole after he serves one third of his 20-year sentence.
On May 1, 2014, Potts pled guilty to a superseding information charging him with one count of kidnapping, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(3) (1984).
In 1985, Potts was originally indicted in the Southern District of Florida with one count of air piracy, in violation of Title 49, United States Code, Section 1472(i) (1984), after diverting a Piedmont Airlines passenger aircraft to Havana, Cuba as the aircraft was approaching Miami International Airport.
According to court documents, Potts threatened to blow up the airplane and shoot passengers if the plane landed in Miami. The pilot diverted the aircraft and landed in Havana, Cuba. After the plane landed in Havana, Cuban authorities boarded and escorted Potts off of the plane. Cuban authorities charged Potts for diverting the aircraft. Potts was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison in Cuba. Potts served approximately 13 years in Cuban custody. Potts remained in Cuba after his release from Cuban custody until his return to Miami on November 6, 2013.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. Mr. Ferrer also thanked the Diplomatic Security Service, the Coast Guard, and the Transportation Security Administration for their assistance in this case. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria K. Medetis.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Two Georgetown Men Sentenced for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Two Georgetown men were sentenced today for defrauding the Social Security Administration of $105,158.
Charles Flynn, 36, and Steven Grondell, 45, were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to three years of probation, including six months of home confinement, 105 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $105,158 in restitution to the Social Security Administration, $40,000 of which was paid today. In December 2013, Flynn and Grondell pleaded guilty to theft of public money.
Flynn began receiving Social Security disability benefits in 2004. In 2008, however, while still collecting disability benefits, Flynn began working at the iParty store in Peabody under the identity of his partner, Steven Grondell. Flynn did not report this work to Social Security. In fact, in a benefits review in November 2012, he falsely stated that he had not worked since about 2003. Flynn’s income from iParty, which totaled about $30,000 to $40,000 per year, would have made him ineligible to receive disability benefits. Grondell aided and abetted this scheme by allowing Flynn to use his identity to work at iParty and by helping to cover up the fraud by claiming the iParty income on his own tax returns.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration, Office of Investigations; Boston Field Division; and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Timothy Landry of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
Tulsa Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. — United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. announced today a guilty plea by a Tulsa man for distributing child pornography.
Kenneth R. Morain, 62, of Tulsa, had been charged on February 3, 2014, in an Indictment for Possession, Receipt, and Distribution of Child Pornography following an online investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
At the Change of Plea Hearing, the government stated that Morain used free Wi-Fi internet services at various business locations around Tulsa to download child pornography and then shared the child pornography using the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing network ARES. Morain admitted during an interview with agents he was sexually attracted to children as young as infants.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tulsa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Gallant prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 22, 2014, before U.S. District Court Judge James H. Payne.
Thug Relations Gang Member Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy and Multiple MurdersRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Antonio J. Fuller, 23, of Newport News, Va., was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of participating in a racketeering conspiracy, murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, firearm charges and a drug conspiracy involving crack cocaine.
The racketeering conspiracy included the murders of Andre Horton and Andre Julius Johnson on May 17, 2009 and the murder of Christian Hatch on Nov. 4, 2009, as well as the attempted murder of other individuals occupying Hatch’s apartment at Mariner’s Landing in Newport News. The murder of Christian Hatch involved rival gang members.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after the verdict was accepted by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Fuller was indicted on July 17, 2013, along with co-defendants Kevin Ashby and Mustafah Kalil Muhammad. According to court documents, Fuller, Ashby and Muhammad were part of a criminal organization known locally as “Thug Relations.” The gang members protected their criminal enterprise and activities through murder, attempted murder, witness intimidation, robbery and narcotics distribution.
Fuller faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 27, 2014. Muhammad pleaded guilty in April 2014 and will be sentenced on July 23, 2014. Ashby pleaded guilty in March 2014 and was sentenced to life in prison on June 26, 2014.
This investigation was led by FBI and the Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the Newport News Police and the Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt from the Organized Crime and Gang Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case.
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. 4:13-cr-72.Three New York Men Charged Federally with Fraudulent Possession of Credit CardsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the United States Secret Service, announced today that three New York men have been charged with Possession of Fifteen or More Counterfeit or Unauthorized Access Devices today by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Danilo Vargas, age 25, Dawill Miguel Almonte, age 22, and Jeriel Delosangeles, age 25, allegedly possessed approximately 62 counterfeit credit cards. The charges arose out of a car stop by the Pennsylvania State Police in York County in November 2013.
If convicted, Vargas, Almonte, and Delosangeles face a term of imprisonment of up to ten years and fines up to $250,000.
This investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service and Pennsylvania State Police. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian G. McDonnell.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
*****Three Individuals Charged in Credit Card Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Ricky Butler, Catherine Jarrett and Randy Jarrett have been charged by Criminal Complaint with conspiracy to commit access device fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. In addition, Ricky Butler is charged with aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory two year consecutive sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryEllen Kresse, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, between July 2013 and February 2014, Butler, Catherine Jarett, Randy Jarrett, and others conspired to execute a scheme which involved taking control of legitimate credit card accounts. Without the true account holder’s knowledge or authority, the defendants obtained new or replacement credit cards which were then used to make unauthorized purchases at Wal-Mart stores and other retail establishments in New York and Pennsylvania.
The purchases, which were mostly store gift cards in large dollar amounts, were made by women who had been solicited by Butler and others to travel with Butler and use the fraudulently obtained credit cards. Three of those women - Danielle Hamilton, Tiara Baker and Tamika Favors - have already been charged with access device fraud in connection with their use of such unauthorized cards. According to the complaint, the scheme involved 95 credit card accounts at five financial institutions which were used to conduct over 1,000 fraudulent transactions totaling over $850,000 in actual losses. In addition, close to 200 fraudulent transactions, totaling approximately $193,000, were attempted, but ultimately declined.
The Criminal Complaint is the result of an investigation on the part of the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shelly Binkowski, and the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Tracy Gast.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.Three Charged in White Plains Federal Court in Connection with December 2013 HomicideRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, George Venizelos, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Charles Gardner, the Commissioner of the Yonkers Police Department, announced today the unsealing of charges against DA’QUAN JOHNSON, a/k/a “Bloody,” a/k/a “Buddha,” JAMES JOHNSON, a/k/a “Jimmy,” and KENNETH MOORE, a/k/a “Doogie” for a fatal shooting related to gang rivalry in Yonkers.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “Once again we charge another senseless killing of a bystander by rival street gangs and drug dealers underscoring the continuing need to dismantle these violent groups, who not only threaten each other but everyone around them. We and our law enforcement partners remain dedicated to this goal.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos stated: “Members and associates of street gangs viciously defend their respective territories, at times aligning themselves with each other to engage in acts of violence against anyone who dares to encroach on the area they control. In this case, murder served as the final result in the constant violence between two gangs. Eradicating gangs and stamping out the violence they bring to our neighborhoods remain top priorities for the FBI. The people of our communities deserve the right to live in a society that is free from violence. One in which walking to the corner store or sending children to school doesn’t trigger the fear of violence lurking around every bend.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner stated: “The arrest of these violent individuals will make the streets of Yonkers a safer place. While working with our federal and local law enforcement partners we continue to make progress in aggressively pursuing and removing violent gang members from our community. Gang members operating in Yonkers should be warned that they may be the target of other ongoing investigations and they will ultimately be held accountable for their actions. I would like to specifically thank the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of NY and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force for their tenacious efforts in this investigation.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court and other documents in the public record:
DA’QUAN JOHNSON, JAMES JOHNSON, and MOORE are members and affiliates of the “Grimy Motherfuckers,” or “GMF,” a local, street-level gang operating in and around the Schlobohm Housing Project in Yonkers, New York. At its inception, GMF was aligned with the Strip Boyz, a different street gang that was likewise based in the Schlobohm Housing Project in Yonkers and was made up of members one generation older than most GMF members. GMF and the Strip Boyz controlled crack cocaine and marijuana sales in and around the Schlobohm Housing Project and were allied in disputes with rival gang members, including members of the Cliff Street Gangsters and the Elm Street Wolves, two gangs from the east side of Nepperhan Avenue in Yonkers.
In late June and early July 2012, federal authorities arrested 20 members of the Strip Boyz on charges of narcotics distribution and/or firearm offenses in a case captioned United States v. Mark David, S1 12 Cr. 214 (ER) (S.D.N.Y.). All 20 defendants have pled guilty in satisfaction of the charges.
The federal arrests of the Strip Boyz left GMF the dominant gang in the area around the Schlobohm Housing Project, and GMF members have continued to engage in acts of violence and intimidation to preserve the dominance of the Schlobohm Housing Project and the surrounding areas that they previously shared with the Strip Boyz. Above all, GMF members are aligned in their ongoing disputes with rival gangs in southwest Yonkers, among them a gang based in the vicinity of Highland Avenue known as “Highland.”
The dispute between GMF and Highland resulted in members of those gangs committing numerous acts of violence against one another. With regard to the conduct that underlies the Indictment, on December 27, 2013, a shooting occurred in the vicinity of Palisade Avenue and Elm Street in Yonkers, which is territory controlled by GMF. After the shooting occurred, members of GMF received information that the individuals responsible for it were members of Highland. In retaliation for the shooting, the same night, DA’QUAN JOHNSON and KENNETH MOORE, along with other GMF members, traveled to territory controlled by Highland with the intent of retaliating. A GMF member then shot into a crowd that had congregated for a candlelight vigil at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Jackson Street. One of the bullets hit Tyrone Arthur in the chest, killing him. After the murder, JAMES JOHNSON took custody of the murder weapon and hid it from law enforcement.
DA’QUAN JOHNSON, 23, of Yonkers, and MOORE, 24, of Mount Vernon, New York are charged with conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(a)(5); murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1959(a)(1) and 2; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(j). JAMES JOHNSON, 22, of Yonkers, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to the murder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 3.
DA’QUON JOHNSON and JAMES JOHNSON were arrested this morning in Yonkers. They were presented before United States Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy. KENNETH MOORE arrested in Georgia and presented in Atlanta federal court.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Westchester Violent Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of agents and detectives of the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the City of Yonkers Police Department, the Westchester County Police, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. He also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Atlanta Field Office of the FBI. He added that the investigation is continuing.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division and Violent Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hartman is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
United States v. Da’Quan Johnson et al., 14 Cr. 476
COUNT CHARGE DEFENDANTS MAXIMUM PENALTIES
1 Conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering
DA’QUAN JOHNSON, a/k/a “Bloody,” a/k/a “Buddha,” and KENNETH MOORE, a/k/a “Doogie”
10 years in prison
2 Murder in aid of racketeering
DA’QUAN JOHNSON, a/k/a “Bloody,” a/k/a “Buddha,” and KENNETH MOORE, a/k/a “Doogie”
Mandatory life in prison or the death penalty
3 Carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence, resulting in the death of another
DA’QUAN JOHNSON, a/k/a “Bloody,” a/k/a “Buddha,” and KENNETH MOORE, a/k/a “Doogie” Life in prison or the death penalty
Mandatory minimum 10 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence
4 Accessory after the fact to murder
JAMES JOHNSON, a/k/a “Jimmy”
15 years in prison
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Johnson et al - Indictment_Redacted
Three Beckley-area Men Sentenced on Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that three Beckley area men were sentenced in federal court in Beckley. Melvin Brooks, age 42, of Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. Brooks previously pled guilty in March 2014 to distribution of a quantity of oxycodone to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Beaver Avenue in Beckley.
Ronnie Tolliver, age 57, of MacArthur, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment. Tolliver previously pled guilty in March 2014 to distribution of a quantity of hydromorphone to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Bethel Road in MacArthur.
Joseph Underwood, age 39, of Stanaford, West Virginia, was also sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment. Underwood previously pled guilty in April 2014 to distribution of a quantity of oxycodone to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The drug deal took place on Cunningham Avenue in Stanaford.
All three cases were investigated by the Beckley Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and are being prosecuted under the Beckley Pill Initiative directed by the United States Attorney’s Office.
These cases are part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
All three defendants were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Irene C. Berger.
Three Bakersfield Men Charged in Drug Distribution RingRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Manuel Riviera-Felix, a.k.a. Felipe Garcia, 26, , Edi Vega Bustamante, 21, and Juan Angel Lopez, 32, charging all three with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced . Riviera-Felix and Bustamante are also charged separately in two counts with distribution of methamphetamine and Lopez alone is charged in a separate count with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. All three defendants are residents of Bakersfield, CA.
According to court documents, the three men conspired to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine.
This case was the product of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by: the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Delaney is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, all three defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Temple Couple Enters Guilty Pleas in Connection with A Postal Theft Scheme Involving in Excess of 50,000 Pieces of United States MailRead the Press Release
More than 2,000 individuals victimized as a result of the defendants' scheme
In Waco, two individuals await sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges in connection with a postal theft scheme involving more than 50,000 pieces of mail and over $500,000 in other U.S. Government property from U.S. Post Offices in approximately 80 cities and towns across Texas announced U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Inspector in Charge Robert Weymss, Houston Division.
Appearing this afternoon before United States District Judge Walter S. Smith, Jr., 39-year-old Charles Hattenbach of Temple, TX, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal mail, one count of bank fraud, one count of theft of Government property and three counts of aggravated identity theft. Last month, Hattenbach’s co-defendant, 28-year-old Kathryn Hubbert of Temple, TX, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to steal mail, one count of bank fraud, one count of theft of Government property and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to court records, from December 2013 until March 2014, the defendants conspired to steal U.S. mail and other Government property by breaking into U.S. Post Offices and blue mail receptacle boxes located outside of post offices in an area stretching from Midland to College Station and from Dallas to San Antonio. The defendants stole credit cards, personal checks, business checks, money orders, postage, W-2s, tax returns, items which contained personal identifying information, cash, gift cards and other items belonging to more than 2,000 victims.
The defendants also devised a scheme to defraud several financial institutions, including Extraco Bank in Round Rock, TX, by endorsing and depositing stolen money orders and checks. The defendants subsequently withdrew the deposits causing the financial institutions to lose more than $80,000. The defendants also activated numerous credit cards using victims’ personal identifying information, including names, social security numbers and driver’s license numbers and dates of birth, which they had previously stolen from the mail.
“We take very seriously the integrity of the U.S. mail and will continue to work with the Postal Inspection Service and our law enforcement partners to apprehend and prosecute people who, like the defendants in this case, target the mail to facilitate their criminal enterprises,” stated United States Attorney Robert Pitman.
The defendants targeted United States Post Offices, collection boxes, parcel lockers and post office boxes in the following cities and towns: Alvarado, Austin (Balcones, Bluebonnet, Main, McNeil, Mockingbird, Northcross, South Campus, Southeast, and Town North branches), Bangs, Belton, Blanket, Brenham, Bryan, Buchanan Dam, Buckholts, Burton, Cameron, Campbellton, Carmine, Cedar Park, Chapel Hill, Clifton, Coleman, College Station, Colorado City, Copperas Cove, Corpus Christi (Gulfway branch), Dripping Springs, Early, Elgin, Florence, Gause, Georgetown, Gustine, Harker Heights, Hearne, Heidenheimer, Hewitt, Hillsboro, Holland, Hutto, Jerrell, Jonesboro, Kemper, Killeen, Lampasas, Lawn, Leander, Ledbetter, Liberty Hill, Lockhart, Loraine, Lorena, May, McDade, Meridian, Merkel, Midland, Milano, Millican, Mound, Navasota, Nolanville, Novice, Paige, Pendleton, Pflugerville, Red Oak, Rising Star, Roby, Rockport, Rogers, Rosebud, Round Rock, Salado, San Angelo, San Marcos, Santa Anna, Sinton, Sterling City, Sweetwater, Taylor, Temple, Thorndale, Treat, Troy, Tye, Valley Mills, Waco (Highlander and Woodway branches), Walnut Springs, Washington and Weir.
Hattenbach, who remains in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:00pm on September 10, 2014, before Judge Smith. Sentencing for Hubbert, who is currently on bond, is scheduled for 1:00pm on August 20, 2014, before Judge Smith. Hattenbach and Hubbert face up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to steal U.S. Mail; up to 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud; up to ten years in federal prison for theft of Government property; and, consecutive two-year federal prison terms for each aggravated identity theft charge. A restitution amount, consisting of stolen funds, proceeds derived from the scheme, losses incurred by victims and property damage among other things, will be determined at sentencing.
“The Postal Inspection Service has sought those who steal mail for hundreds of years. The ability to use the mail in a safe and secure manner is at the core of the Postal Inspection Service's mission,” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Robert Weymss.
This case resulted from an investigation conducted by USPIS and the Bell County Organized Crime Task Force (BCOTF). The BCOTF is comprised of investigators from the United States Marshals Service, Bell County Sheriff’s Office and police departments from Temple, Belton, Killeen, Copperas Cove and Harker Heights. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Gloff is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Tampa Man Sentenced in Mail Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Randy Dale Barber (42, Tampa, Florida) to 5 years’ probation for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. The Court also ordered Barber to forfeit $413,106, and to pay restitution to Hitachi Data Systems (“HDS”) in the amount of $37,921.20. Barber pleaded guilty on February 28, 2014. Previously, on July 10, 2014, U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell sentenced separately charged mail fraud co-conspirator Michael J. Dragoni (48, Riverview, Florida) to 5 years of probation, with 8 months of home detention. In addition, the Court sentenced two companies used by Dragoni, as part of the conspiracy, namely Fortis Data Systems, LLC (“FDS”) and Greencloud LLC (“Greencloud”) to 5 years of probation. Dragoni, FDS and Greencloud were ordered to forfeit $498,706 and to pay restitution to HDS in the amount of $37,921.20. Dragoni, FDS and Greencloud pleaded guilty on April 24, 2014.
According to plea agreements filed in the cases, from about August 2009 through at least August 2011, Dragoni and Barber, using Dragoni’s companies FDS and Greencloud, conspired to defraud HDS by making materially false statements to HDS in order to purchase computer equipment for resale to Hajian, who in turn resold the equipment to his client, Mahmood Akbari, and UAE company Patco Group, Ltd. By late 2009, Dragoni, Barber and Hajian knew that HDS refused to sell computer equipment to Hajian, and his customers Akbari and Patco, because HDS believed that the equipment was being diverted to unauthorized end users. In order to deceive HDS and purchase the computer equipment, Dragoni and Barber made false statements regarding the purchaser, end user, and location of installation of the equipment that they were purchasing. To facilitate the conspiracy, they used front companies to make equipment purchases on their behalf. The conspirators then caused the equipment to be shipped to Dubai.
In another case arising from the same investigation, on April 30, 2014, Judge Bucklew sentenced John Alexander Talley (42, Seattle, Washington) to 30 months in federal prison for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transaction Regulations. The Court also sentenced Talley’s company, Tallyho Peripherals, Inc. d/b/a Enterprise Solutions Systems, to 1 year of probation. Talley and Tallyho pleaded guilty on September 18, 2013.
According to court documents, from about 2009 to about September 2012, Talley and his company conspired with others, including Mohammed Reza “Ray” Hajian, to unlawfully export sophisticated enterprise level computer equipment from the United States to Iran, and to provide computer information technology (IT) support services for the equipment, all in violation of the United States embargo. Talley’s role was to provide training and computer IT support to ensure that the computer equipment operated in Iran. In an effort to conceal their activities, the conspirators in the United States caused shipments of the computers and related equipment, as well as the payments for same, to travel to and from the United States and Iran through the United Arab Emirates. Similarly, payments for Talley’s support services were wired through the UAE.
On July 11, 2012, Hajian and three of his companies, RH International LLC, Nexiant LLC, and P & P Computers LLC, pleaded guilty to charges involving the same conspiracy to violate the Iranian Embargo and to a conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transaction Regulations. On October 18, 2012, Hajian was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison.
On September 12, 2013, two Iranian nationals, Mahmood Akbari, a/k/a John Wasserman and Reza Hajigholamali, and three UAE front companies, Patco Group Ltd., Managed Systems and Services (FZC), and TGO General Trading LLC, were indicted in connection with the same conspiracy. Charges against those parties included a conspiracy to violate the International Economic Powers Act, and a conspiracy to commit international money laundering. According to the superseding indictment in that case, Hajian was selling the sophisticated computer equipment and services at issue to Akbari. If convicted, Akbari and Hajigholamali face a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in federal prison.
“This investigation demonstrates HSI’s commitment to protecting our citizens by ensuring critical U.S. technologies don’t fall into the hands of our foreign enemies,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa.
"The cooperative efforts between the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security have proven once again that anyone who conspires to violate U.S. embargo sanctions and illegally export sensitive U.S. technology to state sponsors of terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Protecting the National Security of the United States remains our top priority and we will continue to dismantle and disrupt andy networks attempting the same illegal activities," said Robert Luzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Office of Export Enforcement's, Miami Field Office.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Bini and Trial Attorney Mariclaire Rourke of the Counterespionage Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, National Security Division.
Sulphur Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. –A Sulphur man was sentenced to 180 months in prison and five years of supervised released for possessing multiple firearms illegally, U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today.
Todd Allen Booth, 33, of Sulphur, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi for one count of possessing firearms after having been convicted of multiple felonies. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea on March 27, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a warrant at Booth’s residence on July 10, 2012, and found eight firearms and ammunition. Of the firearms, three were shotguns, two were rifles and three were handguns. At the sentencing hearing today, the prosecution introduced records showing Booth was previously convicted of three residential burglaries. Booth was convicted of simple burglary in two separate matters in the 14th Judicial District Court in Calcasieu Parish in May of 2003. He was also convicted of burglary in Orange County, Texas, in June of 2001.These three prior convictions subject him to a mandatory jail term of not less than 15 years and not more than life under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce firearm crimes by removing dangerous and persistent felons from the community and promote firearm safety
The ATF, FBI, and the Calcasieu Anti-drug Team investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Mickel prosecuted the case.
Shiprock Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Involuntary Manslaughter and Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Samantha Deal, 29, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., pleaded guilty today to an indictment charging her with involuntary manslaughter and assault charges. Deal entered her guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement.
Deal was arrested on July 17, 2013, based on an indictment charging her with one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the indictment, Deal was driving while under the influence of alcohol in San Juan County on Feb. 4, 2013, when she killed a woman and seriously injured two other individuals.
At sentencing, Deal faces a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison on the involuntary manslaughter charge and a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for each of the two assault charges. Her sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI, the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the New Mexico State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez.
Sallisaw Man Sentenced to 100 Months, $56,750 for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that WILLIAM LEO RUMINER, age 48, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 100 months imprisonment, followed by 4 years of supervised release and a $56,750.00 money judgment for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 846.
The charge is a result from an investigation by the Sallisaw Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The defendant was indicted in August 2013 and pled guilty in October 2013.
The Indictment alleged that beginning on an unknown date and time but as early as August, 2012, and continuing until the present, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, the defendant and others did willfully and knowingly combine, conspire, confederate and agree together, to distribute 50 Grams of 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 remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal prison at which he will serve his nonparolable sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Waters represented the United States.
Queens Woman Pleads Guilty to Possession of Counterfeit $100 BillsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michele Sergeant, 31, of Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit bank notes before U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that on September 22, 2013, New York State Troopers stopped the defendant in a vehicle on Interstate 390 in the town of Wayland in Steuben County. The car was traveling at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone. During a search, troopers found marijuana in the car and the defendant and her co-defendant were arrested. Following their arrest, troopers located $8,700 in $100 bank notes inside the car along with a financial ledger book. Inside the ledger were columns which showed dollar amounts and abbreviations for retail locations. The New York State Police contacted the United States Secret Service for investigative assistance.
Secret Service Agents determined that the 87 $100 bills recovered were actually sophisticated counterfeit bills, complete with water marks, color shifting ink, and embedded security strips. They further determined that the ledger notations were references to Home Depot, Lowes, Target, and Wal-Mart stores. As part of the investigation, Secret Service Agents reviewed store surveillance video from the dates and times of the transactions listed in the ledger. The defendant, and a co-defendant, were identified on video surveillance from several area stores passing counterfeit $100 bank notes. Subsequent investigation determined that Sergeant had passed an additional $14,100 in counterfeit $100 bank notes within the Western District of New York. At the time the defendant passed the counterfeit bills here, she was on release for similar conduct in the State of Massachusetts.
As part of the investigation, Secret Service Agents learned that Sergeant and her co-defendant, O’neal Walker, were also identified passing counterfeit $100 bank notes in several other states. Specifically, they passed $2,000 in counterfeit $100 bank notes in Ohio; $600 in counterfeit $100 bank notes in Massachusetts; $13,500 in counterfeit $100 bank notes in Syracuse, within the Northern District of New York; $19,700 in counterfeit $100 bank notes in Michigan; and $6,800 in counterfeit $100 bank notes in Arkansas. The total loss due to Sergeant’s actions was $65,300.The guilty plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, Tracy Gast, and Investigators and Troopers of the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Scott Crosier.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 15, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci.Philadelphia Man Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Violation in HarrisburgRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Jose Juan Albertorio-Garcia, 45, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg. The indictment charges Garcia with Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of Drug Trafficking and five counts of Possession With Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the charges against Garcia are a result of allegations that Garcia was supplying heroin for distribution in Harrisburg from June 2013 through March 2014. In addition, Garcia is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking at the time of his arrest.
If convicted, Garcia faces a statutory maximum of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police as part of a continuing initiative to combat violent crime in Harrisburg. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Palm Beach Gardens Resident Sentenced to 170 Months in Prison in Timeshare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that Gregory Fusca, 46, of Palm Beach Gardens, was sentenced to 170 months in prison, in connection with his operation of RC Innovations, Inc. (RCI), a fraudulent timeshare company located in Palm Beach County.
According to the information and plea documents filed with the court, Fusca and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud timeshare owners throughout the United States. Between March 2010 and January 2011, telemarketers contacted hundreds of victims throughout the United States and collected and attempted to collect more than $2.6 million in advanced fees for timeshare marketing and sales services, which were never provided. The telemarketers solicited clients through at least eight boiler rooms, all located in Palm Beach County. The telemarketers would make false and misleading representations to the timeshare owners regarding RCI’s services. Among the false representations, the telemarketers claimed that: RCI had buyers for their timeshare units; RCI had closing scheduled for their timeshares; and that RCI would actively market their timeshares to potential buyers.
Fusca, along with the other owners of RCI, was responsible for running the boiler rooms and overseeing the finances. When dividing the fraudulent profits, Fusca and the other owners kept a percentage of all sales generated by the boiler rooms for themselves and then paid the managers a percentage of the sales for their respective boiler room and the salesmen a percentage of their sales.
Fusca also engaged in a second fraud scheme in which he and his co-conspirators posed as Department of Justice and State of Florida employees, promising to send purported restitution payments to victims of earlier timeshare frauds if the victims agreed to send advance fees.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Rabinowitz.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Owner of Metro East Title Company Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling Escrow Funds from Clients and StructuringRead the Press Release
Follow @SDILNewsKaren Strasser Steinke, age 65, of Millstadt, Illinois, was sentenced to twenty-one [21] months imprisonment followed by three [3] years supervised release as a result of her convictions for Wire Fraud in a scheme to defraud clients of Metro East Title, and Structuring of Financial Transactions to Avoid Currency Transaction Reporting Requirements, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Restitution was made in full to the victims prior to the sentencing.
Karen Strasser Steinke was an officer, owner and operator of Metro East Title Company. As such, operating as a title insurance agent, she received money on behalf of others, which included escrow, settlement and closing funds. At all times Karen Strasser Steinke was required to hold these funds as a fiduciary in a fiduciary trust account. On or about July 16, 2013, R. L. and M. L. purchased real property in St. Clair County, Illinois, and Metro East served as the settlement agent for the transaction. As part of the transaction, the proceeds paid were to be used to satisfy a mortgage against the real property for $76,864.98 held by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. $84,109.57 of purchase funds were deposited into Metro East's escrow account, however the fiduciary funds were misused by Karen Strasser Steinke. On or about August 7, 2013, Metro East served as a settlement and escrow agent pursuant to an escrow disbursement agreement in connection with a real property transaction between the Columbia American Legion, Columbia Post 581 District 22, American Legion Department of Illinois, which acted as the seller to the transaction, and the City of Columbia, the buyer. The City of Columbia deposited $407,960.04 into the escrow account of Metro East which was to serve as the source for the ultimate escrow and settlement disbursals however the fiduciary funds were misused by Karen Strasser Steinke. There was evidence that Karen Steinke embezzled the funds to support a gambling habit. Karen Steinke structured the deposit of cash into bank accounts to replenish part of the money that she had taken to attempt to avoid detection.
The successful prosecution is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service with the assistance of the Columbia, IL police department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.
Newark Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Three Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. - A Newark man was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for his role in three armed carjackings that occurred in one day in Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Louis Holmes, 25, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging him with three counts of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during the course of a violent crime. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and in statements made in court:
Holmes admitted he participated with several other men in three carjackings that were committed in Newark and Jersey City on March 27, 2012. He said they agreed to take vehicles from their victims by force. Holmes also admitted that during the first carjacking, which occurred in Newark, he left the vehicle that he was traveling in with the other men, approached the targeted car’s driver, pointed a handgun at the driver and ordered the driver to exit the vehicle and leave the keys inside. Before driving away in the car, he robbed the driver and the passenger of their personal effects, including their cell phones.
Holmes also admitted that, in the second carjacking, which occurred in Jersey City, he again approached the car’s driver, pointed a handgun at the driver and threatened the driver by demanding his wallet and car keys. He then also pointed the handgun at the vehicle’s passenger, demanding the passenger exit the car, before driving away in the car. Holmes admitted that in the third carjacking, which was in Newark, he approached the driver of the car when the driver was outside the car, pointed a handgun at the driver, threatened the driver and demanded the car’s keys. Holmes then drove off in the third car.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Holmes to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford; the Newark Police Department, under the leadership of Director Eugene Venable; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray; and criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark for the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara F. Merin, Courtney Oliva, and Lisa M. Colone of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Peter Carter Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
New Haven Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
Follow @USAO_CT
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL SMITH, also known as “Smitty” and “Fingers,” 44, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing narcotics.
SMITH was charged as a result of “Operation Bloodline,” a joint law enforcement investigation targeting narcotics trafficking and gang violence in the Dwight-Kensington and Fair Haven sections of New Haven. Led by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the New Haven and Hamden Police Departments, the year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps on numerous telephones, extensive physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, execution of search warrants, and seizures of narcotics and firearms.
On January 13, 2014, a jury found SMITH guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine and cocaine base (“crack cocaine”), and one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine base.
According to the evidence presented during his trial, investigators received court-authorization to monitor three of SMITH’s telephones. The investigation revealed that SMITH conspired to receive and distribute large quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine. In addition, on October 27, 2011, SMITH sold approximately 6.6 grams of crack cocaine to an individual working with law enforcement.
SMITH has been detained since his arrest on May 22, 2012. On that date, law enforcement search an apartment connected to SMITH and recovered items used to convert cocaine into crack cocaine, as well as approximately $2000 in cash.
SMITH has a prior state firearms conviction, and seven prior felony drug convictions.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia and Meriden Police Departments. The United States Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, Parole and Community Services and the Milford, Hartford, New Britain, North Branford and Stratford Police Departments have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Dave Vatti and Marc Silverman.
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[email protected]National and International Leadership of MS-13 Indicted in New Jersey for Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Gang Leaders in California and El Salvador Conspired with East Coast Members to Create Cohesive National Organization Based on Drug Trafficking, Extortion and Violence
NEWARK, N.J. – A dozen top-ranking members of the violent international street gang “Mara Salvatrucha” (MS-13) – including the California man claiming control over the gang’s United States operations – are charged by indictment with racketeering, drug trafficking and related crimes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today.
Jose Juan Rodriguez-Juarez, 34, allegedly served as the leader of MS-13’s “national program.” This program, also known as the “unification of the barrio,” sought to bring all of MS-13’s local sets, or “cliques,” in the United States under a single, cohesive leadership structure, led by Rodriguez-Juarez and his deputies, including Amilcar Romero, 44, and Joel Antonio Cortez, 40.
“Members and leaders of MS-13 allegedly conspired to bring all United States cliques under a central command,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “According to the charges, the defendants wanted to use this new formalized structure to open new drug distribution channels facilitated by cartel alliances and bloodshed. Today’s indictment reaches gang leaders and members responsible for crime and violence in New Jersey, whether they were on the streets of Jersey City or on smuggled cell phones in a California or Central American jail.”
“Dismantling violent gangs is a continuing priority for the FBI,” Aaron T. Ford, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Newark Division, said. “Our efforts to address gang violence are not new, but we are working with our partners with increased manpower and increased urgency to address current circumstances. This cooperation is, and will continue to be, a critical factor for successfully defending threats that endanger the citizens of New Jersey.”
According to the indictment returned today, documents in this and related cases and statements made in court:
The goals of the national program were to increase the nationwide collection of extortion proceeds, known as “rent,” and to use these rent-collection networks to establish new drug distribution channels from California to the East Coast. Rodriguez-Juarez and other Mara Salvatrucha leaders allegedly struck a deal with the Mexican Mafia, a California prison gang, and certain Mexican drug cartels, including La Familia Michoacana, to supply methamphetamine and other drugs at cheap prices to MS-13 gang members on the East Coast, including in New Jersey.
Three MS-13 leaders in El Salvador and multiple clique leaders in New Jersey played a role in ordering – or “greenlighting” – the murder of a rival gang member in Hudson County, New Jersey, in November 2013. Law enforcement learned of the murder plot during the course of this investigation and arrested multiple conspirators before it could be completed.
All but one of the defendants are currently in law enforcement custody. Many of the gang’s top leaders conducted criminal activity while incarcerated in California, Virginia, or El Salvador -- typically by using contraband cell phones smuggled into the prison facilities. The five New Jersey-based defendants, who were charged by criminal complaint in March 2014 for the murder plot, are scheduled to make their initial appearances on the indictment tomorrow, July 18, 2014, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. The remaining defendants will make their initial appearances on dates to be determined.
In autumn 2013, Rodriguez-Juarez declared himself the leader of the new national program for MS-13 in the United States. He was also a made member, or “carnale,” in the Mexican Mafia, and he leveraged his status within the powerful prison gang to assert control over all MS-13 activities in the United States. Within MS-13, Rodriguez-Juarez was known by his gang moniker, “Dreamer,” but when he assumed control of the national program, he became known as “Sacerdote,” Spanish for “the priest.”
Amilcar Romero, 45, and Joel Antonio Cortez, 40, served as two of Rodriguez-Juarez’s top deputies. In autumn 2013, Rodriguez-Juarez assigned Romero to serve as the primary point-of-contact between the leadership of MS-13 in the United States and El Salvador, while Cortez assumed responsibility for recruiting MS-13 cliques on the East Coast to join the national program. Both are also alleged to have ordered acts of violence on the East Coast, including Cortez’s authorization of the November 2013 murder plot in Hudson County. Another defendant, Pedro Romero-Cruz, 28, who is incarcerated in a Virginia state prison, served as the regional leader of a program in northern Virginia and facilitated the trafficking of methamphetamine to New Jersey. Romero-Cruz also discussed efforts to expand the gang’s activity to Spain, explaining in a phone call how the expansion would be lucrative for the gang.
Carlos Sandoval-Batres, 40, currently incarcerated in a Salvadoran prison, was a top member of the gang’s leadership in El Salvador and assisted efforts to create the new “national program” in the United States. Sandoval-Batres, along with two other Salvadoran leaders, Jose Elias Garcia-Hernandez, 35, and Cristian Linares-Rodriguez, 34, also authorized the November 2013 Hudson County murder plot.
Carlos Andrew Valdez, 27, served as the leader, or “First Word,” of a northern New Jersey clique known as “Hudson Locotes Salvatrucha.” Marvin Garcia-Cruz, 31, served as the leader of another Hudson County clique, known as “Pinos Locos Salvatrucha.” They are charged along with three other members of the Hudson Locotes clique for their role in the November 2013 murder plot. Valdez and others worked with Cortez and other top gang leaders to bring all of New Jersey’s MS-13 cliques under the control of Rodriguez-Juarez’ national program. Valdez and others focused on resolving issues created when leaders of “Plainfield Locos Salvatrucha,” a Plainfield, New Jersey, clique, were arrested by federal law enforcement in autumn 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ford in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. The investigation involved multiple FBI Field Offices, with substantial assistance provided by the FBI Field Office in Los Angeles. U.S. Attorney Fishman also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Gaetano T. Gregory; and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Grace Park, for their work on this case. He also acknowledged the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California for their assistance in the ongoing investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James M. Donnelly and Andrew J. Bruck of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defendants Charged, Penalties Per Count
Count
Charge
Defendants
Maximum Potential Penalty
Racketeering Conspiracy
Rodriguez-Juarez
Amilcar Romero
Cortez
Romero-Cruz
Sandoval-Batres
Valdez
Rudy GutierrezLife in prison
(Rodriguez-Juarez, Amilcar Romero, Cortez, Romero-Cruz)20 years in prison
(All others)
$250,000 fineDrug Distribution Conspiracy
Rodriguez-Juarez
Amilcar Romero
Cortez
Romero-CruzLife in prison
$10 million fineDrug Distribution
Cortez
Romero-CruzLife in prison
$10 million fineConspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering
Cortez
Sandoval-Batres
Garcia-Hernandez
Linares-Rodriguez
Valdez
Gutierrez
Hector Carranza-Solis
Luis Lopez-Guzman
Marvin Garcia-Cruz10 years in prison
$250,000 fineConspiracy to Possess Firearm
Garcia-Hernandez
Linares-Rodriguez
Valdez
Gutierrez
Carranza-Solis
Lopez-Guzman
Garcia-Cruz20 years in prison
$250,000 fineConspiracy to Use Interstate Facility to Commit Violent Crime
Cortez
Sandoval-Batres
Garcia-Hernandez
Linares-Rodriguez
Valdez
Gutierrez
Carranza-Solis
Lopez-Guzman
Garcia-CruzFive years in prison
$250,000 fineConspiracy to Use Interstate Facility to Distribute Proceeds of Unlawful Activity
Rodriguez-Juarez
Amilcar Romero
Cortez
Romero-Cruz
Sandoval-Batres
Valdez
Rudy GutierrezFive years in prison
$250,000 fineCharged Defendants
Last NameFirst Name
a/k/a
Age
Rodriguez-Juarez
Jose Juan
“Sacerdote”
34
Romero
Amilcar
“Chi-Chi”
45
Cortez
Joel Antonio
“Pee Wee”
40
Romero-Cruz
Pedro
“Payaso”
28
Sandoval-Batres
Carlos
“Trusty”
40
Linares-Rodriguez
Cristian
“Burro”
34
Garcia-Hernandez
Jose Elias
“Eterno”
35
Valdez
Carlos Andrew
“Catracho”
27
Carranza-Solis
Hector
“Blacky”
30
Gutierrez
Rudy
“Chiky”
22
Lopez-Guzman
a/k/a Lopez-MendezLuis
“Nino”
24
Garcia-Cruz
Marvin
“Buffalo”
31
Rodriguez-Juarez, Jose Juan et. al. Indictment