Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Thursday 26 June 2014
Three McLaughlin Men Charged with Burglary and AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that three men from McLaughlin, South Dakota, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for First Degree Burglary, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Third Degree Burglary.
Blake Crow Ghost, age 20; Adam Weasel, age 19; and Joshua White Shield, age 19, were indicted on June 10, 2014. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes on June 24, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 25 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on or about June 22, 2013, Crow Ghost, Weasel, and White Shield unlawfully entered and remained in an occupied structure, during night time, and assaulted an adult male with the intent to do bodily harm to the victim.
The charges are merely accusations and Crow Ghost, Weasel, and White Shield are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley is prosecuting the case.
All three men were released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Thomas L. Kimmel Convicted of Conspiracy, Mail Fraud, and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that today in federal court, before Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III, a jury convicted, Thomas L. Kimmel, 68, of Conspiracy, Mail Fraud, and Money Laundering.
KIMMEL was named in an Indictment filed on August 21, 2013. Assistant United States Attorneys David A. Bragdon and Evan Rikhye represented the government. Mr. Bragdon stated: “Kimmel used his professed spirituality and position of trust as a tool to defraud victims at their churches-the very places they felt the most safe.”
At trial, the Government presented evidence that KIMMEL solicited about $20 million for Sure Line Acceptance Corporation from investors. Most of these investors found out about Sure Line through financial conferences that KIMMEL gave at churchesrelating to Biblical principles of finance and getting out of debt. Most of the victims never received any of their principal back. KIMMEL would typically spend a few minutes of each conference telling investors about a 12% collateralized note program. Many of these presentations were recorded, and the Government presented evidence that Kimmel’s statements about Sure Line were false and that the collateralized note program was a Ponzi scheme. The jury heard testimony from three conspirators who had previously pled guilty to Conspiracy and Sale of Unregistered Securities; James Willis Kirk, Jr., Glen E. Smith, Jr., and Carol April Graff. The jury also heard testimony from about fifteen victims.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys David A. Bragdon and Evan Rikhye prosecuted the case.
Thirty-One People Indicted for Role in Conspiracy That Brought Heroin to Northeast OhioRead the Press Release
Thirty-one people were indicted in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy that brought heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine to Northeast Ohio from Chicago and south Texas and then distributed the drugs from homes on the east side of Cleveland, law enforcement officials announced.
Filing of the 107-count indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony, Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Frank Bova, Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
According to the indictment:
The ring operated from at least 2010 through this month. The group obtained multiple-kilogram shipments of drugs from suppliers in Chicago and McAllen, Texas, as well as Cleveland and Toledo.
The ring utilized several homes and locations in Cleveland to store and distribute the heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, including 3991 Superior Ave., 1481 East 71st Street, 1162 East 58th Street and 7610 Linwood Ave.
Leaders of the conspiracy, including Mark Makupson, Harry R. Hubbard and Harvest White, then used the proceeds of their drug dealing to purchase buildings or residences in Cleveland, including 1687 East 70th Street, 1075 East 74th Street and 3800 Lakeside Ave., Suite 201.
Investigators seized more than seven kilograms of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine and 10 firearms.
“Northeast Ohio, like many parts of the country, has been hit hard by the heroin epidemic,” U.S. Attorney Dettelbach said. “We continue to work together on a comprehensive solution that includes prevention, treatment and enforcement. Today’s indictment demonstrates that law enforcement in this region continues to stand united in going after the organizations that profit from this poison that ruins lives and destroys families.”
Special Agent in Charge Anthony said: “Enforcement is a key strategy in reducing both the supply and demand of heroin in Northeast Ohio. The law enforcement community is committed to working together to prosecute those responsible for fueling Ohio’s heroin epidemic.”
“The Cleveland Division of Police, along with its local and federal law enforcement partners, pledges to continue its ongoing battle against the heroin epidemic and drug trafficking in this area,” Chief Williams said.
“All our law enforcement partners will continue to bring the fight to the heroin epidemic from all angles,” Sheriff Bova said.
“The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Enstrom. “IRS Criminal Investigation is committed with taking the profit away from drug traffickers and together with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we will hold those who engage in drug trafficking accountable.”
“Drug dealers peddle death and addiction, and we can’t afford their destruction in Northeast Ohio or anywhere else in our state,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “The heroin epidemic is complex and will take continued law enforcement coordination at every level, as well as community education and treatment efforts.”
Makupson, Hubbard, White, and Reuben Bell pooled their money travelled to Chicago to obtain large amounts of heroin from Gardner Witt. Other times they obtained heroin from Dammarkro Nolan, who got it from Witt. Then Makupson, Hubbard, White and Bell distributed the heroin to nearly 20 other dealers in Cleveland, according to the indictment
Prosecutors are also seeking to forfeit nearly $750,000 in cash and three automobiles seized in this investigation, including a 2003 Hummer H2, a 2007 Mercedes Benz G500 and a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville customized convertible.
The indictment lists scores of narcotics transactions that took place.
Indicted in Count 1, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, are: Mark A. Makupson, 33, of Cleveland; Darvinna Shaver, 35, of Cleveland; Harry R. Hubbard, 29, of Cleveland; Harvest White, 29, of Euclid; James Terrell McClain, 32, of Cleveland; Jermaine Moorer, 36, of Cleveland; Michael Shephard, 35, of Cleveland; Brian Singleton, 34, of Cleveland; Dammarkro Sherron Nolan, Sr., 39, of Cleveland; Melissa White, 26, of Cleveland Heights; Monique Tisdel, 35, of South Euclid; Anthony Hodges, 31, of Cleveland; Rueben Tyrone Bell, 27, of Cleveland; Tatiana Squair, 25, of Tinley Park, IL; Dionna Smith, 31, of Maple Grove, MN; Lonnie Gwin, 37, of Defiance; Donique Williams, 23, of Cleveland; Gardner Witt, 43, of Chicago, IL; Angel Manuel Fuentes Delgado, 32, of Cleveland; Rudius A. Brown, 30, of Euclid; Gerardo Rodriguez, 27, of Cleveland; Ishmael Wahid, 41, of Akron; James M. Griffin, 34, of Chicago, IL; Ricole Braxton, 32, of Cleveland; Carmelita Seay, 31, of Cleveland; Michelle Williams, 53, of Cleveland; Tony Goodwin, 26, of East Cleveland; Ariyen Flakes, 28, of Cleveland, and Milton Bridges, 26, of Cleveland.
Nicole Lewis, 37, of Cleveland, and Latoya Johnson, 30, of Cleveland, are indicted for conspiracy to launder money, as are Makupson, Shaver, White, Bell, Squair, and Witt. These defendants hid the profits from the drug conspiracy through a series of financial transactions, such as using cash from drug deals to purchase real estate and automobiles, according to the indictment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Vasile Katsaros and Christian M. Stickan and Margaret Tomaro, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney who works for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.The case was investigated by the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force. The task force is a longstanding multi-agency group comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police, Cleveland Heights Police, Drug Enforcement Administration, Euclid Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Regional Transit Authority Police, Shaker Heights Police and Westlake Police. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office also assisted with the case.
The NOLETF is also one of the initial Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiatives. HIDTA supports and helps coordinate numerous Ohio drug task forces in their efforts to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking in Ohio.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
An indictment 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.
Tampa Man Arrested for Trading Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest of Richard Donald Ragsdale (56, Tampa) on a federal complaint charging him with transportation, receipt, and possession of child pornography. Ragsdale made his initial appearance on June 24, 2014, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas B. McCoun, III.
According to the complaint, on May 5, 2014, an undercover agent downloaded child pornography over the Internet from an Internet Protocol (IP) address that was connected to Ragsdale’s residence. Further investigation revealed online chats by Ragsdale, in which he admitted to having prior sexual contact with children and discussed the sexual abuse of children. On June 24, 2014, a federal search warrant was executed at Ragsdale’s Tampa residence. Agents found hundreds of videos and images depicting child pornography on Ragsdale’s laptop.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Takini Man Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of A ChildRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Takini, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child.
Reginald Between Lodges, a/k/a Reginald Condon, a/k/a Reggie Kills A Hundred, age 61, was indicted on June 10, 2014. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 24, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is at least 30 years up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, at least 5 years up to life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Between Lodges is alleged to have assaulted a child victim in October 2013 in Takini. The charge is merely an accusation and Between Lodges is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikal Hanson is prosecuting the case.
Between Lodges was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Trial has been set for August 12, 2014.
South Carolina Sex Offender Sentenced to Life in Prison Plus 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of A Child, Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – A repeat child sex offender, Jerry Lee Hendricks, 66, of Patrick, S.C., today was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis, Central District of Illinois. U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough sentenced Hendricks in federal court in Springfield, Ill.
Hendricks was convicted on July 17, 2013, of four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography, following a three-day jury trial in Urbana. During Hendrick’s trial, the government presented evidence that in May 2011, Hendricks coerced and photographed a minor-aged child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The jury also found that Hendricks was a convicted sex offender at the time he committed the offenses in Kankakee County, Ill.
Hendricks was indicted by a grand jury in April 2012, and was arrested in the District of South Carolina on Aug. 1, 2012. Hendricks has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Peirson. The charges were investigated by the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office.
Sentencing for June 20 - 25, 2014Read the Press Release
Jose Cortez-Miranda, 39, of Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on June 25, 2014, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Cortez-Miranda was arrested in Casper, Wyoming. He received eight months imprisonment, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Deborah Kay Person, 56, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on June 24, 2014, for health care fraud. Person appeared pursuant to a summons. She received one year of unsupervised probation and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and restitution in the amount of $3,705.72. This case was investigated by the State of Wyoming Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Mario Lopez-Garcia, 49, of Mexico, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on June 24, 2014, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Lopez-Garcia was arrested in Evanston, Wyoming. He received 14 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Judith A. Shayler, 54, of Gillette, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on June 20, 2014, for fraud using access device of another. Shayler appeared pursuant to a summons. She received 24 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and restitution in the amount of $209,457.50. This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
James Keith Beierle, 47, of Burns, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on June 20, 2014, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Beierle was arrested in Burns, Wyoming. He received 180 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and a $900.00 fine. This case was investigated by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Beverly Kenik, 64, of Buffalo, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on June 20, 2014, for health care fraud. Kenik appeared pursuant to a summons. She received one year of unsupervised probation and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and restitution in an amount to be determined later. This case was investigated by the State of Wyoming Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Second Green Cove Springs Convenience Store Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Refund TheftRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Abass Issa (47, Flemming Island) today pleaded guilty to stealing government property described as fraudulently-obtained tax refunds. Issa faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, as well as an obligation to pay back restitution to the United States in the amount of $1,909,403.66. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Issa owned and operated a convenience store in Green Cove Springs known as V&J Stores, Inc. Antoun Arbaji, who previously pleaded guilty on May 27, 2014, owned and operated another convenience store, Fina Express, a few blocks away.
In 2011, Issa began obtaining fraudulent tax refund checks and fraudulently-obtained refund anticipation loan checks from a source in Tampa, Florida. Issa, in turn, located individuals like Arbaji who, for a percentage fee, would cash the checks through their business accounts. After cashing the checks, Arbaji would remit the cash proceeds to Issa. Issa, in turn, would keep a fee and remit the remainder of the proceeds to the source of the checks in Tampa. During 2011, Arbaji cashed more than $1.5 million in fraudulently-obtained tax refund checks and more than $400,000 in fraudulently-obtained refund anticipation loan checks using his Fina Express business account. After cashing the checks, he delivered the proceeds to Issa, who, after collecting his fee, delivered the remaining proceeds to a source in Tampa. The last individual was prosecuted in the Northern District of Florida.
Many of the fraudulent tax refund checks and refund anticipation loan checks were obtained in the names of individuals who were dead at the time when the tax returns were filed.
According to court records, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and the United States Secret Service seized more than $352,000 from Arbaji’s bank account prior to the return of an indictment in this case.This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III.
Rupert Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Jose Fabien Felix-Burgos, 41, of Rupert, Idaho, pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court to distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, on August 1, 2013, Felix-Burgos delivered methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Heyburn, Idaho. Felix-Burgos met with the undercover officer and another man at a restaurant in Heyburn, Idaho. The purpose of the meeting was to provide methamphetamine to the undercover officer. During the meeting, Felix-Burgos retrieved a box containing over a pound of methamphetamine from a vehicle and gave it to the undercover officer.
Felix-Burgos’ charge is punishable by up to twenty years in prison, a maximum fine of one million dollars, and at least three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for October 7, 2014, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
The case was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in conjunction with, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Canyon County Narcotics Unit, Meridian Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and the Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force.
The OCDETF program is a federal multi agency, multi- jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Riviera Beach Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison in Juno Beach Endangered Sea Turtle Egg Taking CaseRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and William H. Calvert, Law Enforcement Officer, United States Fish & Wildlife Service, West Palm Beach, announce that Kenneth Cornelius Coleman, 52, of Riviera Beach, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge William Zloch after pleading guilty to one count of unlawfully transporting endangered sea turtle eggs in violation of the Lacey Act, Title 16 United States Code, Section 3372. The government requested the maximum penalty of five years in prison for Coleman. The judge ordered that this sentence run consecutively to the 12-month prison sentence Coleman was given after violating his supervised release on a prior turtle egg poaching case, Case No. 10-80124-CR-RYSKAMP. Coleman was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, the maximum under the statute.
According to the Information and other court documents, on July 3, 2013, sea turtle surveyors discovered disturbed sea turtle nests in the area of the beach crossover at 840 Ocean Drive in Juno Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida. Nearby, a trail of six sea turtle eggs were found in the sand. Probing marks were visible in the disturbed nests.
Juno Beach Police officers responded. At the beach crossover near 840 Ocean Drive, officers found a wooden stick that appeared to have been used to probe the turtle nests, as well as three canvas bags. A blue bag was discovered and found to contain 213 sea turtle eggs. DNA analysis of this bag later concluded that the DNA profile previously obtained from Kenneth C. Coleman matched the DNA on the bag.
A biologist and sea turtle expert found that one of the nests disturbed on July 3, 2013, was a Green Sea Turtle nest (endangered species), and the other three were Loggerhead Sea Turtle nests (threatened species), both species of which are protected under Federal Law. The 216 sea turtle eggs were reburied in an attempt to allow them to continue to mature and to hatch.
On July 4, 2013, additional sea turtle nests were found to have been disturbed and to be missing turtle eggs, including Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtle eggs. These were in the area of the beach crossover near 70 Celestial Way in Juno Beach, not far from the disturbed nests from the day before. Also near that location, Juno Beach police officers discovered a backpack which contained 97 sea turtle eggs. These eggs were reburied as well. Defendant Coleman was later contacted on the beach near where these nests were disturbed. Officers detained him on suspicion of sea turtle egg poaching but did not advise him about the charges at that point. Coleman spontaneously stated, “I don’t know nothing about no turtle eggs.”
The eggs were examined by a biologist and confirmed that all of the eggs found were in fact sea turtle eggs. Because sea turtle eggs are illegal contraband, it is very difficult to establish a precise market value for the eggs, but the retail black market value is estimated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be between $3.00 and $5.00 per egg, for a total value between $948 and $1,580.
Coleman was previously charged and pled guilty to violating the Lacey Act by transporting endangered sea turtle eggs in 2010 in Case No. 10-80124-CR-RYSKAMP. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison by Judge Kenneth Ryskamp in that case.
The U. S. Attorney commended the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Juno Beach Police Department and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for their work in the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Jorgensen in the West Palm Beach U. S. Attorney?s Office.
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.
Reading Consultant SentencedRead the Press Release
FOR PAYING BRIBES TO FORMER GREENVILLE SUPERINTENDENTOXFORD, Miss. - Felicia C. Adams, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering, and Yessyka Santana, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General's Southeastern Regional Office announced that:
Edna Goble, 67, of Asheville, North Carolina, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to pay bribes in connection with federal program funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and was sentenced on June 19 by United States District Judge Michael Mills in Oxford, Mississippi, to 30 months imprisonment. Goble admitted to paying bribes and kickbacks to Harvey Franklin, the former superintendent of the Greenville Public School District, in connection with a contract for reading services between the Greenville Public Schools and Edna Goble’s company, Teach Them to Read, Inc. d/b/a Early Detection Necessary Action. In addition, Goble was ordered to pay $1,041,432, joint and severally with Franklin, in restitution to the Department of Education, sentenced to 3 years supervised release following her term of imprisonment, and required to pay a $100 special assessment.
"Today’s action shows that Ms. Goble not only knowingly and willfully abused her position of trust for personal gain, but did so at the expense of the educational development of children. That is unacceptable," said Yessyka Santana, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Southeastern Regional Office. “Deservedly, like her cohort-in-crime former superintendent Franklin, she will be held accountable for cheating Greenville's students."
“This is one of the more appalling cases that my Office has been involved in since I became State Auditor,” Auditor Pickering said. “Ms. Goble and Mr. Franklin worked together to cheat and steal from the students of Greenville, and I am glad both parties are being held accountable for their actions.
Felicia C. Adams, United States Attorney said, “The actions of Ms. Goble and Mr. Franklin harmed the integrity of our public school system and adversely impacted some of our more vulnerable citizens, the children of the Greenville Public School District. When individuals abuse the public trust, our office will remain steadfast in prosecuting those individuals and ultimately ensuring that justice is served.”
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General and the Office of the State Auditor for the State of Mississippi and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Providence Felon Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison on Drug Trafficking, Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
wPROVIDENCE, R.I. – Edgar Pagan, 22, formerly of Providence, was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Pagan was serving a state sentence of home confinement in July 2013 on a previous conviction for drug possession when he was found to be in possession of nearly 2.5 grams of crack cocaine and two firearms, one of them loaded. He was arrested by members of the Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith also sentenced Pagan to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Pagan pleaded guilty on February 14, 2014.
Pagan’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Colonel Steven G. O’DonnellSuperintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.
According to information presented to the court at the time of Pagan’s guilty plea, on July 17, 2013, members of the HIDTA Task Force developed information that Pagan was in possession of two firearms at his Providence residence. Task Force officers learned that Pagan was scheduled to report to the Home Confinement Program office at the Adult Correctional Institution (ACI) for a routine appointment the next day. During the scheduled appointment, Task Force officers informed Pagan of their ongoing investigation. Pagan responded, “Let’s do this. Go there and check. I have nothing there.” Pagan agreed to allow officers to search his apartment.
According to information presented to the court, after entering the apartment with Pagan the defendant admitted to having concealed cocaine inside a pillow case on his bed. Officers located eight individually wrapped packages of crack cocaine, and Vicodin and Oxycodone pills inside the pillow case. When asked about guns, Pagan denied he had any, instead directing Task Force officers to a back bedroom and a safe containing $1,150 in cash. While in the bedroom, Task Force officers located a white padded envelope from the ACI. Inside the envelope they discovered a loaded .45 caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol and an unloaded .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Officers also seized items used in the packaging and distribution of crack cocaine.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Rose.
The Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force is comprised of members of law enforcement from the Rhode Island State Police, ATF, DEA, ICE-HSI, R.I. National Guard, and the Johnston, Pawtucket, Providence, and Smithfield Police Departments.
This case was brought as part of the Rhode Island Urban Violent Crime Initiative. The Rhode Island Urban Violent Crime Initiative is a local, state and federal law enforcement collaboration to proactively identify, investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for crimes of violence in urban neighborhoods.###
To assist the media and the public, a glossary of federal judicial terms and procedures is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/justice101/
Contact: 401-709-5357
[email protected]Postal Clerk Indicted for Stealing Prescription Painkillers from Mail and Burglarizing Post OfficeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal grand jury today indicted a former U.S. Postal Service clerk in Tuscaloosa on charges including stealing prescription painkillers from the mail, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Max Eamiguel, of the Southern Area Field Office, and Postal Inspection Service Team Leader Frank Dyer.
An indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges that NICHOLAS STEVEN DAVIS, 42, of Tuscaloosa, stole a medical parcel containing about 180 tablets of hydrocodone from the mail on July 6, 2012, while he worked as a distribution clerk at the Skyland Post Office. The parcel was addressed to someone on Lake Lurleen in Coker, Ala. The indictment also charges Davis with delaying or detaining packages intended for delivery by mail on July 6, 2012.
The two other counts of the indictment charge that, after Davis was fired from the Postal Service, he broke into the Skyland Post Office on June 7, 2014, and June 15, 2014, intending to commit theft.
The maximum penalty for each of the charges is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Postal Service OIG and the Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Salter is prosecuting.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Postal Clerk Indicted for Stealing Prescription Painkillers from Mail and Burglarizing Post OfficeRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A federal grand jury today indicted a former U.S. Postal Service clerk in Tuscaloosa on charges including stealing prescription painkillers from the mail, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Max Eamiguel, of the Southern Area Field Office, and Postal Inspection Service Team Leader Frank Dyer.
An indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges that NICHOLAS STEVEN DAVIS, 42, of Tuscaloosa, stole a medical parcel containing about 180 tablets of hydrocodone from the mail on July 6, 2012, while he worked as a distribution clerk at the Skyland Post Office. The parcel was addressed to someone on Lake Lurleen in Coker, Ala. The indictment also charges Davis with delaying or detaining packages intended for delivery by mail on July 6, 2012.
The two other counts of the indictment charge that, after Davis was fired from the Postal Service, he broke into the Skyland Post Office on June 7, 2014, and June 15, 2014, intending to commit theft.
The maximum penalty for each of the charges is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Postal Service OIG and the Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Salter is prosecuting.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Philadelphia Man Charged with False Statement Related to Federal Assistance for Storm DamageRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA –Kevin Thomas, 51, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by information, filed yesterday, with making a material false statement, in connection with his false certifications relating to rental assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Tropical Storm Lee announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.
If convicted, Kevin Thomas faces a maximum possible sentence of 5 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security OIG and United States Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joan E. Burnes.
Click here to view the indictment
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Owner of Trucking Company Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – The owner of a trucking company in southern West Virginia pleaded guilty today for failing to collect and pay federal employment taxes announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Richard L. Bailey, Jr., of Fayetteville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to two federal tax charges.
Bailey owned and operated Duster Trucking Company, LLC, a coal hauling business in the Fayetteville area. Bailey was required to deduct income taxes, social security taxes, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages, and to pay these taxes to the federal government. In 2009, Bailey failed to collect and pay employment taxes in the amount of $16,170.23. In 2010, Bailey again failed to collect and pay employment taxes of $9,155.99.
Bailey is scheduled for sentencing on October 1, 2014. For each offense, Bailey faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Tony Frith (35, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to access device fraud. Frith is facing up to 10 years in federal prison and a 3-year term of supervised release. The sentencing hearing has been set for September 15, 2014.
According to court documents, officers from the Orlando Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Frith’s vehicle on September 15, 2013. During the stop, a drug detection dog alerted to the presence of an illegal drug from inside Frith’s vehicle. Officers then conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search, one of the officers found a backpack in the vehicle’s trunk that contained a computer, an attached encoding device, and more than 200 counterfeit credit cards. Further investigation determined that the credit cards were counterfeit and that they had been re-encoded with stolen credit card numbers. A subsequent examination of Frith’s computer revealed that it contained more than 3,000 credit card numbers, as well as text files with names, dates of birth, and Social Security Numbers. The total amount of actual loss associated with the counterfeit credit cards and stolen credit card numbers found in Frith’s possession is over $470,000.
This case was investigated by the Orlando Police Department and the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Operators of Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation Center IndictedRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Federal Grand Jury in the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke has charged four individuals with a variety of Federal crimes, including racketeering [RICO], relating to the operation of a Weber City, Va., skilled nursing facility.
In an indictment returned Tuesday, June 24, 2014, the Grand Jury has charged Avi Klein, 45, of Miami Beach, Fla., Alicia Dietrich, 52, of Lancaster, Ohio, Charles R. Menten, 62, of Wilton Manors, Fla., and Vicki Cox, 46, of Kingsport, Tenn. with various crimes relating to the operation of the nursing facility formerly known as the Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation Center in Weber City, Va.
Klein has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, ten counts of wire fraud, one count of healthcare fraud, fifty-five counts of mail fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Dietrich has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, one count of healthcare fraud, fifty-four counts of mail fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to make false statements.
Menten has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, two counts of wire fraud, fifty-five counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Cox has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, one count of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to make false statements.
According to the indictment, the defendants, and their associates, operated the Brian Center, a 90 bed skilled nursing facility in Weber City, Va., to commit a multi-component fraud scheme that included defrauding Medicare and Virginia Medicaid by, among things, causing the facility to operate without sufficient certified nursing assistants and supplies, and in violation of Federal nursing facility requirements. The other components of the fraud scheme included defrauding vendors who supplied goods and services to the facility and defrauding the facility’s employees of money withheld from their paychecks for benefits that were not provided.
The indictment alleges that the defendants caused residents to live in unsanitary and unclean conditions, to be without good nutrition and personal and oral hygiene, including but not limited to a lack of bathing, toileting, grooming, cleaning, turning, feeding and meaningful restorative services, and to have neglected and untreated pressure sores.
In convicted the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 for each of the racketeering and fraud counts. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000, and the conspiracy to make false statements charge has a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000. Each defendant also faces significant forfeitures for the racketeering, fraud, and money laundering charges.
This case is the result of a cooperative investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. Assistant United States Attorney’s Rick Mountcastle and Daniel Bubar and Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Eric Atkinson are prosecuting the case for the United States.
A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. These defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Operation Road Block Members of Drug Organization IndictedRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today the unsealing of a federal grand jury indictment in Operation Road Block, an extensive investigation into a drug trafficking network operating in the Baton Rouge region.
The investigation is another effort by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program which was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program operates nationwide and combines the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
The following eight individuals have been charged:
• Wilbert Mathes, age 38, of Zachary, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; possession of firearms by a convicted felon; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Mathes faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 86 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $7,250,000 fine. He has been arrested and is detained pending trial.
• Joell Leggins, age 39, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Leggins faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 156 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $14,250,000 fine. He is currently a fugitive.
• Marcus Thornton, age 38, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Thornton faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 64 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $7,250,000 fine. He is currently incarcerated on unrelated state charges and will be transported to federal court for his initial appearance at a later date.
• Damond Reynard Lockett, age 40, of Port Allen, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Lockett faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 68 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $6,500,000 fine. He has been arrested and is detained pending trial.
• Lamont Jackson, age 39, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Jackson faces a possible sentence of 32 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $1,750,000 fine. He has been arrested and is under pretrial supervision pending trial.
• Broderick D. Mathes, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession of firearms by a convicted felon; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Mathes faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 80 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $7,000,000 fine. He has been arrested and is detained pending trial.
• Robert Williams, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; and forfeiture. If convicted, Williams faces a possible sentence of 20 years imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $1,000,000 fine. He has been arrested and is under pretrial supervision pending trial.
• Caprice Morgan, age 28, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with misprision of a felony. If convicted, Morgan faces a possible sentence of 3 years imprisonment, 1 year of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. She has been arrested and is under pretrial supervision pending trial.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “This indictment continues our battle against the drug trafficking organizations that plague our community. We will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners to take drug dealers off the streets of Baton Rouge. I greatly appreciate the hardworking team of agents and prosecutors who contributed to this important operation.”
Joseph Shepard, the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the New Orleans Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, stated: “This operation is the result of a successful collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement to pursue justice. This indictment should serve as a reminder that DEA, along with its partners, remains deeply committed to aggressively and swiftly pursuing those who violate the federal drug laws.”
This operation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Baton Rouge City Police Department, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kleinpeter who serves as a Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division.
NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by the Grand Jury. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.
Newport News Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Kevin L. Ashby, 25, of Newport News, Virginia, was sentenced today to life in prison for participating in a May 2009 murder, along with a concurrent sentence of 40 years for participating in the Thug Relations gang, which engaged in narcotics distribution, weapons violations and multiple acts of violence, including several murders, in the Newport News area.
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 sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.According to court documents, Ashby, and his co-defendant Antonio Fuller, were part of a criminal organization known locally as “Thug Relations.” Ashby pleaded guilty on March 12, 2014, and admitted to participating in a criminal enterprise that engaged in murders, attempted murder, witness intimidation, robberies and narcotics distribution. Specifically, Ashby admitted to participating in the murders of Andre Horton and Andre Julius Johnson on May 17, 2009, the murder and robbery of Lafayette Bailey on Dec. 15, 2009, and the murder and robbery of Lloyd Robinson on Jan. 8, 2010.
The Thug Relations gang is alternatively known as “the Duct,” “Warwick Lawnz,” “TR,” and “from the Duct to the Lawnz,” and it operates as a neighborhood gang in the Aqueduct Apartments, St. Michael’s Apartments, Mariner’s Landing Apartments and Heritage Trace Apartments, as well as the Warwick Lawns, Warwick Town Home, Sharon Drive and Savage Drive areas of Newport News.
Ashby’s co-defendant, Antonio Fuller, is set to begin trial on July 1, 2014. Ashby’s conviction raises to 44 the total number of Thug Relations gang members convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for gang-related murder, narcotics distribution and other violence.
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 Trial Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt of the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, 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.
New York City Woman Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Fraud in Connection with Federal Financial Aid to Attend Online State CollegeRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEPHANIE BROWN pled guilty today to engaging in fraud in connection with federal financial aid to attend an online state college. BROWN pled guilty in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.
According to Information, documents filed in the case, and statements made today in court:
In 2011, BROWN forged documents, made false statements, and submitted false and fraudulent documents to the United States Department of Education (“Department of Education”) in order to obtain federal financial aid for prospective students of a State of New York online college. As a result of BROWN’s fraud, the Department of Education provided federal financial aid to individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for such aid. As part of her plea agreement with the Government, BROWN agreed to make restitution in the amount of $117,840.
BROWN, 53, of Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of federal financial aid fraud. She faces a maximum of one year in prison; one year of supervised release; and a $25 special assessment. The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge. In addition to the prison sentence, BROWN has agreed to restitution in the amount of $117,840.
Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie H. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. v. Stephanie Brown Information
New Haven Man Sentenced to 12 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 TYLON VAUGHN, also known as “Bucky B,” 36, of New Haven, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine and marijuana.
VAUGHN is one of more than 100 individuals 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 December 6, 2013, a jury found VAUGHN guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 280 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”) and a quantity of marijuana, and two counts of distributing cocaine base. According to the evidence at trial, VAUGHN received distribution quantities of crack from co-defendant Britt Martin, also known as “Big Baby,” and distributed crack and marijuana, as well as other controlled substances, to customers in Fair Haven. In May and June 2011, investigators made two controlled purchases of crack from VAUGHN.
VAUGHN’s criminal history includes 11 prior convictions, six of which were for drug offenses.
Martin pleaded guilty to his role in this conspiracy and is currently serving a 120-month prison term.
This matter has been 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, with assistance from Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Rombeau.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
[email protected]Monmouth County, N.J., Doctor Indicted on Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy, Money Laundering and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, N.J., doctor who allegedly wrote illegal prescriptions for oxycodone was indicted on charges that he participated in a conspiracy to illegally distribute the medication, laundered money and failed to pay taxes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Dr. Paul DiLorenzo, 60, of Ocean Township, N.J., is charged in a superseding indictment, returned today by a federal grand jury, with one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, one count of structuring financial transactions, one count of conspiracy to launder money and eight counts of failing to collect and pay payroll taxes.
According to documents filed in this case:
Oxycodone, the active ingredient in brand name pills such as Oxycontin, Roxicodone and Percocet, is a Schedule II controlled substance, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, is only currently accepted in medical use applications with severe restrictions, and abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Between 2009 and June 27, 2012, DiLorenzo allegedly issued prescriptions to conspirators for drugs containing oxycodone outside the usual course of medical practice and not for any legitimate medical purpose. DiLorenzo charged purported patients $500 in cash for the first visit, $300 in cash for each successive visit and an additional $150 in cash for urine tests.
DiLorenzo employed three conspirators to act as “staff” at his office despite the fact that none of them had any medical training. DiLorenzo provided one of his conspirators with blank prescription pads and stamps in order to generate oxycodone prescriptions for purported patients. DiLorenzo would allegedly sign the prescriptions, often without any medical examination or only a cursory examination. DiLorenzo’s conspirators would obtain oxycodone pills at pharmacies and then distribute the pills.
DiLorenzo allegedly agreed to split the proceeds with some of his conspirators, but never reported or paid any employment taxes.DiLorenzo structured his share of the proceeds, depositing $1,090,939 in cash into various accounts via more than 150 separate transactions. All but one of the deposits was for an amount less than $10,000, which is the amount that requires the filing of a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). The one deposit for more than $10,000 – a $10,044 cash deposit – was accompanied by a deposit slip in the amount of $9,544. After being told by the teller that the amount was in excess of $10,000, DiLorenzo attempted to cancel the deposit rather than have the bank prepare and file a CTR. DiLorenzo also accumulated $521,212.25 in cash that was found at his house and the house of his parents.
The count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The structuring count carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The conspiracy to launder money count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The tax counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250, 000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl Kotowski, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton and Tino Lisella, trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division.
The charge and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
14-233
Defense counsel: Robert DeGroot Esq., Newark
DiLorenzo, Paul Superceding Indictment
Moline Man Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting A MinorRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. — A Moline, Ill., man, Daniel C. McLeod, 26, was sentenced yesterday for the unlawful transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, as announced by Central District of Illinois U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis. U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow ordered McLeod to serve 200 months (16 years, 8 months) in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release following his release from prison.
On Jan. 24, 2014, McLeod pled guilty to the offense. According to court documents and evidence presented by the government during court hearings, McLeod traveled to Iowa in December 2012 and picked up a 13-year-old female and brought her to Moline to have sex with her. The female stayed with McLeod for approximately two weeks until the victim notified family members who notified local authorities. During the two week period, McLeod admitted he had sex with the minor multiple times, and occasionally filmed the activity using his cell phone.
McLeod has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in January 2013.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk W. Schuler prosecuted the case. The charges were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service’s Quad Cities Cyber-Crime Unit and the Moline Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced that on June 25, 2014, Billy Cannon, Sr. (49) of Milwaukee, WI, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for wire fraud and money laundering. His incarceration will be concurrent to a 16 year sentence he received earlier this year in state court for drug and firearm offenses.
From at least June 2006 through July 2007, Cannon worked as a mortgage broker and used straw buyers to fraudulently obtain mortgages for numerous properties on the north and northwest side of the city of Milwaukee. Loan applications submitted to lenders by Cannon contained material misrepresentations which made the straw buyers more appealing candidates for a mortgage. The straw buyers almost uniformly defaulted on the loans. In all, nearly a million dollars was lost by lenders as a result of the scheme. Cannon has been ordered to pay restitution to the lenders for the losses incurred.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Wesley.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting ToddlerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alcario Emilio Provencio, 24, a member and resident of the Mescalero Apache Nation, was sentenced this afternoon to 36 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting a minor in Indian Country.
Provencio was arrested on April 15, 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the complaint, Provencio assaulted a 16-month-old child who was in his care on Oct. 10, 2012, in a residence located on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. As a result of the assault, the victim sustained serious injuries including compression fractures of two vertebrae, retinal hemorrhaging, a fractured rib and numerous bruises on the head, face, neck and torso.
Provencio was in tribal custody on tribal charges related to the assault until his arrest on federal charges. He has been in federal custody since his federal arrest.
On Oct. 28, 2013, Provencio entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with assault of a person under the age of 16 years resulting in substantial bodily injury. Provencio admitted assaulting the victim by intentionally striking the child, and acknowledged that the victim sustained substantial bodily injury as a result of the assault.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Domestic Assault by A Habitual Offender ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lonnie Ray Youngman, 45, was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 38 months if federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic assault by a habitual offender charges. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and DuWayne W. Honahni, Sr., Special Agent in Charge of District IV of BIA’s Office of Justice Services.
Youngman, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was arrested on July 8, 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted his domestic partner, a Mescalero Apache woman. Youngman subsequently was indicted and charged with assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon on Jan. 6, 2012, and assaulting the victim on Jan. 5, 2012. Youngman was charged as a habitual domestic offender because he previously had been convicted on domestic assault charges in May 1996 and April 2010.
On March 5, 2014, Youngman entered a guilty plea to the indictment and admitted assaulting the victim on Jan. 5, 2012, by striking her with a wooden table leg. He also admitted assaulting the victim on Jan. 6, 2012, by punching, kicking and biting her. The victim sustained serious bodily injuries, including contusions on the face, scalp, neck and arm, a deviated septum, and bite marks, as a result of the assaults. Both assaults occurred within the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
This case was investigated by the Mescalero Agency of BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The case was brought pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Vincent Magoosh, 23, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon to eight months of incarceration for his assault conviction. Magoosh then will be on supervised release for two years, six months of which will be served at a half-way house.
Magoosh was arrested on Aug. 2, 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted another Mescalero Apache man on April 28, 2013 with a dangerous weapon. Magoosh has been in federal custody since that time.
On Jan. 21, 2014, Magoosh pled guilty to a criminal information charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, and admitted assaulting the victim on April 28, 2013. In his plea agreement, Magoosh said that an argument with the victim escalated to a physical confrontation during which he armed himself with a broken table leg with nails in it. Magoosh swung the table leg at the victim and struck him in the head causing a cut to the left side of the victim’s head.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Garreth Winstead, III of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
McLaughlin Man Charged with AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Assault Against a Law Enforcement Officer, and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Brett Claymore, age 21, was indicted on June 17, 2014. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes on June 24, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on June 15, 2014, Claymore unlawfully assaulted a Corson County Deputy Sheriff, which resulted in serious bodily injury.
The charges are merely accusations and Claymore is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley is prosecuting the case.
Claymore was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Marcel Henderson Sentenced to 71 Months in Prison for Receipt of A Firearm by A FelonRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe stated that Marcel Henderson, 25, of St. Thomas was sentenced today in United States District Court to 71 months in prison for the illegal possession of firearms. Henderson, who is a convicted felon, is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms. After serving his prison sentence, Henderson will be on Federal supervised release for 3 years. Henderson, who has been incarcerated since his arrest last December, was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
According to court records, on December 12, 2013, officers of Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package containing four firearms and 230 rounds of ammunition which hand been mailed to St. Thomas. Two of the firearms had obliterated serial numbers. Court records also show that the intended recipient of this package was Henderson. Further investigation revealed that Henderson was convicted in the Virgin Islands Superior Court on August 5, 2010 for attempted armed robbery for which he received a sentence of three years’ incarceration, with all suspended except four months. The defendant pled guilty on February 24, 2014.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD ). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ishmael A. Meyers, Jr.
Man Who Allegedly Escaped from Prison in 1973 Charged with Identity Theft and Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Ronald Dwaine Carnes, age 69, from Waterloo, Iowa, has been charged with misuse of Social Security numbers, aggravated identity theft and possession of a firearm by a felon and fugitive from justice. The charges are contained in a Complaint filed on June 23, 2014, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Complaint alleges that Carnes was convicted of Robbery with Firearms in North Carolina in November 1970. He allegedly escaped from prison on or about August 4, 1973. Following his alleged escape, Carnes allegedly lived under the identities of two different persons to avoid detection by law enforcement. Carnes also allegedly used the two identities to collect Social Security benefits and to apply for Iowa drivers’ licenses. During an April 14, 2014, search of Carnes’ residence in Waterloo, Iowa, law enforcement agents allegedly found certified copies of birth certificates for both identities as well as a handgun and ammunition.Carnes appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Carnes’ next appearance for a preliminary hearing is set for July 9, 2014, at 4:00 p.m.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 14-mj-157.
Man Sentenced on Marriage Fraud ChargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Adil Alakbarov, a citizen of Azerbaijian who had been residing in Cheektowaga, N.Y., and who was convicted of making a false statement on an immigration document, was sentenced to time served (5 ½ months) by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated that Alakbarov attempted to become a U.S. citizen through marriage, and went to great lengths to convince an immigration officer that he was in a valid marriage. The defendant also claimed that he and his wife were residing at the same address. In reality, the marriage was a sham, and the defendant and his purported wife did not live at the same address.
When the Alakbarov learned that he was going to be charged in federal court, he fled to Mexico. The defendant was later arrested as he attempted to board a plane destined to Turkey.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and Customs and Border Patrol in California.Life Support Ambulance Company and Owners Charged in Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Life Support Corporation, its owners, Nazariy Kmet, 35, of Jamison, PA, and Bogdan Kmet, 30, of Warminster, PA, and a company manager, Rostislav Kmet, 26, of Philadelphia, were charged in a 12-count indictment, unsealed today, alleging their involvement in health care fraud, wire fraud, paying kickbacks, and aiding and abetting, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. The company and one owner also were charged with making false statements in connection with health care matters and money laundering. The company is located in the Feasterville-Trevose area and was incorporated in 2010.
The indictment alleges that defendant Life Support and its owners and a manager operated an ambulance company that transported patients who were able to walk and could travel safely by means other than ambulance and who therefore were not eligible for ambulance transportation under Medicare requirements. It is alleged that the defendants or others acting on their behalf falsified reports to make it appear that the patients needed to be transported by ambulance when the defendants and their employees knew that the patients could be transported safely by other means and that many of them were able to walk. It is also alleged that the defendants were involved in paying kickbacks to patients so that the patients chose to be transported by Life Support ambulances. The defendants allegedly billed for the ambulance services as if those services were medically necessary and, as a result of the allegedly fraudulent billing, the Medicare program paid more than $1.9 million for this inappropriate method of transportation.If convicted, Nazariy Kmet, Bogdan Kmet, and Rostislav Kmet each face substantial terms of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a fine in excess of $3.8 million, mandatory restitution estimated at over $1.9 million, forfeiture of assets, and a special assessment. If convicted, Life Support Corporation faces significant financial penalties, including substantial criminal fines, restitution and forfeiture obligations. All defendants could be excluded from participating in federal health care programs if convicted.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J.D. Hogan.
Click here to view the indictment
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Leader of Bloods Street Gang Convicted of Racketeering, Including Three MurdersRead the Press Release
Earlier today, following a month-long trial, Ronald Herron, also known as “Ra Diggs,” was convicted of all counts, including racketeering and three homicides, arising from his leadership of a violent set of the Bloods Street Gang that operated in the Gowanus Housing Development in Brooklyn. The verdict was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.
“Ronald Herron and his gang of thugs preyed on their community while glorifying their criminal lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “He styled himself a rap artist, but the jury’s verdict makes clear who Herron really is, a drug dealer and murderer who sought power through fear and intimidation.” Ms. Lynch expressed her thanks to the agents and investigators from the FBI and NYPD who worked for years to dismantle this violent gang and bring Herron to justice.
Since 1998, Herron committed numerous crimes of violence in support of his drug trafficking operation in and around the Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens, two New York City public housing communities located in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. In 2001, Herron murdered Frederick Brooks. Herron was acquitted of that murder in state court after witnesses refused to testify because they were threatened by Herron and his associates. After being released from state custody and consolidating his control over the drug trade in Gowanus and Wyckoff Gardens, Herron murdered Richard Russo in 2008 and Victor Zapata in 2009.
Herron boasted about his exploits in songs and videos in which he identified himself as the leader of the “Murderous Mad Dogs” set of the Bloods Street Gang and claimed that he had previously “beat a body.” The jury rejected Herron’s claim that the videos were simply exaggerations and that he was an aspiring rap artist rather than a murderer.
Herron’s conviction follows dozens of successful prosecutions over the past ten years conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with the FBI and NYPD, of violent gang members and drug dealers from the Gowanus Housing Development. When he is sentenced, Herron faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shreve Ariail, Sam Nitze, and Rena Paul.
The Defendant:
RONALD HERRON, also known as “Ra Diggs”
Age: 32
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 10 CR 615 (NGG)
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to Sixty-Three Months for Unlawful Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Jesus Coronado, 33, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced in Las Cruces federal court this afternoon to 63 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Coronado will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence.
Coronado was arrested on April 26, 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Coronado subsequently was charged in a two-count indictment with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition in Doña Ana County, N.M., on Oct. 26, 2011 and again on Dec. 14, 2012. At the time, Coronado was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of receiving and transferring stolen property in 2002; receiving stolen property in 2004 and 2008; attempting to commit residential burglary in 2010; and residential burglary in 2011, in the 3rd Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico.On Jan. 21, 2014, Coronado pled guilty to both counts of the indictment and admitted that he unlawfully possessed a 12 gauge shotgun on Oct. 26, 2011, and a 9mm handgun on Dec. 14, 2012.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Explosives and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lee Wayne Weathers, 41, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced in federal court this morning to 60 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.
Weathers was arrested on Nov. 13, 2013, on an indictment charging him with a methamphetamine trafficking offense. A heroin trafficking charge was added when the indictment was superseded in Jan. 2014. According to the superseding indictment, Weathers unlawfully possessed both methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute in Doña Ana County, N.M., on Oct. 24, 2013.
Weathers entered a guilty plea to the methamphetamine trafficking charge on Feb. 11, 2014, and admitted possessing six grams of pure methamphetamine on Oct. 24, 2013, in Doña Ana County. He also admitted that he intended to distribute the drugs for profit.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI, from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Doña Ana/Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Anna R. Wright of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.L.A.-Area ‘Notarios’ Indicted in Scheme That Filed Fraudulent ‘Green Card’ Applications and Cost Some Immigrants Their Life SavingsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles-area immigration consultant and one of her employees were arrested this morning after being named in an indictment that alleges they filed fraudulent “green card” applications on behalf of immigrants who were married to U.S. citizens, some of whom paid more than $20,000 for their services.
Claudia Arreola, 35, of El Monte, who owns California Immigration Services (CIS), and her business associate, Leticia Gutierrez, 35, Pico Rivera, were taken into custody this morning by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The two women were charged in a six-count indictment returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury.
“Fraud scams run by so-called notarios threaten the integrity of the immigration process and offer false hope to desperate people,” said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. “The two women in this case victimized immigrants for years by giving the false impression that they could fix immigration problems.”
According to the indictment, the defendants submitted paperwork to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of six foreign nationals who were seeking to obtain “green cards” – permanent resident status – based on legitimate marriages to U.S. citizens. The applications filed by the defendants allegedly included fraudulent I-94 cards indicating that the immigrants, who originally came to the U.S. illegally, entered lawfully on visitors’ visas.
The immigrant victims were originally quoted fees of approximately $7,000, but the defendants ultimately charged them as much as $24,000. To pay the debt, some of the couples borrowed against their credit cards or obtained loans from family and friends. Subsequently, investigators say when several of the foreign nationals sought refunds after they failed to receive “green cards,” the defendants allegedly threatened to contact authorities and have the aliens deported.
“Tragically, as is often true in such scams, at least some of the victims in this case could have obtained green cards legally,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “Instead, they placed their trust and, in many cases, their life savings in the hands of individuals who were focused on enriching themselves, rather than on helping hopeful immigrants realize the American dream.”
Investigators say the similarity between the name and acronym for Arreola’s consulting business and USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security agency that adjudicates applications for immigration benefits, was no coincidence. Evidence developed during the investigation showed that money orders and cashier’s checks made out to USCIS had been deposited in bank accounts controlled by defendants.
The probe targeting Arreola’s CIS began in 2011 after HSI received leads from USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security directorate involving several suspicious benefit applications. While only six instances of fraud are charged in the case indictment, authorities believe the scheme is responsible for dozens of fraudulent benefit applications.
“Arreola victimized immigrants for personal gain by pretending to be associated with USCIS,” said USCIS FDNS Western Regional Assistant Director Ken Takeda. “We are committed to upholding the integrity of our immigration system by combatting these deceptive practices. USCIS strongly encourages the public to seek legal advice or representation from attorneys or accredited representatives.”
Arreola and Gutierrez are expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in federal court. If convicted, both defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison.
In 2003, the Attorney General of the State of California filed suit against Arreola and Gutierrez, among others, alleging that defendants had engaged in an illegal scheme to provide immigration services in violation of California law. Both Arreola and Gutierrez entered into settlement agreements in which they promised not to engage in illegal immigration consulting services in violation of California law, specifically agreeing not to promise certain benefits or results in immigration cases. In 2006, the defendants began operating California Immigration Services and engaging in the conduct alleged in the indictment.
This case is part of an ongoing, nationwide effort by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to target unscrupulous immigration practitioners and combat the unauthorized practice of immigration law. The initiative relies on federal, state and local resources to combat the widespread problem of unauthorized practice of immigration law. Other partners involved in the Los Angeles effort include the Federal Trade Commission, the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs, the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office of the State of California. For more information on the initiative, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/news/national-initiative-combat-immigration-services-scams.
HSI and USCIS believe there are additional victims in this case who have not yet been identified. The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs has a toll-free number that victims can call to get information or seek assistance: 1-800-593-8222.
Release No. 14-079
Justice Department and State of Texas Require Martin Marietta to Divest a Quarry and Two Rail Yards to Proceed with Acquisition of Texas Industries<br />Read the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Martin Marietta Materials Inc. to divest one Oklahoma quarry and two Texas rail yards in order to proceed with its proposed $2.7 billion acquisition of Texas Industries Inc. The department said that, without the divestiture, the proposed acquisition likely would result in higher prices for purchasers of aggregate – crushed stone produced at quarries or mines – in parts of the Dallas metropolitan area.
The department's Antitrust Division and the state of Texas filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed transaction. At the same time, the department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the department's competitive concerns alleged in the lawsuit.
"Today’s proposed settlement will help ensure that aggregate purchasers in parts of the Dallas metropolitan area will continue to receive the benefits of vigorous competition," said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the department's Antitrust Division. “Without the divestiture obtained by the Antitrust Division, customers would have likely faced higher prices as a result of this acquisition."
Aggregate is used in a variety of applications, such as road construction, and for the production of ready mix concrete and asphalt.
The department said that the proposed merger would have likely resulted in increased prices for customers handling Texas Department of Transportation projects in parts of the Dallas metropolitan area. The Texas Department of Transportation – like many other state Departments of Transportation – sets specifications for the type of aggregate approved for use in those projects. In Dallas County and parts of the surrounding area, Martin Marietta and Texas Industries are two of the only three suppliers of Texas Department of Transportation-approved aggregate.
Under the terms of the proposed consent decree, Martin Marietta must divest its North Troy aggregate quarry in Mill Creek, Oklahoma, its rail yard in Dallas, and its rail yard in Frisco, Texas. All of these assets predominantly serve parts of the Dallas metropolitan area. Under the proposed settlement, the department's Antitrust Division must approve the buyer of the divested assets.
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. is incorporated in North Carolina with its headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Martin Marietta produces, distributes and/or markets aggregate for the construction industry in 29 states and it produces aggregate in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Bahamas for distribution and sale at numerous terminals and yards along the East Coast of the United States. In 2013, Martin Marietta had net sales of $2.1 billion.
Texas Industries Inc. is incorporated in Delaware with its headquarters in Dallas. Texas Industries produces, distributes and/or markets aggregate in five states – Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and California. Texas Industries also produces asphalt concrete, ready mix concrete and cement. In 2013, Texas Industries had net sales of $800 million.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed consent decree, along with the department's competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed decree during a 60-day comment period to Maribeth Petrizzi, Chief, Litigation II Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 8700, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the final judgment upon a finding that it serves the public interest.
Johnstown Heroin Dealer Sentenced to A Year and A Day in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to twelve months and one day in prison and three years supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on, Fred Claycomb, Jr., 51.
According to information presented to the court, on Jan. 17, 2013, Claycomb, Jr. distributed less than 100 grams of heroin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Haines prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Hickton commended the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cambria County Drug Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Claycomb, Jr.
James Amos Parker Sentenced to 120 Months Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of A Minor for SexRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On June 26, 2014, James Amos Parker, 47, of Alcoa, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison by the Honorable Danny C. Reeves, U.S. District Judge. Parker pleaded guilty in February 2014 to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity using a computer in interstate commerce.
Parker engaged in online discussions via the internet with undercover law enforcement officers in which he expressed a desire to engage in sexual relations with someone he believed to be 12 years old. Parker was arrested by undercover law enforcement officers when he showed up at a pre-arranged meeting place to have sex with a person whom he believed to be a minor.
As part of the sentence imposed, Parker was also placed on supervised release for a period of 20 years and will be required to register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or attends school upon his release from prison.
The indictment and subsequent conviction of Amos were the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Knoxville Police Department - Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Jackson Residents Sentenced for Stolen Identity Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss - Rickey McDuffey, of Jackson, was sentenced in federal court today to fifty-six months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit stolen identity refund fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jerome R. McDuffie with IRS - Criminal Investigation.
McDuffy’s co-conspirator, Alicia Haslett, of Jackson, was sentenced on June 19, 2014, to fifty-five months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Both McDuffey and Haslett were also ordered to pay $306,962.17 in restitution and to forfeit that same amount to the government.
McDuffy and Haslett, who were married at the time, conspired to steal personal identifying information which they used to file false federal income tax returns from 2011 through 2013. They both pled guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
Jerome R. McDuffie , Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS – Criminal Investigation, stated: “It is my hope that the sentences imposed on Alicia Haslett and Rickey McDuffey make it clear that identity theft related tax fraud is a serious crime and will result in serious consequences. The ring of fraudsters and identity thieves led by Haslett and McDuffey has been successfully disbanded. On behalf of IRS-CI, I would like to thank the Office of the United States Attorney for their aggressive prosecution of cases involving Stolen Identity Refund Fraud.”If you believe you have been a victim of fraud from a person or an organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of storm victims, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud toll free at:
(866) 720-5721
You can also fax information to:
(225) 334-4707
or e-mail it to:
Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect.
Training and seminars for Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
Help us combat the proliferation of sexual exploitation crimes against children.
Investment Adviser Charged with Stealing Client FundsRead the Press Release
Boston – A Pennsylvania woman affiliated with a Massachusetts-based broker dealer was indicted today in U.S. District Court in Boston on charges that she orchestrated a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme.
Patricia S. Miller, 67, was charged with five counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Miller used her position as a trusted financial adviser, as well as her association with the Massachusetts broker dealer, to obtain money from clients for purported investments never made on the behalf of clients. Specifically, Miller promised high returns if clients put their money into “investment clubs” called, among other things, “KS Investments” and “Buckharbor.” Miller represented, among other things, that funds put into her investment clubs would be placed in fixed-income notes and other investments. Miller was able to obtain over $2.5 million from more than 20 clients for these purported investment clubs. Instead of investing the money as promised, however, she misappropriated client funds for her own use.
If convicted, Miller faces a maximum sentence under the statute for each count of wire fraud of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
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 also expressed appreciation for the help and cooperation her office received from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Field Division. The case is being prosecuted by Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Those who believe that they are a victim of the crimes alleged against Patricia S. Miller should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts at [email protected]. Identified victims will receive notification through an automated victim notification system. Those who have not received notification, and believe they should be included as a victim, should contact the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office at [email protected].
Pittsburgh-Area Victims:
Residents of the Pittsburgh, Pa. area, who believe they are a victim, should contact the victim witness unit at 412-644-3500. Pittsburgh victims may also find information at http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Today’s announcement is part of the ongoing efforts of President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. The interagency FFETF was created to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force, chaired by Attorney General Eric Holder, 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.
Investment Adviser Charged with Stealing Client FundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pennsylvania woman affiliated with a Massachusetts-based broker dealer was indicted today in U.S. District Court in Boston on charges that she orchestrated a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme.
Patricia S. Miller, 67, was charged with five counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Miller used her position as a trusted financial adviser, as well as her association with the Massachusetts broker dealer, to obtain money from clients for purported investments never made on the behalf of clients. Specifically, Miller promised high returns if clients put their money into “investment clubs” called, among other things, “KS Investments” and “Buckharbor.” Miller represented, among other things, that funds put into her investment clubs would be placed in fixed-income notes and other investments. Miller was able to obtain over $2.5 million from more than 20 clients for these purported investment clubs. Instead of investing the money as promised, however, she misappropriated client funds for her own use.
If convicted, Miller faces a maximum sentence under the statute for each count of wire fraud of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
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 also expressed appreciation for the help and cooperation her office received from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Field Division. The case is being prosecuted by Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Those who believe that they are a victim of the crimes alleged against Patricia S. Miller should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts at [email protected]. Information regarding the case can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/ma/news/Miller/index.html. Identified victims will receive notification through an automated victim notification system. Those who have not received notification, and believe they should be included as a victim, should contact the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office at [email protected].
Pittsburgh-Area Victims:
Residents of the Pittsburgh, Pa. area, who believe they are a victim, should contact the victim witness unit at 412-644-3500. Pittsburgh victims may also find information at http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Today’s announcement is part of the ongoing efforts of President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. The interagency FFETF was created to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force, chaired by Attorney General Eric Holder, 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. For more information about the FFETF, please visit: www.stopfraud.gov.
Indictment: Wichita Woman's Business Was Front for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal indictment unsealed here today alleges a Wichita woman ran a prostitution business with as many as 20 escorts who accepted credit cards and offered discount coupons to loyal customers, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Saundra J. Lacy, 60, Wichita, Kan., is charged with 27 counts of racketeering in promotion of prostitution. The indictment alleges Lacy operated an escort service called Jessie’s Primetime Entertainment at 304 S. Laura.
Lacy, whose business was licensed by the City of Wichita as an escort service, required escorts to carry condoms and to engage in sexual acts if a customer requested. She typically charged customers $160 for half an hour with an escort and $185 for an hour. She typically paid an escort $75 to $85 for a half hour date and $90 to $100 for an hour. Escorts who had a current escort license from the City of Wichita were paid more than those who had no license.
She also distributed discount coupons to escorts that entitled customers to a $10 discount at their next date and kept track of the serial numbers on the coupons in a coupon book.
She accepted payment for escorts’ services by cash, credit card and, occasionally, by check. She accepted MasterCard, Visa and Discover Card. Charges would appear as “massage therapy” provided by “Prime Time.” Credit card deposits into the Prime Time Account at Bank of America totaled approximately $39,189 in 2009, $25,601 in 2010, $40,851 in 2011and $32,770 from Jan. 1, 2012 to Aug. 27, 2012.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI and the Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Charles Keith Rolfe (60, Heyburn, Idaho) today pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography. Rolfe faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to a lifetime of supervision, after his release, and will be required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to the plea agreement, on February 28, 2014, Rolfe communicated via a Mobile Messaging Application (“MMA”) on his cellular phone, with an individual with whom he believed he had previously traded child pornography (Subject #1). However, agents with Homeland Security Investigations had assumed Subject #1’s online identity and began communicating with Rolfe in an undercover capacity, after Subject #1’s arrest in October 2013. Rolfe sent the undercover agents at least three videos containing images of child pornography via the MMA on his cellular phone. During a later search of Rolfe’s home, agents found almost 900 images of child pornography stored on a cell phone.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
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 (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Hartford Grocery Store Owner Charged with Food Stamp FraudRead the Press Release
Follow @USAO_CT
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in New Haven has returned an indictment charging SALIH KAYA, 53, of West Hartford, with one count of food stamp fraud. KAYA is the owner and operator of Green Apple Market, located at 264 Farmington Avenue in Hartford.
The indictment was returned on June 24, 2014, and KAYA was arrested yesterday. Following his arrest, he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford and was released on a $25,000 bond.
The federal food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”), is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (“FNS”) and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (“EBT”) card. SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items. Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items. SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.
According to the indictment and statements made in court, KAYA has owned Green Apple Market since it opened on July 1, 2008. Between July 2011 and May 2014, it is alleged that KAYA illegally exchanged food stamps for cash and other ineligible items with customers at the store. The FNS estimates that a reasonable sales figure for the store, given the size, amenities and location of the store, should be no more than $60,000 per year. During this approximately three-year period, sales for the store totaled approximately $2.8 million.
If convicted of the charge, KAYA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
[email protected]Greece Woman Pleads Guilty to Supplying Guns used in Christmas Eve ShootingRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Dawn Nguyen, 25, of Greece, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge David G. Larimer, to knowingly making a false statement in connection with the purchase of firearms; selling and disposing of firearms to William Spengler, a known felon; and possession of firearms while being an unlawful user of marijuana.
“But for the actions of this defendant in illegally putting two guns into the hands of a known dangerous felon, the families of Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka might have their son, father and husband still with them.” “While today’s convictions cannot possibly bring these brave men back, or relieve the pain of the families and those wounded in the Christmas Eve attack, this defendant will in fact shortly receive her just punishment for all the harm she caused.”
The charges involve the purchase and disposition of the firearms that were used in the Christmas Eve shooting in December 2012 that resulted in the deaths of Webster Police Lieutenant Michael Chiapperini and West Webster Firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka, and seriously injured Firefighters Theodore Scardino and Joseph Hostetter. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Noto, who is handling the case, stated that Nguyen made false statements during the purchase of a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle and a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun at Gander Mountain in Henrietta, N.Y., in order to acquire those firearms on behalf of William Spengler, Jr. The defendant gave those firearms to Spengler with the knowledge that Spengler was a convicted felon. In addition, Nguyen unlawfully possessed the firearms at a time when she was an unlawful user of marijuana.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gerald Pickering, Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Cannon, New York Field Division, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Scott Crozier, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 28, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Larimer.Frackville Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Cocaine PossessionRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Frackville, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to fifteen months in prison and three years supervised release on his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Walter Johnson, 29.
According to information presented to the court, on Apr. 4, 2013, Johnson possessed with the intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Haines prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Hickton commended the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Johnstown Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Johnson.
Four Ordered to Prison in Firearms Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Four people residing in Houston have been ordered to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic dozens of AK-47 variant rifles from the Houston area to Mexico, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Robert Elder, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Mexican nationals Abel Lopez, 35, and Arturo Garcia, 31; and Roberto Santana Mears, 22, and Martha Gonzales, 41, all pleaded guilty at varying times earlier this year as did Javier Resendez, 29, Angel Aquino-Pineda, 28, and Mary Bel Deanda, 39. All reside in Houston.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos handed Lopez, who was also convicted of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, to a total of 180 months in federal prison, while Mears, Garcia and Gonzalez were ordered to serve respective terms of 36, 46 and 36 months. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ramos admonished Lopez that he was just fueling the violence in his very own country. Earlier this month, Aquino-Pineda was ordered to serve 100 months in federal prison. Resendez and Bel Deanda will be sentenced July 18, 2014.
In 2013, the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a truck driven by Aquino-Pineda in Kingsville and located 35 AK-47 variant rifles and $26,000 concealed in a false compartment. Seven of the rifles had obliterated serial numbers. Aquino-Pineda admitted his role was to transport the firearms from Houston to McAllen. The firearms would then be transported to Mexico.
ATF agents traced the firearms to Houston purchasers Deanda, Gonzales and Mears, who admitted they were “straw purchasers” for Resendez. Resendez indicated Garcia recruited him to purchase firearms for Lopez and that the firearms would be taken to Mexico. Resendez then recruited Deanda and Gonzales to “straw purchase” the firearms on his behalf. Mears admitted he was also a “straw purchaser” for Lopez.
On Jan. 24, 2014, agents executed a warrant at Lopez’s residence and located two Norinco, Model MAK90, 7,62x39mm AK-47 style rifles; one Baretta, Model 3032, Tomcat .32 caliber pistol; and $955. Lopez told agents that Garcia and Mears had purchased several firearms for him and that the firearms were to be sent to Mexico.
ATF investigated with the assistance of the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hugo R. Martinez and Jeffrey D. Preston are prosecuting the case.
Former Office Manager Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Embezzling More Than $3.6 Million-Defendant Used Money for Jewelry, Vacations, Parties, Other Personal Expenses-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Pamela J. Beard, 52, of Bowie, Md., was sentenced today to three years in prison on a federal mail fraud charge stemming from the embezzlement of more than $3.6 million from her former employer, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Beard pled guilty in January 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Upon completion of her prison term, Beard will be placed on three years of supervised release. She also must pay $3,688,649 in criminal forfeiture and restitution.
According to the government's evidence, from approximately March 1997 through February 2013, Beard was employed as a billing clerk and the office manager at the Office of Orthopaedic Medicine & Surgery, in Washington, DC. Her duties included paying vendors and creditors, as well as making payments on the business’s corporate credit card accounts. She had access to the office’s financial information and payment systems, and, as a result, could generate checks on the office’s corporate checking account. She also was authorized to use a corporate credit card to pay for business-related expenses. Beard was not authorized to use the office’s bank accounts or corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.
From May 1, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard embezzled $3,688,649 from the office. She used the proceeds to pay for, among other things: a home mortgage; vehicles; a timeshare with Disney Vacation Development, Inc.; expenses associated with her husband’s landscaping business; vacations, including a trip to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas; a personal trainer; jewelry, and parties, including Beard’s 50th birthday party at the Sunset Room at National Harbor, in or around February 2012, for which she spent about $18,703 on ice sculptures.
Beard embezzled the money in a variety of ways:
From May 1, 2006, through Jan. 22, 2013, Beard generated more than 100 corporate checks, totaling $1,289,736, on her employer’s checking account. Each check was made payable to Bank of America. Once the checks were generated by Beard through the office’s payment system, she provided them to a physician, who signed them on the office’s behalf. Because the checks were payable to Bank of America, the physician believed that they were intended to pay a corporate credit card account at Bank of America. Beard, however, deposited them at various Bank of America branches to make payments, without authorization, on Bank of America credit card accounts for Beard, her husband, and her husband’s landscaping business.
From Oct. 6, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard generated and mailed additional checks drawn on the office’s corporate checking account to pay personal credit card accounts for herself and her husband at American Express. She also made on-line payments from the corporate checking account to American Express. Beard conducted these financial transactions, without authorization, in the total amount of $2,207,882.
Finally, from April 21, 2006, through Dec. 30, 2012, Beard used the office’s corporate credit card without authorization, to purchase goods and services for her own personal use in the total amount of $191,030.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge Parlave commended the investigative work of special agents and analysts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Senior Inspector Wayne Rollock of the U.S. Marshals Service. He also praised those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman, Rosalind Pressley, and Nicole Wattelet; Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who handled forfeiture issues; and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Johnson, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Seeley, who prosecuted the case.
14-152