Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
10 July 2014
Man and Woman Charged in Identity Theft CaseRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael Debardlabon, 31, and Maria English, 25, both of Rochester, N.Y., were charged by criminal complaint with aggravated identity theft, bank fraud and access device fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, between November 2012 and September 2013, Debardlabon and English, using the name, social security numbers and dates of birth of two different Florida residents, obtained financing to purchase used automobiles. The defendants purchased an Infinity, a Lexus and a BMW, through financial institutions such as ESL and Ally Financial. The Florida residents never authorized the financial transactions to occur. In addition, on one occasion, the complaint alleges that the personal information of a third Florida resident was used to open an American Express card which was used to purchase air fare for Debardlabon and English.
Debardlabon made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman and is being held pending a detention hearing on July 29, 2014.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Shelly Binkowski and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli.Lynnwood WA Man Sentenced to 70 Months, $240,000 Restitution for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that KEVIN KONSTANTINOV, age 50, of Lynnwood, Washington was sentenced to 72 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release and $240,682.27 in restitution for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349.
The defendant pled guilty in September 2013, along with ELVIN ALISURETOVE, age 36, of Newcastle, Washington. ALISURETOVE was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment, on June 11, 2014.
The Indictment alleged that beginning in or about April 2012 and continuing until in or about January 2013, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere, the defendants and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury would obtain account information and personal identification numbers (“PIN’s”) by using a skimming device.
The charges further allege that on or about the period of December 3, 2012 to December 4, 2012, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendants did knowingly possess, and use, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person during and in relation to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
The charges are a result from an investigation by the Durant Police Department, the Muskogee Police Department and the United States Secret Service.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending transportation to the designated federal prison at which he will serve his nonparolable sentence.
First Assistant United States Attorney Doug Horn represented the United States.
Logan Man Admits Involvement in Arch Coal Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Alvis Porter admits to paying kickbacks; pleads guilty to tax crime
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A 61-year-old Logan County man faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty today to failing to collect, account for, and pay over federal employment taxes, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Alvis Porter, of Holden, West Virginia, also admitted to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to the general manager of Arch Coal’s Mountain Laurel mining complex, located in Logan County.
Porter owned and operated a company called Quality Oil, Inc., which did construction work at the Mountain Laurel complex for several years. In 2009, Porter admitted, he began paying kickbacks to Mountain Laurel’s general manager, who is identified in other court documents as David Runyon, so that Runyon would continue hiring Porter’s company to do construction work at the mine. Initially, Porter paid Runyon $5,000 a month in kickbacks, a sum that later grew to $10,000 a month. Porter estimates that over four years, he paid Runyon approximately $400,000 in kickbacks.
Porter also admitted that in 2013, he paid a Quality Oil employee cash wages, under the table, so that Porter could avoid withholding federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes for that employee. Porter paid the employee more than $63,000 in cash for half of 2013. Failing to collect and pay over federal employment taxes is a crime.
Porter has agreed to forfeit $350,000 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in connection with the kickback scheme and pay the IRS $29,851.48 in restitution for his failure to withhold employment taxes.
Porter entered today’s guilty plea before United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston, who is scheduled to sentence Porter on October 16, 2014, in Charleston.
Today’s plea stems from an investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith George Thomas is in charge of the prosecution.Eight more guilty plea hearings are scheduled for other defendants associated with the Arch kickback scheme:
United States v. Gary Griffith, scheduled for 1:30 p.m., July 14, 2014; United States v. Ronald Barnette, scheduled for 3:00 p.m., July 14, 2014; United States v. Scott Ellis, scheduled for 10:00 a.m., July 16, 2014; United States v. Scott Herndon, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., July 16, 2014; United States v. David Herndon, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., July 17, 2014; United States v. Chadwick Lusk, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., July 21, 2014; United States v. James Evans III, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., August 4, 2014; and
United States v. David Runyon, scheduled for 10:00 a.m., August 7, 2014.Leader of Birmingham Heroin and Cocaine Drug Ring Sentenced to 22 YearsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge today sentenced the leader of one of Birmingham’s largest heroin and cocaine trafficking rings to nearly 22 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Schwein, Jr., IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot, and Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale.
U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Blackburn sentenced BILLY WILLIAMS, JR., 41, to 262 months in prison for his role in leading one of Birmingham’s largest heroin and cocaine trafficking rings. Williams pleaded guilty in December 2013 to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to various other drug charges, including using a telephone to traffic drugs and money laundering.
Williams and nine others were originally charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distributing heroin, cocaine, and other drugs in a 41-count May 2013 federal grand jury indictment. A superseding indictment in October 2013 removed one defendant and added two. In addition to being charged in the conspiracy, various defendants were also charged with distributing drugs and laundering money.
“The drug trafficking organization Billy Williams, Jr., led was a significant contributor to our heroin epidemic,” Vance said. “This conviction of these eleven heroin traffickers is a great example of how cooperation between federal and local law enforcement can lead to dismantling significant drug-trafficking organizations that are killing our children.”“Heroin is a highly dangerous and addictive drug being sold on our streets,” Vance said. “Law enforcement efforts must and will continue to focus heavily on suppressing the supply of this extremely dangerous drug and supporting the development of a community wide plan that tackles prevention and addiction treatment along with law enforcement.”
“This case is a model of law enforcement coming together to identify and eliminate the criminal element. I would like to personally thank the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and other members of the FBI’s North Alabama Safe Streets Task Force, as well as IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and ATF for their hard work in bringing these drug traffickers to justice and making our community a safer place,” said Schwein.
“The role of IRS Criminal Investigation in narcotics investigations is to follow the money and financially disrupt major drug trafficking organizations. This has been illustrated in the financial investigation and subsequent prosecution of Billy Williams, Jr.,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot. “We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate individuals that engage in organized drug activity and money laundering offenses.”
The investigation focused on Williams, a large-scale heroin and cocaine distributor in west-end Birmingham, and his network of operators. For over a year, using a variety of sophisticated law enforcement techniques, the FBI gathered intelligence exposing Williams’ extensive drug trafficking operation. The investigation culminated in the January 25, 2013, arrest of SAMMUEL DEWAYNE GULLEY, a key member of Williams’ organization, who was arrested in possession of two kilograms of nearly pure heroin following a high-speed chase with Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies. Later that night, agents seized over one and a half kilograms of cocaine from a home associated with Williams and Gulley. During his arrest in late May of 2013, Williams threw over $60,000 in cash out of the window of his 12th floor condo at City Federal. From the condo, agents recovered over $166,000 in cash and over $177,000 in jewelry and other valuables.
Others sentenced today were ABE JOHNSON, 51, who received a 54-month sentence, MARION REYNOLDS, Jr., 53, who was sentenced to 48 months, and WALTER JOHNSON, 48, who was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison. Three weeks ago, Judge Blackburn sentenced DEANDRE MURRELL, 28, to a 20- year prison term and Sammuel Gulley, 29, to a 10- year term of incarceration. Also sentenced at that time were GRADY JENKINS, 47, who received a 37-month sentence and VERNON MCADORY, 39, who was imprisoned for a term of six months custody and six months home confinement. PRENTICE TANNIEHILL, was sentenced to 4 months in prison for his role in assisting Williams in laundering money and for causing false IRS forms to be filed.
The prosecution led to the forfeiture of large amounts of cash, three vehicles valued at over $200,000, and eight money judgments of $5 million were levied against the defendants. The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, the Birmingham Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Dimler prosecuted the case.
Laguna Pueblo Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federally Deputized Tribal Police OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE –Gregory Allen Bahe, 30, a member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, was sentenced today to eight months and six days in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release for his conviction for assaulting a federal officer. Bahe already has served 122 days in federal custody on a tribal probation violation, for an aggregate of twelve months in federal custody.
Bahe was arrested on Sept. 19, 2013, pursuant to a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted a tribal police officer who holds a Special Law Enforcement Commission from the BIA. Bahe subsequently was indicted and charged with two counts of assaulting a federal officer.
According to court filings, Bahe assaulted an officer of the Laguna Pueblo Tribal Police Department on Sept. 12, 2013, when the officer responded to a call from Bahe requesting police assistance at a residence located in Laguna Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M. When the officer was restraining Bahe for officer safety reasons, Bahe assaulted the officer by spitting at the officers on the face and head-butting the officer on the face.
On April 8, 2014, Bahe pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the indictment and admitted assaulting a federal officer who was engaged in the performance of his official duty.
The case was investigated by the Laguna/Acoma Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Laguna Pueblo Tribal Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson.
Jefferson County Man Sentenced for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Department of Justice
Office of Public AffairsBEAUMONT, Texas – A 33-year-old Port Neches, Texas man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Christopher Dale Harrison pleaded guilty on Nov. 19, 2013 to production of child pornography and was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.According to information presented in court, on Apr. 18, 2013, a federal search warrant was executed at Harrison’s Port Neches home. During the search, agents located and seized an external hard drive and a cell phone from the home and a camera owned by Harrison that had been recently pawned at a local pawn shop. Forensic examinations of the items revealed they contained images of child pornography. Agents were able to determine that the images containing child pornography on the camera were taken at Harrison’s residence in Port Neches and involved a child younger than 18 years of age engaged in sexually explicit conduct and that Harrison had persuaded and ordered this minor to engage in this conduct.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, HSI-ICE, the Port Neches Police Department, the Beaumont Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Englade.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced for Gun ViolationRead the Press Release
More Indianapolis results as state and federal prosecutor’s offices crack down on violent gun-related crime
INDIANAPOLIS – Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, announced today that Thomas Montgomery, 39, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 66 months (five ½ years) n½ in federal prison by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence. Montgomery admitted to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Montgomery’s conviction is the result of a joint prosecution effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Three years ago, this Office pledged to federally prosecute more illegally-armed felons than ever before,” said Hogsett. “Today’s sentence supports that pledge to take off our streets the most violent criminals who terrorize our neighborhoods.”
Court documents state that on August 9, 2013, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to 3033 Bavarian West Dr. on a person with a gun. The caller/witness advised dispatch that Thomas Montgomery was outside in the parking lot with a gun. The caller also stated that there was a disturbance between Montgomery and the maintenance worker, and that Montgomery had pointed a gun at the maintenance worker’s head and then fled the scene in a black Chevy Suburban.
Shortly thereafter, an IMPD officer observed the Suburban registered to Montgomery and initiated a traffic stop near 34th and Galeston. The driver, identified as Thomas Montgomery, got out of the driver’s seat holding a black handgun in his right hand. Montgomery fled on foot behind the residence. Officers summoned K-9 assistance, and eventually located Montgomery hiding in the back yard in the 8800 block of Frontenac Rd, where he was taken into custody.
Officers did not locate a firearm on Montgomery, near his apprehension location or in his vehicle; therefore they summoned a ballistic K-9 unit. The K9 unit located a black semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine lying in a near-by back yard. Montgomery was found to have previously been convicted of numerous felonies, including Criminal Recklessness, Theft, Possession of a Handgun Without a License, Possession of Cocaine, and Dealing in Cocaine, all in Marion County, Indiana.
Announced in March of 2011, the Violent Crime Initiative represents a district-wide strategy to work with local law enforcement and county prosecutors to combat drug traffickers and criminals that use and carry firearms in their illegal activities. The VCI has produced a dramatic increase in the number of gun-related charges brought federally. In the year preceding the initiative, there were just 14 defendants charged with federal gun crimes by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In the nearly three years since, more than 325 defendants have been charged.
According to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Thomas Lupke, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Montgomery faces three years of supervised release after his sentence. Lupke currently serves as a SAUSA for Hogsett’s office and splits his time as a deputy prosecutor with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office where he specializes in narcotic- and gun-related cases.
Houston Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking of ChildrenRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Pierre Johnson aka “Too Good,” 39, of Houston, has entered a plea of guilty to trafficking children under 18 for commercial sex, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
According to the plea agreement, from Aug. 1, 2013, through Nov. 1, 2013, Johnson forced at least three minor girls into prostitution by using force and intimidation. Johnson stipulated that he and his conspirators would photograph the girls and post online ads for prostitution. In those ads, he would advertise the girls for both one-girl and two-girl specials. Johnson kept all monies earned and also supplied the victims with marijuana. Johnson prostituted his victims in Texas, Louisiana and Colorado.
U.S. District Judge David Ellison accepted the guilty pleas today and set sentencing for Nov. 6, 2014. At that time, Johnson faces up to life imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. He was ordered to remain in custody pending that hearing.
An investigation by the Houston FBI Innocence Lost Task Force, which includes such agencies as the Houston Police Department, developed this case using statements from victims as well as on line advertisements for the victims’ services and hotel records from several hotels.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie N. Searle and Sherri L. Zack, 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."
Head Pharmacist of West Orange Pharmacy Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Selling Oxycodone Without PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The former pharmacist in charge of West Orange Pharmacy was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for illegally distributing hundreds of tablets of oxycontin in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Leonard “Lenny” Stefanelli, 49, of East Hanover, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with illegally dispensing oxycodone. Stefanelli also admitted to conspiring with brothers Robert and William Carlucci, both 70, of Florham Park, New Jersey, to submit fraudulent bills to health care benefit providers, including Medicare and Medicaid. U.S. District Judge Faith S. Hochberg imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
Stefanelli also previously agreed forfeit $1.5 million, consisting of illegal profits obtained from his illegal sales of oxycodone and his submission of fraudulent bills to health care benefit providers.
According to documents filed in this and related cases and statements made in court:
Oxycodone, the active ingredient in brand name pills such as Oxycontin, is a Schedule II controlled substance B meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions, and abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. A pharmacist can only dispense a Schedule II controlled substance when presented with a written prescription from a doctor.
On at least six separate occasions from Feb. 1, 2012, to August 6, 2012, Stefanelli sold hundreds of tablets of Oxycontin, without a prescription, in exchange for cash. Each sale took place inside West Orange Pharmacy. On Feb. 8, 2012, Stefanelli sold one bottle of 100-count Oxycontin 30-mg tablets and one bottle of 100-count Oxycontin 15-mg tablets for $1,800.
Between 1992 and October 2012, Stefanelli conspired with Robert and William Carlucci to submit fraudulent bills to health care benefit providers, including Medicaid and Medicare, reaping at least $921,634 from his scheme. Robert and William Carlucci pleaded guilty on Aug. 6, 2013, to committing health care fraud by participating in a variety of schemes designed to cheat customers and bilk insurance companies out of millions of dollars. On March 13, 2014, the Carluccis were each sentenced to 42 months in prison.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hochberg sentenced Stefanelli to three years of supervised release, fined him $1 million and permanently barred him from working in the pharmaceutical industry.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski; and special agents of the Food & Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, under the direction of Mark Dragonetti, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Elizabeth, Clinton, Toms River, West Orange and Marlboro police departments, along with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, for their work on this case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
14-244
Defense counsel: Carlos Ortiz Esq., Morristown, New Jersey
Halifax County Man Receives 100 Months Imprisonment for Federal Firearms and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced jermaine jones , 30, of Roanoke Rapids, to 100 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
jones was named in an Indictment filed on December 17, 2013, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, charging him with 1 count of possession of a firearm by a felon and 1 count of possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana. On March 5, 2014, JONES pled guilty to those charges.
According to the investigation, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) discovered that JONES hadpawned a firearm on April 26, 2012, at a pawn shop located in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Additionally, on March 28, 2013, HCSO deputies, with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, intercepted and executed a controlled delivery of a package addressed to JONES, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina which contained 439.81 grams of marijuana.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, the Nash County Narcotics Division, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and Wilson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case for the government.
Guilty Pleas Halt Federal Trial in Interstate Contraband Cigarette Trafficking Conspiracy Resulting in $1.1 Million Dollar Tax Revenue Loss to R.I.Read the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The federal court jury trial of Wissam Khalil, 41, of Central Falls, R.I., and his brother Bassam Khalil, 49, formerly of Pawtucket, R.I., was halted Thursday when the two men pleaded guilty to their roles in a complex interstate contraband cigarette trafficking conspiracy that brought more than six million contraband cigarettes into Rhode Island from Virginia, and which cheated Rhode Island out of nearly $1.1 million dollars in tax stamp payments.
Additionally, Wissam Khalil pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (Food Stamp) Program. Bassam Khalil admitted to defrauding the Social Security Administration.
Wissam Khalil pleaded guilty to one count each of transporting, possessing or selling in excess of 10,000 contraband cigarettes; structuring; and, conspiracy to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Bassam Khalil pleaded guilty to one count of transporting, possessing or selling in excess of 10,000 contraband cigarettes and one count of social security fraud. Both are detained in federal custody pending sentencing by U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith on September 25, 2014.
As a result of Thursday’s guilty pleas, seven of eight defendants charged in a sweeping fifteen-count superseding indictment returned in September 2013 have pleaded guilty and stand convicted of federal charges. A warrant has been issued for the eighth defendant who has remained outside of the United States since prior to the return of the grand jury indictment.
The guilty pleas are announced by Peter F. Neronha, United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island; Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston field office of the FBI; William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston field office of IRS Criminal Investigation; Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations for New England; Scott E. Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston field office of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General/Office of Investigations; and William G. Squires, Special Agent in Charge of the northeast region of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.
On May 8, 2013, more than a dozen teams of federal and Rhode Island state law enforcement agents and officers executed federal search warrants at ten locations where a significant quantity of contraband cigarettes, approximately $100,000 in cash, business records and four vehicles connected to the trafficking operation were seized. The majority of cash and cigarettes seized were discovered stashed in sophisticated hides in several of the locations. Seven individuals named in federal arrest warrants were located and arrested.
According to court documents and information presented to the court during various plea hearings and during the trial of Wissam and Bassam Khalil, as part of the conspiracy, in July 2011, several “shell” corporations were created and vacant retail storefronts were rented in Virginia for the purpose of making it appear that cigarettes being purchased in Virginia were for resale in Virginia. The cigarette packages included Virginia tax stamps, reflecting a Virginia tax of thirty-five cents per package.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, between July 2011 and May 2013, more than 30-thousand cartons (6 million) of cigarettes valued at more than $1.2 million dollars were purchased in Virginia and shipped to Rhode Island in a truck bearing Rhode Island War Veteran Plates, often times driven by a person wearing a United States Army uniform. The person, a member of the conspiracy, wore the uniform in an effort to gain favor and avoid law enforcement detection.
According to information presented to the court, the cigarettes were distributed and sold in Rhode Island at or near full-retail price, including a tax payment of $3.50 per package. The lack of payment of the cigarette tax to the state of Rhode Island resulted in a loss of nearly $1.1 million dollars in tax revenue.
Additionally, according to information presented to the court, charges of food stamp fraud and the unauthorized acquisition of food stamp funds were brought against Wissam Khalil and others, based on information developed during a separate joint federal and state investigation into more than $3 million dollars in food stamp fraud in Rhode Island. That investigation, first announced on September 5, 2013, by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, resulted in federal charges against thirteen individuals. To date, twelve of those defendants have pleaded guilty – nine have been sentenced. The thirteenth individual is being sought.
Wissam and Bassam Khalil and their co-defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William F. Ferland and Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, United States Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General – Office of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations and the U. S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha also acknowledges and thanks the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Attorney General, the Virginia Division of Taxation, the Northern Virginia Cigarette Tax Board, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation – Excise Tax Compliance Unit, the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General, and the Cranston and Providence Police Departments for their assistance in this investigation.
###
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]Group from Baltimore Charged with Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Thomas Darden, 51, Eric Townes, 20, Nick Finks, 25, and Neisha Woodson, 29, all of Baltimore, MD, were charged today by indictment with bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. In addition, Darden was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment charges that the defendants committed these offenses on or about April 25, 2014.
If convicted of all charges, the defendants face a maximum of life imprisonment, with a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of seven years imprisonment. The defendants also face five years of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment. Darden faces an additional $250,000 fine, and $100 special assessment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney V. Paige Pratter.
Click here to view the indictment
An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Gray Man Pleads Guilty to Passing Counterfeit CurrencyRead the Press Release
Contact: Halsey B. Frank
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that John
E. Williams, 33, of Gray, Maine pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to passing counterfeit United States currency.According to court documents, on November 15, 2012, the defendant used a counterfeit
$100 bill to buy $18.51 worth of merchandise at the Advanced Auto Parts store in Windham. On
November 26, 2012, he used a counterfeit $50 bill to buy kerosene at the Big Apple store in
Windham. The counterfeit currency was created with an inkjet printer and bleached currency of lower denominations. Law enforcement agents searched the defendant’s residence in Raymond and his vehicles on November 28, 2012 and seized counterfeiting materials.
Williams faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Scarborough, Windham, Raymond, Paris, Oxford, Saco, Kittery, and Auburn Police Departments, and the
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.Georgia Man Arrested in Wire Fraud Scheme That Bilked Airlines by Obtaining Free ‘Non-Rev’ Tickets for Non-EmployeesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Georgia man is scheduled to be arraigned today on federal charges that allege he fraudulently booked airline reservations by pretending to be a flight crew member.
Gilbert Myers Jr., 37, of Atlanta, was taken into custody late yesterday afternoon without incident at a Beverly Hills hotel after agreeing to meet a potential traveler who was actually an undercover FBI agent.
Myers was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on June 6 that accuses him of one count of conspiracy and three counts of wire fraud. The indictment, which was unsealed upon Myers’ arrest, outlines a conspiracy to defraud air carriers in which travelers would illegally board aircrafts while pretending to be employees of other airlines. In exchange for arranging their travel as “non-rev” employee travelers, Myers typically charged $2,000 for one year of free flights.
The indictment alleges that fraudulent travelers utilized Myers’ services to fly in and out of Los Angeles County airports by pretending to be in-flight crew members employed by other airlines. To obtain boarding passes and stand-by tickets (for which airline employees pay little or nothing, hence non-revenue), Myers called the victim airline’s reservation call center and gave the victim airline’s representative the name of a traveler, the airline he supposedly worked for, a bogus employee identification number, and a date of hire. Myers typically lied to the victim airline and said he worked on a flight crew for another airline, according to court documents.
Myers advised the fraudulent travelers to avoid detection by dressing appropriately and responding to questions about their employment at another airline, the indictment alleges. With the fraudulently obtained boarding pass and their real photo identification, the fraudulent traveler went through Transportation Security Administration security screening. If the fraudulent traveler was asked about his employment or how he received the tickets, the fraudulent traveler lied as instructed by Myers, according to the indictment. The fraudulent travelers boarded planes listed as employees of other airlines. All of the travelers were subject to full security screenings by the Transportation Security Administration.
The indictment details a small number of flights, but investigators believe that Myers fraudulently booked hundreds of flights on air carriers such as JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, causing the victims to suffer hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
All of the victim airlines fully cooperated in the investigation.
Myers is expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon at 2:00 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.
The conspiracy and wire fraud charges alleged in the indictment each carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The case against Myers is the result of an investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Release No. 14-084
Garland Man in Federal Custody for Possessing Prepubescent Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A Garland, Texas, man, Jonathan Ramirez, 26, was arrested yesterday on a federal complaint charging possession of prepubescent child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldana.
Ramirez, who is in the U.S. illegally, made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon. He waived his preliminary and detention hearings, and a U.S Magistrate Judge ordered him detained.
Yesterday, special agents with FBI Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and the Garland Police Department executed a federal search warrant at Ramirez’s home. Law enforcement located and forensically reviewed multiple files of child pornography, including three video files depicting prepubescent child pornography. Ramirez used a peer-to-peer file-sharing program on the Internet to obtain the child pornography.
A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The maximum statutory penalty for the offense as charged is 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.
The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
The FBI Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and the Garland Police Department are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.
Gardiner Resident Charged with Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
Contact: F. Todd Lowell
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced today that
John C. Slater, 66, of Gardiner, Maine, was arrested in New Hampshire and charged in U.S.
District Court in Bangor by criminal complaint with bank robbery. The charge arises from the
June 23, 2014 bank robbery of the Bank of Maine, in Hallowell, Maine.According to court records, Slater robbed $15,000 from the Bank of Maine after handing a bank employee a note that read: “Im Here to Rob your Bank, no silent Alarms my cell phone rings, your all dead, I have a hand grenade, and a gun, no marked bills, or inked, if so, one day I will come back and kill all of you, do you understand.???’
The defendant will make an initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Bangor today at noon.
The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Maine State
Police, and the Hallowell police department.A complaint is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Four patient recruiters pleaded guilty in connection with a $20 million health care fraud scheme involving Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care), a defunct home health care companyRead the Press Release
Jose Rodrigo Arechiga-Gamboa, also known as “Chino Antrax,” was formally extradited to the United States by the Netherlands today.
Arechiga-Gamboa arrived at San Diego International airport about 2 p.m. under heavy security. He was flown in by the United States Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration from Amsterdam to San Diego. He was booked into federal custody and is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, July 11, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin.
A federal grand jury in San Diego returned an indictment on December 20, 2013, charging Arechiga-Gamboa with Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Intended for Importation and Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances. That same day, the Clerk of the Court issued a sealed warrant for his arrest.
Arechiga-Gamboa was arrested on December 30, 2013, at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands at the request of the United States. Arechiga-Gamboa was taken into custody at the airport traveling under a fraudulent name, “Norberto Sicairos-Garcia,” as he deplaned a KLM flight from Mexico City, Mexico to Amsterdam. The United States made formal requests for assistance from foreign authorities via a provisional arrest warrant and an Interpol Red Notice. The indictment was unsealed in San Diego a few days later, on January 3, 2014.
According to formal documents filed in support of Arechiga-Gamboa’s extradition from the Netherlands, Arechiga-Gamboa is alleged to have worked for the Sinaloa Cartel as a bodyguard and the leader of an enforcement group called “Los Antrax.” In this position, he allegedly assisted the Sinaloa Cartel by providing security for narcotics shipments and conducting enforcement operations.
According to extradition documents, Arechiga-Gamboa later rose to become one of the highest-level leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Despite traveling under a fraudulent Mexican passport by assuming the identity of a deceased individual, undergoing significant plastic surgery and attempting to alter his fingerprints, U.S. law enforcement officials were able to confirm Arechiga-Gamboa’s identity through forensic techniques. A Dutch Court considered the extradition request and, on May 28, 2014, ordered that Arechiga-Gamboa be extradited to the United States to stand trial on the narcotics trafficking offenses.
The Justice Department’s Criminal Division Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in the extradition of the defendant.
Investigating agencies include the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection Office of Border Patrol, San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service, and Interpol.Four Patient Recruiters Plead Guilty in Miami for Roles in $20 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Four patient recruiters pleaded guilty in connection with a $20 million health care fraud scheme involving Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care), a defunct home health care company.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office made the announcement.
At a hearing today before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles of the Southern District of Florida, Estrella Perez, 57, and Solchys Perez, 34, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Abigail Aguila, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks. Sentencing for all three defendants is set for Sept. 18, 2014 in front of Judge Gayles. On June 17, 2014, another co-defendant, Monica Macias, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks before U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris M. McAliley of the Southern District of Florida. Sentencing for Macias is set for Sept. 10, 2014 before Judge Gayles.
According to court documents, the defendants worked as patient recruiters for the owners and operators of Trust Care, a Miami home health care agency that purported to provide home health and physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries. Trust Care was operated for the purpose of billing the Medicare Program for, among other things, expensive physical therapy and home health care services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.
The defendants recruited patients for Trust Care and solicited and received kickbacks and bribes from the owners and operators of Trust Care in return for allowing the agency to bill the Medicare program on behalf of the recruited Medicare patients. These Medicare beneficiaries were billed for home health care and therapy services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.
Estrella Perez and Solchys Perez also paid kickbacks and bribes to co-conspirators in doctors’ offices and clinics in exchange for providing home health and therapy prescriptions, plans of care, and medical certifications for their recruited patients. Co-conspirators at Trust Care then used these prescriptions, plans of care and medical certifications to fraudulently bill the Medicare program for home health care services.
From approximately March 2007 through at least January 2010, Trust Care submitted more than $20 million in claims for home health services. Medicare paid Trust Care more than $15 million for these fraudulent claims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys A. Brendan Stewart and Anne P. McNamara of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 1,900 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov .Four Patient Recruiters Plead Guilty in Miami for Roles in $20 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Four patient recruiters pleaded guilty in connection with a $20 million health care fraud scheme involving Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care), a defunct home health care company.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office made the announcement.
At a hearing today before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles of the Southern District of Florida, Estrella Perez, 57, and Solchys Perez, 34, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Abigail Aguila, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks. Sentencing for all three defendants is set for Sept. 18, 2014 in front of Judge Gayles. On June 17, 2014, another co-defendant, Monica Macias, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks before U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris M. McAliley of the Southern District of Florida. Sentencing for Macias is set for Sept. 10, 2014 before Judge Gayles.
According to court documents, the defendants worked as patient recruiters for the owners and operators of Trust Care, a Miami home health care agency that purported to provide home health and physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries. Trust Care was operated for the purpose of billing the Medicare Program for, among other things, expensive physical therapy and home health care services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.
The defendants recruited patients for Trust Care and solicited and received kickbacks and bribes from the owners and operators of Trust Care in return for allowing the agency to bill the Medicare program on behalf of the recruited Medicare patients. These Medicare beneficiaries were billed for home health care and therapy services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.
Estrella Perez and Solchys Perez also paid kickbacks and bribes to co-conspirators in doctors’ offices and clinics in exchange for providing home health and therapy prescriptions, plans of care, and medical certifications for their recruited patients. Co-conspirators at Trust Care then used these prescriptions, plans of care and medical certifications to fraudulently bill the Medicare program for home health care services.
From approximately March 2007 through at least January 2010, Trust Care submitted more than $20 million in claims for home health services. Medicare paid Trust Care more than $15 million for these fraudulent claims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys A. Brendan Stewart and Anne P. McNamara of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 1,900 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
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.
Four Men Charged in A Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS— A federal grand jury has recently returned an indictment charging four men in connection with the Split Rock Realty mortgage fraud investigation. On July 9, 2014, Thomas Edward Rosensteel III, 41, of Excelsior, Robert Scott “Rod” Aslesen, 65, of Little Canada, Justin Joseph Christenson, 34, of East Bethel, and Dale Russell Wurzinger, 57, of Burnsville, were each charged with eight counts of Wire Fraud and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
The four defendants allegedly participated in a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders in connection with the sale of excess unsold builder inventories of residential real estate. The scheme allegedly involved recruiting purchasers to buy properties at inflated prices, falsifying loan applications and other documents, fronting down payments for purchasers, and paying kickbacks to the purchasers outside of closing. The indictment alleges that the defendants concealed the fronted down payments and kickbacks from the lenders. United States Attorney Andrew Luger stated, “The allegations in this indictment illustrate a sophisticated scheme carried out by licensed professionals in the real estate industry. We have been working closely with the FBI and the Minnesota Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau to bring charges against these four individuals who used their knowledge and position to take advantage of the system.”
"The Commerce Department takes very seriously its job to stop fraud by licensed professionals, and to protect the public from these kinds of crimes,” said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. “These criminal charges result from a thorough investigation done by the Commerce Fraud Bureau and FBI, in tandem with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and should send a strong message that when laws are broken, there will be tough consequences.”
Three other individuals have already pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with this scheme and are awaiting sentencing. They are Amri Elsafy, 42, of Brooklyn Park; Gerald Edwin Carlson, 67, of Kennedy, Minnesota; and James Bryan Crook, 58, of Brooklyn, New York.
If convicted, the defendants face a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each count. All sentences are ultimately determined by a federal district court judge.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Minnesota Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Otteson.An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
Four Individuals Indicted on Heroin Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS— Recently in federal court, four defendants were charged with heroin distribution in two separate indictments. The first indictment charges Francisco James Bell, 38, of Madison, WI, with two counts of Distribution of Heroin.
Count One of the indictment alleges that on May 20, 2014, Bell distributed approximately 50 grams of heroin. Count Two alleges that on May 30, 2014, Bell distributed approximately 100 grams of heroin. According to an affidavit filed in court, surveillance officers recorded both drug transactions which took place between Bell and a cooperating individual (CI) in a McDonald’s parking lot in Duluth. Bell faces a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”).
The second indictment charges three Minneapolis men in a separate heroin distribution conspiracy. Darnell Travor King, 35, Latese Capree Hudson, 25, and James Purnell Thomas, 43, were charged with one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute over 500 grams of Heroin. The indictment includes three forfeiture allegations related to the drug charges. Upon conviction of either of the counts, the defendants would forfeit $20,455 in U.S. currency seized during a search of the defendants’ apartment, along with a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol. The three defendants face a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to combating heroin trafficking in our state. We will continue working together to prosecute distributors who bring heroin into our communities,” said United States Attorney Andrew Luger.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
Former Wells Fargo Loan Officer Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Role in $40.8 Million Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey, man who used his position as a loan officer of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc., to get the company to release more than $4.6 million on fraudulent mortgage loan applications was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in a $40.8 million mortgage fraud conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Robert Serao, 48, of Bayville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty following his indictment to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was the 10th defendant to plead guilty in the case. U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
While working in various positions – including branch manager, sales manager and loan officer – within Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Inc., a division of Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Serao entered into a conspiracy to submit mortgage loans to his employer for financially unqualified “straw buyers” based upon false and fraudulent information contained in Uniform Residential Loan Applications, HUD-1 Forms, tax returns and other documents.
Serao’s conspirators caused fraudulent mortgage loan applications and supporting documents to be submitted to Wells Fargo and numerous other mortgage lenders in various straw buyers’ names, attributing to them inflated income and assets in order to induce the mortgage lenders to approve the loans. Once the loans were approved and the mortgage lenders sent the loan proceeds in connection with the real estate closings on the properties, Serao’s conspirators took a portion of the proceeds from the fraudulent mortgage loans. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage released more than $4.6 million based on fraudulent mortgage loan applications. Serao profited from his role in the conspiracy by increased commissions on the mortgage funds.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Irenas sentenced Serao to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $1,520,606.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark; and IRS B Criminal Investigation in Mays Landing, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
14-245
Defense counsel: Robert A. Weir Jr. Esq. and Edward J. Plaza Esq., Red Bank, New Jersey
Former Lincoln Bank Employee Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from BankRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – The former head teller at a Lincoln, Ill., bank, Nancy J. Huskins, 62, today entered a plea of guilty to embezzling nearly $2 million from the bank. Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Schanzle-Haskins, Huskins, of the 900 block of S. Kickapoo St., Lincoln, Ill., waived indictment and entered a plea of guilty to an information that charged her with one count of bank embezzlement.
During her court appearance, and according to court documents, Huskins admitted that from about Jan. 1, 1996, to Nov. 4, 2013, when she was employed as the head teller of the State Bank of Lincoln, she embezzled approximately $1,982,685 for her personal use. Huskins admitted that in her position as head teller, she had access to the bank’s vault and was entrusted with significant access to portions of the vault that maintained large amounts of cash. Huskins admitted that she disguised the embezzlement by personally participating in audits of cash amounts, representing that a certain bag contained an amount of currency, when, in fact, she knew that the bag did not hold currency, but merely other empty currency bags.
The investigation was conducted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the full cooperation of the State Bank of Lincoln. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Childress.
Huskins is currently on bond awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled on Nov. 10, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough.
At sentencing, Huskins faces a maximum possible penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a term of supervised release up to five years to follow any term of imprisonment. The defendant may also be ordered to make full restitution to the bank.
Former Employee of Forty Fort GM Foodmart Store Sentenced to Two Years' Probation for Role in Synthetic Marijuana ConspiracyRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 26-year-old Indian national who worked at a GM Foodmart store in Kingston, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to two years’ probation for his role in a conspiracy to distribute synthetic marijuana by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Manjinder Singh, also known as “Mintu,” who currently resides in New Jersey, previously admitted that he conspired with others to distribute synthetic marijuana from the store during January 2012 through July 2012.
The charge against Singh resulted from an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigative Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Judge Kosik ordered Singh to spend the first four months of his sentence on home confinement with electronic monitoring.
The owner of the GM Foodmart store, Mastan Mathan, previously pleaded guilty to participating in a money laundering conspiracy connected to the sale of synthetic marijuana. He is awaiting sentencing.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.
Former Conway Pastor SentencedRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Bill Day(803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina -----United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Archie Larue Evans was sentenced late yesterday afternoon in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for Mail Fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341, and conspiracy to Structure Transactions with a Financial Institution and to Launder Money, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell of Florence sentenced Evans to seven years imprisonment; three years supervised release and ordered Evans to pay restitution of $3,763,339.53.
Evidence presented at the sentencing hearing established that Evans was the pastor of Tilley Swamp Baptist Church located in Conway, South Carolina. Evans also owned a limited liability corporation, Gold & Silver, LLC. Beginning in 2004, members of the congregation of the Tilley Swamp Baptist Church and others entered into investment contracts with Evans and Gold & Silver, LLC, which guaranteed the investors much higher interest payments than the rate being paid by financial institutions. From January 2009 to October 2011, Evans was involved in a Ponzi scheme and hid the fact that he had lost or spent the money invested with him by paying investors what he claimed to be their earned interest payments using funds he received from new investors. Evans continued to collect money from investors and caused losses of more than $2,500,000.00.
From May 2010 until October 2011, Evans was also involved in a conspiracy with others to structure currency deposits with Anderson Brothers Bank and First Citizens Bank, both in Conway. The deposits were structured in order to avoid the bank’s reporting requirements so that Evans’ conspirators’ income would not be reported. One of the individuals involved with Evans in structuring the deposits was involved in a lawsuit with an insurance company that had issued a bond on the individual’s business. The individual had pledged his investments with Evans as collateral and was attempting to hide assets from the insurance company. Evans opened three checking accounts with Anderson Brothers Bank and structured deposits in excess of $500,000.00 through the accounts. Evans structured approximately $340,000.00 into the accounts he had with First Citizens Bank.
Evans was taken into custody immediately after being sentenced because he attempted to bring a firearm to the sentencing hearing.
The case was investigated by agents of the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day II of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.Former Chief Operating Officer of Nevada Endoscopy Center Pleads Guilty to Medicare/Medicaid Fraud Billing SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The former chief operating officer of a defunct Nevada endoscopy center, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with the former owner/physician of the center, Dipak Desai, to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and other private health insurance companies by inflating and overcharging for anesthesia services it provided, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Tonya Rushing, 46, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Larry R. Hicks to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. Rushing faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
“Those perpetrating Medicare and Medicaid fraud cheat both taxpayers and vulnerable patients,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “We will hold criminals accountable and will seek to recover stolen dollars in each case of healthcare fraud we prosecute.”
According to the guilty plea agreement, between about January 2005 and February 2008, Desai and Rushing conspired to overcharge Medicare, Medicaid, and other private health insurance companies at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada by significantly overstating the amount of time the certified registered nurse anesthetists spent with patients on a given procedure. Desai and Rushing created a separate company, Healthcare Business Solutions, owned by Rushing, to handle the billing for the anesthesia services. This company received approximately nine percent of all money collected for anesthesia services rendered at the endoscopy center. Desai and Rushing imposed intense pressure on the endoscopy center employees to schedule and treat as many patients as possible in a day, and instructed the nurse anesthetists to overstate in their records the amount of time they spent on the anesthesia procedures. Desai and Rushing also instructed the office staff to rely on the false anesthesia records when preparing the claims for reimbursement which were sent to Medicare, Medicaid and the insurance companies. The plea agreement states that Rushing received approximately $1.3 million as her share of the inflated anesthesia billing scheme.
Co-defendant Desai is currently being evaluated for his competency to face trial.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Office of the Nevada Attorney General, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Crane M. Pomerantz and Mark N. Kemberling, who was designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney on this case and is Chief Deputy Nevada Attorney General.According to a recent report by the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for every dollar the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have spent fighting health care fraud, they have returned an average of nearly eight dollars to the U.S. Treasury, the Medicare Trust Fund and others. To learn more or to report Medicare fraud, go to http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/
Former Chairman of Louisville Episcopal Church Education Foundation and His Spouse Plead Guilty to Embezzling More Than $1.1 Million from the CharityRead the Press Release
– Foundation Chairman laundered money through his wife’s business
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The former chairman of the Woodcock Foundation and former owner of DBM-Dental Direct of Louisville pleaded guilty in United States District Court today, to a felony information charging the couple with interstate transportation of stolen property and money laundering totaling $1,141,030, from the Louisville Episcopal Church Education Foundation, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.
Charles Muir, age 61, and Diana Muir, age 60, of Louisville, admitted in court today, that between April 2007 and June 2011, in Louisville, Kentucky, the couple unlawfully transferred or caused to be transferred in interstate commerce approximately $1,141,030 of funds that had been stolen or taken by fraud from the Woodcock Foundation. The funds were transferred from Your Community Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, to locations outside of Kentucky. The $1,141,030 was taken without authority from the Woodcock Foundation, a charitable trust providing college scholarships in the Louisville, Kentucky area. In addition the defendants conducted financial transactions involving the proceeds of the $1,141,030 by depositing checks from the Woodcock Foundation into the Your Community Trust bank account of DBM dental to disguise the nature of the transactions.
According to the terms of the plea agreement, Charles Muir and Diana Muir agreed to plead guilty to the felony information and at the time of sentencing, pay restitution to the Woodcock Foundation, in the amount of $1,141,030. At the time of sentencing, the United States will agree that a sentence of imprisonment of six months is the appropriate sentence in this case for defendant Diana Muir and a sentence of 46 months is the appropriate sentence in this case for defendant Charles Muir.
From April 2007 through June 2011, Charles Muir was the chairman of the Woodcock Foundation, a charitable organization associated with the Episcopal Church of Louisville, Kentucky. During the same timeframe, Diana Muir owned and controlled DBM.
The Louisville couple was initially charged by grand jury indictment that was unsealed on December 6, 2012, when they appeared before Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin in Louisville. They were released on a $25,000 bond and asked to not travel outside of the Western District of Kentucky.
Sentencing is scheduled before Senior District John G. Heyburn II, on October 23, 2014, in Louisville.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bryan Calhoun and Jason Snyder, and was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service.
Former Brunswick County Sheriff Charged with Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced today that RONALD EMERY HEWETT, 51, of Supply, North Caolina, had his initial appearance in Wilmington. HEWETT was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code 922(g)(1). HEWETT is the former Brunswick County Sheriff who pled guilty to one count of Obstruction of Justice on June 2, 2008.
HEWETT was initially charged in a criminal complaint. As set forth in the affidavit supporting the complaint, multiple firearms were located in HEWETT’S residence on July 9, 2014. HEWETT is a convicted felon and was sentenced to a 16 month term of imprisonment on October 6, 2008.
If convicted, HEWETT faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years supervised release. The actual sentence would be determined by the sentencing court after consideration of the advisory sentencing guidelines.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF) and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer E. Wells.
The charges contained in this indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Foresthill Man Sentenced to Prison for Destruction of U.S. Mail ReceptaclesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Richard Lee Gray, 57, of Foresthill, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Troy L. Nunley to one year in prison for destroying U.S. Post Office letter boxes, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and possessing over 15 unauthorized access devices with intent to commit fraud, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Judge Nunley ordered Gray to pay $10,333 in restitution to the United States Postal Service.
This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Placer County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of the United States Forest Service. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
According to court documents, between January 2013 and April 2013, Gray pried open more than 20 post office letter boxes in the Placer County towns of Colfax, Auburn, and Foresthill. On April 2, 2013, a federal search warrant was executed at Gray's residence. In the house and in his car, officers found mail stolen from more than 108 victims. Gray also possessed burglary tools, pry bars, and ammunition.
Florida Man Sentenced on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Boston – A Florida man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston today for his role in an advance-fee scheme.
Frank Barecich, 35, of Hollywood, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to one year in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2014, Barecich pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Between 2007 and 2011, Barecich participated in a conspiracy to defraud developers who were seeking financing for large-scale alternative energy and commercial projects by pretending to be a representative of a multi-billion dollar fund located in Luxembourg. Barecich and his co-conspirators convinced developers to give deposits in amounts between $300,000 and $1 million to this fake fund with the promise that the deposit would be fully refundable. Barecich and his co-conspirators spent the developers' deposit money, and the fake fund never financed any projects. In perpetrating this scheme, the defendant continually reassured developers about the safety of their deposits even as the deposits were being spent.
Barecich’s co-defendants, Evripides Georgiadis, John Condo, and Michael Zanetti, have all been convicted. In May 2014, Zanetti was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Georgiadis and Condo are awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Susan Hensley, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Alex J. Grant and Karen L. Goodwin of Ortiz’s Springfield Branch Unit.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Government MoneyRead the Press Release
Boston – A Florida man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Worcester today to participating in a scheme to steal more than $110,000 from the federal government.
Sniders Jean-Jacques, 26, of Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty to theft of public money. In June 2014, Jean-Jacques was charged in a felony information. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at 2:30 pm.
In early 2013, Jean-Jacques and a co-conspirator, Marvin Lubin, recruited several individuals in Worcester to work as couriers in a scheme to steal and launder Social Security and IRS tax refund payments. At the direction of Jean-Jacques or Lubin, the couriers opened bank accounts in Massachusetts in the names of fake businesses. On various dates in 2013, illegally obtained Social Security benefits and IRS refunds were directly deposited into the accounts. At the direction of Jean-Jacques or Lubin, the couriers immediately withdrew the money in cash, and then delivered the cash. Jean-Jacques or Lubin would typically authorize the couriers to retain a portion of the stolen money as payment for their courier services. In recorded phone calls in late 2013, Jean-Jacques instructed one of the couriers not to withdraw more than $10,000 per day to avoid having to fill out forms at the bank. He also told the courier, “we move money for people . . . and we get a percentage.”
The investigation so far has determined that as part of this scheme, Social Security payments totaling $11,689 were illegally obtained under the identities of 14 victims, and IRS payments totaling $98,610 were illegally obtained under the identities of 20 victims. In April 2014, Lubin pleaded guilty for his role in this scheme.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Lisa Quinn, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service; Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations; and Worcester Police Chief Gary J. Gemme, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Timothy Landry of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
Five Charged in Galveston with Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas - A four-count federal indictment has been unsealed in Galveston following the arrest of five area residents, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
Abel Hinojosa, 34, Nelson Agapito Ventura, 37, Daniel Reyna, 33, Israel Sanchez, 20, were taken into custody today and made their initial appearances in federal court in Galveston before U.S. Magistrate Judge John R. Froeschner. A fifth defendant - Rodolfo Hernandez Perez, 26 - was previously in custody. A detention hearing is set for Tuesday, July 15, 2014.
The indictment was returned May 15, 2014, and unsealed upon the arrests of the La Marque residents today. All five are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the Intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine as well as more than 500 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas.
Perez and Hinojosa are further charged with one and three counts, respectfully, of possession with intent to distribute varying amounts of methamphetamine. The indictment also includes a notice of forfeiture.
Each face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison for the conspiracy. The possession with intent charges against Hinojosa and Perez also carry varying terms of either a minimum of five and up to 40 or another minimum of 10 and up to life for the underlying drug offenses.
The case is being investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and Galveston Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ted Imperato and Sharad Khandelwal are prosecuting.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.Federal Grand Jury Criminal Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. — The results of the July 2014 Federal Grand Jury were announced today by Danny C. Williams Sr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
The following named individuals have been charged with a federal crime or crimes by the return of an indictment by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing the defendant of alleged violations which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome the defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Timothy Olen Brown. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. Brown, 40, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a 9mm caliber pistol and ammunition after prior felony convictions. If convicted, the maximum penalty would be 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The defendant would also forfeit the firearm and ammunition. The Tulsa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.
Jesus Jonathan Campos. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Campos, 35, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. If convicted, the maximum penalty would be 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The defendant would also forfeit seized currency and face entry of a criminal forfeiture money judgment. The Tulsa Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.
Demetric Andreal Jackson Jr. Mann Act and Interstate Travel and Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises. Jackson, 24, of Kansas City, Kansas is charged with transporting a woman from Kansas City, Missouri, to Tulsa, with the intent that the woman engage in prostitution. If convicted, the penalty for the Mann Act is not more than 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and the penalty for the racketeering charge is not more than five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency.
Frankie O’Neill Lampley Jr. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Lampley, 48, of Tulsa, is charged with failure to register as a sex offender after a prior conviction. If convicted, the maximum penalty would be 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service is the investigative agency.
Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 300 Months for Hobbs Act Robbery & CarjackingRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced LONNELL DEANGELO MCRAE , 27, of Fayetteville to 300 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.
MCRAE was named in an Indictment filed on April 3, 2013, charging him with 7 counts. The Indictment charged MCRAE with 1 count of Hobbs Act Robbery and Aiding and Abetting, 2 counts of Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence and Abetting and Aiding, 1 count of Carjacking and Aiding and Abetting, 1 count of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Aiding and Abetting, 1 count of Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Aiding and Abetting, and 1 count of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
On February 3, 2014, MCRAE pled guilty to the Hobbs Act Robbery, Brandishing a Firearm During a Federal Crime of Violence, and to the Carjacking charge.
According to the investigation, MCRAE, armed with afirearmand his co-conspirator, Gregory James Burgess previously sentenced to 168 month imprisonment on April 18, 2014, entered the Little Vegas Sweepstakes, an internet gaming business located in Fayetteville, which is now closed. MCRAE and Burgess forced two victims from one room into another. MCRAE and Burgess tied them up with computer and telephone cords and took the customer’s truck.
At his arrest about a week later for these crimes, MCRAE was found to be in possession of a handgun and ammunition.
This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Fayetteville Police Department, the Hope Mills Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case for the government.
Fairview Heights Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Armed Robbery of Moto Mart Employee and CustomerRead the Press Release
Case Is One of many Prosecuted by United States Attorney Wigginton’s Hobbs Act Robbery Initiative
Follow @SDILNewsOn July 10, 2014, Jahrastafar Jamal Farmer, 25, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, received a 96 month sentence in federal prison, to be followed by a three year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a special assessment of $200, a fine of $200, and restitution in the amount of $206.88, following his plea of guilty to violating the Hobbs Act and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, in connection with the robbery of Moto Mart in Fairview Heights on November 2, 2013, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois announced today.
A factual stipulation filed at the time of the guilty plea indicates that a Moto Mart employee and a customer were ordered to the floor at gunpoint by Farmer, who then fled the scene with a mere $206.88. Alert employees and cooperative citizens provided valuable leads to the Fairview Heights Police Department, which ultimately led to a search of Farmer’s home and a recovery of physical evidence linking him to the armed robbery, to include a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Text messages recovered from Farmer’s phone indicated he was having some financial difficulties and “had to do sum extreme shit to bounce back.”
“The Fairview Heights Police Department conducted a commendable investigation in this case. Metro East residents have grown intolerant of violence in their community. We’re very pleased with the cooperation we received in this case from citizens. Stated simply, they were instrumental in solving this crime.” said United States Attorney Wigginton. “I will continue to use the Hobbs Act, and any other tool that I have, to try to stop this sort of violence in Southern Illinois.”
This case, and others like it, are all part of the Metro East Armed Robbery Initiative. The case was investigated by the Fairview Heights Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne M. Garrison.
Fairport Woman Pleads Guilty to Lying to Federal InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Ann Marie Laurini, 48, of Fairport, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci to making false statements to Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that Laurini repeatedly lied to IRS agents in connection with an investigation of Kenneth Griffin and others into financial fraud and money-laundering crimes. The defendant was employed by Griffin from March 2006 to May 2008, and engaged in acts that furthered the financial fraud. Laurini was interviewed by federal agents on several occasions concerning her knowledge and involvement in the fraud and during those interviews she falsely stated that she had not engaged in various acts of deception in furtherance of the fraud. The investigation ultimately resulted in charges against Kenneth Griffin, Brian Campbell, and two others, all of whom have been convicted.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Shantelle P. Kitchen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office,.
Laurini will be sentenced by Judge Geraci on October 9, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.Fairbanks Man Sentenced to 110 MonthsRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska-U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a man from Fairbanks, Alaska was sentenced in federal court in Fairbanks for possession of powder and cocaine base ("crack") with the intent to distribute.
Benjamin Dewayne Smith, age 37, from Fairbanks, Alaska was sentenced on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, by United States District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason, at the United States District Courthouse in Fairbanks. Smith received a sentence of 110 months in prison and 4 years of supervised release for his conviction of possession of powder and cocaine base ("crack") with intent to distribute.
A residence located at 660 Wilcox Street in Fairbanks, Alaska was searched by federal law enforcement agents in January 2012, pursuant to a federal search warrant. During the search of the residence, law enforcement found 434 grams of marijuana, 215 grams of powder cocaine, and 62 grams of cocaine base ("crack"). Law enforcement also found other items in the residence consistent with drug distribution. It was later discovered that this apartment was used by Smith as a "trap house" where he would store illegal narcotics; he also used the apartment as a hub for his distribution activity.
Smith has two prior felony convictions with the State of Alaska for distribution of controlled substances and one prior felony conviction for possession of cocaine.
Before imposing a sentence, Judge Gleason commented that drug distribution crimes harm many individuals in the community and they should be taken seriously. She also noted that she hoped that members of the community would be aware of the lengthy sentence she intended to give Smith, and hoped that would serve as a deterrent to others in the community that may choose to engage in similar behavior as Smith.
Ms. Loeffler commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fairbanks Police Department, and the Alaska State Troopers for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mr. Smith.
Escapee from Federal Prison ChargedRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against a Seattle man who was serving a federal prison sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution Herlong in Lassen County, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
Roderick Earl Vanga, 32, is charged with escape from custody. According to court documents, Vanga was serving a seven-year sentence for a drug offense when he escaped on April 5, 2013. He was apprehended on February 23, 2014, in Seattle and remains in custody.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, the King County (Wash.) District Attorney’s Office, and the police departments of Seattle and Renton. Assistant United States Attorney William Wong is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Vanga faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Multiple Crack Cocaine OffensesRead the Press Release
Follow @SDILNewsStephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on July 9, 2014, Frederick C. Addison, 32, was sentenced in federal district court, in East St. Louis, Illinois. The Honorable Judge Michael J. Reagan sentenced Addison to a term of 210 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Addison was also fined $800 and was ordered to pay a $200 special assessment.
On March 7, 2014, a federal jury found Addison guilty of distributing crack cocaine and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it. A video during the trial showed Addison selling crack cocaine to multiple customers from a home in East St. Louis. When Addison and another man were arrested, police recovered approximately 17 grams of crack cocaine from an abandoned house where Addison and his associate had hidden it. The crack had a street value of about $12,000, according to police experts who testified at trial.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI) and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Neal C. Hong and Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Garrison.
East St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
Follow @SDILNewsThe United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that on July 9, 2014, Edward A. Banks, 42, pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
On July 11, 2013, Banks sold cocaine to undercover law enforcement agents. Banks also gave the undercover agents his telephone number in order for them to contact him if they wanted to make future purchases. The agents contacted Banks the same day and bought more cocaine from him. Both transactions were recorded on video.
Banks is scheduled for sentencing on October 17, 2014, at which time he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000,000, not less than 3 years of supervised release following his prison term, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI) and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Neal C. Hong.
East Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty in Drug Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A Pittsburgh-area resident pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and crack cocaine, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Allen William Turner, 46, of East Pittsburgh, Pa., pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge David S. Cercone.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from September 2013 to December 2013, Turner conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, and 28 grams or more of crack cocaine.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for Nov. 14, 2014, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence for each count, of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $8,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is the result of a federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Other participating agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Munhall Police Department and Wilkinsburg Police Department.
Developer Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Mortgage Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich yesterday sentenced Joseph Daniele (42, Tampa) to 10 years and 1 month in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $7,469,739.00. Daniele pleaded guilty on May 29, 2013.
According to court documents, Daniele was a developer who “flipped” houses across Florida, including approximately 80 houses located in south St. Petersburg. Daniele and his conspirators advertised “no money down” home investment opportunities to buy Section 8-ready houses, for people with good credit. However, the loans arranged by the conspirators actually required that the borrowers put money into the deals. Daniele either fronted the down payments directly, or indirectly, through complicit title agents and mortgage brokers. The scheme involved hundreds of properties, almost all of which fell into foreclosure, resulting in at least $7 million in losses.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas N. Palermo.
Dallas Man in Federal Custody for Possessing Prepubescent Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A Dallas man is in federal custody after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and found him in possession of prepubescent child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Jose de Jesus Galicia-Fuentes, 58, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging possession of prepubescent child pornography. He made his initial appearance yesterday afternoon before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Dallas who ordered him detained pending a hearing set for July 14, 2014.
According to the criminal complaint, an investigation into the sharing of child pornography files using peer-to-peer networks revealed that a user at a particular IP address, later determined to belong to Galicia-Fuentes, was sharing files indicative of child pornography. In April 2014, the user shared at least 27 unique files with keywords or names indicative of child pornography, hash values matching identified child victims, or files containing images previously identified as child pornography. As recently as July 2, 2014, the user was sharing 125 unique files of investigative interest.
Yesterday, special agents with the FBI’s Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and officers with the Dallas Police Department executed a federal search warrant at Galicia-Fuentes’ apartment in North Dallas. Law enforcement located several videos on Galicia-Fuentes’ laptop depicting prepubescent child pornography.
A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The maximum statutory penalty for the offense as charged is 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release.
The matter was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
The FBI’s Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and the Dallas Police Department are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.
Convicted Felon Charged with Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
Anthony Andrews, 33, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged today by indictment with felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. According to the indictment, on June 17, 2014, Andrews knowingly possessed four firearms and ammunition that included an MPA (Masterpiece Arms) 5.7x28 caliber pistol; an MPA (Masterpiece Arms), 9 millimeter pistol; a CAI (Century Arms International/Zastava Arms) 7.62x39 caliber pistol; and a Phoenix Arms, .25 ACP caliber pistol.
If convicted, Andrews faces a potential advisory sentencing guideline range of 235 to 293 months in prison with a 15-year mandatory-minimum, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jose Arteaga.
Click here to view the indictment
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Computer Repairman Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison on Child Pornography ConvictionRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A computer repairman from Dallas was sentenced this morning following his guilty plea in January 2013 to a felony child pornography offense, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Andrew McMahon, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. McMahon pleaded guilty to an information charging one count of transportation of child pornography; he has been in custody since he entered that plea.
According to documents filed in the case, during an undercover investigation to identify persons using peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to distribute child pornography, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified a computer with more than 300 files available for sharing that had files names indicative of child pornography.
A search warrant was executed at McMahon’s residence in Dallas in October 2012, and ICE HSI special agents seized a significant amount of computer equipment and related storage media, including 45 hard drives. McMahon admitted he used the internet and peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to view, download and distribute child pornography. He also admitted that he had more than 600 images and videos available to share on his file-sharing program. He advised that he had been downloading child pornography since the 1990’s.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
ICE HSI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.
Company Settles Claims That It Deliberately Underpaid WorkersRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Advanced Power & Lighting (“APL”) and two of the company’s former officers and/or employees, Richard Lee Robertson and Greg Piccione, have agreed to pay a total of $780,000 to settle allegations that they deliberately underpaid workers on several federally funded projects covered by the Davis-Bacon Act, and then violated the False Claims Act by submitting false and fictitious payroll records to conceal their conduct.
“The underlying False Claims Act lawsuit alleges that APL, Robertson and Piccione deliberately took advantage of workers, at a time when they were most vulnerable,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “The settlement reflects the reality that individuals and entities that exploit workers will be held accountable by the government.”
U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser commended the cooperative effort by the staffs of the U.S. Attorney’s for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Commerce Department OIG to ensure APL was held accountable for funds it received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Zinser also noted the importance of Federal Whistleblower laws that led to the revelations of APL underpaying its workers.
Special Agent in Charge Richard L. Walker of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations stated, “This case is a great example of the OIG's work with its law enforcement partners to actively investigate fraud involving federal contracts, including the filing of false payroll records to facilitate cheating workers of their earned wages.”
The relevant conduct arose in connection with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Recovery Act”), which was enacted to stimulate the economy and create jobs by funding infrastructure projects. Pursuant to a Recovery Act initiative known as the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (“BTOP”), the federal government provided the U.S. Department of Commerce with $4.7 billion to promote, through grants, the deployment of broadband infrastructure – e.g., miles of fiber-optic cable and supporting structures – throughout North Georgia.
To effectuate the Recovery Act’s goal of providing high wage jobs, contractors on BTOP projects were required to comply with the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires that workers be paid not less than the applicable prevailing wage, which is set by the U.S. Department of Labor, and can be fulfilled by providing the applicable wage in all cash, or through a combination of cash and bona fide fringe benefits.
In late 2010, APL was awarded a BTOP subcontract to assist with broadband projects in North Georgia, and the company repeatedly acknowledged – and promised to comply with – the projects’ Davis-Bacon Act requirements. The False Claims Act lawsuit alleges that, despite these repeated promises, in order to increase their own profit margins and/or bonuses, APL, Robertson and Piccione – over an extended period of time – deliberately underpaid certain workers by approximately $10.00 per hour.
The lawsuit further alleges that, to conceal the underpayments, APL, Robertson and Piccione submitted fictitious payroll documentation, which falsely represented that workers were receiving approximately $10.00 per hour in training and uniforms, which they erroneously characterized as fringe benefits. In truth, however, no such training or uniforms were provided to workers, and these items did not even qualify as fringe benefits under the criteria set forth by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.
This civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by a former APL employee under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained. The case, pending in the Northern District of Georgia, is filed under United States of America ex rel., v. Advanced Power & Lighting, Richard Lee Robertson and Greg Piccione, et. al., Civ. No. 1:12-cv-3825-AT (N.D. Ga. Nov. 1, 2012). The claims settled in the civil settlement are claims only, and there has been no determination of liability.
The case was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia; the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General; and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Inspector General.
This matter was handled for the United States by Assistant United States Attorney Paris A. Wynn.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.Child Care Center Owner Pleads Guilty to FraudRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA –Tianna Edwards, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.
In 2008, Edwards had a criminal record which would have prohibited her from obtaining a license to operate a child day care facility and receive state and federal child subsidy payments from the Department of Public Welfare (“DPW”). In order to circumvent the criminal history clearance requirements for a license and to become eligible for state and federal child care subsidy funds, in September 2008, defendant Tianna Edwards submitted the first of two separate applications to DPW containing the forged signatures of another individual, for licenses to operate facilities named “Tianna’s Terrific Tots.” Both applications were false because they listed a person who did not have a criminal record as the sole legal owner and operator of “Tianna’s Terrific Tots” when, in fact, defendant Tianna Edwards controlled and operated “Tianna’s Terrific Tots.” The facilities were located on Germantown Avenue and Rising Sun Avenue in Philadelphia. From December, 2008 through July 2012, Tianna Edwards received from DPW approximately $1,459,470.25 in fraudulent payments to Tianna’s Terrific Tots and spent the money on lifestyle expenses and gambling, as well as business expenses.
U.S. District Court Judge Juan R. Sanchez scheduled a sentencing hearing for October 10, 2014. Edwards faces a maximum possible sentence of 100 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $1.25 million, and a $500 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joan E. Burnes.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Caldwell Man Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
BOISE – Rogelio Villasenor, 49, of Caldwell, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to attempt to evade and defeat tax, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, Villasenor and his unindicted co-conspirator owed more federal tax for the calendar years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 than was declared due on their income tax return for those years. Beginning in 2005, and continuing to 2011, the defendant and his unindicted co-conspirator agreed to not report $1,176,506.91 in taxable income. In so doing, the defendant evaded paying taxes on his true income. The object of this conspiracy was to defraud the United States of money owed on taxes.
The charge of income tax evasion is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the defendant’s gain caused by the offense, a special assessment of $100, and up to three years of supervised release.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, 2014, in Boise before United States District Judge Edward J. Lodge.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
Brothers from Brook Park Each Sentenced to 4 1/2 Years in Prison for Food Stamp FraudRead the Press Release
Two Brook Park men were sentenced to more than four years in prison for defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program) from four Cleveland stores where they accepted food stamps for ineligible items such as beer and cigarettes, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Brothers Saed (Sam) Wahdan, 42, and Maher (Mario) Wahdan, 43, were each sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution. They pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, one count of food stamp fraud and two counts of unlawful redemption of food stamps. Maher Wahdan also pleaded guilty to an additional count of theft of public funds.
“These defendants used a program designed to help hungry people to instead line their pockets,” Dettelbach said. “We will continue to work eradicate waste, fraud and abuse of government programs.”
Nidal Jaber, 46, also of Brook Park, was sentenced to 10 months of home confinement for his role in the conspiracy.
Between January 2008 and March 2012, the Wahdans and others conspired to commit food-stamp fraud through four of their businesses: One Stop Beverage, 5105 Franklin Blvd.; Bridge Deli and Beverage, 4700 Bridge Ave.; Franklin Beverage and Deli, 4719 Franklin Blvd., and Scott Food Mart, 951 Linn Drive, according to court documents.
The Wahdans owned and operated all four stores but put them in the names of other people to conceal the fact that Saed Wahdan had a prior conviction for food stamp trafficking and Maher Wahdan had a prior conviction for impersonating an officer – both of which precluded their participation in the food stamp program, according to court documents.
The defendants used their businesses to exchange customer food stamps for cash and other unauthorized items, including beer and cigarettes. They also purchased food stamp cards from customers and used them at other grocery locations to purchase inventory for their stores and for their personal use, according to court documents.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christos N. Georgalis, Vasile Katsaros and James Morford following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations and Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
Broken Arrow Woman Sentenced to 24 Months Probation for Embezzlement of Mail by Postal EmployeeRead the Press Release
Muskogee, Oklahoma - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that MEGAN LEE McMAHAN, age 37, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 2 years of probation for Embezzlement Of Mail By Postal Employee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709.
Charges arose from an investigation by the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. The defendant was indicted in November 2013 and pled guilty in February 2014.
The Indictment alleged that on or about July 24, 2013, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, a United States Postal Service employee, did willfully, knowingly and unlawfully embezzle a package entrusted to her while performing her assigned duties as an employee of the United States Postal Service.
The Honorable James H. Payne, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Wilson represented the United States.