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26 June 2014
Philadelphia Man Charged with False Statement Related to Federal Assistance for Storm DamageRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA –Kevin Thomas, 51, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by information, filed yesterday, with making a material false statement, in connection with his false certifications relating to rental assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Tropical Storm Lee announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.
If convicted, Kevin Thomas faces a maximum possible sentence of 5 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security OIG and United States Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joan E. Burnes.
Click here to view the indictment
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Owner of Trucking Company Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – The owner of a trucking company in southern West Virginia pleaded guilty today for failing to collect and pay federal employment taxes announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin. Richard L. Bailey, Jr., of Fayetteville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to two federal tax charges.
Bailey owned and operated Duster Trucking Company, LLC, a coal hauling business in the Fayetteville area. Bailey was required to deduct income taxes, social security taxes, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages, and to pay these taxes to the federal government. In 2009, Bailey failed to collect and pay employment taxes in the amount of $16,170.23. In 2010, Bailey again failed to collect and pay employment taxes of $9,155.99.
Bailey is scheduled for sentencing on October 1, 2014. For each offense, Bailey faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
Orlando Man Pleads Guilty to Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Tony Frith (35, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to access device fraud. Frith is facing up to 10 years in federal prison and a 3-year term of supervised release. The sentencing hearing has been set for September 15, 2014.
According to court documents, officers from the Orlando Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Frith’s vehicle on September 15, 2013. During the stop, a drug detection dog alerted to the presence of an illegal drug from inside Frith’s vehicle. Officers then conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search, one of the officers found a backpack in the vehicle’s trunk that contained a computer, an attached encoding device, and more than 200 counterfeit credit cards. Further investigation determined that the credit cards were counterfeit and that they had been re-encoded with stolen credit card numbers. A subsequent examination of Frith’s computer revealed that it contained more than 3,000 credit card numbers, as well as text files with names, dates of birth, and Social Security Numbers. The total amount of actual loss associated with the counterfeit credit cards and stolen credit card numbers found in Frith’s possession is over $470,000.
This case was investigated by the Orlando Police Department and the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Operators of Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation Center IndictedRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Federal Grand Jury in the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke has charged four individuals with a variety of Federal crimes, including racketeering [RICO], relating to the operation of a Weber City, Va., skilled nursing facility.
In an indictment returned Tuesday, June 24, 2014, the Grand Jury has charged Avi Klein, 45, of Miami Beach, Fla., Alicia Dietrich, 52, of Lancaster, Ohio, Charles R. Menten, 62, of Wilton Manors, Fla., and Vicki Cox, 46, of Kingsport, Tenn. with various crimes relating to the operation of the nursing facility formerly known as the Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation Center in Weber City, Va.
Klein has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, ten counts of wire fraud, one count of healthcare fraud, fifty-five counts of mail fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Dietrich has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, one count of healthcare fraud, fifty-four counts of mail fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to make false statements.
Menten has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, two counts of wire fraud, fifty-five counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Cox has been charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit wire, mail and healthcare fraud, eight counts of wire fraud, one count of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to make false statements.
According to the indictment, the defendants, and their associates, operated the Brian Center, a 90 bed skilled nursing facility in Weber City, Va., to commit a multi-component fraud scheme that included defrauding Medicare and Virginia Medicaid by, among things, causing the facility to operate without sufficient certified nursing assistants and supplies, and in violation of Federal nursing facility requirements. The other components of the fraud scheme included defrauding vendors who supplied goods and services to the facility and defrauding the facility’s employees of money withheld from their paychecks for benefits that were not provided.
The indictment alleges that the defendants caused residents to live in unsanitary and unclean conditions, to be without good nutrition and personal and oral hygiene, including but not limited to a lack of bathing, toileting, grooming, cleaning, turning, feeding and meaningful restorative services, and to have neglected and untreated pressure sores.
In convicted the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison and/or fines of up to $250,000 for each of the racketeering and fraud counts. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000, and the conspiracy to make false statements charge has a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000. Each defendant also faces significant forfeitures for the racketeering, fraud, and money laundering charges.
This case is the result of a cooperative investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. Assistant United States Attorney’s Rick Mountcastle and Daniel Bubar and Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Eric Atkinson are prosecuting the case for the United States.
A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. These defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Operation Road Block Members of Drug Organization IndictedRead the Press Release
BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today the unsealing of a federal grand jury indictment in Operation Road Block, an extensive investigation into a drug trafficking network operating in the Baton Rouge region.
The investigation is another effort by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program which was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program operates nationwide and combines the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
The following eight individuals have been charged:
• Wilbert Mathes, age 38, of Zachary, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; possession of firearms by a convicted felon; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Mathes faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 86 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $7,250,000 fine. He has been arrested and is detained pending trial.
• Joell Leggins, age 39, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Leggins faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 156 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $14,250,000 fine. He is currently a fugitive.
• Marcus Thornton, age 38, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Thornton faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 64 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $7,250,000 fine. He is currently incarcerated on unrelated state charges and will be transported to federal court for his initial appearance at a later date.
• Damond Reynard Lockett, age 40, of Port Allen, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Lockett faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 68 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $6,500,000 fine. He has been arrested and is detained pending trial.
• Lamont Jackson, age 39, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Jackson faces a possible sentence of 32 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $1,750,000 fine. He has been arrested and is under pretrial supervision pending trial.
• Broderick D. Mathes, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession of firearms by a convicted felon; unlawful use of a communications facility; and forfeiture. If convicted, Mathes faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 80 years imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $7,000,000 fine. He has been arrested and is detained pending trial.
• Robert Williams, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; and forfeiture. If convicted, Williams faces a possible sentence of 20 years imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment, forfeiture of criminal proceeds and property used to facilitate his crimes, and a $1,000,000 fine. He has been arrested and is under pretrial supervision pending trial.
• Caprice Morgan, age 28, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is charged with misprision of a felony. If convicted, Morgan faces a possible sentence of 3 years imprisonment, 1 year of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $250,000 fine. She has been arrested and is under pretrial supervision pending trial.
U.S. Attorney Green stated: “This indictment continues our battle against the drug trafficking organizations that plague our community. We will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners to take drug dealers off the streets of Baton Rouge. I greatly appreciate the hardworking team of agents and prosecutors who contributed to this important operation.”
Joseph Shepard, the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the New Orleans Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, stated: “This operation is the result of a successful collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement to pursue justice. This indictment should serve as a reminder that DEA, along with its partners, remains deeply committed to aggressively and swiftly pursuing those who violate the federal drug laws.”
This operation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Baton Rouge City Police Department, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kleinpeter who serves as a Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division.
NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by the Grand Jury. The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.
Newport News Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for MurderRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Kevin L. Ashby, 25, of Newport News, Virginia, was sentenced today to life in prison for participating in a May 2009 murder, along with a concurrent sentence of 40 years for participating in the Thug Relations gang, which engaged in narcotics distribution, weapons violations and multiple acts of violence, including several murders, in the Newport News area.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.According to court documents, Ashby, and his co-defendant Antonio Fuller, were part of a criminal organization known locally as “Thug Relations.” Ashby pleaded guilty on March 12, 2014, and admitted to participating in a criminal enterprise that engaged in murders, attempted murder, witness intimidation, robberies and narcotics distribution. Specifically, Ashby admitted to participating in the murders of Andre Horton and Andre Julius Johnson on May 17, 2009, the murder and robbery of Lafayette Bailey on Dec. 15, 2009, and the murder and robbery of Lloyd Robinson on Jan. 8, 2010.
The Thug Relations gang is alternatively known as “the Duct,” “Warwick Lawnz,” “TR,” and “from the Duct to the Lawnz,” and it operates as a neighborhood gang in the Aqueduct Apartments, St. Michael’s Apartments, Mariner’s Landing Apartments and Heritage Trace Apartments, as well as the Warwick Lawns, Warwick Town Home, Sharon Drive and Savage Drive areas of Newport News.
Ashby’s co-defendant, Antonio Fuller, is set to begin trial on July 1, 2014. Ashby’s conviction raises to 44 the total number of Thug Relations gang members convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for gang-related murder, narcotics distribution and other violence.
This investigation was led by FBI and the Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the Newport News Police and the Virginia State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel, and Trial Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt of the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:13-cr-72.
New York City Woman Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Fraud in Connection with Federal Financial Aid to Attend Online State CollegeRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that STEPHANIE BROWN pled guilty today to engaging in fraud in connection with federal financial aid to attend an online state college. BROWN pled guilty in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.
According to Information, documents filed in the case, and statements made today in court:
In 2011, BROWN forged documents, made false statements, and submitted false and fraudulent documents to the United States Department of Education (“Department of Education”) in order to obtain federal financial aid for prospective students of a State of New York online college. As a result of BROWN’s fraud, the Department of Education provided federal financial aid to individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for such aid. As part of her plea agreement with the Government, BROWN agreed to make restitution in the amount of $117,840.
BROWN, 53, of Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of federal financial aid fraud. She faces a maximum of one year in prison; one year of supervised release; and a $25 special assessment. The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge. In addition to the prison sentence, BROWN has agreed to restitution in the amount of $117,840.
Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie H. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. v. Stephanie Brown Information
New Haven Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
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Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TYLON VAUGHN, also known as “Bucky B,” 36, of New Haven, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine and marijuana.
VAUGHN is one of more than 100 individuals charged as a result of “Operation Bloodline,” a joint law enforcement investigation targeting narcotics trafficking and gang violence in the Dwight-Kensington and Fair Haven sections of New Haven. Led by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the New Haven and Hamden Police Departments, the year-long investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps on numerous telephones, extensive physical surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, execution of search warrants, and seizures of narcotics and firearms.
On December 6, 2013, a jury found VAUGHN guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 280 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”) and a quantity of marijuana, and two counts of distributing cocaine base. According to the evidence at trial, VAUGHN received distribution quantities of crack from co-defendant Britt Martin, also known as “Big Baby,” and distributed crack and marijuana, as well as other controlled substances, to customers in Fair Haven. In May and June 2011, investigators made two controlled purchases of crack from VAUGHN.
VAUGHN’s criminal history includes 11 prior convictions, six of which were for drug offenses.
Martin pleaded guilty to his role in this conspiracy and is currently serving a 120-month prison term.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia and Meriden Police Departments. The United States Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, Parole and Community Services and the Milford, Hartford, New Britain, North Branford and Stratford Police Departments have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Dave Vatti and Marc Silverman, with assistance from Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Rombeau.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Monmouth County, N.J., Doctor Indicted on Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy, Money Laundering and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, N.J., doctor who allegedly wrote illegal prescriptions for oxycodone was indicted on charges that he participated in a conspiracy to illegally distribute the medication, laundered money and failed to pay taxes, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Dr. Paul DiLorenzo, 60, of Ocean Township, N.J., is charged in a superseding indictment, returned today by a federal grand jury, with one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, one count of structuring financial transactions, one count of conspiracy to launder money and eight counts of failing to collect and pay payroll taxes.
According to documents filed in this case:
Oxycodone, the active ingredient in brand name pills such as Oxycontin, Roxicodone and Percocet, is a Schedule II controlled substance, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, is only currently accepted in medical use applications with severe restrictions, and abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Between 2009 and June 27, 2012, DiLorenzo allegedly issued prescriptions to conspirators for drugs containing oxycodone outside the usual course of medical practice and not for any legitimate medical purpose. DiLorenzo charged purported patients $500 in cash for the first visit, $300 in cash for each successive visit and an additional $150 in cash for urine tests.
DiLorenzo employed three conspirators to act as “staff” at his office despite the fact that none of them had any medical training. DiLorenzo provided one of his conspirators with blank prescription pads and stamps in order to generate oxycodone prescriptions for purported patients. DiLorenzo would allegedly sign the prescriptions, often without any medical examination or only a cursory examination. DiLorenzo’s conspirators would obtain oxycodone pills at pharmacies and then distribute the pills.
DiLorenzo allegedly agreed to split the proceeds with some of his conspirators, but never reported or paid any employment taxes.DiLorenzo structured his share of the proceeds, depositing $1,090,939 in cash into various accounts via more than 150 separate transactions. All but one of the deposits was for an amount less than $10,000, which is the amount that requires the filing of a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). The one deposit for more than $10,000 – a $10,044 cash deposit – was accompanied by a deposit slip in the amount of $9,544. After being told by the teller that the amount was in excess of $10,000, DiLorenzo attempted to cancel the deposit rather than have the bank prepare and file a CTR. DiLorenzo also accumulated $521,212.25 in cash that was found at his house and the house of his parents.
The count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The structuring count carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The conspiracy to launder money count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The tax counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250, 000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl Kotowski, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton and Tino Lisella, trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division.
The charge and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
14-233
Defense counsel: Robert DeGroot Esq., Newark
DiLorenzo, Paul Superceding Indictment
Moline Man Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting A MinorRead the Press Release
Rock Island, Ill. — A Moline, Ill., man, Daniel C. McLeod, 26, was sentenced yesterday for the unlawful transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, as announced by Central District of Illinois U.S. Attorney Jim Lewis. U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow ordered McLeod to serve 200 months (16 years, 8 months) in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release following his release from prison.
On Jan. 24, 2014, McLeod pled guilty to the offense. According to court documents and evidence presented by the government during court hearings, McLeod traveled to Iowa in December 2012 and picked up a 13-year-old female and brought her to Moline to have sex with her. The female stayed with McLeod for approximately two weeks until the victim notified family members who notified local authorities. During the two week period, McLeod admitted he had sex with the minor multiple times, and occasionally filmed the activity using his cell phone.
McLeod has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in January 2013.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk W. Schuler prosecuted the case. The charges were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service’s Quad Cities Cyber-Crime Unit and the Moline Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced that on June 25, 2014, Billy Cannon, Sr. (49) of Milwaukee, WI, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for wire fraud and money laundering. His incarceration will be concurrent to a 16 year sentence he received earlier this year in state court for drug and firearm offenses.
From at least June 2006 through July 2007, Cannon worked as a mortgage broker and used straw buyers to fraudulently obtain mortgages for numerous properties on the north and northwest side of the city of Milwaukee. Loan applications submitted to lenders by Cannon contained material misrepresentations which made the straw buyers more appealing candidates for a mortgage. The straw buyers almost uniformly defaulted on the loans. In all, nearly a million dollars was lost by lenders as a result of the scheme. Cannon has been ordered to pay restitution to the lenders for the losses incurred.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Wesley.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting ToddlerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alcario Emilio Provencio, 24, a member and resident of the Mescalero Apache Nation, was sentenced this afternoon to 36 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting a minor in Indian Country.
Provencio was arrested on April 15, 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to the complaint, Provencio assaulted a 16-month-old child who was in his care on Oct. 10, 2012, in a residence located on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. As a result of the assault, the victim sustained serious injuries including compression fractures of two vertebrae, retinal hemorrhaging, a fractured rib and numerous bruises on the head, face, neck and torso.
Provencio was in tribal custody on tribal charges related to the assault until his arrest on federal charges. He has been in federal custody since his federal arrest.
On Oct. 28, 2013, Provencio entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with assault of a person under the age of 16 years resulting in substantial bodily injury. Provencio admitted assaulting the victim by intentionally striking the child, and acknowledged that the victim sustained substantial bodily injury as a result of the assault.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Domestic Assault by A Habitual Offender ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lonnie Ray Youngman, 45, was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 38 months if federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic assault by a habitual offender charges. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and DuWayne W. Honahni, Sr., Special Agent in Charge of District IV of BIA’s Office of Justice Services.
Youngman, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was arrested on July 8, 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted his domestic partner, a Mescalero Apache woman. Youngman subsequently was indicted and charged with assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon on Jan. 6, 2012, and assaulting the victim on Jan. 5, 2012. Youngman was charged as a habitual domestic offender because he previously had been convicted on domestic assault charges in May 1996 and April 2010.
On March 5, 2014, Youngman entered a guilty plea to the indictment and admitted assaulting the victim on Jan. 5, 2012, by striking her with a wooden table leg. He also admitted assaulting the victim on Jan. 6, 2012, by punching, kicking and biting her. The victim sustained serious bodily injuries, including contusions on the face, scalp, neck and arm, a deviated septum, and bite marks, as a result of the assaults. Both assaults occurred within the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
This case was investigated by the Mescalero Agency of BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The case was brought pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project in the District of New Mexico which is sponsored by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women under a grant administered by the Pueblo of Laguna. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both. The Tribal SAUSA Pilot Project was largely driven by input gathered from annual tribal consultations on violence against women, and is another step in the Justice Department's on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Mescalero Apache Man Sentenced for Federal Assault ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Vincent Magoosh, 23, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., was sentenced this afternoon to eight months of incarceration for his assault conviction. Magoosh then will be on supervised release for two years, six months of which will be served at a half-way house.
Magoosh was arrested on Aug. 2, 2013, on a criminal complaint alleging that he assaulted another Mescalero Apache man on April 28, 2013 with a dangerous weapon. Magoosh has been in federal custody since that time.
On Jan. 21, 2014, Magoosh pled guilty to a criminal information charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon, and admitted assaulting the victim on April 28, 2013. In his plea agreement, Magoosh said that an argument with the victim escalated to a physical confrontation during which he armed himself with a broken table leg with nails in it. Magoosh swung the table leg at the victim and struck him in the head causing a cut to the left side of the victim’s head.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Garreth Winstead, III of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
McLaughlin Man Charged with AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Assault Against a Law Enforcement Officer, and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Brett Claymore, age 21, was indicted on June 17, 2014. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes on June 24, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on June 15, 2014, Claymore unlawfully assaulted a Corson County Deputy Sheriff, which resulted in serious bodily injury.
The charges are merely accusations and Claymore is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley is prosecuting the case.
Claymore was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Marcel Henderson Sentenced to 71 Months in Prison for Receipt of A Firearm by A FelonRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe stated that Marcel Henderson, 25, of St. Thomas was sentenced today in United States District Court to 71 months in prison for the illegal possession of firearms. Henderson, who is a convicted felon, is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms. After serving his prison sentence, Henderson will be on Federal supervised release for 3 years. Henderson, who has been incarcerated since his arrest last December, was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
According to court records, on December 12, 2013, officers of Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package containing four firearms and 230 rounds of ammunition which hand been mailed to St. Thomas. Two of the firearms had obliterated serial numbers. Court records also show that the intended recipient of this package was Henderson. Further investigation revealed that Henderson was convicted in the Virgin Islands Superior Court on August 5, 2010 for attempted armed robbery for which he received a sentence of three years’ incarceration, with all suspended except four months. The defendant pled guilty on February 24, 2014.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD ). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ishmael A. Meyers, Jr.
Man Who Allegedly Escaped from Prison in 1973 Charged with Identity Theft and Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Ronald Dwaine Carnes, age 69, from Waterloo, Iowa, has been charged with misuse of Social Security numbers, aggravated identity theft and possession of a firearm by a felon and fugitive from justice. The charges are contained in a Complaint filed on June 23, 2014, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Complaint alleges that Carnes was convicted of Robbery with Firearms in North Carolina in November 1970. He allegedly escaped from prison on or about August 4, 1973. Following his alleged escape, Carnes allegedly lived under the identities of two different persons to avoid detection by law enforcement. Carnes also allegedly used the two identities to collect Social Security benefits and to apply for Iowa drivers’ licenses. During an April 14, 2014, search of Carnes’ residence in Waterloo, Iowa, law enforcement agents allegedly found certified copies of birth certificates for both identities as well as a handgun and ammunition.Carnes appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Carnes’ next appearance for a preliminary hearing is set for July 9, 2014, at 4:00 p.m.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 14-mj-157.
Man Sentenced on Marriage Fraud ChargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Adil Alakbarov, a citizen of Azerbaijian who had been residing in Cheektowaga, N.Y., and who was convicted of making a false statement on an immigration document, was sentenced to time served (5 ½ months) by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated that Alakbarov attempted to become a U.S. citizen through marriage, and went to great lengths to convince an immigration officer that he was in a valid marriage. The defendant also claimed that he and his wife were residing at the same address. In reality, the marriage was a sham, and the defendant and his purported wife did not live at the same address.
When the Alakbarov learned that he was going to be charged in federal court, he fled to Mexico. The defendant was later arrested as he attempted to board a plane destined to Turkey.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero and Customs and Border Patrol in California.Life Support Ambulance Company and Owners Charged in Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Life Support Corporation, its owners, Nazariy Kmet, 35, of Jamison, PA, and Bogdan Kmet, 30, of Warminster, PA, and a company manager, Rostislav Kmet, 26, of Philadelphia, were charged in a 12-count indictment, unsealed today, alleging their involvement in health care fraud, wire fraud, paying kickbacks, and aiding and abetting, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. The company and one owner also were charged with making false statements in connection with health care matters and money laundering. The company is located in the Feasterville-Trevose area and was incorporated in 2010.
The indictment alleges that defendant Life Support and its owners and a manager operated an ambulance company that transported patients who were able to walk and could travel safely by means other than ambulance and who therefore were not eligible for ambulance transportation under Medicare requirements. It is alleged that the defendants or others acting on their behalf falsified reports to make it appear that the patients needed to be transported by ambulance when the defendants and their employees knew that the patients could be transported safely by other means and that many of them were able to walk. It is also alleged that the defendants were involved in paying kickbacks to patients so that the patients chose to be transported by Life Support ambulances. The defendants allegedly billed for the ambulance services as if those services were medically necessary and, as a result of the allegedly fraudulent billing, the Medicare program paid more than $1.9 million for this inappropriate method of transportation.If convicted, Nazariy Kmet, Bogdan Kmet, and Rostislav Kmet each face substantial terms of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a fine in excess of $3.8 million, mandatory restitution estimated at over $1.9 million, forfeiture of assets, and a special assessment. If convicted, Life Support Corporation faces significant financial penalties, including substantial criminal fines, restitution and forfeiture obligations. All defendants could be excluded from participating in federal health care programs if convicted.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J.D. Hogan.
Click here to view the indictment
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Leader of Bloods Street Gang Convicted of Racketeering, Including Three MurdersRead the Press Release
Earlier today, following a month-long trial, Ronald Herron, also known as “Ra Diggs,” was convicted of all counts, including racketeering and three homicides, arising from his leadership of a violent set of the Bloods Street Gang that operated in the Gowanus Housing Development in Brooklyn. The verdict was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.
“Ronald Herron and his gang of thugs preyed on their community while glorifying their criminal lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “He styled himself a rap artist, but the jury’s verdict makes clear who Herron really is, a drug dealer and murderer who sought power through fear and intimidation.” Ms. Lynch expressed her thanks to the agents and investigators from the FBI and NYPD who worked for years to dismantle this violent gang and bring Herron to justice.
Since 1998, Herron committed numerous crimes of violence in support of his drug trafficking operation in and around the Gowanus Houses and Wyckoff Gardens, two New York City public housing communities located in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. In 2001, Herron murdered Frederick Brooks. Herron was acquitted of that murder in state court after witnesses refused to testify because they were threatened by Herron and his associates. After being released from state custody and consolidating his control over the drug trade in Gowanus and Wyckoff Gardens, Herron murdered Richard Russo in 2008 and Victor Zapata in 2009.
Herron boasted about his exploits in songs and videos in which he identified himself as the leader of the “Murderous Mad Dogs” set of the Bloods Street Gang and claimed that he had previously “beat a body.” The jury rejected Herron’s claim that the videos were simply exaggerations and that he was an aspiring rap artist rather than a murderer.
Herron’s conviction follows dozens of successful prosecutions over the past ten years conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with the FBI and NYPD, of violent gang members and drug dealers from the Gowanus Housing Development. When he is sentenced, Herron faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The government’s case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shreve Ariail, Sam Nitze, and Rena Paul.
The Defendant:
RONALD HERRON, also known as “Ra Diggs”
Age: 32
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 10 CR 615 (NGG)
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to Sixty-Three Months for Unlawful Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Jesus Coronado, 33, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced in Las Cruces federal court this afternoon to 63 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Coronado will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence.
Coronado was arrested on April 26, 2013, on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Coronado subsequently was charged in a two-count indictment with unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition in Doña Ana County, N.M., on Oct. 26, 2011 and again on Dec. 14, 2012. At the time, Coronado was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously had been convicted of receiving and transferring stolen property in 2002; receiving stolen property in 2004 and 2008; attempting to commit residential burglary in 2010; and residential burglary in 2011, in the 3rd Judicial District Court for the State of New Mexico.On Jan. 21, 2014, Coronado pled guilty to both counts of the indictment and admitted that he unlawfully possessed a 12 gauge shotgun on Oct. 26, 2011, and a 9mm handgun on Dec. 14, 2012.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Explosives and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Lee Wayne Weathers, 41, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced in federal court this morning to 60 months in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release for his methamphetamine trafficking conviction.
Weathers was arrested on Nov. 13, 2013, on an indictment charging him with a methamphetamine trafficking offense. A heroin trafficking charge was added when the indictment was superseded in Jan. 2014. According to the superseding indictment, Weathers unlawfully possessed both methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute in Doña Ana County, N.M., on Oct. 24, 2013.
Weathers entered a guilty plea to the methamphetamine trafficking charge on Feb. 11, 2014, and admitted possessing six grams of pure methamphetamine on Oct. 24, 2013, in Doña Ana County. He also admitted that he intended to distribute the drugs for profit.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI, from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Doña Ana/Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Anna R. Wright of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.L.A.-Area ‘Notarios’ Indicted in Scheme That Filed Fraudulent ‘Green Card’ Applications and Cost Some Immigrants Their Life SavingsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles-area immigration consultant and one of her employees were arrested this morning after being named in an indictment that alleges they filed fraudulent “green card” applications on behalf of immigrants who were married to U.S. citizens, some of whom paid more than $20,000 for their services.
Claudia Arreola, 35, of El Monte, who owns California Immigration Services (CIS), and her business associate, Leticia Gutierrez, 35, Pico Rivera, were taken into custody this morning by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The two women were charged in a six-count indictment returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury.
“Fraud scams run by so-called notarios threaten the integrity of the immigration process and offer false hope to desperate people,” said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. “The two women in this case victimized immigrants for years by giving the false impression that they could fix immigration problems.”
According to the indictment, the defendants submitted paperwork to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of six foreign nationals who were seeking to obtain “green cards” – permanent resident status – based on legitimate marriages to U.S. citizens. The applications filed by the defendants allegedly included fraudulent I-94 cards indicating that the immigrants, who originally came to the U.S. illegally, entered lawfully on visitors’ visas.
The immigrant victims were originally quoted fees of approximately $7,000, but the defendants ultimately charged them as much as $24,000. To pay the debt, some of the couples borrowed against their credit cards or obtained loans from family and friends. Subsequently, investigators say when several of the foreign nationals sought refunds after they failed to receive “green cards,” the defendants allegedly threatened to contact authorities and have the aliens deported.
“Tragically, as is often true in such scams, at least some of the victims in this case could have obtained green cards legally,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “Instead, they placed their trust and, in many cases, their life savings in the hands of individuals who were focused on enriching themselves, rather than on helping hopeful immigrants realize the American dream.”
Investigators say the similarity between the name and acronym for Arreola’s consulting business and USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security agency that adjudicates applications for immigration benefits, was no coincidence. Evidence developed during the investigation showed that money orders and cashier’s checks made out to USCIS had been deposited in bank accounts controlled by defendants.
The probe targeting Arreola’s CIS began in 2011 after HSI received leads from USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security directorate involving several suspicious benefit applications. While only six instances of fraud are charged in the case indictment, authorities believe the scheme is responsible for dozens of fraudulent benefit applications.
“Arreola victimized immigrants for personal gain by pretending to be associated with USCIS,” said USCIS FDNS Western Regional Assistant Director Ken Takeda. “We are committed to upholding the integrity of our immigration system by combatting these deceptive practices. USCIS strongly encourages the public to seek legal advice or representation from attorneys or accredited representatives.”
Arreola and Gutierrez are expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in federal court. If convicted, both defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison.
In 2003, the Attorney General of the State of California filed suit against Arreola and Gutierrez, among others, alleging that defendants had engaged in an illegal scheme to provide immigration services in violation of California law. Both Arreola and Gutierrez entered into settlement agreements in which they promised not to engage in illegal immigration consulting services in violation of California law, specifically agreeing not to promise certain benefits or results in immigration cases. In 2006, the defendants began operating California Immigration Services and engaging in the conduct alleged in the indictment.
This case is part of an ongoing, nationwide effort by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to target unscrupulous immigration practitioners and combat the unauthorized practice of immigration law. The initiative relies on federal, state and local resources to combat the widespread problem of unauthorized practice of immigration law. Other partners involved in the Los Angeles effort include the Federal Trade Commission, the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs, the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office of the State of California. For more information on the initiative, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/news/national-initiative-combat-immigration-services-scams.
HSI and USCIS believe there are additional victims in this case who have not yet been identified. The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs has a toll-free number that victims can call to get information or seek assistance: 1-800-593-8222.
Release No. 14-079
Justice Department and State of Texas Require Martin Marietta to Divest a Quarry and Two Rail Yards to Proceed with Acquisition of Texas Industries<br />Read the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Martin Marietta Materials Inc. to divest one Oklahoma quarry and two Texas rail yards in order to proceed with its proposed $2.7 billion acquisition of Texas Industries Inc. The department said that, without the divestiture, the proposed acquisition likely would result in higher prices for purchasers of aggregate – crushed stone produced at quarries or mines – in parts of the Dallas metropolitan area.
The department's Antitrust Division and the state of Texas filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed transaction. At the same time, the department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the department's competitive concerns alleged in the lawsuit.
"Today’s proposed settlement will help ensure that aggregate purchasers in parts of the Dallas metropolitan area will continue to receive the benefits of vigorous competition," said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the department's Antitrust Division. “Without the divestiture obtained by the Antitrust Division, customers would have likely faced higher prices as a result of this acquisition."
Aggregate is used in a variety of applications, such as road construction, and for the production of ready mix concrete and asphalt.
The department said that the proposed merger would have likely resulted in increased prices for customers handling Texas Department of Transportation projects in parts of the Dallas metropolitan area. The Texas Department of Transportation – like many other state Departments of Transportation – sets specifications for the type of aggregate approved for use in those projects. In Dallas County and parts of the surrounding area, Martin Marietta and Texas Industries are two of the only three suppliers of Texas Department of Transportation-approved aggregate.
Under the terms of the proposed consent decree, Martin Marietta must divest its North Troy aggregate quarry in Mill Creek, Oklahoma, its rail yard in Dallas, and its rail yard in Frisco, Texas. All of these assets predominantly serve parts of the Dallas metropolitan area. Under the proposed settlement, the department's Antitrust Division must approve the buyer of the divested assets.
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. is incorporated in North Carolina with its headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Martin Marietta produces, distributes and/or markets aggregate for the construction industry in 29 states and it produces aggregate in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Bahamas for distribution and sale at numerous terminals and yards along the East Coast of the United States. In 2013, Martin Marietta had net sales of $2.1 billion.
Texas Industries Inc. is incorporated in Delaware with its headquarters in Dallas. Texas Industries produces, distributes and/or markets aggregate in five states – Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and California. Texas Industries also produces asphalt concrete, ready mix concrete and cement. In 2013, Texas Industries had net sales of $800 million.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed consent decree, along with the department's competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed decree during a 60-day comment period to Maribeth Petrizzi, Chief, Litigation II Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 8700, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the final judgment upon a finding that it serves the public interest.
Johnstown Heroin Dealer Sentenced to A Year and A Day in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to twelve months and one day in prison and three years supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on, Fred Claycomb, Jr., 51.
According to information presented to the court, on Jan. 17, 2013, Claycomb, Jr. distributed less than 100 grams of heroin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Haines prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Hickton commended the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cambria County Drug Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Claycomb, Jr.
James Amos Parker Sentenced to 120 Months Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of A Minor for SexRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On June 26, 2014, James Amos Parker, 47, of Alcoa, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison by the Honorable Danny C. Reeves, U.S. District Judge. Parker pleaded guilty in February 2014 to a federal grand jury indictment charging him with attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity using a computer in interstate commerce.
Parker engaged in online discussions via the internet with undercover law enforcement officers in which he expressed a desire to engage in sexual relations with someone he believed to be 12 years old. Parker was arrested by undercover law enforcement officers when he showed up at a pre-arranged meeting place to have sex with a person whom he believed to be a minor.
As part of the sentence imposed, Parker was also placed on supervised release for a period of 20 years and will be required to register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or attends school upon his release from prison.
The indictment and subsequent conviction of Amos were the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Knoxville Police Department - Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Jackson Residents Sentenced for Stolen Identity Refund FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss - Rickey McDuffey, of Jackson, was sentenced in federal court today to fifty-six months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit stolen identity refund fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jerome R. McDuffie with IRS - Criminal Investigation.
McDuffy’s co-conspirator, Alicia Haslett, of Jackson, was sentenced on June 19, 2014, to fifty-five months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Both McDuffey and Haslett were also ordered to pay $306,962.17 in restitution and to forfeit that same amount to the government.
McDuffy and Haslett, who were married at the time, conspired to steal personal identifying information which they used to file false federal income tax returns from 2011 through 2013. They both pled guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
Jerome R. McDuffie , Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS – Criminal Investigation, stated: “It is my hope that the sentences imposed on Alicia Haslett and Rickey McDuffey make it clear that identity theft related tax fraud is a serious crime and will result in serious consequences. The ring of fraudsters and identity thieves led by Haslett and McDuffey has been successfully disbanded. On behalf of IRS-CI, I would like to thank the Office of the United States Attorney for their aggressive prosecution of cases involving Stolen Identity Refund Fraud.”If you believe you have been a victim of fraud from a person or an organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of storm victims, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud toll free at:
(866) 720-5721
You can also fax information to:
(225) 334-4707
or e-mail it to:
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Investment Adviser Charged with Stealing Client FundsRead the Press Release
Boston – A Pennsylvania woman affiliated with a Massachusetts-based broker dealer was indicted today in U.S. District Court in Boston on charges that she orchestrated a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme.
Patricia S. Miller, 67, was charged with five counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Miller used her position as a trusted financial adviser, as well as her association with the Massachusetts broker dealer, to obtain money from clients for purported investments never made on the behalf of clients. Specifically, Miller promised high returns if clients put their money into “investment clubs” called, among other things, “KS Investments” and “Buckharbor.” Miller represented, among other things, that funds put into her investment clubs would be placed in fixed-income notes and other investments. Miller was able to obtain over $2.5 million from more than 20 clients for these purported investment clubs. Instead of investing the money as promised, however, she misappropriated client funds for her own use.
If convicted, Miller faces a maximum sentence under the statute for each count of wire fraud of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. U.S. Attorney Ortiz also expressed appreciation for the help and cooperation her office received from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Field Division. The case is being prosecuted by Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Those who believe that they are a victim of the crimes alleged against Patricia S. Miller should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts at [email protected]. Identified victims will receive notification through an automated victim notification system. Those who have not received notification, and believe they should be included as a victim, should contact the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office at [email protected].
Pittsburgh-Area Victims:
Residents of the Pittsburgh, Pa. area, who believe they are a victim, should contact the victim witness unit at 412-644-3500. Pittsburgh victims may also find information at http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Today’s announcement is part of the ongoing efforts of President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. The interagency FFETF was created to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force, chaired by Attorney General Eric Holder, includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
Investment Adviser Charged with Stealing Client FundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pennsylvania woman affiliated with a Massachusetts-based broker dealer was indicted today in U.S. District Court in Boston on charges that she orchestrated a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme.
Patricia S. Miller, 67, was charged with five counts of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges that Miller used her position as a trusted financial adviser, as well as her association with the Massachusetts broker dealer, to obtain money from clients for purported investments never made on the behalf of clients. Specifically, Miller promised high returns if clients put their money into “investment clubs” called, among other things, “KS Investments” and “Buckharbor.” Miller represented, among other things, that funds put into her investment clubs would be placed in fixed-income notes and other investments. Miller was able to obtain over $2.5 million from more than 20 clients for these purported investment clubs. Instead of investing the money as promised, however, she misappropriated client funds for her own use.
If convicted, Miller faces a maximum sentence under the statute for each count of wire fraud of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. U.S. Attorney Ortiz also expressed appreciation for the help and cooperation her office received from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh Field Division. The case is being prosecuted by Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.
Those who believe that they are a victim of the crimes alleged against Patricia S. Miller should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts at [email protected]. Information regarding the case can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/ma/news/Miller/index.html. Identified victims will receive notification through an automated victim notification system. Those who have not received notification, and believe they should be included as a victim, should contact the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office at [email protected].
Pittsburgh-Area Victims:
Residents of the Pittsburgh, Pa. area, who believe they are a victim, should contact the victim witness unit at 412-644-3500. Pittsburgh victims may also find information at http://www.justice.gov/usao/paw/.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Today’s announcement is part of the ongoing efforts of President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. The interagency FFETF was created to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force, chaired by Attorney General Eric Holder, includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. For more information about the FFETF, please visit: www.stopfraud.gov.
Indictment: Wichita Woman's Business Was Front for ProstitutionRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal indictment unsealed here today alleges a Wichita woman ran a prostitution business with as many as 20 escorts who accepted credit cards and offered discount coupons to loyal customers, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Saundra J. Lacy, 60, Wichita, Kan., is charged with 27 counts of racketeering in promotion of prostitution. The indictment alleges Lacy operated an escort service called Jessie’s Primetime Entertainment at 304 S. Laura.
Lacy, whose business was licensed by the City of Wichita as an escort service, required escorts to carry condoms and to engage in sexual acts if a customer requested. She typically charged customers $160 for half an hour with an escort and $185 for an hour. She typically paid an escort $75 to $85 for a half hour date and $90 to $100 for an hour. Escorts who had a current escort license from the City of Wichita were paid more than those who had no license.
She also distributed discount coupons to escorts that entitled customers to a $10 discount at their next date and kept track of the serial numbers on the coupons in a coupon book.
She accepted payment for escorts’ services by cash, credit card and, occasionally, by check. She accepted MasterCard, Visa and Discover Card. Charges would appear as “massage therapy” provided by “Prime Time.” Credit card deposits into the Prime Time Account at Bank of America totaled approximately $39,189 in 2009, $25,601 in 2010, $40,851 in 2011and $32,770 from Jan. 1, 2012 to Aug. 27, 2012.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The FBI and the Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Charles Keith Rolfe (60, Heyburn, Idaho) today pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography. Rolfe faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison. He also faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to a lifetime of supervision, after his release, and will be required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to the plea agreement, on February 28, 2014, Rolfe communicated via a Mobile Messaging Application (“MMA”) on his cellular phone, with an individual with whom he believed he had previously traded child pornography (Subject #1). However, agents with Homeland Security Investigations had assumed Subject #1’s online identity and began communicating with Rolfe in an undercover capacity, after Subject #1’s arrest in October 2013. Rolfe sent the undercover agents at least three videos containing images of child pornography via the MMA on his cellular phone. During a later search of Rolfe’s home, agents found almost 900 images of child pornography stored on a cell phone.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph M. Schuster.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Hartford Grocery Store Owner Charged with Food Stamp FraudRead the Press Release
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Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in New Haven has returned an indictment charging SALIH KAYA, 53, of West Hartford, with one count of food stamp fraud. KAYA is the owner and operator of Green Apple Market, located at 264 Farmington Avenue in Hartford.
The indictment was returned on June 24, 2014, and KAYA was arrested yesterday. Following his arrest, he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford and was released on a $25,000 bond.
The federal food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”), is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (“FNS”) and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (“EBT”) card. SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items. Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items. SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.
According to the indictment and statements made in court, KAYA has owned Green Apple Market since it opened on July 1, 2008. Between July 2011 and May 2014, it is alleged that KAYA illegally exchanged food stamps for cash and other ineligible items with customers at the store. The FNS estimates that a reasonable sales figure for the store, given the size, amenities and location of the store, should be no more than $60,000 per year. During this approximately three-year period, sales for the store totaled approximately $2.8 million.
If convicted of the charge, KAYA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Greece Woman Pleads Guilty to Supplying Guns used in Christmas Eve ShootingRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Dawn Nguyen, 25, of Greece, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge David G. Larimer, to knowingly making a false statement in connection with the purchase of firearms; selling and disposing of firearms to William Spengler, a known felon; and possession of firearms while being an unlawful user of marijuana.
“But for the actions of this defendant in illegally putting two guns into the hands of a known dangerous felon, the families of Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka might have their son, father and husband still with them.” “While today’s convictions cannot possibly bring these brave men back, or relieve the pain of the families and those wounded in the Christmas Eve attack, this defendant will in fact shortly receive her just punishment for all the harm she caused.”
The charges involve the purchase and disposition of the firearms that were used in the Christmas Eve shooting in December 2012 that resulted in the deaths of Webster Police Lieutenant Michael Chiapperini and West Webster Firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka, and seriously injured Firefighters Theodore Scardino and Joseph Hostetter. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000.00, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Noto, who is handling the case, stated that Nguyen made false statements during the purchase of a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle and a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun at Gander Mountain in Henrietta, N.Y., in order to acquire those firearms on behalf of William Spengler, Jr. The defendant gave those firearms to Spengler with the knowledge that Spengler was a convicted felon. In addition, Nguyen unlawfully possessed the firearms at a time when she was an unlawful user of marijuana.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gerald Pickering, Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Cannon, New York Field Division, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Scott Crozier, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 28, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Larimer.Frackville Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Cocaine PossessionRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Frackville, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to fifteen months in prison and three years supervised release on his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Walter Johnson, 29.
According to information presented to the court, on Apr. 4, 2013, Johnson possessed with the intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Haines prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Mr. Hickton commended the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Johnstown Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Johnson.
Four Ordered to Prison in Firearms Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Four people residing in Houston have been ordered to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic dozens of AK-47 variant rifles from the Houston area to Mexico, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Robert Elder, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Mexican nationals Abel Lopez, 35, and Arturo Garcia, 31; and Roberto Santana Mears, 22, and Martha Gonzales, 41, all pleaded guilty at varying times earlier this year as did Javier Resendez, 29, Angel Aquino-Pineda, 28, and Mary Bel Deanda, 39. All reside in Houston.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos handed Lopez, who was also convicted of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, to a total of 180 months in federal prison, while Mears, Garcia and Gonzalez were ordered to serve respective terms of 36, 46 and 36 months. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ramos admonished Lopez that he was just fueling the violence in his very own country. Earlier this month, Aquino-Pineda was ordered to serve 100 months in federal prison. Resendez and Bel Deanda will be sentenced July 18, 2014.
In 2013, the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a truck driven by Aquino-Pineda in Kingsville and located 35 AK-47 variant rifles and $26,000 concealed in a false compartment. Seven of the rifles had obliterated serial numbers. Aquino-Pineda admitted his role was to transport the firearms from Houston to McAllen. The firearms would then be transported to Mexico.
ATF agents traced the firearms to Houston purchasers Deanda, Gonzales and Mears, who admitted they were “straw purchasers” for Resendez. Resendez indicated Garcia recruited him to purchase firearms for Lopez and that the firearms would be taken to Mexico. Resendez then recruited Deanda and Gonzales to “straw purchase” the firearms on his behalf. Mears admitted he was also a “straw purchaser” for Lopez.
On Jan. 24, 2014, agents executed a warrant at Lopez’s residence and located two Norinco, Model MAK90, 7,62x39mm AK-47 style rifles; one Baretta, Model 3032, Tomcat .32 caliber pistol; and $955. Lopez told agents that Garcia and Mears had purchased several firearms for him and that the firearms were to be sent to Mexico.
ATF investigated with the assistance of the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hugo R. Martinez and Jeffrey D. Preston are prosecuting the case.
Former Office Manager Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Embezzling More Than $3.6 Million-Defendant Used Money for Jewelry, Vacations, Parties, Other Personal Expenses-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Pamela J. Beard, 52, of Bowie, Md., was sentenced today to three years in prison on a federal mail fraud charge stemming from the embezzlement of more than $3.6 million from her former employer, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Beard pled guilty in January 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Upon completion of her prison term, Beard will be placed on three years of supervised release. She also must pay $3,688,649 in criminal forfeiture and restitution.
According to the government's evidence, from approximately March 1997 through February 2013, Beard was employed as a billing clerk and the office manager at the Office of Orthopaedic Medicine & Surgery, in Washington, DC. Her duties included paying vendors and creditors, as well as making payments on the business’s corporate credit card accounts. She had access to the office’s financial information and payment systems, and, as a result, could generate checks on the office’s corporate checking account. She also was authorized to use a corporate credit card to pay for business-related expenses. Beard was not authorized to use the office’s bank accounts or corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.
From May 1, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard embezzled $3,688,649 from the office. She used the proceeds to pay for, among other things: a home mortgage; vehicles; a timeshare with Disney Vacation Development, Inc.; expenses associated with her husband’s landscaping business; vacations, including a trip to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas; a personal trainer; jewelry, and parties, including Beard’s 50th birthday party at the Sunset Room at National Harbor, in or around February 2012, for which she spent about $18,703 on ice sculptures.
Beard embezzled the money in a variety of ways:
From May 1, 2006, through Jan. 22, 2013, Beard generated more than 100 corporate checks, totaling $1,289,736, on her employer’s checking account. Each check was made payable to Bank of America. Once the checks were generated by Beard through the office’s payment system, she provided them to a physician, who signed them on the office’s behalf. Because the checks were payable to Bank of America, the physician believed that they were intended to pay a corporate credit card account at Bank of America. Beard, however, deposited them at various Bank of America branches to make payments, without authorization, on Bank of America credit card accounts for Beard, her husband, and her husband’s landscaping business.
From Oct. 6, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard generated and mailed additional checks drawn on the office’s corporate checking account to pay personal credit card accounts for herself and her husband at American Express. She also made on-line payments from the corporate checking account to American Express. Beard conducted these financial transactions, without authorization, in the total amount of $2,207,882.
Finally, from April 21, 2006, through Dec. 30, 2012, Beard used the office’s corporate credit card without authorization, to purchase goods and services for her own personal use in the total amount of $191,030.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge Parlave commended the investigative work of special agents and analysts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Senior Inspector Wayne Rollock of the U.S. Marshals Service. He also praised those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman, Rosalind Pressley, and Nicole Wattelet; Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who handled forfeiture issues; and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Johnson, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Seeley, who prosecuted the case.
14-152Former NYPD Detective Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Rafael Astacio, a former detective with the New York City Police Department, pleaded guilty in Central Islip federal court to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and filing a fraudulent tax return. When sentenced, Astacio faces up to eight years in prison, a forfeiture money judgment of $200,000, and a fine of up to $500,000.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Kathleen M. Rice, Nassau County District Attorney, George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Thomas C. Krumpter, Acting Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), Shantelle P. Kitchen, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS), and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“For three years, Astacio and his band of thieves invaded people’s homes and businesses and stole millions of dollars. What makes Astacio’s crimes even more disgraceful is that he committed them while he was a NYPD detective who took an oath to protect and serve our community,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “Today’s plea demonstrates that no one is above the rule of law. I want to thank my law enforcement partners for their hard work and unwavering commitment to ensure that Astacio was brought to justice.”
According to the indictment, court filings,and statements at today’s proceeding, between 2009 and 2012, Astacio was a member of a burglary crew that committed approximately three dozen commercial burglaries and ten residential burglaries in the Eastern District of New York stealing approximately $10,000,000 in cash and property. The crew used traditional burglary tools, such as blow torches, crowbars, wire cutters, and sledge hammers, as well as modern technology, including cell phone jammers and police scanners, to commit those burglaries. In addition, they often conducted surveillance of their burglary victims to determine when the victims would be out of their homes and businesses. On at least one occasion, they even installed a tracking device on a victim’s car to assist in that endeavor.
On April 29, 2010, Astacio’s co-conspirators burglarized a business in Plainview, New York, entering that commercial establishment while Astacio and another co-conspirator monitored a police scanner and acted as lookouts. Astacio’s co-conspirators spent approximately three and a half hours in the business and stole more than 45,000 pairs of Under Armour, Hobie, and other sunglasses that were worth approximately $3,000,000. After the burglary, Astacio and his co-conspirators transported the stolen property across state lines and sold some of the sunglasses on the Internet. In another instance, Astacio and his crew stole approximately $2,000,000 in cash from a plastic surgeon’s office located in Nassau County.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Caffarone and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Whelan.
The Defendant:
RAFAEL ASTACIO
Age: 41
Copiague, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 13-CR-640 (JFB)
Former Indian Casino Cashier Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Embezzlement and Failing to File A Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Kimberly Dawn Logsdon, of Chickasha, Oklahoma, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for embezzling from an Indian casino and failing to file a tax return, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
The Silver Buffalo Casino was an Indian gaming establishment in Anadarko, Oklahoma, operated by the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. Kimberly Logsdon was employed as a cashier clerk at the casino from July 25, 2007, until her termination on December 3, 2008. During five days of trial testimony in December 2013, a jury heard evidence that from January of 2008 through November of 2008, Ms. Logsdon double-counted certain winning cashout vouchers presented by casino customers for payment and kept a total of $174,472.56. She duplicated payments by treating certain vouchers both as scanned by the computer system and as unscanned vouchers that were not entered into the casino’s computer system. The evidence also showed that she knowingly failed to file a federal income tax return for 2008, in spite of the fact that she and her husband had at least $144,800.00 in gross gambling winnings between May and December of 2008.
Today United States District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Ms. Logsdon to 37 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, and restitution of $174,472.56. The sentence was based in part on the court’s finding that Ms. Logsdon testified falsely at trial about what she was doing on video surveillance footage that showed incriminating hand movements.
The jury also convicted William Michael Logsdon of failing to file a tax return. His sentencing date has not yet been determined.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and IRS Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott E. Williams and Travis D. Smith.
Former Florida Resident Pleads Guilty to Attempted Sex Trafficking in EcuadorRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Patrick R. Minga (50, formerly of Cape Coral) pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to induce and facilitate, for his own financial gain, the travel of an individual from Brevard County, Florida, to Quito, Ecuador, so that the individual could engage in illicit sexual conduct with minor girls. Minga faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for November 20, 2014.
During the change of plea hearing, Minga admitted that he advertised, on Craigslist, a sex tourism business in Ecuador that could facilitate lodging, transportation, meals, and unlimited access to females for a fee. An undercover task force agent observed the ad and contacted Minga. Over the course of several months, Minga tried to induce and arrange the travel of the undercover agent from Florida to Quito, where Minga advised that he could provide sexual encounters with minors as young as 13 and 14 years of age.
On March 2, 2014, Minga traveled from Ecuador to the United States, where he was arrested by agents in Huntsville, Alabama. Minga will remain detained pending further proceedings.
This case was investigated by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
It is another case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Former Employee of Local Fkg Oil Sentenced for Wire Fraud in A Scheme to Defraud EmployerRead the Press Release
Follow @SDILNewsKevin D. Dowell, 37, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 366 days in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release as a result of his conviction for wire fraud in a scheme to defraud and embezzle from the FKG Oil Company, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Additionally, Dowell was ordered to pay restitution totaling $113,984.
Dowell was the Manager of the Human Resources Department of FKG Oil Company in Belleville, Illinois. During the time period mid-2010 to April 2013, he falsified mileage expense reports, used a company credit card for personal expenses, and transferred funds electronically from the company’s bank account directly to his personal bank account in Missouri. Dowell fraudulently obtained the funds to support his relationship with an exotic dancer.
The fraud was reported to the Belleville Police Department and a full investigation was performed by a third party firm. At completion of the full investigation, the case was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith.
Falsifying expense reports is a crime. To report suspicious activity to the F.B.I. call (217) 522-9675 or email [email protected]. To report public corruption, call (877) 884-7633 or (877) U-TIP-OFF. To report health care fraud, call (888) 557-9503.
Former Delray Beach Resident Convicted in Third Case Involving Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jose A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announce that Jeffrey Emil Groover, 53, formerly of Delray Beach, was convicted by a jury of all six counts with which he was charged. Specifically, Groover was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, three counts of bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 3, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Dimitrouleas. At sentencing, Groover faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 20 years in prison for each count of bank fraud, and a mandatory term of two years in prison, consecutive to any other term in prison, for the aggravated identity theft charges.
According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, Groover used the personal identifying information (PII) of an individual without her knowledge or consent to open a checking account and obtain a debit/VISA card at TD Bank. The defendant forged the name on the signature card for the account and, when asked for identification, produced a fraudulent, photo-switched Florida Driver's License with the individual’s correct information, but the defendant's photograph. Approximately one week after opening the account at TD Bank, the defendant again used the individual’s PII to open a checking account at PNC Bank. When asked to provide two forms of identification for the account, the defendant used the fraudulent debit/VISA card obtained from TD Bank, and the fraudulent, photo-switched Florida Driver's License. Groover directed the PNC banker to set up overdraft protection for the fraudulent checking account using the individual’s existing home equity line of credit. Between September 27, 2013 and September 30, 2013, the defendant and his co-conspirators withdrew and attempted to withdraw approximately $170,000 from the individual’s home equity line of credit by cashing a $20,000 check drawn directly on the line of credit.
In a separate case involving an identity theft tax refund fraud scheme, Groover was sentenced on April 18, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbaum to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $350,373.86 in restitution. Groover previously pled guilty to the indictment in this case, which charged him with making and presenting false claims to the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 287.
In sentencing the defendant to a sentence significantly above the sentencing guideline range in this previous case, the judge noted the defendant’s extensive criminal history, his arrest for a new identity theft crime while on bond awaiting sentencing, and the large number of victims who suffered, some for years, as a result of his repeated commission of identity theft crimes. The judge also noted that while serving a 46 month sentence for identity theft in 2004, the defendant provided testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, in which he explained how easy it was to commit identity theft using the internet and how his 46 month sentence would cause him to never commit such crimes again. Since the 46 month sentence had not deterred Groover from committing new crimes, the judge imposed a 60 month sentence.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrienne Rabinowitz and Alexandra Hui.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Cumberland Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Bank Fraud and Tax EvasionRead 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 Walter
Scott Fox, 56, formerly of Cumberland, Maine, and now of Canton, Georgia, was sentenced in
U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to 10 years in prison and 3 years of supervised release for bank fraud and tax evasion. He was also ordered to pay over $9,500,000 in restitution. At the conclusion of the sentencing, he was remanded into the custody of the United
States Marshals Service. Fox pleaded guilty on February 4, 2014.According to court documents, from 1995 until 2011, Fox used his position as a loan officer at Casco Northern Bank and at its successor, KeyBank, to originate or authorize over
$14,000,000 in fraudulent loans and lines of credit using the identities of four real individuals, without their knowledge or consent. He used over $5,800,000 of the fraudulent proceeds to keep the loans current and prevent the detection of his scheme. He used almost $8,200,000 for personal expenses including to pay for his children’s educations and family vacations, and to support his business, “The Boathouse.” Fox failed to report receiving any of this income to the
Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) causing a tax loss of over $1,300,000 between 2006 and 2011.The scheme was discovered in 2012 when KeyBank denied an increase for one of the credit lines because it did not fit the model for its community development loans. With no funds available to make payments and keep the scheme afloat, all the fraudulent loans became delinquent by August, 2012. Fox abruptly resigned his position at KeyBank on September 7, 2012 when a supervisor became concerned about the delinquent loans and made inquiries about the status of his loan portfolio.
Judge Hornby observed that the sentence was needed to send a message, promote respect for the law and provide just punishment because Fox used the proceeds of his fraud to fund a lifestyle that most people cannot afford.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS - Criminal
Investigations.Former Connecticut Resident Sentenced to Prison for Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Follow @USAO_CT
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that GARI-MARK THOMAS, 39, of Michigan, formerly of Norwalk, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to defraud the Federal Housing Authority through a mortgage fraud scheme. THOMAS pleaded guilty to the charge on February 4, 2014.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2008, THOMAS, while serving as a loan officer for Suntrust Mortgage, assisted his girlfriend in obtaining a residential real estate loan to purchase a property at 510 E. Main Street in Stratford by submitting fraudulent information to the lender and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). The fraudulent information included a false claim that his girlfriend was employed with a tax and accounting company, false paystubs, false IRS tax forms and phony bank statements to make it appear that she had a bank account with assets in it, when in fact she had no such assets.
Based on the fraudulent loan documentation, the loan was issued by the lender and insured by the FHA. HOMAS’ girlfriend ultimately defaulted on the loan, causing a loss of $184,538.37 to the FHA.
Judge Bryant ordered THOMAS to pay full restitution.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Unit.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Former Board Member of National Charity Charged in $4 Million Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. – Amanda Marshall, U. S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, today announced that William R. Peters, 63, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, a former member of the Board of Directors of National Relief Charities (NRC), has been charged with conspiring to defraud NRC of $4 million and conspiring to commit money laundering violations with the proceeds of the fraud scheme. Brian J. Brown, a former president of NRC, was charged with the same federal crimes in October 2013. Brown’s case is pending in federal court in Portland, Oregon.
The indictment alleges that in late 2005, when Brown stepped down as the president of NRC, a national charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for Native Americans, he established a nonprofit company called Charity One, Inc., dba American Indian Education Endowment Fund. Peters and Brown then allegedly induced NRC to fund Charity One, Inc. with $4 million from 2006 through 2009. Brown allegedly represented these funds would be used to fund educational scholarships for Native Americans. Peters allegedly used his position as a member of the Board of Directors of NRC to cause NRC to execute endowment agreements with Charity One, Inc. in which NRC gave Charity One, Inc. $1 million a year for four years. Peters and Brown allegedly used the entire $4 million for their personal benefit.
“Anyone who defrauds a charity for their personal gain should expect to be caught and prosecuted. This conduct harms the charity, its donors, and, most importantly, the intended recipients of the fraudulently diverted funds,” said U.S. Attorney Marshall.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Uram is handling the prosecution of the case.
Former Bank Employee in Crawford County Stole More Than $2.5 Million from BankRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A former employee of a bank in Crawford County has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $2.5 million from the bank, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Cynthia Bright, 55, Girard, Kan., pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of bank fraud. In her plea, she admitted she stole the money over a period of 10 years while working as operations supervisor at Girard National Bank.
Bright used several different methods to steal the money. In some cases, she wrote checks on her own accounts and altered electronic bank records so the checks would clear but the money would not be taken out of her account. In other cases she removed paper checks and altered records to post checks to other accounts. She diverted funds from the bank’s accounts to her own accounts, and she wrote large counter checks to conceal losses.
Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
She is set for sentencing Sept. 15. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 70 months in federal prison and an order of restitution for the full amount of the thefts.Former Augusta Minister Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison for Check-Cashing SchemeRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA – Jesse Jefferson Flournoy, II, 37, of Augusta, Georgia was sentenced earlier this month to 148 months in prison by United States District Court Judge J. Randal Hall for his role in a check-cashing scheme that involved cashing over 80 United States Treasury and University Bank checks for a total loss of $450,465.52. This sentencing followed a lengthy jury trial in July 2013, where Flournoy was convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, thirteen counts of Theft of Public Money, and eight counts of Aggravated Identity Theft.
Evidence presented at trial and during sentencing showed that between September 2011 and January 2012, Flournoy played a vital role in a check-cashing scheme that involved cashing checks which were either generated as the result of filing a fraudulent tax return or were stolen from the United States mail before reaching the intended payee. Flournoy would obtain the checks from co-conspirators, forge the individual payees’ names on each check, create a bogus power of attorney form, in part by forging the individuals’ signatures, recruit an accomplice to actually cash the check, and then send money back to his co-conspirators after taking his “cut” from each check. In addition, the evidence showed a number of fraudulent tax refunds were electronically deposited directly into bank accounts controlled by Flournoy. The entire time Flournoy participated in this fraudulent scheme, he also served as the leader of the Transformation Empowerment Christian Center in Augusta, Georgia.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “Schemes dealing with fraudulent tax refunds are not aimed at stealing from the ‘faceless victim’ of the government. The funds in the United States Treasury represent the money earned and paid by every American citizen. As such, this Office will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute crimes involving theft from the American people.”
In addition to the ordered term of imprisonment, Flournoy was ordered to pay $450,465.52 in restitution. After Flournoy is released from prison, he will serve three years of supervised release. Regarding the length of the prison sentence, Mr. Tarver noted that parole has been abolished in the federal system.
FBI Special Agent Paul Kubala, IRS-CI Special Agent Roger Garland, and Secret Service agent Tom Norris conducted the investigation which led to the indictment. Assistant United States Attorney C. Troy Clark and former Assistant United States Attorney David M. Stewart prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.
Florence Couple Plead Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A Florence couple pleaded guilty today in federal court to multiple charges that they exploited a minor child in their custody to produce child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Schwein Jr.PATRICIA ALLANA AYERS, 34, and her husband, MATTHEW DAVID AYERS, 42, entered their guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler on charges related to 53 pornographic images of the child produced between the summer of 2010 and January 2013.
Patricia Ayers pleaded guilty to 53 counts of producing child pornography, and Matthew Ayers pleaded guilty to 25 counts of production. Their sentencing dates have not been set.
The Ayers could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, per count, for producing child pornography.
The couple has remained in jail in Lauderdale County since early last year on state child pornography, rape and sexual abuse charges.
Anyone with information about the potential sexual exploitation of children should report it to law enforcement immediately. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children operates the Cyber Tip Line in partnership with the FBI and other federal authorities. If you have information, call the tip line at 1-800-THE-LOST.
The FBI investigated this case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting.
Five Defendants Appear in Federal Court on Drugs and Firearms Charges After Police Seize in Excess of 26 Pounds of Methamphetamine and Five FirearmsRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Beth Drake (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina ----- United States Attorney William N. Nettles announced today that a federal magistrate judge arraigned Rory Severin, age 45, William Scott Powell, age 40, Chad Edward Moore, age 42, Marie Higgins, age 36, and Angel Miranda Luna, age 24, on federal narcotics and firearms charges.
A federal grand jury has charged these individuals with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute in excess of 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. Chad Edward Moore also has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm, and Powell, Moore, Higgins, and Miranda Luna have been charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking charge.
The investigation culminated on two dates: April 22, 2014, and May 5, 2014. On April 22, 2014, law enforcement officers arrested Severin, Powell, Moore, and Higgins, and seized in excess of two pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms. On May 5, 2014, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle which Luna Miranda was driving in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. After arresting Luna Miranda, officers seized approximately 26 pounds of methamphetamine, $90,000 in cash, and a firearm Luna Miranda was using in his residence to protect the drugs and drug proceeds.
If convicted on the charges in the indictment, the defendants face 10 years to life imprisonment. The Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Douglasville, Georgia, Police Department, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Andy Moorman with the U.S. Attorney=s Office will be prosecuting.#####
Final Defendant Sentenced in Dodge County Area Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
DUBLIN, GA – Dwight Eady, 31, of Milan, Georgia was sentenced earlier this month by Senior United States District Court Judge Dudley Bowen to 70 months in prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking organization operating out of Dodge, Telfair, and Laurens Counties, Georgia, and elsewhere. Eady was the twenty-first and final defendant to be sentenced for his role in the drug ring. A list of others convicted and sentenced in the case is included below.
Evidence presented during numerous guilty plea and sentencing hearings revealed that Nico Harswell, a co-defendant of Eady, supplied multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine to various individuals in the Telfair, Laurens, and Dodge County area between 2010 and 2012. Several federal wiretaps were obtained which helped identify the members of the drug conspiracy and led to the seizure of a significant amount of cocaine and over $60,000 in cash. Additionally, several vehicles were seized and forfeited.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “This case provides another example of the outstanding results achieved when federal and state law enforcements partner together to investigate and prosecute large-scale drug trafficking organizations. If you push poison in our communities, you can expect to spend years in a federal prison.”
The case was investigated by the DEA, the Oconee Drug Task Force, the Telfair County Sheriff’s Office, and the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol and the United States Marshal’s Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Charlie Bourne and Greg Gilluly prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.
The defendants convicted and sentenced in the case are:
Nico Harswell, 40, of Rentz, Georgia
210 months / 5years supervised release / $2500 fineRonald Harell, 37, of Helena, Georgia
188 months / 5 years supervised release / $2000 fineJames Austin, 31, of McRae, Georgia
151 months / 5 years supervised release / $1500 fineStephin White, 52, of McRae, Georgia
124 months / 5 years supervised release / $1500 fine / 40 hours community serviceDeandre Graham, 28, of McRae, Georgia
38 months / 5 years supervised release / $1000 fine / 40 hours community serviceKemo Pauldo, 35, of Dublin, Georgia
70 months / 5 years supervised release / $2000 fine / 40 hours community serviceMelvin Hughes, 34, of McRae, Georgia
168 months / 5 years supervised release / $2000 fineBrandon Woods, 23, of Dublin, Georgia
90 months / 5 years supervised release / $3000 fineJames Harswell, 33, of Dublin, Georgia
64 months / 5 years supervised release / $2000 fineShonta Burney, 39, of Rentz, Georgia
37 months / 5 years supervised release / $2000 fineKendya Hughes, 33, of McRae, Georgia
32 months / 1 year supervised release / $200 special assessmentCynthia Reynolds, 34, of Jacksonville, Georgia
18 months / 1 year supervised releaseJimmy Tucker, 43, of Laurens County, Georgia
30 months / 5 years supervised release / $1000 fine / 40 hours community serviceAntonio Smiley, 35, of Hinesville, Georgia
120 months / 5 years supervised release / $2000 fineJohnny Fabian, 60, of Ludowici, Georgia
45 months / 5 years supervised release for each count / $1000 fine / $200 special assessmentGary Duty, 39, of Dublin, Georgia
48 months / 1 year supervised release / $200 special assessmentTron Baker, 34, of Hinesville, Georgia
27 months / 5 years supervised release / $1500 fine / 40 hours community serviceRobert Nico Perry, 33, of Glenwood, Georgia
36 months / 1 year supervised releaseChad Mitchell, 33, of Eastman, Georgia
180 months / 5 years supervised release / $3500 fineGary Wesley, 40, of Helena, Georgia
57 months / 5 years supervised release / $1000 fineFelon in Possession of A Firearm Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MOBILE, Ala. – Nathan Edward Prim, 32, of Foley, was sentenced in federal court for his possession of a firearm after he had been convicted of a felony offense. Prim was also sentenced on a second count, which charged that he was illegally in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Prim had entered guilty pleas to both charges in March of 2014.
At the sentencing hearing on June 26, United States District Court Kristi Dubose heard testimony from a Mobile police officer about the facts surrounding Prim’s arrest. The officer testified that Prim attempted to pull the gun from his waistband when he physically restrained Prim and a second officer disarmed him. The judge imposed a sentence of 160 months imprisonment in Prim’s case. Prim will pay $200 in special assessments, and following his release from imprisonment, he will serve three years on supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney's Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.