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28 January 2014
National Appraisal Instructor and Associate Sentenced for Their Role in Mortgage FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces that in federal court yesterday Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced former real estate appraiser LARRY MAX MCDANIEL, 70, of Vienna, West Virginia, to 66 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release. The Court also sentenced JACKIE GALE WEAVER, JR., 50, of West Hamlin, West Virginia, to 21 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. The Court further ordered that MCDANIEL and WEAVER make total restitution of $5,809,417.94 to various banks, lenders, and other victims.
The charging documents and subsequent evidence in the cases showed that between 2002 and 2006, an individual identified as James Thomas Webb(previously sentenced to 237 months in prison) was operating a company identified as Alpine Properties, LLC. Webb promised investors that he and Alpine Properties would use investor money to purchase homes at a low value, renovate the homes, and then sell them to first-time home buyers for a higher value.
The evidence established that MCDANIEL, a licensed real estate appraiser residing in West Virginia, and WEAVER, a former appraisal associate of MCDANIEL, began to falsify appraisals for Webb and Alpine Properties. On the appraisals, MCDANIEL was listed as the North Carolina appraiser who performed each appraisal. In fact, however, MCDANIEL did not visit the properties, nor did he create the appraisal documents. Instead, the information that was listed in the appraisal reports, including measurements, sketches, and photographs, all came from WEAVER or employees of Webb and Alpine Properties.
The evidence also established that MCDANIEL did not draft, print, or execute the appraisals that bore his name and official seal; WEAVER performed those tasks, often from within Webb’s offices at Alpine Properties. Nevertheless, MCDANIEL invoiced and received payment for many of the appraisals. MCDANIEL also wrote detailed letters to banks and lenders to support the value assigned in his appraisal documents, even though MCDANIEL had never, in fact, been to the properties.
The Superseding Indictment alleges, and evidence in court ultimately showed, that WEAVER created and MCDANIEL authorized approximately 200 false appraisals in the manner described above.
MCDANIEL pled guilty to Making a False Statement to Influence a Bank on a Loan and Aiding and Abetting, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1014 and 2. WEAVER pled guilty on September 19, 2011, to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, and to Make False Statements to Influence Financial Institutions on Loans.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Inspector General, with the assistance of the North Carolina Appraisal Board. Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the United States.
Mexican National Indicted for Smuggling Heroin in his ShoesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Mexican national was indicted by a federal grand jury today for attempting to transport approximately two pounds of heroin across the country in his shoes.
Sergio Arturo Gonzalez-Garcia, 29, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with possessing heroin with the intent to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Gonzalez-Garcia on Jan. 21, 2014. Gonzalez-Garcia remains in federal custody.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers saw Gonzalez-Garcia waiting to claim his luggage after he arrived at the Greyhound bus terminal at 1101 S. Troost Ave., Kansas City, on Jan. 20, 2014. A drug detection dog started pulling its handler in the direction where Gonzalez-Garcia was standing, the affidavit says, and when he saw the officer approaching, Gonzalez-Garcia immediately walked into the bus terminal.
When Gonzalez-Garcia later walked back to the bus, then returned to the terminal, a Kansas City police detective noticed that he seemed to have difficulty walking, the affidavit says. The detective also noticed that the athletic shoes Gonzalez-Garcia was wearing did not bend as he took steps.
The detective followed Gonzalez-Garcia into the terminal and questioned him. The detective asked Gonzalez-Garcia if he could search his shoes. They went into the customer service office and Gonzalez-Garcia removed his shoes. Officers found a bundle of heroin inside each of the shoes, which weighed a total of 993 grams (more than two pounds).
Gonzalez-Garcia, who told police he was transporting the heroin from Los Angeles, Calif., to St. Louis, Mo., was arrested.
Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mexican National Handed Significant Sentence for Drug Trafficking and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Julio Cesar Almeida, 40, a Mexican National residing in Weslaco, has been ordered to prison for 210 months as a result of his convictions of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and money laundering, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
Almeida previously pleaded guilty, admitting that In March 2007, authorities seized approximately 408 kilograms of cocaine and 27 kilograms of methamphetamine following a traffic accident near Robstown. Almeida supplied the narcotics which were destined for Georgia. Following a lengthy investigation, Almeida was arrested in March 2010 for coordinating the transportation of numerous loads of cocaine from the Rio Grande Valley area to Georgia and elsewhere. Additionally, the investigation revealed Almeida utilized the proceeds generated from his drug trafficking activities to purchase various properties and assets.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa, who handed down the sentence, ordered he remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Almeida is expected to face deportation proceedings following his release from prison.
The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorney James Sturgis prosecuted the case.
Mescalero Apache Man Pleads Guilty to Statutory Rape ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Norman Stan Chee, 21, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation, pleaded guilty this afternoon to a statutory rape charge in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M. Chee entered his guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement.
Chee was arrested in Oct. 2013, based on a criminal complaint alleging that he knowingly engaged in a sexual act with a child between 12 and 16 years of age. Today Chee entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with engaging in a sexual act with a minor who was at least four years younger than Chee on Feb. 21, 2012, at a location within the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
According to court filings, the BIA’s Office of Justice Services initiated an investigation into Chee in July 2012, when officers responded to a call regarding an alleged assault and saw Chee and the victim, who was 15 years old, fleeing from the site of the assault. During an interview, the victim acknowledged having engaged in sexual activity with Chee. Chee also was interviewed and admitted that he engaged in sexual acts with the victim. Chee stated that his sexual relationship with the victim began in Feb. 2012, and admitted knowing that the victim was 15 years old.
Chee is in federal custody and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Chee faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
This case was investigated by the Mescalero Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U .S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Mescalero Apache Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Sheridan Gerard Lester, 24, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation, pleaded guilty this afternoon to an assault charge in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lester will be sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Lester was arrested in Aug. 2013, based on a criminal complaint alleging assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Today Lester entered a guilty plea to a felony information charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and admitted assaulting another Mescalero Apache man on Nov. 27, 2012, at a location within the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
According to the criminal complaint, Lester assaulted the victim on Nov. 27, 2012, at Lester’s residence, which is located within the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Lester was intoxicated when he began quarreling with the victim and began attacking the victim with his fists. In his plea agreement, Lester admitted intentionally striking the victim about the body and in the face, causing the victim to suffer serious injuries.
Lester was in tribal custody for 302 days based on a tribal conviction related to the assault charged in the federal case before he was transferred to federal custody. Lester remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lester will receive credit for the 302 days spent in tribal custody when he is sentenced.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan of the U .S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Mayetta Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge in Domestic Violence Assault on Indian LandsRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Mayetta, Kan., man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge arising from a domestic assault that took place on tribal lands, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
William L. Wilson, 28, Mayetta, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of domestic assault by an habitual offender. In his plea, he admitted that on Sept. 7, 2013, he assaulted the woman with whom he was living on the reservation of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Jackson County, Kan. He admitted hitting and chocking her, resulting in physical injuries. Prior to that time, Wilson had been convicted on three separate occasions of domestic assault offenses.
“Protecting women and girls in Indian Country is a high priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
Sentencing is set for April 14. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of between 24 and 40 months in federal prison. Grissom commended the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger.
Maryland Man Sentenced for Raleigh Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court today Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced DELLONTE RASHAUN SEBURN, 35, of Hyattsville, Maryland, to 132 months of imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release. SEBURN previously pled guilty on October 8, 2013 to one count of Bank Robbery.
On September 24, 2012, SEBURN wastransported by taxi to the Mechanics and Farmers Bank in Raleigh, North Carolina, after traveling from Maryland the night before. SEBURN entered the bank and handed a note to the teller demanding money. He received $1,260 prior to fleeing the bank in the awaiting taxi. On October 1, 2012, SEBURN was arrested in Maryland.
This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force comprised of the Cary Police Department, Durham Police Department, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Garner Police Department, N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, N.C. State Highway Patrol, and the Raleigh Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney, S. Katherine Burnette prosecuted the case.
Long Island Couple Involved in Decade-long Mortgage Fraud Scheme in Bridgeport Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
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Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WINSTON SHILLINGFORD, 56, and his wife, MARLEEN SHILLINGFORD, 47, of Nesconset, N.Y., were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to prison terms of 48 months and 36 months, respectively, for operating a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme that involved more than 40 properties in Bridgeport, Conn. Both defendants will serve three years of supervised release upon their release from prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Shillingfords were involved in the operation of Waikele Properties Corp., a real estate company with offices in Bridgeport and Garden City, N.Y. From approximately 2001 to August 2011, the Shillingfords, Robert Ilunga and others conspired to obtain fraudulent mortgages for the purchase of more than 40 multi-family properties in Bridgeport. As part of the scheme, the Shillingfords and their co-conspirators purchased existing multi-family houses, and vacant parcels of land and erected new houses on them to sell. The co-conspirators recruited individuals to purchase the properties, acted as the buyers’ real estate agent and assisted the buyers in applying for residential mortgage loans to purchase the houses. The co-conspirators then prepared loan applications for the buyers that included fraudulent information concerning, among other things, the buyers’ employment, income, assets and liabilities, previous property ownership and intention to make the properties their primary residences. The co-conspirators also provided fraudulent supporting documentation with the loan applications, including false letters from fictitious employers, false earnings statements, and fraudulent bank records.
After the loans were approved, the illicit proceeds of the scheme were wired into the Waikele Properties bank account and then transferred to members of the conspiracy. Some of the proceeds also were used to continue the mortgage fraud scheme.
Contrary to the representations made on the loan applications, several straw purchasers never occupied the houses as their primary residences and subsequently defaulted on the loans.
The parties have agreed that victim financial institutions suffered losses of between $2.5 million and $7 million as a result of this scheme. A restitution order will be issued after further court proceedings.
In October 2011, Winston and Marleen Shillingford each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Robert Ilunga, of Naugatuck, pleaded guilty to the same charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 31.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas P. Morabito and David T. Huang.
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(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Lincoln Man Sentenced for Multiple Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that on January 24, 2014, United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Cameron Mitchell, age 53 of Lincoln, to 370 months in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons following his guilty pleas and convictions related to his robbery of seven banks in Omaha, Lincoln, and Council Bluffs, between June 23, 2012, and August 24, 2012. Mitchell walked into the bank’s lobbies armed with a handgun, and then jumped over the counters and into the tellers’ areas where he took money from the teller drawers and put it into bags he carried with him. Following completion of his sentence, Mitchell will be required to serve five years of supervised release, and will also be required to pay $74,179.73 in restitution to the victim banks.
Investigation and prosecution of these cases was coordinated with the cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Omaha Police Department, Council Bluffs Police Department, Lincoln Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Offices in Nebraska and the Southern District of Iowa.
Life Insurance Companies Find There’s No Insurance Against $80 Million FraudRead the Press Release
San Diego, CA – United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced today that insurance broker Jeffrey B. Keller appeared in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge William V. Gallo and admitted deceiving life insurance companies so that they would issue more than $80 million worth of policies to unqualified applicants who had no intention of paying the policy premium. In return, Keller obtained over $3 million in commissions.
As set forth in the Plea Agreement, Keller employed multiple means to deceive the life insurance companies. Initially, he recruited elderly individuals to apply for “free” life insurance policies with death benefits ranging from $2 million to $10 million. Keller then submitted fraudulent applications to the insurance companies by intentionally omitting or falsifying the applicant’s net worth, income, or source of premium payments. Further, Keller concealed that, in some cases, he secretly rebated to some applicants funds representing part of the commission payments fraudulently obtained from the life insurance carriers.
In addition to deceiving the life insurance companies, Keller inflated business expenses paid to his coconspirators in order to reduce his income and thus evade the payment of taxes that were lawfully due and owing. For example, Keller would issue checks in inflated amounts payable to a variety of companies controlled by individuals who assisted Keller in committing tax evasion. These coconspirators were paid for work related to the life insurance fraud (e.g., setting up life insurance trusts) and then kicked-back the inflated amount to Keller. In order to settle his tax liability, Keller agreed to pay $1 million to the IRS in connection with the inflated invoices.
Keller is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
DEFENDANTJEFFREY B. KELLER
SUMMARY OF CHARGESTitle 18, United States Code, Section 371 – Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud and to Defraud the United States by Impairing and Impeding the Lawful Functioning of the Internal Revenue Service. Maximum penalties: 5 years in prison, $250,000 fine, term of supervised release of three years, restitution, forfeiture, and $100 special assessment.
AGENCIESInternal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation
Federal Bureau of InvestigationLexington, Missouri Resident Sentenced to 77 Months in Prison for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA - On January 28, 2014, Nathan Wayne Smith, a 48 year-old resident of Lexington, Missouri was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge James Gritzner to 77 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt.
On October 18, 2013, after a three day trial, the jury found Smith guilty of robbing the Great Western Bank of Hamburg, Iowa. The evidence produced at trial showed that on June 11, 2012, Smith traveled from his home in Lexington, Missouri to Hamburg, Iowa, arriving at the Great Western Bank around 9:30 a.m. Smith approached a teller in the bank, placed a plastic bag on the counter in front of her and told her to fill the bag with money. After obtaining the money from the teller, Smith ran from the bank.
Smith was identified as the party responsible when Buckner, Missouri, police officers recalled stopping a vehicle on the afternoon of June 11, 2012, that matched the description of the vehicle disseminated after-the-fact by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Buckner, Missouri, is located approximately 150 miles away from Hamburg, Iowa.
The investigation was conducted by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Buckner, Missouri Police Department, the Lexington, Missouri Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Leader in Scheme to Defraud Lowe’s Stores Sentenced to over 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Defrauded Lowe’s of More Than $464,000 by Calling Lowe’s Stores and
Pretending to be from Lowe’s IT DepartmentBaltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Lucerte “Lisa” Abellard, age 35, of Dobbs Ferry, New York, today to 53 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Lowe’s stores. Judge Hollander enhanced Abellard’s sentence upon finding that she was a leader in the scheme and ordered Abellard to pay restitution of $410,989.95.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Brian Murphy of the United States Secret Service – Baltimore Field Office.
According to her plea agreement, Abellard called employees at Lowe’s stores around the United States, pretending to be from the “IT department” at Lowe’s headquarters, telling the Lowe’s employee that she received a report there were problems with a register at the Lowe’s store. She would then ask the employee to run a series of diagnostics on the register, often pretending to be able to see the tests remotely. The purported diagnostics ended with a “test” transaction that put a credit on a Lowe’s gift card – usually about $3,000 to $4,000. In reality, this “test” transaction put a credit onto a Lowe’s card possessed by Abellard or her co-conspirators. Abellard was usually successful in deceiving employees into believing she was calling from Lowe’s IT department because she was very familiar with Lowe’s internal procedures and systems – including the names of systems and databases routinely accessed by Lowe’s employees.
Abellard received a portion of value on the gift card she fraudulently credited from the co-conspirators to whom she sold the cards. After obtaining the fraudulent credit, Abellard would contact the co-conspirator that had paid her for the card, advise that person of the credit and that the card needed to be used quickly before Lowe’s detected the fraud. Phone records connect Abellard and her co-conspirators to the fraudulently obtained gift cards, and confirm that Abellard made most or all of the fraud calls to Lowe’s stores.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the U.S. Secret Service for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin S. Herring, who prosecuted the case.
Lakeland DVD Counterfeiter SentencedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced John C. Gaglione, Jr. (49, Lakeland) to 33 months in federal prison for trafficking in counterfeit labels. As part of his sentence, the court entered a money judgment in the amount of $365,000, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. Gaglione was also ordered to pay $180,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on October 24, 2013.
Gaglione is the last of eight individuals sentenced for his involvement in a global counterfeit motion picture DVD investigation that began in Lakeland, and extended to the People's Republic of China.
According to court documents, in late 2010, Gaglione and co-conspirators began making bulk purchases of counterfeit motion picture DVDs. They purchased the counterfeit DVDs from Jian Huang a/k/a "China Glen," a supplier based in the People’s Republic of China, and his company called "TM Wholesale." Huang was apprehended in April 2012.
After Huang’s apprehension, Gaglione developed and acquired counterfeit DVDs from other sources of supply. After acquiring the counterfeit DVDs, Gaglione sold them to customers in the United States. He sold them online via Ebay, at a family run sports card store called Lakeland Sports and Collectibles, and from a flea market booth in Auburndale.
On August 10, 2012, Jian Huang pleaded guilty to conspiracy and trafficking in counterfeit goods. He was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison on November 2, 2012. The court also ordered Huang to pay restitution to the Motion Picture Association of America (AMPAA@) in the amount of $1,214,333.12. The MPAA is a trade association that represents certain motion picture, home video and television industry companies, including Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corp.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; and Universal Studios.
Co-conspirators Alex Lee Lim, Robert Edmond Mattie, James William Ray, Donald Kenneth Brown, Jr., Martin William Grenfell, and Christopher Alexander T. Clark each pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit labels. On November 15, 2012, Lim was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, and was ordered to pay restitution to the MPAA in the amount of $280,752.67. On November 30, 2012, Ray was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, and was ordered to pay $261,541.28 in restitution to the MPAA. Ray was also ordered to forfeit $100,005 in cash seized at the time of his arrest. On December 6, 2012, Mattie was sentenced to probation for a term of 5 years, with the first 12 months to be served on home detention. On February 22, 2013, Grenfell was sentenced to 3 years' probation and Brown was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the MPAA. Clark was sentenced on May 16, 2013, to 36 months’ probation and ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the MPAA.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Lakeland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark E. Bini.
KC Postal Carrier Indicted for Stealing MailRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., postal carrier was indicted by a federal grand jury today for stealing from the mail.
Shawn C. Henderson, 45, of Kansas City, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
Henderson was employed as a city carrier associate for the U.S. Postal Service since April 2013. Today’s indictment alleges that she stole $1,646 worth of EBT cards from customers on her mail route from April 20 to Aug. 7, 2013. EBT cards are like debit cards and are used to provide benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as “food stamps,” which helps lower-income individuals and families buy food. Henderson allegedly used the EBT cards herself and gave some of the cards to a person identified in the indictment as “E.M.”
During that time, Henderson allegedly removed greeting cards, gift cards and EBT cards from the mail she was responsible to deliver. Henderson allegedly opened mail that wasn’t addressed to her with the intent to steal those items for her own use.
The indictment also alleges that Henderson stole and used an EBT card by resetting the PIN and assuming the rightful owner’s identity at various food outlets.
Today’s indictment charges Henderson with one count of stealing government property, one count of stealing mail and one count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Henderson to forfeit to the government any proceeds obtained from the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $1,656.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General.Judge Hands Down Lengthy Sentence to Repeat Child PornographerRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA - Thaddeus Vaskas, 50, of Tunkhannock PA, was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for one count of possession of child pornography. Vaskas pleaded guilty to that charge on March 21, 2013. Vaskas is a repeat offender, having been sentenced to 20 months in prison for a 2001 conviction for possession of child pornography. Agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched the home in Bethlehem, PA, where he was living in 2007, and found multiple images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on his computer.
In addition to the prison term, U.S District Court Judge Harvey Bartle, III, ordered Vaskas to pay a a special assessment of $100, and ordered 15 years of supervised release.
Vaskas is tied to “Operation Emissary.” This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul G. Shapiro.
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PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan sentenced James Daniel Kasper (29, Jacksonville) to 20 years in federal prison for using a child to produce child pornography. Kasper was also ordered to serve a 20-year term of supervised release, following his incarceration, and to register as a sex offender. Kasper has been held in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest on March 20, 2013, in Jacksonville.
According to court documents, in February 2013, law enforcement officers in Tennessee arrested a registered sex offender on child pornography charges. Further investigation revealed that several hundred emails had been exchanged between this individual and others, many of which contained attached images and videos depicting child pornography. Investigators determined that one of the email accounts belonged to James Daniel Kasper and that Kasper had uploaded images of child pornography over the Internet and sent them to others by email, via a website whose server is outside of the United States.
On March 20, 2013, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Kasper's apartment located on Sunbeam Road, in Jacksonville. During this search, agents seized a laptop computer and a thumb drive. Meanwhile, two agents contacted Kasper at his place of employment in Jacksonville. When interviewed, Kasper stated, among things, that while babysitting a 9 year-old child, he used his smart phone to produce sexually explicit photos of the minor child. After taking the photos of the child, Kasper uploaded the images over the Internet, onto a particular website and sent them to others via email. Kasper also stated that he used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to search for child pornography on the Internet.
The thumb drive seized at Kasper’s residence contained at least 49 images of child pornography that were produced by him. Evidence from Kasper’s email accounts were introduced during the sentencing hearing. The evidence showed that Kasper had traded images of child pornography, which he produced, over the Internet. In one particular email, Kasper stated that two of the pornographic images that he produced of the victim child were “just a sample of my own work.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Italian National Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Reentry Following DeportationRead the Press Release
Beckley, W.Va. – Francesco Gulino, an Italian national, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after being deported, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today. On April 20, 2011, Mr. Gulino was deported to his native country of Italy after completing a sentence for attempted felonious assault. Two years after his deportation, on April 20, 2013, agents with the Department of Homeland Security found Gulino residing in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Gulino admitted that he had been deported to Italy, but illegally reentered the United States by coming though Canada.
After Gulino has completed the sentence for illegal reentry, the United States Department of Homeland Security will take action to deport Guilino again.
The Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation, assisted by the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Irene Berger.
Illegal Alien Indicted for Failure to Depart the United StatesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Scranton Tuesday returned an indictment against Carlos Mendez, a citizen of Guatemala, charging failure to depart the United States.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Carlos Mendez, age 44, a native and citizen of Guatemala, was charged with allegedly failing to comply with facilitating his departure from the United States after a final order of removal had been issued. In June 2013, an Immigration Judge in Philadelphia sustained a ruling that Mendez, who had entered the U.S. on a VISA in 1988, was not here legally and ordered him to be removed. Mendez then allegedly refused to comply with established removal procedures.
If convicted, Carlos Mendez faces up to four years imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is 4 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Hartford Woman Who Illegally Received Social Security Benefits Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
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Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that NILDA BERMUDEZ, 54, of Hartford, was sentenced last week in Hartford federal court for illegally receiving nearly $200,000 in Social Security disability benefits. On January 22, U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant sentenced BERMUDEZ to six months of imprisonment, followed by six months of home confinement and two years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 1988 and 1992, BERMUDEZ began receiving Social Security Administration Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) based on a medical condition. In 1993, BERMUDEZ began working as a receptionist at law firm. After the Social Security Administration advised BERMUDEZ that she no longer would qualify for DIB benefits as a result of her income from the firm, BERMUDEZ entered false information into her employer’s records. As a result, her weekly paychecks were made out in another person’s name. Each year, BERMUDEZ concealed her fraud by preparing the other person’s tax returns, which reported the income BERMUDEZ received from the law firm as income earned by the other person.
From 1993 to April 2013, BERMUDEZ received approximately $199,330 in DIB payments. During this time, she also periodically filed forms with the Social Security Administration reaffirming her claim for DIB benefits.
BERMUDEZ was ordered to pay full restitution.
On September 23, 2013, BERMUDEZ waived her right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property.
This matter was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
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U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Gun Store Owner Guilty of Smuggling Ammunition and Firearm Magazines to MexicoRead the Press Release
LAREDO,Texas – Robert Jacaman Sr., 60, owner of Jacaman Guns and Ammo, has entered a plea of guilty to conspiring to smuggle firearm ammunition and magazines to Mexico, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Jacaman, now a convicted felon, surrendered his federal firearms license, is no longer a firearms dealer and is prohibited from possessing firearms, ammunition and destructive devices.
According to the written plea agreement filed with the court, Jacaman admitted to unlawfully conspiring with others to fraudulently and knowingly export .223 caliber and 7.62 mm ammunition and high capacity rifle magazines designed to fit AR 15-type and AK47-type firearms, contrary to the Arms Export Control Act. Several violations Jacaman committed as part of the conspiracy were discussed with federal U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga, who presided over the entry of the guilty plea this morning.
Jacaman admitted being in direct contact with Oswaldo Roberto Borrego-Ramos aka “Baldo” during the conspiracy, who negotiated the purchase and delivery of the ammunition and firearm magazines with Jacaman. Borrego-Ramos would then send couriers to deliver cash to Jacaman and others to pick up the items to smuggle them into Mexico. In one instance, Jacaman even advised Borrego-Ramos of an outstanding balance which he had not paid for prior sales.
Another co-defendant, Alejandro Rivera-Ruiz, admitted delivering more than $100,000 to Jacaman on behalf of Borrego-Ramos. According to court documents, Borrego-Ramos told agents he was working for “Los Zetas” Mexican criminal organization, supplying them with firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories such as firearm magazines from various sources, including Jacaman.
On March 14, 2012, authorities arrested two Mexican nationals who had just received 27,000 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition from Jacaman’s gun store. They admitted they were on their way to deliver the ammunition to an awaiting Mexican truck driver who would smuggle the ammunition to Mexico. They admitted working for Rivera-Ruiz and Borrego-Ramos.
Borrego-Ramos, Rivera-Ruiz and the two Mexican Nationals have all pleaded guilty and are serving their sentences in federal prison for their respective crimes.
Others originally named with Jacaman in the indictment, Atanacio “None” Gonzalez-Torres, 43, Jose Luis Estrada, 23, and Carlos Picazio, 30, have also pleaded guilty for their roles in this conspiracy and are pending sentencing. Jacaman was permitted to remain on bond pending his sentencing hearing, set for May 27, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. At that time, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
The ammunition and magazines referenced in this indictment were intercepted before being delivered to Mexico.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. One of HSI's top priorities is the dismantling of organizations involved in the smuggling of firearms to Mexican drug cartels. The collective expertise and authorities of our law enforcement partners during this investigation significantly contributed to preventing hundreds of rifles and handguns from reaching violent criminal organizations and prosecuting those who were responsible. Several police officers have been cross-designated as ATF Task Force officers working directly with the federal agency, assisting in the investigation of this and other crimes. Assistant United States Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez is prosecuting this case.
Grand Rapids Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Seeking Out Child Pornography While on Supervised Release for A Prior Child Pornography ConvictionRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – Jack Alan Groenendal, 54, of Grand Rapids, Michigan was sentenced on January 27, 2014 to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to receive child pornography, and 10 years for attempting to access child pornography with the intent to view it, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today. The sentences will run concurrently. In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney imposed an eight-year term of supervised release that will commence once Groenendal is released from imprisonment. Groenendal will also be required to maintain his registration as a sexual offender.
A jury convicted Groenendal of these offenses in October of 2013. The evidence at trial showed that between July 6 and August 9, 2011, Groenendal made a deliberate and sustained effort to seek out child pornography on the Internet and to bring that child pornography onto his computer where he could view it, control it, and use it for his own purposes. At the time Groenendal committed these offenses, he was on supervised release for a prior conviction for possessing child pornography. Groenendal’s probation officer uncovered his activity and enlisted the assistance of law enforcement. Groenendal’s computer was subsequently seized pursuant to a search warrant, and forensic analysis revealed the presence of child pornography on his hard drive.
U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. underscored the seriousness of these offenses, noting that “the possession, receipt, transportation, distribution, and viewing of child pornography perpetuates the harm to the victims depicted in images, validates and normalizes the sexual exploitation of children, and fuels a market, thereby leading to further production of images. The seriousness of the offenses in this case is amplified by the fact that the defendant was under supervision for a previous child-pornography conviction at the time.”
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean M. Lewis and Tessa K. Hessmiller prosecuted the case.
END
Four More Defendants Sentenced in Southwest Idaho Drug Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
Ten Sentenced; Eight Await Sentencing
BOISE – U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today that four defendants were sentenced this week in federal court for their roles in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring. Twenty defendants were charged in an 89-count indictment filed in May 2013. Ten defendants have been sentenced in the case; eight others have pleaded guilty to the same or related charges and are awaiting sentencing.
U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge sentenced Randy Beal, 59, of Nampa, Idaho, on Monday to 57 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Jerry Lee Holmberg, 65, of Marsing, Idaho, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Cynthia Prado, 32, of Boise, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and 80 hours of community service for interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprise. Beal, Holmberg and Prado were also ordered to serve 80 hours of community service in lieu of a fine after they are released from prison. They pleaded guilty to the charges on October 8, 2013.
Steven Richard, 42, of Eagle, Idaho, was sentenced this morning to two years’ probation for possession of a user amount controlled substance. He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2013.
Co-defendant Lena Kettle, of Caldwell, Idaho, is set for trial on March 11, 2014. The remaining defendant, David Echevarria, is in state custody; an arraignment date has not been set.
According to court proceedings, the conspiracy involved two distribution cells in the Treasure Valley: one led by Jason Holmberg, the other by Andrew Polney. Kenneth Jones in Sacramento, California, supplied multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine for transport to the Treasure Valley for distribution; also, a drug debt was owed by Jason Holmberg and unpaid for a large amount of methamphetamine obtained from Mexican sources of supply transshipped through Phoenix, Arizona, and transported to Idaho by Beal. The group operated from about June 2012 through the time of the various arrests on April 18, 2013 and May 23, 2013.
The indictment is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Drug Enforcement Administration in conjunction with the Nampa Police Department and Boise Police Department. Other federal agencies participating in the OCDETF program include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bureau of Land Management, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service.
The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
Former Postal Worker Pleads Guilty to Stealing Video Games from the MailRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former postal worker pleaded guilty today to stealing more than 200 video games from the mail.
James L. White, 68, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to theft of mail. Sentencing is scheduled for May 8, 2014. The statutory maximum penalty for the crime is five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
From July through November 2012, White, while working as a mail handler at the Boston General Mail Facility, stole GameFly video games from the mail. He resold those video games to Gamestop, a videogame and software retailer. During the course of the theft, White stole over 200 video games worth several thousand dollars.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Rafael Medina, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Ortiz’s Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit.
Former Network Engineer Pleads Guilty to Crashing Employer's Computer SystemRead the Press Release
Defendant faces prison time; must repay EnerVest for damage to computer system
CHARLESTON – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that a former network engineer at Charleston-based EnerVest Operating pleaded guilty to intentionally causing damage to his employer’s computer system. Ricky Joe Mitchell, 34, now of Mableton, GA, admitted that in June of 2012, shortly after he learned that he was going to be fired, he remotely accessed EnerVest’s computer system and reset the network servers to factory settings. As a result of his intentional conduct, EnerVest was unable to fully communicate or conduct business operations for approximately 30 days. In addition, data that the company thought had been backed up could not be retrieved.
“In 2014, it goes without saying that any business’s electronic communication capabilities and data storage are nearly as important to its success as the product or service it provides,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “The prosecution of Mr. Mitchell for his reckless conduct underscores my commitment to help protect small businesses from any threat – both inside and out.”
Mitchell will be sentenced by the Honorable John T. Copenhaver, Jr. on April 24, 2014 to a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years and three years supervised release. Mitchell will also be ordered to pay restitution for the damage caused by his criminal conduct.
The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. United States Attorney Goodwin and Assistant United States Attorney Thomas C. Ryan are handling the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced the Business Protection Initiative in November 2010. Business protection is a primary initiative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office that focuses on prosecuting individuals who defraud West Virginia businesses.
Former NYPD Officer Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court for Tax Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JONATHAN WALLY, a Police Officer with the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) at the time of his offenses, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to five years of probation for tax fraud and identity theft offenses related to his preparation and filing of false and fraudulent U.S. individual income tax returns (“tax returns”). WALLY’s probation will include six months of intermediate confinement and one year of electronic monitoring to run concurrent to confinement. WALLY pled guilty in August 2013, and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield.
According to court filings and statements made in court:
From 2003 until his arrest in this case in April 2013, WALLY was employed by the NYPD as a Police Officer assigned to the 34th precinct located in the Washington Heights/Inwood section of Manhattan. Since at least 2008, he also served as a tax preparer registered with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). Although the NYPD requires its Police Officers to obtain written authorization to engage in off-duty employment, WALLY never sought or obtained such authorization to work as a tax preparer.
From 2010 through April 2012, WALLY defrauded the IRS by causing it to issue tax refunds to other individuals based on fraudulent and false tax returns he prepared and filed on behalf of those taxpayers. Among other things, the tax returns claimed deductions for false dependents. During that time period and continuing through January 2013, WALLY further defrauded the IRS by preparing and filing fraudulent and false tax returns on his own behalf that claimed false dependents and failed to declare certain income. In connection with this fraudulent tax return scheme, WALLY obtained personal identifying information and Social Security cards of children and declared those children as dependents on the false and fraudulent tax returns he prepared and filed on behalf of others and himself.
As a result of the false and fraudulent tax returns WALLY prepared and filed on behalf of other individual taxpayers, the IRS paid these taxpayers at least $146,818 in fraudulent tax refunds. The false and fraudulent tax returns prepared and filed by WALLY on his own behalf and his failure to declare the income he earned as a tax preparer caused the IRS to pay him at least $48,990 in fraudulent tax refunds. In total, WALLY’s tax scheme defrauded the IRS in the amount of $195,808.
In addition to probation and intermediate confinement, Judge Schofield ordered WALLY, 34, of Bronx, New York, to pay a $400 special assessment fee. WALLY was also ordered to pay restitution of, and agreed to forfeit to the IRS, the amount of $195,808.
Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the IRS, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and the Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Carrie H. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Memphis Patrolman Sean Mcwhirter Sentenced for Transporting Prostitutes to TunicaRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Sean McWhirter, 30, of Memphis, TN, was sentenced today to one year and one day in federal prison following his guilty plea to one count of transportation of individuals in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution (Mann Act), announced United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton III, and A. Todd McCall, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to the facts alleged in the indictment and revealed during plea and sentencing hearings, on September 13, 2012, while on duty and in his patrol car, McWhirter agreed to transport three women to a location in Tunica, MS for the purpose of prostitution. Subsequently, on September 16, 2012, while off duty, McWhirter delivered two women from Memphis to a hotel in Tunica. Upon entering the room with the women, McWhirter was arrested by Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the FBI. McWhirter was a five-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department who was serving as a patrolman at the time of his arrest.
McWhirter pleaded guilty to the charge on October 7, 2013. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson ordered McWhirter to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This crime was investigated by the Tarnished Badge Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Coleman on behalf of the government.Former Iowa State Professor Pleads Guilty to False StatementsRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt announced that Dr. Palaniappa Molian, of Ames, pled guilty on January 24, 2014, to two felony counts relating to false statements made to the National Science Foundation.
According to the written plea agreement, in December of 2009, Dr. Molian, as a principal investigator on a National Science Foundation grant to Iowa State University, submitted a reimbursement expense voucher that contained false statements. Dr. Molian claimed in a requested reimbursement that he traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, to work on an Iowa State University National Science Foundation grant research experiment. Dr. Molian admitted in the plea agreement that he did not perform any work on the grant research experiment in Boston, and that he traveled to Boston for unrelated reasons.
The plea agreement also provides that Dr. Molian, in his capacity as president of Photon Energy Technology, submitted a Small Business Innovation Research Program Report to the National Science Foundation on July 1, 2010, that contained false statements. Dr. Molian claimed and sought payment for approximately $20,000 in laser rental costs, when he had access to a laser at no cost. Dr. Molian spent the excess grant funds he was awarded on unrelated personal expenses.
Dr. Molian will be sentenced on April 25, 2014, before the Honorable James E. Gritzner. Making a false statement to a federal agency carries a maximum sentence of imprisonment of up to five years and a maximum fine of $250,000.
This case was investigated by the National Science Foundation Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Former Corrections Officer Sentenced for His Role in <br /> Providing Armed Security for Drug TransactionsRead the Press Release
A former Puerto Rico Department of Corrections officer was sentenced today to serve 811 months in prison for his role in providing armed security for three drug transactions.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodriguez-Velez of the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Carlos Cases of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
Bernis Gonzalez Miranda, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Juan Perez Gimenez of the District of Puerto Rico. He was charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on Oct. 28, 2010, along with 89 law enforcement officers in Puerto Rico and 44 other individuals, as part of the FBI undercover operation known as Guard Shack.
In April 2012, a federal jury in San Juan found Gonzalez Miranda guilty of three counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, three counts of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and three counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction. According to the evidence presented in court, Gonzalez Miranda provided security for what he believed were illegal cocaine deals on June 15, July 2, and July 7, 2010. In fact, the purported drug transactions were part of an undercover FBI operation. On those days, the defendant’s actions included providing armed protection for the deals and escorting the buyer into and out of the transaction.
In return for the security he provided, Gonzalez Miranda received a cash payment of $2,000 for each transaction, and at sentencing he was ordered to forfeit the $6,000 he received.
The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kevin Driscoll and Monique Abrishami of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico also participated in the investigation and prosecution of this case.Former Austin Police Officer Enters Guilty Plea to Providing False Information to Federal InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
Former Austin Police Officer Jermaine Gaspard, age 34, faces up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty this afternoon to making a false statement to federal authorities announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman, U.S. Secret Service Acting Special Agent In Charge Ben Bass, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent In Charge John Boles, San Antonio Division, and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo.
Appearing before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin in Austin this afternoon, Gaspard admitted that he made a false statement to federal authorities conducting a credit card fraud investigation. According to the factual basis filed in this case, in April 2013, Gaspard knowingly accessed the mobile data terminal inside his Austin Police Department (APD) patrol car and performed an unauthorized database check on a subject. Subsequently, Gaspard showed the subject the APD report he discovered, which included the fact that there was a pending indictment related to the subject’s fraudulent use of a credit card. When questioned by federal authorities, Gaspard denied providing the information to the subject.
Gaspard is out on bond pending sentencing. No sentencing date has been scheduled.
This investigation was conducted by agents with the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation together with the Austin Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Gregg N. Sofer is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Florida Attorney Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Laundering Purported Stock Fraud ProceedsRead the Press Release
Michael J. Scaglione, Esq., an attorney in Coral Gables, Florida, was sentenced today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, to six months in prison to be followed by four months of home detention with electric monitoring to be served during a two-year term of supervised release. As part of the sentence, Scaglione was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and to forfeit approximately $31,950 to the government. In October 2013, Scaglione pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge for laundering over $750,000, which he believed were the proceeds of a penny stock fraud scheme. In July 2013, Scaglione was arrested after taking possession of $500,000 in cash from an undercover federal agent posing as a criminal stock promoter in connection with a government sting operation.
The sentence 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 (FBI); and Toni Weirauch, Special Agent in Charge, United States Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS).
“Abusing his position as an attorney by laundering money, Scaglione not only violated the code of ethics by which he was bound – he also broke the law. Those attorneys who seek to misuse the trust that is instilled in them by the public to perpetrate crime are on notice that they will be held accountable for their crimes,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. Ms. Lynch thanked the FBI and the IRS for their work on this investigation.
From approximately February to July 2013, Scaglione exploited his position as an attorney to launder money through an escrow account for an undercover law enforcement agent who posed as a corrupt stock promoter. Scaglione believed that the undercover agent was a middleman for a network of corrupt stock brokers who fraudulently inflated prices of worthless stock in exchange for high commissions. Scaglione agreed to launder what he believed were proceeds of this stock fraud through his attorney escrow account to hide that money from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the IRS. In total, Scaglione funneled over $750,000, including $88,000 in cash given to him in a Federal Express box in the lobby of a Miami Beach hotel, through the escrow account into the undercover agent=s bank account in Long Island, New York. Scaglione carefully structured the movement of these funds to avoid triggering financial reporting requirements. In exchange, Scaglione collected over $25,000 in fees. In recorded conversations, Scaglione assured the undercover agent that their conversations were “completely privileged” and that his money was “safe” with Scaglione. When the undercover agent explained to Scaglione that he did not “want to go to jail,” Scaglione stated to the undercover agent that the escrow account was “tight as can be.” On the day of his arrest, Scaglione accepted an additional $500,000 in cash from the undercover agent, which Scaglione believed to be proceeds from the stock fraud, at a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
The Defendant:
MICHAEL J. SCAGLIONE
Age: 42
Residence: Miami Springs, Florida
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 13-CR-553
Fleming Island Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Receiving Child Pornography over the InternetRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announced today that Jimmy Laverne Holmes (57, Fleming Island) has pleaded guilty in United States District Court, in Jacksonville, to receiving child pornography over the Internet. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervised release. Holmes has been in custody since his arrest on September 24, 2013. At the time of his arrest, Holmes stated that he worked at the Barco-Newton YMCA in Fleming Island, where he taught sports to children. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to court documents, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in Jacksonville, began an investigation to identify individuals in that area that had access to and/or were trading images and videos of child pornography over the Internet. Through his investigation, the agent determined that a host computer in the Jacksonville area, using a particular Internet Protocol (IP) address, was hosting images of child pornography via a particular peer-to-peer file sharing program. The agent made successful connections to the host computer and successfully downloaded several video files directly. The downloaded files contained depictions of child pornography. Further investigation revealed that the subscriber information to the IP address resolved to a particular residence located in Fleming Island, Florida, where Holmes resided.
On September 24, 2013, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed the search warrant at Holmes= residence and seized several computers and other items of electronic media. At the residence, Holmes told the agents that he knew child pornography to be both illegal and morally unjustifiable, and was recently downloading and watching child pornography two or three times per week. Holmes further stated that he has tried to cease such activities repeatedly, but has not been able to abstain indefinitely. According to Holmes, he uses child pornography for “personal use” and further noted, “I like to watch it.” Subsequent analysis of Holmes' computer media revealed that it contained a total of 174 videos and 247 images depicting child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Final Defendant Convicted in Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy Is Sentenced to Serve A Total of 240 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Defendant Convicted on Drug Conspiracy and Federal Firearm Charges
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Darren Scott Murphy, 26, of Electra and Wichita Falls, Texas, was sentenced yesterday, by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, following his guilty plea in July 2013 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge O’Connor sentenced Murphy to 240 months on the drug count and 120 months on the firearm count, to run concurrently. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
All seven defendants charged in the case pleaded guilty and all have been sentenced:
Anthony Rueben Johnston, 28, to 480 months in federal prison
Rachel Dawn Billen, 21, to 36 months
Louis Griego, Jr., 44, to 168 months
Janis Hernandez, 31, to 136 months
James Allen Holley, 34, to 142 months
Christina Gail Thompson, 32, to 42 monthsAccording to documents filed in his case, Murphy admitted that on multiple occasions, from at least August 4, 2012 through February 21, 2013, he received multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine from supply sources in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and elsewhere, and distributed it to numerous customers in the Electra and Wichita Falls, areas.
Murphy admitted that on the evening of December 2, 2011, when the vehicle he was driving was stopped on by officers with the Fort Worth Police Department, he ran when he exited the vehicle. While being apprehended a short distance from the vehicle, Murphy yelled to the vehicle’s passenger, “Get the pistol! Get the pistol!” One of the officers located a silver revolver lying in the road beneath the driver’s side of the vehicle.
He further admitted that on August 4, 2012, in Clay County, Texas, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on a car in which he was the front-seat passenger. He had approximately 81.6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a fast food restaurant bag in the front seat.
He also admitted that on November 6, 2012, in Wise County, a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety initiated a traffic stop on a car driven by co-defendant Johnston in which Murphy was the front-seat passenger. Law enforcement seized a small amount of methamphetamine and approximately $10,015 in cash. Murphy further admitted that he attempted to obstruct the investigation of this crime.
In addition, Murphy admitted that he conspired with Johnston regarding the methamphetamine that law enforcement recovered during the execution of a state search warrant on February 14, 2013, at a residence in Wichita Falls shared by Johnston and co-defendant Billen. Murphy admitted that he possessed that methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. Law enforcement also recovered handwritten notes inside the residence that identified customers who owed Murphy approximately $10,925 for methamphetamine purchases.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Wichita Falls Police Department, the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary F. Walters prosecuted.
Federal Grand Jury in Fort Wayne Returns IndictmentRead the Press Release
Hammond South Bend Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana - The United States Attorney's Office announced that a Grand Jury sitting in Fort Wayne, Indiana, returned the following Indictment on January 22, 2014: Courtney Crusoe, 24, Marcel Banks, 26, and Deandre Banks, 23, all of Fort Wayne, Indiana, are charged in a five count Indictment (respectively) with bank fraud from on or about July 2013 to on or about August 2013 (Crusoe, M. Banks and D. Banks), bank embezzlement on or about July 12, 2013 (Crusoe), conspiracy to launder money on or about July 2013 (Crusoe, M. Banks, and D. Banks), money laundering on or about July 15, 2013 (Crusoe and D. Banks), and July 17, 2013 (D. Banks and M. Banks). The Indictment also alleges forfeiture United States currency and property. These charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lovita Morris King.
The United States Attorney's Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.Essex County, N.J., Man Admits Preparing False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The owner of a tax preparation business admitted today his role in the preparation of income tax returns with false information, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced.
Carlyle Fraser of Maplewood, N.J., owner of Fraser CPA and Taxko Inc., a tax preparation business, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false individual income tax returns.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From 2008 through 2011, Fraser prepared and filed false individual income tax returns for his clients. On April 8, 2011, Fraser prepared a false 2010 individual income tax return for an undercover agent, which claimed false deductions for medical and dental expenses, charitable contributions, unreimbursed employee expenses, tuition, a business loss, and a capital gains loss. In preparing false individual income tax returns for his clients, Fraser caused a tax loss to the IRS of $149,739.
Assistant Attorney General Keneally and U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The count to which Fraser pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2014.
The government is represented by Tax Division Trial Attorneys Jessica Moran and Tino Lisella.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/tax.
14-030Defense counsel: Thomas A. Ashley Esq., Newark
Fraser, Carlyle Information
Eagle Pass Brothers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Ammunition SmugglingRead the Press Release
In Del Rio this afternoon, United States District Judge Alia Moses sentenced 34-year-old Richard Hesles, Jr., and his brother, 24-year-old Damien Hesles to 120 months and 110 months in federal prison, respectively, in connection with a scheme to smuggle over 6,000 rounds of ammunition and hundreds of firearm magazines into the Republic of Mexico stated United States Attorney Robert Pitman, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent In Charge Janice Ayala and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent In Charge Robert Elder, Houston Division.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Moses ordered that Richard Hesles pay a $7,500 fine and be placed under supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term; Damien Hesles, a $5,000 fine and three years of supervised release following his prison term. Judge Moses also ordered that Richard Hesles, Jr., and Damien Hesles pay monetary judgments in the amount of $54,414 and $42,634, respectively. Those sums represent the value of property involved or used to facilitate the defendants’ scheme.
On October 25, 2013, the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the smuggling of goods from the United States. According to the factual basis in this case, while under surveillance at the Hesles Gun and Knife Store in Eagle Pass, TX, on February 17, 2012, Damien Hesles unloaded several boxes from his vehicle. Those boxes were subsequently loaded into another vehicle which began traveling towards the U.S.-Mexico border. When the driver of that vehicle noticed he was being followed, he stopped the vehicle and discarded the boxes inside a dumpster, then fled the area. Inside the boxes, surveillance agents discovered U.S. defense articles, namely 100 AR-15 assault rifle rear tactical sights and 100 AR-15 assault rifle front tactical sights.
Investigators were able to determine that Piedras Negras, Mexico residents Oliver Bres-Carranza and Erik Alan Garza had spoken to Richard Hesles, Jr., and placed the order for the AR-15 sights. Damien Hesles received payment from Bres-Carranza and Garza for the sights and then shared the money with his brother.
Authorities estimate that the brothers aided and abetted the exportation or attempted exportation of over 6,000 rounds of ammunition designed for use in various firearms, including AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles as well as .50 caliber sniper rifles; over 300 assault rifle magazines and more than 60 magazines for other types of firearms; and, firearm sights.
The factual basis, which the defendants admitted was accurate, stated that the brothers procured ammunition, firearm magazines and firearm sights for individuals in Mexico from 2010 until 2012 and that Richard Hesles, Jr., knew that the items were going to Los Zetas Cartel operatives in Mexico.
The brothers, along with the store owner, have entered into an agreement with the Government to surrender their Federal Firearms License and to no longer support or fund, directly or indirectly, any business or venture which deals in any manner with the sale, trade or distribution of firearms, ammunition, magazines and/or components/accessories related to the firearms trade.
“Gun and drug trafficking fuels violence by criminal organizations domestically and abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge Janice Ayala, HSI San Antonio. “HSI special agents will continue working jointly with our law enforcement partners and utilize our expertise in export enforcement to keep our citizens safe and secure.”
On January 15, 2014, Erik Alan Garza was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison and fined $3,000 for his role in the smuggling scheme. Bres-Carranza, who remains in custody, faces up to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October 2013 to his role in the smuggling scheme. Bres-Carranza is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:00am on February 25, 2014, before Judge Moses. A 5th defendant in this case, Rolando Tamayo, was released on bond following his arrest in June 2012, but is now considered a fugitive.
The case was investigated by agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) together with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Galdo prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Eagle Dentist Sentenced for Prescription Drug FraudRead the Press Release
BOISE – Rahil Akhtar, 37, of Eagle, Idaho, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge for acquiring and obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud and deception, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Akhtar was a dentist licensed to practice in the state of Idaho. He was sentenced to three years’ probation, 300 hours of community service, and fined $4,000. As part of his probation, Akhtar may not work in any capacity related to dentistry or pharmaceuticals without the permission of his probation officer. Additionally, in a separate proceeding, Akhtar entered a consent decree with the Board of Dentistry to suspend and revoke his dental license for ten years.
According to court documents, from 2011 through June 2013, Akhtar schemed to obtain controlled substances for himself by writing fraudulent prescriptions to other people. The prescriptions were for medications containing hydrocodone, a Schedule III controlled substance, and Alprazolam (a benzodiazepine), a Schedule IV controlled substance. Generally, Akhtar would write a prescription to a person who was not a current patient in need of treatment or a prescription. At Akhtar’s direction, the person would fill the prescription at a pharmacy and return the majority of the pills to Akhtar. Sometimes Akhtar provided the person filling the prescription with money, but other times he expected that person to pay for the prescription. On some occasions, the person picking up the prescription kept some of the pills.
On November 4, 2013, Akhtar pleaded guilty to two counts of acquiring and obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud and deception. According to the plea agreement, Akhtar admitted that he wrote approximately 93 prescriptions and thereby acquired by fraud more than 2,500, but less than 5,000, dosage units of Schedule III and IV controlled substances. Akhtar further admitted the prescriptions were written without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of a professional dental practice: the individuals to whom the prescriptions were written were not patients in need of the prescriptions at the time; Akhtar provided no treatment and created no medical records related to the prescriptions; and although written to different people, the prescriptions were intended to provide drugs for Akhtar.
As part of the plea agreement, Akhtar will withdraw his DEA application for a DEA number in the state of Washington and agreed not to reapply for any DEA registration for at least one year after the final entry of judgment in this case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA Diversion) and Meridian Police Department.
Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Major Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WICHITA FALLS, Texas— Three defendants, who pleaded guilty in 2013 to their respective roles in a major methamphetamine distribution conspiracy operating in Wichita Falls, Texas, were sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Bobby Ray Harris, Jr., aka “Bobby Landrum,” 34, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty in August 2013 to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine. According to the factual resume filed in his case, he purchased at least one-half ounce quantities of methamphetamine from co-conspirator Deborah McCulloch five times during the time frame of March to July 2012, with the purpose of redistributing it. Harris has been in custody since his arrest in April 2013. McCulloch is currently serving a 50-month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to the same offense.
Co-conspirators Margarita C. Crowe, 42, Amy Kitchell Hamm, 38, each pleaded guilty in October 2013 to the same offense as Harris, and they were each sentenced to 72 months in federal prison. Both were remanded into custody at yesterday’s sentencing hearing. They each admitted that on multiple occasions, between April 2012 and August 2012, they distributed quantities of methamphetamine they had obtained from co-conspirators, to customers in the Wichita Falls area.
To date, all 39 defendants charged in this conspiracy have entered guilty pleas; a total of 35 defendants have been sentenced.
This Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Texas DPS; and the Wichita Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary F. Walters is in charge of the prosecution.
Defendant Charged in Immigration SchemeRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), and Linda M. Swacina, District Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announce that Gary Wayne Peters, 58, of Key West, was charged in a nine-count indictment, which included eight counts of wire fraud and one count of encouraging and inducing an alien to reside illegally in the United States for profit.
According to the indictment, Peters defrauded an undocumented alien with initials “M.P.” by falsely claiming that he would assist M.P. obtain legal immigration status in the United States. To accomplish this scheme, Peters told M.P. that he knew certain-named federal immigration agents; that Peters had filed an immigration petition for M.P.; and that the named immigration agents were processing M.P.’s immigration documents. M.P. paid Peters approximately $25,000 for Peters’ supposed assistance with his immigration application. In reality, Peters never filed an immigration petition for M.P., and there were no agents employed by the Department of Homeland Security with the names mentioned.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI and USCIS. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Moreno.
An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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.
Dallas Man Admits Possessing and Producing Child Pornography Involving A Minor Under Age TwoRead the Press Release
DALLAS — James Brian Rivers, 23, of Dallas, appeared this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez and pleaded guilty to an indictment charging one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography. He faces a total statutory penalty of at least 15 years and a maximum of 50 years in federal prison, a $500,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for May 19, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, on June 30, 2013, Rivers left his cellphone at a neighbor’s home. The neighbor looked through the cellphone and observed multiple images of child pornography and called 911. When officers with the Dallas Police Department arrived at the residence, they seized the cell phone obtained a search warrant for the phone. A forensic review of the phone revealed multiple images and one video depicting child pornography involving a prepubescent child.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks is in charge of the prosecution.
Cyber Criminal Pleads Guilty to Developing and Distributing Notorious Spyeye MalwareRead the Press Release
Aleksandr Andreevich Panin, a Russian national also known as “Gribodemon” and “Harderman,” has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud for his role as the primary developer and distributor of the malicious software known as “SpyEye,” which, according to industry estimates, has infected over 1.4 million computers in the United States and abroad.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky Maxwell of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.
“Given the recent revelations of massive thefts of financial information from large retail stores across the country, Americans do not need to be reminded how devastating it is when cyber criminals surreptitiously install malicious codes on computer networks and then siphon away private information from unsuspecting consumers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. “Today, thanks to the tireless work of prosecutors and law enforcement agents, Aleksandr Panin has admitted to his orchestration of this criminal scheme to use ‘SpyEye’ to invade the privacy of Americans by infecting their computers through a dangerous botnet. As this prosecution shows, cyber criminals – even when they sit on the other side of the world and attempt to hide behind online aliases – are never outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement.”
“As several recent and widely reported data breaches have shown, cyber-attacks pose a critical threat to our nation’s economic security,” said U.S. Attorney Yates. “Today’s plea is a great leap forward in our campaign against those attacks. Panin was the architect of a pernicious malware known as ‘SpyEye’ that infected computers worldwide. He commercialized the wholesale theft of financial and personal information. And now he is being held to account for his actions. Cyber criminals be forewarned: you cannot hide in the shadows of the Internet. We will find you and bring you to justice.”
“This investigation highlights the importance of the FBI’s focus on the top echelon of cyber criminals,” said Acting FBI SAC Maxwell. “The apprehension of Mr. Panin means that one of the world’s top developers of malicious software is no longer in a position to create computer programs that can victimize people around the world. Botnets such as SpyEye represent one of the most dangerous types of malicious software on the Internet today, which can steal people’s identities and money from their bank accounts without their knowledge. The FBI will continue working with partners domestically and internationally to combat cyber-crime.”
According to the charges and other information presented in court, SpyEye is a sophisticated malicious computer code that is designed to automate the theft of confidential personal and financial information, such as online banking credentials, credit card information, usernames, passwords, PINs, and other personally identifying information. The SpyEye virus facilitates this theft of information by secretly infecting victims’ computers, enabling cyber criminals to remotely control the infected computers through command and control (C2) servers. Once a computer is infected and under their control, cyber criminals can remotely access the infected computers, without authorization, and steal victims’ personal and financial information through a variety of techniques, including “web injects,” “keystroke loggers,” and “credit card grabbers.” The victims’ stolen personal and financial data is then surreptitiously transmitted to the C2 servers, where it is used to steal money from the victims’ financial accounts.
Panin was the primary developer and distributor of the SpyEye virus. Operating from Russia from 2009 to 2011, Panin conspired with others, including codefendant Hamza Bendelladj, an Algerian national also known as “Bx1,” to develop, market and sell various versions of the SpyEye virus and component parts on the Internet. Panin allowed cyber criminals to customize their purchases to include tailor-made methods of obtaining victims’ personal and financial information, as well as marketed versions that specifically targeted designated financial institutions. Panin advertised the SpyEye virus on online, invitation-only criminal forums. He sold versions of the SpyEye virus for prices ranging from $1,000 to $8,500. Panin is believed to have sold the SpyEye virus to at least 150 “clients,” who, in turn, used them to set up their own C2 servers. One of Panin’s clients, “Soldier,” is reported to have made more than $3.2 million in a six-month period using the SpyEye virus.
According to industry estimates, the SpyEye virus has infected more than 1.4 million computers in the United States and abroad, and it was the preeminent malware toolkit used from approximately 2009 to 2011. Based on information received from the financial services industry, over 10,000 bank accounts have been compromised by SpyEye infections since 2013 alone. Some cyber criminals continue to use SpyEye today, although its effectiveness has been limited since software makers have added SpyEye to malicious software removal programs.
In February 2011, pursuant to a federal search warrant, the FBI searched and seized a SpyEye C2 server allegedly operated by Bendelladj in the Northern District of Georgia. That C2 server controlled over 200 computers infected with the SpyEye virus and contained information from numerous financial institutions.
In June and July 2011, FBI covert sources communicated directly with Panin, who was using his online nicknames “Gribodemon” and “Harderman,” about the SpyEye virus. FBI sources then purchased a version of SpyEye from Panin that contained features designed to steal confidential financial information, initiate fraudulent online banking transactions, install keystroke loggers, and initiate distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from computers infected with the malware.
On Dec. 20, 2011, a Northern District of Georgia grand jury returned a 23-count indictment against Panin, who had yet to be fully identified, and Bendelladj. The indictment charged one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and 11 counts of computer fraud. A superseding indictment was subsequently returned identifying Panin by his true name.
Bendelladj was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 5, 2013 and was extradited from Thailand to the United States on May 2, 2013. His charges are currently pending in the Northern District of Georgia.
Panin was arrested by U.S. authorities on July 1, 2013, when he flew through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The investigation also has led to the arrest of four of Panin’s SpyEye clients and associates in the United Kingdom and Bulgaria.
On Jan. 28, 2014, Panin pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentencing for Panin is scheduled for April 29, 2014, before United States District Judge Amy Totenberg of the Northern District of Georgia.
The case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Scott Ferber of the Northern District of Georgia, Trial Attorney Ethan Arenson of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Carol Sipperly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Oldham also participated in the prosecution while with the Criminal Division.
Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the following international law enforcement agencies: The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Royal Thai Police-Immigration Bureau, the National Police of the Netherlands - National High Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), Dominican Republic’s Departamento Nacional de Investigaciones (DNI), the Cybercrime Department at the State Agency for National Security-Bulgaria and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Valuable assistance also was provided by the following private sector partners: Trend Micro’s Forward-looking Threat Research (FTR) Team, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, Mandiant, Dell SecureWorks, Trusteer and the Norwegian Security Research Team known as “Underworld.no”.Cyber Criminal Pleads Guilty to Developing and Distributing Notorious SpyEye MalwareRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Aleksandr Andreevich Panin, a Russian national also known as “Gribodemon” and “Harderman,” has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud for his role as the primary developer and distributor of the malicious software known as “SpyEye,” which, according to industry estimates, has infected over 1.4 million computers in the United States and abroad.
“As several recent and widely reported data breaches have shown, cyber-attacks pose a critical threat to our nation’s economic security,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Today’s plea is a great leap forward in our campaign against those attacks. Panin was the architect of a pernicious malware known as ‘SpyEye’ that infected computers worldwide. He commercialized the wholesale theft of financial and personal information. And now he is being held to account for his actions. Cyber criminals be forewarned: you cannot hide in the shadows of the Internet. We will find you and bring you to justice.”
“Given the recent revelations of massive thefts of financial information from large retail stores across the country, Americans do not need to be reminded how devastating it is when cyber criminals surreptitiously install malicious codes on computer networks and then siphon away private information from unsuspecting consumers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman. “Today, thanks to the tireless work of prosecutors and law enforcement agents, Aleksandr Panin has admitted to his orchestration of this criminal scheme to use ‘SpyEye’ to invade the privacy of Americans by infecting their computers through a dangerous botnet. As this prosecution shows, cyber criminals – even when they sit on the other side of the world and attempt to hide behind online aliases – are never outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement.”
Ricky Maxwell, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “This investigation highlights the importance of the FBI’s focus on the top echelon of cyber criminals. The apprehension of Mr. Panin means that one of the world’s top developers of malicious software is no longer in a position to create computer programs that can victimize people around the world. Botnets such as SpyEye represent one of the most dangerous types of malicious software on the Internet today, which can steal people’s identities and money from their bank accounts without their knowledge. The FBI will continue working with partners domestically and internationally to combat cyber-crime."
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: SpyEye is a sophisticated malicious computer code that is designed to automate the theft of confidential personal and financial information, such as online banking credentials, credit card information, usernames, passwords, PINs, and other personally identifying information. The SpyEye virus facilitates this theft of information by secretly infecting victims’ computers, enabling cybercriminals to remotely control the infected computers through command and control (“C2”) servers. Once a computer is infected and under their control, cybercriminals can remotely access the infected computers, without authorization, and steal victims’ personal and financial information through a variety of techniques, including “web injects,” “keystroke loggers,” and “credit card grabbers.” The victims’ stolen personal and financial data is then surreptitiously transmitted to the C2 servers, where it is used to steal money from the victims’ financial accounts.
Panin was the primary developer and distributor of the SpyEye virus. Operating from Russia from 2009 to 2011, Panin conspired with others, including codefendant Hamza Bendelladj, an Algerian national also known as “Bx1,” to develop, market, and sell various versions of the SpyEye virus and component parts on the Internet. Panin allowed cybercriminals to customize their purchases to include tailor-made methods of obtaining victims’ personal and financial information, as well as marketed versions that targeted information about specific financial institutions including banks and credit card companies. Panin advertised the SpyEye virus on online, invite-only criminal forums. He sold versions of the SpyEye virus for prices ranging from $1,000 to $8,500. Panin is believed to have sold the SpyEye virus to at least 150 “clients,” who, in turn, used them to set up their own C2 servers. One of Panin’s clients, “Soldier,” is reported to have made over $3.2 million in a six-month period using the SpyEye virus.
According to industry estimates, the SpyEye virus has infected over 1.4 million computers in the United States and abroad and it was the preeminent malware toolkit used from approximately 2009 to 2011. Based on information received from the financial services industry, over 10,000 bank accounts have been compromised by SpyEye infections in 2013 alone. Some cyber criminals continue to use SpyEye today, although its effectiveness has been limited since software makers have added SpyEye to malicious software removal programs.
In February 2011, pursuant to a federal search warrant, the FBI searched and seized a SpyEye C2 server allegedly operated by Bendelladj in the Northern District of Georgia. That C2 server controlled over 200 computers infected with the SpyEye virus and contained information from numerous financial institutions.
In June and July 2011, FBI covert sources communicated directly with Panin, who was using his online nicknames “Gribodemon” and “Harderman,” about the SpyEye virus. FBI sources then purchased a version of SpyEye from Panin that contained features designed to steal confidential financial information, initiate fraudulent online banking transactions, install keystroke loggers, and initiate distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from computers infected with the SpyEye malware.
On December 20, 2011, a Northern District of Georgia grand jury returned a 23-count indictment against Panin, who had yet to be fully identified, and Bendelladj. The indictment charged one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, ten counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and 11 counts of computer fraud. A superseding indictment was subsequently returned identifying Panin by his true name.
Bendelladj was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 5, 2013, while he was in transit from Malaysia to Algeria. Bendelladj was extradited from Thailand to the United States on May 2, 2013. His charges are currently pending in the Northern District of Georgia.
Panin was arrested by U.S. authorities on July 1, 2013, when he flew through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.The investigation also has led to the arrests by international authorities of four of Panin’s SpyEye clients and associates in the United Kingdom and Bulgaria.
On January 28, 2014, Panin pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentencing for Panin is scheduled for April 29, 2014 before United States District Judge Amy Totenberg.
The case is being investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Scott Ferber of the Northern District of Georgia, Trial Attorney Ethan Arenson of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Carol Sipperly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Oldham also participated in the prosecution while with the Criminal Division.Valuable assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the following international law enforcement agencies: The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Royal Thai Police-Immigration Bureau, the National Police of the Netherlands - National High Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), Dominican Republic’s Departamento Nacional de Investigaciones (DNI), the Cybercrime Department at the State Agency for National Security-Bulgaria, and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Valuable assistance also was provided by the following private sector partners: Trend Micro’s Forward-looking Threat Research (FTR) Team, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, Mandiant, Dell SecureWorks, Trusteer, and the Norwegian Security Research Team known as “Underworld.no”.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.
Crab Orchard Woman Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Powerful Painkillers with A Forged PrescriptionRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. - United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Sherry Lively, 46 of Crab Orchard, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Beckley to obtaining oxycodone painkillers by fraud. In July of 2013, Lively took a forged prescription for oxycodone to a local pharmacy. The prescription was forged by an individual who stole a script pad from a Beckley doctor. The pharmacy filled the forged prescription and gave Lively oxycodone pills that were not legitimately prescribed for her. Agents obtained a copy of the forged prescription from the pharmacy and were able to confirm that the doctor whose name was on the prescription had not signed it.
Lively faces up to four years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. United States District Judge Irene Berger has scheduled the sentencing for May 15, 2014.
The DEA and Beckley Police Department handled the investigation.
Coin Dealer Formerly from Hackensack, N.J., Admits Filing A False Federal Income Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former Hackensack, N.J., dealer in ancient coins today admitted filing a false federal income tax return for the 2006 tax year, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Gantcho Zagorski, 60, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to one count of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return.According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Zagorski owned and operated a business that sold ancient coins to domestic and international customers, primarily on the online auction site eBay, from his residence in Hackensack, N.J. Zagorski; his wife; and, at times, his daughter, operated the coin-selling business under the names “Diana Coins,” “Paganecoins,” and “Diana Coins LLC.”
Zagorski admitted he provided histax preparer with false and fraudulent information by substantially understating the amount of gross receipts and sales earned by his business and then caused to be filed with the IRS a false federal income tax return for 2006. Zagorski admitted the 2006 tax return claimed gross receipts and sales of $310,901 when, in fact, the business had generated more than $600,000 in gross receipts and sales for that year.
The tax count to which Zagorski pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2014.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, Newark Field Office; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New York, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James T. Hayes Jr.; and the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Nakly and Leslie Schwartz of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
14-031Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Public Defender John Yauch Esq., Newark
Zagorski, Gantcho Indictment
Chillicother Couple Indicted for False Tax Returns Related to Wife's $4 Million TheftRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Chillicothe, Mo., husband and wife were indicted by a federal grand jury today for filing a false income tax return by not claiming the income from a wire fraud scheme in which the wife embezzled nearly $4 million from her employer, Burdg, Dunham & Associates Construction Corp. in Hamilton, Mo.
Donna M. Preszler, 60, and her husband, Terrance W. Preszler, 63, both of Chillicothe, were charged in a 21-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s superseding indictment replaces a federal indictment that was returned on June 20, 2013, and adds the husband as a defendant in one count of making a false income tax return.
Donna Preszler was employed at Burdg, Dunham & Associates (BDA) from 2001 until June 2012, working as an accounting manager since 2004. BDA is a general contractor specializing in retail construction of malls, strip centers, family life centers, and other stand-alone projects. BDA serves customers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, primarily building for national retail organizations.
The indictment alleges that Preszler embezzled $3,912,000 in a wire fraud scheme from June 30, 2006 through June 15, 2012. Preszler allegedly used her employer’s accounting software to create payroll data files that contained unauthorized false and fictitious payments to her bank accounts and others.
Today’s indictment alleges that Donna and Terrance Preszler failed to report the fraudulently obtained funds on their federal income tax returns for tax years 2007 through 2012. During that time, according to the indictment, the Preszlers should have paid $1,236,690 in taxes on their unreported fraudulent income from BDA.
For example, according to today’s indictment, the Preszlers claimed their income in 2012 was only $46,863. Including the embezzled funds, the indictment says, their income was actually $851,863 and they should have paid an additional $253,641 in taxes.
The federal indictment charges Donna Preszler with six counts of wire fraud and 14 counts of money laundering.
Donna Preszler allegedly utilized her role as accounting manager to add false and fictitious non-taxable pay, such as expense reimbursements to herself. Over a six-year period, the indictment says, Donna Preszler transferred approximately $3,912,000 in false and fictitious payments to herself and her family.
Donna Preszler also added false and fictitious overtime hours and overtime pay to her weekly payroll, the indictment says. Donna Preszler allegedly initiated approximately $76,000 in unauthorized overtime payments to herself from November 2004 through June 2006, which were subject to BDA withholding income taxes.
Donna Preszler concealed her transfers by password protecting her payroll information, creating false and fictitious expense accounts and otherwise manipulating BDA’s payroll and accounting records.
The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Preszler to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged violations, including a money judgment of $3,912,000, two residential lots, two 14kt diamond rings, 10 vehicles (a 2007 Ford Taurus, a 2007 Mazda CX-7, a 2011 Nissan Versa, a 2010 Nissan 370Z, a 2011 Ford F150, a 2010 Ford F150, a 2010 Ford Escape, a 2012 Ford Explorer and a 2012 Nissan Rogue), three 2011 Yamaha ATVs and several bank accounts and funeral trust accounts. Most of those items have been seized by law enforcement agents.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Charleston Methamphetamine Dealers Enter Federal Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
Dealers busted with two pounds of pure meth and more than $40,000 cash
Charleston, W.Va. – Richard Milton Hudson Riggal, 44, of Zephyrhills, Florida and Howard Leon Lykins, II, 49, of Charleston, West Virginia pleaded guilty today to methamphetamine trafficking charges before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.
On July 2, 2013 detectives from the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) searched Lykins’ Stone Acres Drive residence. Riggall was present at the residence when officers arrived. Officers found methamphetamine, digital scales, two firearms, and $41,490.00 in cash in Riggall’s luggage. Police seized additional methamphetamine, firearms, and money from the house.
Police executed a second search warrant at another Kanawha County residence associated with the conspiracy, where they seized more than 900 grams of high-purity “Ice” methamphetamine . Riggall admitted he had brought the Ice from Florida to West Virginia to sell.
Riggall pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Lykins pleaded guilty to maintaining a residence for drug purposes.
Both men face up to 20 years in federal prison when they are sentenced on April 29, 2014.
MDENT and the DEA Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution.
Camden, N.J., Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Steal Checks from MailRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison for his role in a scheme in which he and others stole business checks from the mail in New Jersey and Connecticut, altered them and cashed them through a series of conspirators, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Michael A. Ingalls, Jr., 36, previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Simandle to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. Judge Simandle imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2010 through January 2012, Ingalls and others stole mail containing checks from businesses in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties in New Jersey. Ingalls and his conspirators – including Ibn Muhammad, 35, of Camden – would recruit conspirators to cash the stolen checks, altering the name of the payee on the check to match the name of the recruit. Ingalls, Muhammad and the check casher would then travel to a bank to cash the check.
Ingalls, Muhammad and their conspirators cashed or attempted to cash more than 100 stolen and altered business checks worth more than $600,000. The scheme resulted in a total loss of more than $300,000 to the victim banks.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Simandle sentenced Ingalls to serve five years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $361,955.04 in restitution.
Muhammad pleaded guilty to bank fraud and theft of mail and was sentenced to 135 months in prison on July 15, 2013. One of Ingalls’ and Muhammad’s conspirators, Andrew Fortune, 62, of Camden, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Dec. 11, 2013.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates in Newark, and troopers from the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Rick Fuentes, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew T. Smith and Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Dennis Wixted Esq., CamdenBranford Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Defrauding Investors of More Than $5 MillionRead the Press Release
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Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JUAN JOSE ALVAREZ DE LUGO AZPURUA, 54, of Branford, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a real estate investment scheme that defrauded individuals out of more than $5 million.
According to court documents and statements made in court, ALVAREZ DE LUGO, who held himself out as the president of multiple successful businesses specializing in real estate development programs, represented to victim investors that his business was acquiring houses from the City of New Haven and from local banks. Investors were told that invested funds would be used to remodel the houses, which would then be sold. At times, ALVAREZ DE LUGO represented to victim investors that he was working jointly with New Haven on the Livable City Initiative, and he stated that the remodeled homes would be used and occupied by low income families that secured financing from a local bank and State of Connecticut agencies. ALVAREZ DE LUGO also told investors that he was developing a senior housing facility in New Haven. He also provided investors with Promissory Notes and other documentation that promised to pay investors interest of 20 percent per year, and a full return of principal in one year.
ALVAREZ DE LUGO has admitted that these representations were false, and that he did not invest his victims’ money as promised. He did not own and develop the large number of properties he represented to investors, and he had no relationship with the City of New Haven or the State of Connecticut.
Between approximately 2005 and 2010, ALVAREZ DE LUGO defrauded approximately 30 victims out of more than $5 million. He spent investment money on his own personal expenses, including improving his Branford residence with a swimming pool and backyard patio, and to pay his children’s school and college tuition.
ALVAREZ DE LUGO was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,161,083.
ALVAREZ DE LUGO has been detained since his arrest on January 18, 2013. On September 18, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
ALVAREZ DE LUGO’s three companies, Arquin Decoraciones LLC, Arquin Development LLC, and Juko Investments, LLC, and the investment instruments he provided, were never registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or Connecticut Department of Banking.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the State of Connecticut Department of Banking. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.
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(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Powerful Painkillers with A Forged PrescriptionRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. - United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Justin Woodie, 22, of Beckley, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Beckley to obtaining oxycodone painkillers by fraud. In July of 2013, Woodie attempted to obtain oxycodone pills from a local pharmacy using a forged prescription. The prescription had been forged by an individual who stole a script pad from a Beckley doctor. The pharmacy filled the forged prescription and gave Woodie oxycodone pills that were not legitimately prescribed for him. Agents obtained a copy of the forged prescription from the pharmacy and were able to confirm that the doctor whose name was on the prescription had not signed it.
Woodie faces up to four years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. United States District Judge Irene Berger has scheduled the sentencing for May 15, 2014.
The DEA and Beckley Police Department handled the investigation.
Attorney General Holder Appoints Eight New U.S. Attorneys to Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of the following eight U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC): A ndré Birotte Jr., Central District of California; Thomas E. Delahanty II, District of Maine; Zachary T. Fardon, Northern District of Illinois; Wifredo A. Ferrer, Southern District of Florida; Kerry B. Harvey, Eastern District of Kentucky; Zane D. Memeger, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Tim Q. Purdon, District of North Dakota; and Sarah R. Saldaña, Northern District of Texas.
“In the face of daunting staff and resource constraints, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are performing tremendous work in their districts across the country, standing on the front lines of federal law enforcement efforts,” said Attorney General Holder. “Each of the U.S. Attorneys who serves on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee plays an indispensable role in guiding the Justice Department’s work as we confront a range of challenging issues and opportunities. I welcome the eight new members of the AGAC I’ve chosen to appoint today, and look forward to working closely with them to take fresh, and smart, approaches to fighting crime and achieving justice across the nation.”
The Attorney General also thanked the following U.S. Attorneys who have completed their two-year terms and are rotating off the committee: Laura E. Duffy, Southern District of California; Timothy J. Heaphy, Western District of Virginia; Brendan V. Johnson, District of South Dakota; Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida; Carmen M. Ortiz, District of Massachusetts; Robert L. Pitman, Western District of Texas; James Santelle, Eastern District of Wisconsin; Carter M. Stewart, Southern District of Ohio.
Chaired by U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch, the AGAC represents the voice of the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management and operational issues impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys.
A brief bio on each new appointee is below: A ndré Birotte Jr. was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California on March 4, 2010. He previously served as the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Commission from 2003 to 2010 and as an Assistant Inspector General from 2001 to 2003. From 1995 to 1999, Birotte served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. He started his legal career as a Deputy Public Defender in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1991 to 1995. Birotte serves as Co-Chair of the AGAC’s Terrorism/National Security Subcommittee, and as a member of the Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Civil Rights Subcommittee, Cyber/Intellectual Property Subcommittee, Violent and Organized Crime Subcommittee and White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee.
Thomas E. Delahanty II was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine on July 1, 2010. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Justice for the Maine Superior Court for more than 26 years, and as Chief Justice from 1990 until 1995. From 1981 until 1983, he was a partner in the firm Delahanty & Longley. He previously served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine from 1980 to 1981. Prior to this, Delahanty served as a District Attorney for Prosecutorial District 3 for Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties (1975 to 1980); as a County Attorney and Assistant County Attorney with the Androscoggin County Attorney’s Office (1971 to 1975); and as an associate at Marshall, Raymond & Beliveau (1970 to 1974). Delahanty serves as Chair of the AGAC’s Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture Working Group, as a member of the AGAC’s Medical Marijuana Working Group and the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, and as a participant in the department’s Arab American and Muslim Outreach Program.
Zachary T. Fardon was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois on Oct. 23, 2013. Prior to his appointment, Fardon was a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins where he served as the Chair of the Litigation Department in their Chicago office. Previously, Fardon served as the First Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Tennessee from 2003 to 2006 and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois from 1997 to 2003. He began his legal career working as an Assistant Public Defender in the Nashville Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office from 1996 to 1997 and as an associate at the law firm of King & Spalding from 1992 to 1996.
Wifredo A. Ferrer was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida on May 4, 2010. Ferrer previously served as an Assistant County Attorney and as Chief of the Federal Litigation Section in the Miami-Dade County’s Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2010. From 2000 until 2006, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office, he served in the Public Integrity and National Security Section, the Economic Crimes Section, the Major Crimes Section, and the Appellate Division of the Office. Prior to that, he had been Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff to the United States Attorney General from 1995 to 2000. From 1994 to 1995, Ferrer was a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. From 1991 to 1994, he had been a Litigation Associate with Steel Hector & Davis in Miami, Florida. From 1990 until 1991, Ferrer was a law clerk to then- District (now 11th Circuit) Judge Stanley Marcus. Ferrer serves as Vice Chair of the AGAC’s Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture Working Group.
Kerry B. Harvey was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky on May 14, 2010. Harvey previously served as the General Counsel and Acting Inspector General of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services from 2008 to 2010. He was a partner at Owen, Harvey, and Carter from 1991 to 2008; at Prince, Harvey, Brien & Carter from 1986 to 1991; and at Prince & Harvey from 1984 to 1986. Mr. Harvey worked as the Marshall County, Kentucky, Attorney from 1986 to 1994. He began his legal career as an associate at Brown, Todd & Heyburn from 1982 to 1984. Harvey serves as a member of the AGAC’s Health Care Fraud Working Group.
Zane David Memeger was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on May 10, 2010. Prior to his appointment, Memeger was a Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP from 2006 to 2010. Previously, Memeger had served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1995 until 2006. From 1991 until 1995, Memeger was an Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP. Memeger serves as a member of the AGAC’s Cyber/Intellectual Property Subcommittee, LECC/Victim/Community Issues Subcommittee, Violent and Organized Crime Subcommittee, White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee and Health Care Fraud Working Group.
Timothy Q. Purdon was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota on August 24, 2010. Prior to his appointment, Purdon was a partner at Vogel Law Firm from 2005 to 2010; prior to his promotion he also served as an associate at the firm. From 1996 until 2001, Purdon worked as an associate at Dickson & Purdon, and he became a partner in the firm in 2001. From 1995 through 1996, he was an associate at Olson & Cichy. Purdon has also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Bruce M. Van Sickle of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Purdon serves as a member of the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Native American Issues Subcommittee, Environmental Issues Working Group, and Local Government Coordination Working Group.
Sarah R. Saldaña was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas on Sept. 29, 2011. She previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas since 2004, serving as Deputy Criminal Chief for Fraud and Public Corruption since 2009. Ms. Saldaña was an attorney for Baker Botts, L.L.P, from 1987 to 1998, and Haynes Boone from 1985 to 1987. Following law school, she served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Barefoot Sanders, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas, from 1984 to 1985. Saldaña serves as a member of the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Cyber/Intellectual Property Subcommittee, LECC/Victim/Community Issues Subcommittee and White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee.
The full AGAC membership is listed below: Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney, Eastern District of New York, ChairSally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia, Vice Chair
David Barlow, United States Attorney, District of Utah
Andre Birotte Jr. – Central District of California
Thomas E. Delahanty II – District of Maine
Zachary T. Fardon – Northern District of Illinois
Wifredo A. Ferrer – Southern District of Florida
Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney, Northern District of New York
Kerry B. Harvey – Eastern District of Kentucky
Barbara L. McQuade, United States Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan
Zane D. Memeger – Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Wendy J. Olson, United States Attorney, District of Idaho
Timothy Q. Purdon – District of North Dakota
Sarah R. Saldan͂a – Northern District of Texas
Ronald W. Sharpe, United States Attorney, District of the Virgin Islands
Anne Tompkins, United States Attorney, Western District of North Carolina
Ronald C. Machen, United States Attorney, District of Columbia, ex officio
Daniel Bella, Criminal Chief, Northern District of Indiana, ex officio
Suzanne Bauknight, Civil Chief, Eastern District of Tennessee, ex officio
Robert Zauzmer, Appellate Chief, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, ex officio
Attorney General Holder Appoints Eight New U.S. Attorneys to Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of the following eight U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC): André Birotte Jr., Central District of California; Thomas E. Delahanty II, District of Maine; Zachary T. Fardon, Northern District of Illinois; Wifredo A. Ferrer, Southern District of Florida; Kerry B. Harvey, Eastern District of Kentucky; Zane D. Memeger, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Tim Q. Purdon, District of North Dakota; and Sarah R. Saldaña, Northern District of Texas.
“In the face of daunting staff and resource constraints, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are performing tremendous work in their districts across the country, standing on the front lines of federal law enforcement efforts,” said Attorney General Holder. “Each of the U.S. Attorneys who serves on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee plays an indispensable role in guiding the Justice Department’s work as we confront a range of challenging issues and opportunities. I welcome the eight new members of the AGAC I’ve chosen to appoint today, and look forward to working closely with them to take fresh, and smart, approaches to fighting crime and achieving justice across the nation.”
The Attorney General also thanked the following U.S. Attorneys who have completed their two-year terms and are rotating off the committee: Laura E. Duffy, Southern District of California; Timothy J. Heaphy, Western District of Virginia; Brendan V. Johnson, District of South Dakota; Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida; Carmen M. Ortiz, District of Massachusetts; Robert L. Pitman, Western District of Texas; James Santelle, Eastern District of Wisconsin; Carter M. Stewart, Southern District of Ohio.
U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña, of the Northern District of Texas, said, “I am honored by the Attorney General’s appointment. It is an extraordinary privilege and I look forward to serving the United States in this expanded role.”
Chaired by U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch, the AGAC represents the voice of the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management and operational issues impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys.
A brief bio on each new appointee is below:
André Birotte Jr. was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California on March 4, 2010. He previously served as the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Commission from 2003 to 2010 and as an Assistant Inspector General from 2001 to 2003. From 1995 to 1999, Birotte served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. He started his legal career as a Deputy Public Defender in the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 1991 to 1995. Birotte serves as Co-Chair of the AGAC’s Terrorism/National Security Subcommittee, and as a member of the Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Civil Rights Subcommittee, Cyber/Intellectual Property Subcommittee, Violent and Organized Crime Subcommittee and White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee.
Thomas E. Delahanty II was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine on July 1, 2010. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Justice for the Maine Superior Court for more than 26 years, and as Chief Justice from 1990 until 1995. From 1981 until 1983, he was a partner in the firm Delahanty & Longley. He previously served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine from 1980 to 1981. Prior to this, Delahanty served as a District Attorney for Prosecutorial District 3 for Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties (1975 to 1980); as a County Attorney and Assistant County Attorney with the Androscoggin County Attorney’s Office (1971 to 1975); and as an associate at Marshall, Raymond & Beliveau (1970 to 1974). Delahanty serves as Chair of the AGAC’s Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture Working Group, as a member of the AGAC’s Medical Marijuana Working Group and the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, and as a participant in the department’s Arab American and Muslim Outreach Program.
Zachary T. Fardon was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois on Oct. 23, 2013. Prior to his appointment, Fardon was a partner at the law firm of Latham & Watkins where he served as the Chair of the Litigation Department in their Chicago office. Previously, Fardon served as the First Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Tennessee from 2003 to 2006 and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois from 1997 to 2003. He began his legal career working as an Assistant Public Defender in the Nashville Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office from 1996 to 1997 and as an associate at the law firm of King & Spalding from 1992 to 1996.
Wifredo A. Ferrer was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida on May 4, 2010. Ferrer previously served as an Assistant County Attorney and as Chief of the Federal Litigation Section in the Miami-Dade County’s Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2010. From 2000 until 2006, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office, he served in the Public Integrity and National Security Section, the Economic Crimes Section, the Major Crimes Section, and the Appellate Division of the Office. Prior to that, he had been Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff to the United States Attorney General from 1995 to 2000. From 1994 to 1995, Ferrer was a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. From 1991 to 1994, he had been a Litigation Associate with Steel Hector & Davis in Miami, Florida. From 1990 until 1991, Ferrer was a law clerk to then- District (now 11th Circuit) Judge Stanley Marcus. Ferrer serves as Vice Chair of the AGAC’s Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture Working Group.
Kerry B. Harvey was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky on May 14, 2010. Harvey previously served as the General Counsel and Acting Inspector General of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services from 2008 to 2010. He was a partner at Owen, Harvey, and Carter from 1991 to 2008; at Prince, Harvey, Brien & Carter from 1986 to 1991; and at Prince & Harvey from 1984 to 1986. Mr. Harvey worked as the Marshall County, Kentucky, Attorney from 1986 to 1994. He began his legal career as an associate at Brown, Todd & Heyburn from 1982 to 1984. Harvey serves as a member of the AGAC’s Health Care Fraud Working Group.
Zane David Memeger was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on May 10, 2010. Prior to his appointment, Memeger was a Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP from 2006 to 2010. Previously, Memeger had served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1995 until 2006. From 1991 until 1995, Memeger was an Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP. Memeger serves as a member of the AGAC’s Cyber/Intellectual Property Subcommittee, LECC/Victim/Community Issues Subcommittee, Violent and Organized Crime Subcommittee, White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee and Health Care Fraud Working Group.
Timothy Q. Purdon was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota on August 24, 2010. Prior to his appointment, Purdon was a partner at Vogel Law Firm from 2005 to 2010; prior to his promotion he also served as an associate at the firm. From 1996 until 2001, Purdon worked as an associate at Dickson & Purdon, and he became a partner in the firm in 2001. From 1995 through 1996, he was an associate at Olson & Cichy. Purdon has also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Bruce M. Van Sickle of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Purdon serves as a member of the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Native American Issues Subcommittee, Environmental Issues Working Group, and Local Government Coordination Working Group.
Sarah R. Saldaña was presidentially appointed and sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas on Sept. 29, 2011. She previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas since 2004, serving as Deputy Criminal Chief for Fraud and Public Corruption since 2009. Ms. Saldaña was an attorney for Baker Botts, L.L.P, from 1987 to 1998, and Haynes Boone from 1985 to 1987. Following law school, she served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Barefoot Sanders, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Texas, from 1984 to 1985. Saldaña serves as a member of the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Cyber/Intellectual Property Subcommittee, LECC/Victim/Community Issues Subcommittee and White Collar/Fraud Subcommittee.
The full AGAC membership is listed below:
Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney, Eastern District of New York, Chair
Sally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia, Vice Chair
David Barlow, United States Attorney, District of Utah
Andre Birotte Jr. – Central District of California
Thomas E. Delahanty II – District of Maine
Zachary T. Fardon – Northern District of Illinois
Wifredo A. Ferrer – Southern District of Florida
Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney, Northern District of New York
Kerry B. Harvey – Eastern District of Kentucky
Barbara L. McQuade, United States Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan
Zane D. Memeger – Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Wendy J. Olson, United States Attorney, District of Idaho
Timothy Q. Purdon – District of North Dakota
Sarah R. Saldan͂a – Northern District of Texas
Ronald W. Sharpe, United States Attorney, District of the Virgin Islands
Anne Tompkins, United States Attorney, Western District of North Carolina
Ronald C. Machen, United States Attorney, District of Columbia, ex officio
Daniel Bella, Criminal Chief, Northern District of Indiana, ex officio
Suzanne Bauknight, Civil Chief, Eastern District of Tennessee, ex officio
Robert Zauzmer, Appellate Chief, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, ex officio