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17 January 2014
Lawrence Man Charged in Wichita Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. A Lawrence man was charged today with robbing a bank in Wichita, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Matthew Greenlee, 25, Lawrence, Kan., was charged with one count of bank robbery. An affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint alleged that at about 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 16 Greenlee robbed the Bank of America at 7310 W. 21st in Wichita. He gave the teller a note saying to put the money in his bag. The note ended with, “thxs and plz.” He took the money and left the bank.
Less than two hours later, while investigators were still processing the crime scene, Greenlee returned to the bank with his father and surrendered to them.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000. The Wichita Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Kechi Man ChargedWith Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. A Kechi man was charged today with distributing child pornography, mainly from his computer at work, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Jaime Menchaca, 33, Kechi, Kan., was charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita with one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
An affidavit filed in support of the complaint alleged the investigation began in September when agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) served a search warrant at the residence of a man in Pevely, Mo. They found evidence the man had received child pornography from IP addresses they traced to Highland Dairy in Wichita and Menchaca’s home in Kechi. Investigators determined Menchaca was a manager at the dairy.On Jan. 11, 2014, investigators took a trained computer forensic analyst with the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (KS ICAC) to the dairy and made a copy of the company computer used by Menchaca. They also obtained a thumb drive from Menchaca. The thumb drive contained images of children as young as six years old engaged in sexual acts. Investigators determined Menchaca had been using the Internet to trade child exploitation materials through a photo-sharing site. He primarily conducted this activity from his computer at work but also checked his emails from his home.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession count. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Wichita Police Department, and the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
Kadoka Man Sentenced for Destruction of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Kadoka, South Dakota, man convicted of Destruction of Government Property was sentenced on January 13, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Lynn Standing Bear, age 21, was sentenced to 8 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, ordered to pay $10,293.50 in restitution, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Standing Bear pled guilty to the charge on October 18, 2013. The charge related to Standing Bear entering the Indian Health Services Clinic in Wanblee during the nighttime hours on July 5, 2013. Once inside the clinic, Standing Bear used different tools to cause damage to the clinic. Standing Bear also stole 11 bottles of Hydrocodone and then attempted to sell the pills in the Wanblee area.
This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Standing Bear was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Justice Department, City Hail Approval of New Seattle Police Department Bias and Stops PoliciesRead the Press Release
SEATTLE – U.S. District Judge James L. Robart today approved sweeping new Seattle Police Department policies on biased policing and investigative stops. The new policies were created by the city of Seattle in conjunction with the Justice Department, and approved the federal Monitor. The new “Stops and Detentions” and “Bias-Free Policing” policies clarify how officers are to handle street encounters and will help ensure that officers do not engage in discriminatory policing. For the first time, the policies will require the collection of data to help evaluate trends and address any ongoing concerns.
Consistent with the settlement agreement reached by the Justice Department and the city of Seattle in 2012, both policies were developed with significant input from members of the Community Police Commission (CPC), Seattle Police Department (SPD) and nationally renowned policing and civil rights experts. The CPC and community members who were engaged through an extensive outreach program played a major role in formulating the policies. The parties met several times with the CPC, which did extensive community engagement and had a working group on the topic, and incorporated its comments.
The new policies will go into effect on Jan. 31, 2014. Officer training is currently being developed in consultation with the CPC and will be implemented by the end of summer 2014.
“Police legitimacy and community trust are built through each encounter that police officers have with the public. These new policies put the Seattle Police Department at the forefront of law enforcement agencies across the country,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels. “These policies require that data on each encounter is collected and analyzed to ensure that discriminatory policing is not taking place. This transparency promotes the accountability of our law enforcement officers and will give the public confidence that policing in Seattle is fair and impartial.”
“These new policies will set the national standard and are a huge step forward,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “They give police the certainty they need while addressing some of the most consistent and damaging concerns raised by community members. We want proactive policing; yet negative street encounters and any real or perceived bias can significantly undermine the trust necessary for effective policing in every corner of our community. Officers will have clear direction and SPD will have the data and tools its needs to ensure progress. I am very grateful to the CPC for its role in developing these policies and educating the public about them.”
“The perception of racial bias in policing doesn’t just corrode the community’s trust in the police force, it erodes the morale of our officers,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. “Addressing this very real issue is among the most serious and urgent reforms the Police Department must undertake in the consent decree process. The new policies announced today are a great step in that direction -- and the CPC is to be commended for its excellent work. These policies will give our officers clear and consistent direction for effectively handling encounters on the street. Combining in-depth training on these polices with on-going tracking, monitoring and reporting of these encounters is another critical step to ensure SPD is trusted by the community, effective in the community and accountable to the community. And with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend upon us, I can’t think of a better time for Seattle to step forward on the issue of bias-free policing.”
The department’s investigation in 2011 found that SPD officers often exhibited confusion between a casual, social contact (where a person is free to leave) and an investigative detention short of an arrest, also known as a Terry stop (where a person is not free to leave). Some data and community input suggested that this confusion – as well as other problems with training and oversight – led to inappropriate pedestrian encounters that may have resulted in a disproportionate number of people of color - in particular youths - being stopped where no offense or other police incident occurred. Incidents of overt discrimination and the fact that excessive force disproportionately occurred against minorities also gave the department concern and lead to the inclusion of these issues in the settlement agreement. SPD’s failure to collect and analyze data that could address and respond to allegations compounded the problem.
The new Stops and Detentions policy lays the foundation to resolve those concerns by:- Clarifying the distinction between social contacts and Terry stops.
- Making clear that a Terry stop occurs any time an officer has restrained the liberty of a citizen; must be based on reasonable suspicion; must be reasonable in scope and duration and has certain limits imposed by law; and must be documented with clearly articulated and objective facts.
- Ensuring professionalism in such stops.
- Improving oversight by requiring supervisors to review the documentation of Terry stops before the end of their shift and requiring SPD to collect, for the first time, electronic data about such stops that will permit analysis and identification of trends, patterns and concerns with practices at a systemic level.
The new Bias-Free Policing policy also gives officers clear direction by:
- Clearly and accurately defining what bias-based policing is.
- Expanding what “personal characteristics” are covered by the policy, including gender, sexual orientation and homelessness.
- Identifying expressly prohibited acts and reporting obligations when an officer observes a prohibited act.
- Improving oversight by requiring a supervisor to go to the scene of any complaint of bias-based policing to investigate, analyze and document such encounters.
- Requiring SPD to collect, for the first time, data about policies and practices that may have, not an overtly discriminatory intent, but an unwarranted “disparate impact” on certain protected classes.
"This is another major milestone as we move forward in our reform efforts," said Seattle Police Chief Harry Bailey. "I would like to acknowledge the members of the Community Police Commission for their contributions in working with my staff to make these policies a reality. The new policies, when coupled with proper training and supervision, will ensure that our police department will be able to deliver the quality police services that our residents deserve and expect."
“I am excited by the real progress towards reform these new policies evidence,” City Attorney Pete Holmes said. “Numerous different points of view were considered through the hard work of many participants. In the end, we are fortunate to have a federal judge and monitor who help the parties along each stage of the Seattle process to a successful conclusion.”
Judge Sentences New Yorker to 10 Years in Prison for Cocaine PossessionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Yonkers, New York, has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison on his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Mark Hornak imposed the sentence yesterday on Darrell Rhett, 52 of Yonkers.
According to information presented to the court, Rhett, who was on federal supervised release for his participation in a large heroin distribution conspiracy at the time of his offense, possessed approximately 600 grams of cocaine, which was discovered in a traffic stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in October, 2012. This cocaine was destined for Pittsburgh. The court further learned that prior to this traffic stop, Rhett had brought large quantities of heroin to the Pittsburgh area for purposes of distribution.
Assistant United States Attorney Eric S. Rosen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Troopers for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rhett.
Juan Sanchez-Gonzalez Sentenced for Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney(s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on January 16, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, JUAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ was sentenced to a term of:
Prison: 12 months and 1 day
Sanchez-Gonzalez was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to Illegal Re-Entry into the United States
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno B. Baucus, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
Sanchez-Gonzalez, who had previously been deported from the United States, was stopped by Montana Highway Patrol in Culbertson, Montana on August 30, 2013. He was subsequently questioned by the United States Border Patrol and responded in the affirmative
Mexico and in the country illegally. There is no record that Sanchez-Gonzalez ever applied for or obtained the permission of the United States Attorney General or his successor the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter the United States.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the (truth in sentencing( guidelines mandate that Sanchez-Gonzalez will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Sanchez-Gonzalez does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for (good behavior.( However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
The investigation was conducted primarily by the United States Border Patrol.
Joseph Birdtail Sentenced to over 20 Years in Prison for Sexual AssaultRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on January 17, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, JOSEPH CHRISTOPHER BIRDTAIL, 37, of Dodson, Montana, was sentenced to a term of 264 months imprisonment, a life term of supervised release, and a special assessment of $100. Birdtail was sentenced in connection with his May 16, 2013, guilty plea to abusive sexual contact.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley, the government stated it would have proved that the victim is the daughter of the defendant and the defendant(s wife. In June 2012, the victim was approximately one-and-a-half years old. On the morning of Friday, June 22, 2012, the victim(s mother changed her diaper and did not notice any irregularities with the victim. The victim(s mother left the house, located on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, around 11:30 a.m. to go serve lunch and sell items at a tribal function. The victim(s mother left the victim at home alone with the defendant for approximately an hour-and-a-half before she returned around 1 p.m.
When the victim(s mother returned home, she noticed the defendant was outside while the victim was inside. The victim(s mother went inside and noticed the victim(s diaper was not wet, which indicated the defendant may have changed the victim(s diaper while the mother was gone. But, the victim's mother observed that the victim(s anus was dilated and possibly bruised. The victim(s mother confronted the defendant about whether he did something to the victim. The defendant denied any wrongdoing and told his wife to take the victim to the emergency room to be examined.
At the emergency room, the doctor noted that the victim(s rectal opening was prominent and the rectal mucosa was red with perhaps small tears. The doctor called in the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE). The SANE nurse practitioner confirmed bruising of the rectum and perianal that was clearly visualized by alternative light sources and agreed that the victim had been sexually abused. The nurse noted bruising at the 4 and 5 o(clock positions through the use of an alternate light source.
The FBI interviewed the defendant in March 2012. The defendant told the agents that on June 22, 2012, he had been alone with the victim at his home. When he changed the victim(s diaper, he (got the ugly urge( to touch the victim(s anus with his right hand. He said he stuck the tip of his finger into the victim's anus for approximately ten seconds. This investigation was conducted by the Fort Belknap Tribes and the FBI.
U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter said, "This is a 22 year sentence, without parole, that reflects the seriousness of crimes against children, the most innocent and vulnerable of victims. Protection of children has been, and will remain, a top priority of the U.S. Attorney's Office."
Jackson County Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
On January 17, 2014, Daniel Loden, 30, of Grand Tower, Ill., was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton on a one-count indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced.
Loden, who had previously pled guilty to the methamphetamine offense, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and fined $300. The offense occurred between March 2011 and March 2013 in Jackson County. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Loden was involved with others in the manufacture of methamphetamine. During the conspiracy, Loden supplied others with pseudoephedrine to use to cook methamphetamine. Two co-defendants have pled guilty to their role in the methamphetamine conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Murphysboro Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson.
Isleta Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Louie Valdez, 61, pleaded guilty this morning to a federal assault charge under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Valdez, a member of Isleta Pueblo who resides in Bosque Farms, N.M., was indicted in Nov. 2012, and charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the indictment, Valdez seriously injured a man by running over him with a vehicle on Aug. 10, 2011, in Isleta Pueblo.
During today’s proceedings, Valdez pled guilty to the first count of the indictment charging him with assault with resulting in serious bodily injury. In his plea agreement, Valdez admitted that on Aug. 10, 2011, he intentionally drove his pickup truck over the victim and the victim suffered serious injuries as a result.
Valdez was remanded into federal custody after entering his guilty plea and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Valdez faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services with assistance from the Isleta Tribal Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers.
International Fugitives Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Asset Tracing SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Elaine White, 70, formerly a resident of Toronto, Canada, and her husband, Cullen Johnson, 65, were both sentenced yesterday to a term of 66 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for their role in an international asset tracing scheme. In addition, both White and Johnson were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,021,738.60.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington D.C. Field Office, and Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Tax Division made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Mark S. Davis.
Johnson and White pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to engage in money laundering on Sept. 26 and Oct. 7, 2013, respectively. According to court documents, starting in 2006, Johnson and White owned and/or operated an asset location business called “Internal Affairs,” “World Solutions” and then “Occipital.” Clients seeking to locate funds that had been stolen from them or who believed that relatives or former spouses had hidden money or were otherwise trying to trace lost, missing or stolen assets, hired White and Johnson to investigate the location of such assets. White and Johnson then produced reports of information to such clients, which purported to contain financial and other information subject to the clients’ requests. Johnson was a former Toronto Police Department detective and White was a private investigator in Toronto.
According to court records, rather than providing valid information, White and Johnson provided the client-victims with fabricated banking records, purporting to show that the assets or money that clients sought had been moved from one banking institution to another in locations such as Monaco, Greece, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Latin America and the Caribbean. For additional payments, White and Johnson claimed that they could continue to trace the funds to their final destination. On any occasion where the client-victims determined that the information provided by the defendants was false, the defendants claimed that the information was valid and accused the client-victims or their representatives of improperly trying to collect the funds.
Further, court documents also state that, in or about 2009, White and Johnson were charged by the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada with crimes related to this asset tracing fraud. The couple fled Canada, traveling first to the Bahamas, and then to the Turks & Caicos Islands, where they continued to operate this fraudulent asset tracing business on U.S. and Canadian victims. The couple claimed to client-victims that they had been wrongfully charged due to their discovery of government corruption in Canada and the hiding of Canadian funds by politicians and officials in offshore banks. The couple resided there until they were apprehended by Turks & Caicos authorities. All told, the couple solicited more than $1,000,000 from U.S. and Canadian victims, including about $500,000, which they wired to one of their co-conspirators.
Additionally, on Jan. 15, 2014, Juliet Bickford, a resident of Hampton Roads, Va., entered a guilty plea before Magistrate Judge Tommy Miller to one count of filing a false 2011 tax return relating to a false medical deduction. As part of the statement of facts submitted in connection with the guilty plea, Bickford admitted to receiving and spending funds she received from Johnson and White. Bickford did not report any of these funds on her tax returns. She also agreed to pay restitution of $10,000 to the victims of the scheme. Her sentencing has been scheduled for May 6, 2014.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Samuels and Lisa R. McKeel and Trial Attorney Jed Silversmith of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov. More information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/tax.Inmate Sentenced to 55 Months in Federal Prison for Mailing Threats to Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Jesse Brister, aka “Bozo,” was sentenced this morning, by Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, to 55 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in September 2013 to one count of mailing threatening communications. Brister, 28, of Conroe, Texas, is presently in custody in the Texas prison system in an unrelated case. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
According to documents filed in the case, Brister has identified himself as a proud member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT); Texas prison officials also list him as a member of that security threat group. In March 2013, Brister was incarcerated in the Telford Unit in New Boston, Texas.
On March 21, 2013, Brister wrote and signed a letter addressed to the U.S. Attorney in the Earle Cabell Federal Building in Dallas. In this letter, Brister wrote, among other things, that
“[p]roudly, I am writing this letter to this Federal Building and . . . but I am intending it to the Federal Department point blank. Our demands are simple; you have apprehended members of our family; Big Terry, Jive, Baby Huey, and others in our Dallas/Ft. Worth region. … If your federal government does not drop the current charges on these ABT members my circle/family will start with DA’s not involved in these cases . . . We have a list of names Judges included.”
At the time of this letter, there was a racketeering indictment pending in the Southern District of Texas against the ABT and its leaders and soldiers. All of the ABT members mentioned above in Brister’s letter were under federal indictment in Houston. In a second letter Brister sent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, dated March 28, 2013, Brister urged the Feds to make a peace treaty with the ABT because, “trust me its not fun having to search the DA’s, U.S. Attorneys, Judges, and so on and so forth vehicles everyday for bombs. . . .”
Approximately 10 days after Brister wrote his first letter, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were gunned down in their home in what appeared to be a well-orchestrated assassination.
Brister was interviewed by federal and state law enforcement officers regarding this letter, and others he sent. He admitted to writing these letters, and although he initially claimed otherwise, he ultimately denied any involvement of the ABT in any of the Kaufman County murders. (Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse had been murdered earlier in 2013.)
The investigation into these threats was conducted by the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Rangers (Texas Department of Public Safety), the FBI and other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham prosecuted.
Information: Federal Court ArraignmentsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office today announced that those persons listed below were arraigned before the U.S. Magistrate and the indictments handed down by the Grand Jury unsealed.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ostby in Billings on January 17, 2014 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- MICHAEL ALLAN ERHART, a 32-year-old resident of Billings appeared on charges of conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting. If convicted of the most serious offenses charged in the indictment, ERHART faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and 5 years supervised release. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force. PACER Case Reference: 14-07
- MICHAEL CORY SEVERSON, a 45 year-old-resident of Billings appeared on charges of conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting, and possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious offenses charged in the indictment, SEVERSON faces life in prison, $250,000 in fines and lifetime supervised release. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force. PACER Case Reference: 14-07
The indictment is merely a formal charging document. It is not proof of guilt and all persons indicted are presumed to be innocent of any crime until proof of guilt is established by trial or guilty plea.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is currently transitioning its media program to new media contacts. Resources and this transition may affect the amount of information the office can process and disclose in a timely manner. Therefore, if any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system so that you stay current and not miss any important developments in the case.
To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html.
To access the district court's calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
Information: Federal Court ArraignmentsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office today announced that those persons listed below were arraigned before the U.S. Magistrate and the indictments handed down by the Grand Jury unsealed.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Strong in Great Falls on January 13, 2014 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- LANO THOMAS KIPP, a 22-year-old resident of Browning appeared on charges of conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious offenses charged in the indictment, KIPP faces 20 years in prison, $1,000,000 in fines and 3 years supervised release. The investigation was brought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. PACER Case Reference: 14-04
- VIN RICHARD WROBLEWSKI, a 43 year-old-resident of Browning appeared on charges of aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted of the charge in the indictment, WROBLEWSKI faces life in prison, $250,000 in fines and lifetime supervised release. The investigation was brought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. PACER Case Reference: 14-03
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynch in Missoula on January 14, 2014 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- LVIN C. CLELAND, a resident of Butte appeared on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious offense charged in the indictment, CLELAND faces life in prison, $10,000,000 in fines and five years supervised release. The investigation was a cooperative effort between Homeland Security Investigations and Butte Silver Bow Law Enforcement Agency. PACER Case Reference: 13-24
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynch in Missoula on January 15, 2014 and entering pleas of Not Guilty were:
- COB RAYMOND MICAS, a 33-year-old resident of Butte appeared on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious offense charged in the indictment, MICAS faces 40 years in prison, $5,000,000 in fines and 4 years supervised release. The investigation was brought by Homeland Security Investigations. PACER Case Reference: 14-01
The indictment is merely a formal charging document. It is not proof of guilt and all persons indicted are presumed to be innocent of any crime until proof of guilt is established by trial or guilty plea.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is currently transitioning its media program to new media contacts. Resources and this transition may affect the amount of information the office can process and disclose in a timely manner. Therefore, if any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system so that you stay current and not miss any important developments in the case.
To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html.
To access the district court's calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
Indiana Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison and Ten Years of Supervision for Failing to Update Sex Offender RegistrationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Brian George Campbell, 50, of Fremont, Indiana, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison followed by ten years of supervised release for failing to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Campbell will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence.
SORNA, also known as the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act, requires that convicted sex offenders register in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is employed, or where the offender is a student, and that the sex offender maintain current registrations.
In early June 2013, the U.S. Marshal Service arrested Campbell based on a criminal complaint alleging that Campbell had violated SORNA by failing to update his sex offender registration. According to court filings, Campbell was required to comply with SORNA because he has two prior child sex abuse convictions. Campbell was convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under the age of 16 years in Florida in Nov. 1984, and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. In May 1988, he was convicted of criminal sexual conduct on a child under the age of 13 years in Michigan and 19 years in prison.
In 2011, after his release from prison, Campbell registered as a sex offender in Michigan. In 2012, he moved to Indiana where he registered as a sex offender as required. In March 2013, the State of Indiana issued an arrest warrant for Campbell for failing to update his registration. Indiana state officials subsequently notified the U.S. Marshals Service in New Mexico that Campbell was believed to be in New Mexico.
In May 2013, the U.S. Marshals Service determined that Campbell was living in Albuquerque and working as a security guard. It also determined that Campbell had failed to register with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office as required by SORNA. Campbell was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on June 6, 2013, and has been in federal custody since that time.
On Sept. 16, 2013, Campbell pled guilty to an indictment charging him with failure to update his sex offender registration and admitted that he failed to comply with SORNA’s registration requirements when he came to New Mexico in April 2013.
“The United States Marshals Service is widely acclaimed, locally, nationally and internationally, for its efforts to effectively investigate and pursue those that have been charged as sex offenders. It is this effectiveness that is combined with a network of local, county, state, federal and tribal law enforcement community, all unified with a common goal of maintaining continual monitoring of sex offenders in order to prevent predatory and violent acts from occurring,” said U.S. Marshal Conrad E. Candelaria. “This recent sentence that was spearheaded by the United States Attorney’s Office is another example of the zero tolerance pursued against those that would dare to injure or harm a child.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Steven C. Yarbrough commended the U.S. Marshal Service Assistant U.S. Attorney David Adams for their work on this case.
Idaho Man Found Guilty of Failure to Pay Legal Child SupportRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that David E. Cox, age 47, of Post Falls, Idaho, was found guilty by a federal jury in Rapid City, South Dakota, of 3 counts of Failure to Pay Legal Child Support.
A sentencing date was set for Thursday, January 23, 2014.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 2 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 1 year of supervised release, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and child support restitution amount owing at the time of sentencing.
Cox was previously ordered by the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Lawrence County, South Dakota, to pay child support for his minor children in three separate cases. At trial, it was revealed that Cox owes approximately $61,000 in past due child support obligations.
This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Home Health Services Company Employee Pleads Guilty to Medicaid FraudRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Fred Alverson
Public Affairs Officer
COLUMBUS – Robin Pavey, 45, of Washington Court House, Ohio pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to submitting $312,868 in fraudulent claims for home health care services for children to the Ohio Medicaid Program.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge George C. Smith.
According to testimony at the plea hearing, between August 2012 and March 2013, Pavey, who was employed by Healthy Solutions Home Health Services with offices in Washington Court House and Hillsboro, instructed parents whose children were receiving home health care services to “swap” time sheets with other parents who were providing home health care services to their own children. It was part of the scheme that by swapping time sheets it would give the false appearance that parents were providing home health services to children other than their own. Under the Medicaid Program, a home health aide cannot be the parent, foster parent, or legal guardian of a patient who is under 18 years old.
It was also part of the scheme that in order to maximize the amount of reimbursement paid by the Medicaid Program, Pavey instructed Healthy Solution nurses to submit Skilled Nursing Visit Notes that falsely inflated the number of hours that nurses were providing home health services.
Health care fraud is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Peavey could also be sentenced to pay restitution.
Stewart commended Assistant United States Attorney Ken Affeldt, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Constance Nearhood with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Assistant Ohio Attorney Geenral Maritsa Flaherty, who represented the United States in the case, and the cooperative investigation conducted by Health and Human Services Inspector General agents, and agents in Attorney General DeWine’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Ohioans can report suspected Medicaid fraud to Attorney General DeWine's office by calling 1-800-282-0515 or visiting www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
Individuals or health care company employees who suspect fraud against government health insurance programs can also report them anonymously online at www.stopmedicarefraud.gov, or by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Highland Resident Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
A Highland, Illinois, resident pled guilty on January 17, 2014, to a two-count Indictment, charging him, in Count 1, with Transportation of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and, in Count 2, with Possession of Visual Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Daniel C. Shaw, a/k/a “Josh Shackfer,” 38, faces a term of imprisonment of not less than five (5) but not more than twenty (20) years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five (5) years to life on Count 1, and a term of imprisonment of not more than ten (10) years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five (5) years to life on Count 2. In addition, upon his release from prison, Shaw must register as a sex offender as a condition of his supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2014, in East St. Louis, Illinois.
The investigation began on September 23, 2012, when the mother of a fifteen year old minor contacted the Citrus County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, and reported that a man sent her daughter pictures of a penis, and that she found sexually explicit texts between the man and her daughter. When interviewed, the daughter verified that she was sent a picture of a penis, but said that she deleted it. She also admitted that her conversations with the man, who she knew as “Josh Shackfer,” were sexual, and that she told him her age. She said that “Shackfer” told her that he would be 19 in October and that he would be moving to Florida soon. After numerous texts from the mother to the man telling him to stop communicating with her daughter were ignored, the mother reported the incident to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.
The subsequent Florida investigation revealed that, from on or about July 30, 2010, until January 12, 2011, Defendant Daniel C. Shaw, posing as a 16 year old boy named “Josh Shackfer,” made contact with several minor females in Florida using MySpace. Shaw was 35 years old at the time, and lived in Highland, Illinois. The investigation also revealed that Shaw, disguised as “Josh Shackfer,” engaged in sexually explicit conversations with several minor females, either through text messaging, instant messaging, or telephone calls, knowing that these girls were minors. He also asked some of these minor females to send him photographs of them naked and/or of their naked genitalia. Several females did so, including M.P., who sent close-up photographs of her naked genitalia. The pictures of M.P., which were clearly visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually conduct, were found on Shaw’s MySpace e-mail account. After being shown the pictures by a Highland, Illinois, Police Officer, Shaw identified the pictures of M.P. by initialing each of them, and indicated that he knew M.P. was either 16 or 17. (Count 2).
In a voluntary statement to a Highland, Illinois, Police Detective, Shaw admitted communicating with the minor females in Florida using a fake MySpace page under the name of “Josh Shackfer,” in which he identified himself as an 18 year old. He said that he used images he found on the internet on this MySpace page. He also admitted engaging in sexually explicit conversations with these underage girls, and trading pictures with these minors. Shaw saved the pictures sent to him from the minor females, including the sexually explicit pictures, on Yahoo e-mail account, stating that he had approximately twenty (20) pictures on his account. Shaw said that he had been engaged in this activity for approximately six (6) months, and that he knew the girls he communicated with in Florida were between 14 and 17 years of age. The pictures that were downloaded also demonstrated that Shaw had transferred the visual depictions of the minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct from one e-mail account to another, via the internet (Count 1).
Shaw also provided a voluntary statement to members of the FBI’s Springfield Child Exploitation Task Force in which he again admitted creating the fake “Josh Shackfer” MySpace page to communicate with underage girls. Shaw also admitted asking these underage girls to send him their pictures, including pictures of their breasts, buttocks and genitalia. He said that the trading of pictures between him and the minor females occurred during sexually oriented chats. Shaw admitted sending several pictures to M.P., and again acknowledged that he knew M.P. was a minor. He said that M.P. sent him between five and seven pictures of her breasts, buttocks, and other “body poses.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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."
The case was investigated by the Citrus County, Florida, Sheriff’s Department, the Highland, Illinois, Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Springfield Child Exploitation Task Force (SCETF). The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.
Guilty Pleas in Sedona Tanning Spa CaseRead the Press Release
Michael J. Moore, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced pleas of guilty today by four defendants in connection with prostitution activities, to-wit: Hyeon Chae of Atlanta, Georgia, age 45, to single counts of conspiracy to promote prostitution and conspiracy to commit money laundering; Kye Wol Dyreson, of Kansas, age 72, to one count of use of an interstate facility to promote, manage, and carry on prostitution; and Jin Noh, of Florida, age 50, along with Ki Un Jordan, of Atlanta, Ga, age 51, to one count each of misprision of a felony. The pleas were entered before the Honorable Marc Treadwell, United States District Court Judge, in Macon, Georgia.As part of their pleas of guilty, the defendants admitted that the establishment known as Sedona Tanning Salon, formerly known as Soft Hands Massage, located at 1922 Riverside Drive, Macon, Georgia, operated as a prostitution business. Defendants admitted that during the course of the conspiracy the business always operated solely as a place of prostitution and that none of the women working there were ever licensed masseuses.
According to court documents, the manager, Ms. Dyreson, would greet customers and ensure one of the female prostitutes would provide prostitution services. Ms. Dyreson also controlled all of the cash received in the establishment, ensuring that such monies were deposited in the bank accounts of the owner, Ms. Chae. The services provided by the prostitutes covered a wide range of activities and payment for same could be by cash or credit card.
The business would receive a "house fee", which was anywhere from $40 to $60 per customer, which went directly to the owner, Ms. Chae. In addition to the "house fee," there was a weekly fee that each female had to pay to Ms.Chae which covered food for the week and a daily tip for the manager, Ms. Dyreson. The defendants used several bank accounts to launder the money from the prostitution activities. During the course of the investigation, the business laundered over $700,000.00.
Ms. Chae and Ms. Dyreson each face a maximum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment on the prostitution charges. Ms. Chae faces up to an additional twenty (20) years imprisonment on the money laundering count. Ms. Jordan and Ms. Noh each face a maximum sentence of three (3) years imprisonment. The Court scheduled sentencing in the case for May 15, 2014.
'"Prostitution is a crime which dehumanizes both of the parties involved. The prostitutes are victimized as they literally sell their bodies and souls for the profit of others. The prosecution of this form ofhuman trafficking is a priority of my office and of the United States Department of Justice," said Michael J. Moore, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
"We will continue to unite with our law enforcement partners at the local, county, state and federal levels, and utilize every tool available to us to target those who conspire with each other to victimize members of our community for their own personal gain," stated Special Agent in Charge, Veronica F. Hyman-Pillot, IRS Criminal Investigation.
"In partnership with the Bibb County Sheriffs Office, the FBI and the IRS, HSI identified criminals conducting various unlawful activities under the disguise of a legitimate business," said Brock. D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta, who oversees the agency's investigations in Georgia and the Carolinas. "The defendants brazenly exploited their 'masseuses' to operate an illegal house of prostitution in Macon and thanks to this collaborative investigation and great work by the U.S. Attorney's Office, that illegitimate business has now been shut down."
The case was investigated by the Bibb County Sheriffs Office Special Investigations Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Verda Colvin is handling the prosecution for the Government.
For additional information please contact Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office at (478) 621-2603.
Four People Sentenced in Large Drug Conspiracy RingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that three women from Kyle, South Dakota, and a man from Oglala, South Dakota, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance were all sentenced this past week by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
The four defendants were immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Three defendants from this drug conspiracy remain to be sentenced, which is scheduled for later this month.
Wesley Yellow Horse Sr., age 58, was sentenced to 57 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana.
Theresa Vocu, age 45, was sentenced to 36 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for Conspiracy to Distribute Methethamphetamine.
Elwanda Fire Thunder, age 49, was sentenced to 21 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana.
Kimberly Janis, age 51, was sentenced to 46 months in custody, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana.
The defendants were indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on May 15, 2012. Fire Thunder pled guilty on August 22, 2012. Janis pled guilty on April 8, 2013. Vocu and Yellow Horse were found guilty by a federal jury on August 30, 2013
A drug conspiracy investigation began on or about October 2008 that resulted in federal charges against the following 18 individuals: Abraham Romero, Richard Marshall, Lorenzo Camacho Tarango, a/k/a Lencho, a/k/a Lecho, Reyes Chavez-Rojo, Billi American Horse, Jimmy Bravo, Elwanda Fire Thunder, Kimberly Janis, Zeno Little, Norton Little Spotted Horse, Moses Montileaux, Jr., Moses Montileaux, Sr., Whisper Montileaux, Stephanie Standing Soldier, Edward Vocu, Theresa Vocu, Cassie Winters, and Wesley Yellow Horse, Sr.
During the course of the conspiracy, Romero would receive marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Chavez-Rojo and Lencho, and then the remaining above-named individuals and other persons conspired to distribute and/or distributed either marijuana, cocaine, or methamphetamine on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted L. McBride and Special Assistant Laura A. Shattuck prosecuted the case.
Former Seattle Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Identity Theft and Bank FraudRead the Press Release
A former Seattle resident who committed nearly $600,000 in bank fraud was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six years in prison, five years of supervised release and -$592,580 in restitution announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. CHI AHN NGUYEN, 45, recruited other members of the Vietnamese community to the scheme to defraud banks by running up credit card and cash advance debts that he never intended to repay. NGUYEN used the identities of others—many of whom participated in the schemeto access credit cards that he and others involved in the scheme used to purchase jewelry and other consumer goods or for cash advances at casinos. NGUYEN then took a share of the proceeds derived from those transactions. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik ordered NGUYEN to participate in drug treatment and Gamblers Anonymous as part of his supervised release.
“With the promise of easy money, this defendant led other members of a close community into criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “They may have thought this was a victimless crime – just some big bank that takes a loss – but in fact this conduct raises the cost of credit and banking services for all consumers.”
According to records filed in the case, NGUYEN gained access to credit cards from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Discover, Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU), Chase, U.S. Bank and Capital One. In April 2011 alone, NGUYEN took cash advances in excess of $16,000 at area casinos. After exhausting the available creditNGUYEN would then make fraudulent telephone and Internet payments on the accounts so that credit would be restored and additional purchases or cash withdrawals could be made. NGUYENmade these fraudulent payments using account information that was false or bank accounts that had insufficient funds to cover the payments. But by the time the banks discovered the payments were fictitious, NGUYEN and his co-schemers had already used the fraudulently obtained credit. Between February 2011 and December 2011, NGUYEN was responsible for losses totaling $588,367. As part of his plea, NGUYEN also pled guilty to a separate bank fraud scheme that he perpetrated in early 2012 in and around Chicago.NGUYEN was ultimately arrested on these charges in Hartford, Connecticut.
Two of NGUYEN’s co-schemers, Son Pham and Phone Phommavanh, also pled guilty to bank fraud. Pham pled guilty to bank fraud among other crimes in November 2013 and will be sentenced on February 7, 2014. Phommavanh pled guilty to bank fraud in December 2013 and will be sentenced on March 7, 2014.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton.
Former Owners of Murfreesboro Ambulance Service Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding MedicareRead the Press Release
Woody Medlock, Sr., 70, and his wife, Kathy Medlock, 58, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, former owners of Murfreesboro Ambulance Service, were sentenced yesterday to federal prison for Medicare fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced David Rivera, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Woody Medlock received a 75 month prison sentence and Kathy Medlock was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
“Health care fraud continues to be a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney David Rivera. “With the investigative resources of our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue those who steal from the taxpayers by defrauding the Medicare program and seek appropriate penalties against those involved.”
The sentence followed the Medlocks= conviction by a jury on May 31, 2013, on 39 counts including conspiracy, Medicare fraud, making false statements related to health care matters and wire fraud. Both defendants also were convicted of two counts of aggravated identity theft for using the names and Medicare numbers of patients without lawful authority in submitting claims. Kathy Medlock was also convicted of an additional count of aggravated identity theft for use of a doctor’s name in forging and submitting multiple medical necessity forms as part of a Medicare audit.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from approximately 1996 through September 2008, the Medlocks conspired and engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid by submitting claims for payment for the transportation of patients to and from dialysis treatments that were not qualified to receive ambulance transportation. The Medlocks submitted or caused to be submitted, through Murfreesboro Ambulance Service, fraudulent claims totaling more than $1.2 million and received at least $457,730.12 in fraudulent payments from Medicare for reimbursement of the ambulance transports.
Testimony at trial further showed that these fraudulent claims falsely represented that patients were on stretchers when the patients were actually transported in the front seat of the ambulance or in the captain’s chair/jump seat in the back of the ambulance and were not on stretchers. Other fraudulent claims reported that patients were transported individually, when in fact two patients had been transported simultaneously in one ambulance.
“For years, the Medlocks used their ambulances as taxpayer taxicabs,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in Atlanta. “Today’s action sends a clear message: Medicare fraud can lead to federal prison.”
“Health care fraud harms the community at large, and threatens the strength and integrity of our health care system,” said A Todd McCall, Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “These sentences should send a strong, clear message to anyone seeking to defraud the health care system: You will get caught, and you will be brought to justice.”
“The TBI will continue to aggressively combat healthcare fraud,” said Director Mark Gwyn of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. “This is another case that exemplifies how collaborative efforts result in tough penalties for those who commit fraud against the healthcare system.”
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra G. Moses, Special Assistant United States Attorney James S. Seaman, and Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Sabis.
Former Miami-Dade Department of Public Works Employee Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes from ContractorRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce that George Brown, 50, of Hollywood, FL, pled guilty to a one-count Information charging him with accepting bribes in connection with programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 666. Brown’s sentencing has been set for March 28, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn.
According to the Stipulated Statement of Facts executed by the parties, Brown was the Roadway Lighting Coordinator for the Department of Public Works (Public Works) in Miami-Dade County. In this capacity, Brown was responsible for, among other things, overseeing the installation and/or maintenance of more than 24,000 street lights in the county’s roadway system. In 2011, a lighting contractor offered to provide Brown with “rewards” in exchange for Public Works’ purchase of the contractor’s lighting products. Brown agreed and subsequently accepted more than $13,000 in bribes from the contractor in 2011 and 2012. The bribes included appliances, computer equipment, and other merchandise, all paid for by the contractor. Among the merchandise that Brown received from the contractor was a 2.5 ton air conditioning unit, a Samsung stainless steel refrigerator, and a KitchenAid built-in single electric convection oven. The merchandise was either shipped directly to Brown’s home address or picked up by Brown at the contractor’s business in Miami.
During the investigation, the contractor began to cooperate with law enforcement and recorded the conversations with Brown. In one recorded conversation, Brown assured the contractor that no one else knew about their arrangement. In another recorded conversation, the two discussed delivery to Brown of certain merchandise costing approximately $2,600 in exchange for Brown’s assistance on a Public Works’ project on 27th Avenue in Miami.
Brown faces a possible maximum statutory sentence of ten years in prison.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey N. Kaplan.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Member of Puerto Rico National Fencing Team Charged with 26 Additional Counts of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – In the first sexual extortion – or "sextortion" – case ever prosecuted in the District of Puerto Rico, a man charged with coercing female minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct was charged by a grand jury with 26 additional counts of production of child pornography, announced US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Juan and Colorado and the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF) conducted the investigation that led to these subsequent charges.
On June 4, 2013, HSI special agents arrested Jimmy Caraballo-Colón, 25, at his place of residence, after an investigation that began in Colorado revealed he was blackmailing or “sextorting” a 17-year-old female from Colorado that he met in an anonymous Internet video chat website.
Caraballo-Colón offered the minor "game points" for removing her clothes. He then proceeded to blackmail the minor by threatening to post the nude recording on the Internet if she did not provide personal information such as her phone number, e-mail, Skype address and Facebook account information. Despite the fact that the minor complied with Caraballo-Colón’s request, the sextortion escalated as he demanded more sexually explicit acts during video chats, which he also recorded. Caraballo was then charged with 32 counts of production and one count each of possession and transportation of child pornography.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2014, a grand jury sitting in the District of Puerto Rico charged Caraballo-Colón with 26 additional charges of production of child pornography. According to the superseding indictment Caraballo-Colón induced, enticed and coerced female minors, identified as Jane Doe 1 through Jane Doe 58, with the intent that such minors engage in sexually explicit conduct to include the lascivious depiction of such conduct through videos that he allegedly used to sexually extort his victims. The 58 victims identified so far in the investigation are from several states: California, Texas, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Vermont and New York; as well as foreign countries such as Australia, Canada and Finland.
“Predators, often disguised as peers and responsible adults, groom and befriend unsuspecting and innocent child victims to perform sexually explicit acts.” said United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “This superseding indictment is a strong and clear message to predators and criminals that we will not accept tolerate this conduct ways, and will hunt them down to make sure they face justice and respond for their criminal behavior. The Federal Law Enforcement Community and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will spare no resources to arrest and prosecute these predators. Nonetheless, the community, teachers and parents must be vigilant and proactive with our children and educate them on the modus operandi of these offenders.”“Child exploitation, in all its forms, must be among the most heinous crimes a person can commit, but when the element of sexual extortion or – sextortion – is part of this unspeakable abuse, the aberration is even more nauseating and the emotional pain inflicted on the victim is just overwhelming and hard to endure,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. “Make no doubt, HSI will continue utilizing all its resources and, along with our federal, state and local partners, will continue identifying those who victimize the most vulnerable segment of our society – our children.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba Gorbea.
In response to the need for an island-wide approach to fighting the escalation of predatory crimes against children, HSI San Juan partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as local and state government officials and community leaders, to form PRCACTF in June 2011.
Through PRCACTF, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies work together with local and state government agencies to effectively pool their resources to jointly investigate all crimes against children in Puerto Rico. Through the task force, law enforcement officers are encouraged to share evidence, ideas, and investigative and forensic tools to ensure the most successful prosecutions possible. As such, PRCACTF allows law enforcement to speak with one unified voice in defense of the children of Puerto Rico.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.Former Member of Puerto Rico National Fencing Team Charged with 26 Additional Counts of Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – In the first sexual extortion – or "sextortion" – case ever prosecuted in the District of Puerto Rico, a man charged with coercing female minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct was charged by a grand jury with 26 additional counts of production of child pornography, announced US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Juan and Colorado and the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF) conducted the investigation that led to these subsequent charges.
On June 4, 2013, HSI special agents arrested Jimmy Caraballo-Colón, 25, at his place of residence, after an investigation that began in Colorado revealed he was blackmailing or “sextorting” a 17-year-old female from Colorado that he met in an anonymous Internet video chat website.
Caraballo-Colón offered the minor "game points" for removing her clothes. He then proceeded to blackmail the minor by threatening to post the nude recording on the Internet if she did not provide personal information such as her phone number, e-mail, Skype address and Facebook account information. Despite the fact that the minor complied with Caraballo-Colón’s request, the sextortion escalated as he demanded more sexually explicit acts during video chats, which he also recorded. Caraballo was then charged with 32 counts of production and one count each of possession and transportation of child pornography.
On Wednesday, January 15, 2014, a grand jury sitting in the District of Puerto Rico charged Caraballo-Colón with 26 additional charges of production of child pornography. According to the superseding indictment Caraballo-Colón induced, enticed and coerced female minors, identified as Jane Doe 1 through Jane Doe 58, with the intent that such minors engage in sexually explicit conduct to include the lascivious depiction of such conduct through videos that he allegedly used to sexually extort his victims. The 58 victims identified so far in the investigation are from several states: California, Texas, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Vermont and New York; as well as foreign countries such as Australia, Canada and Finland.
“Predators, often disguised as peers and responsible adults, groom and befriend unsuspecting and innocent child victims to perform sexually explicit acts.” said United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “This superseding indictment is a strong and clear message to predators and criminals that we will not accept tolerate this conduct ways, and will hunt them down to make sure they face justice and respond for their criminal behavior. The Federal Law Enforcement Community and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will spare no resources to arrest and prosecute these predators. Nonetheless, the community, teachers and parents must be vigilant and proactive with our children and educate them on the modus operandi of these offenders.”“Child exploitation, in all its forms, must be among the most heinous crimes a person can commit, but when the element of sexual extortion or – sextortion – is part of this unspeakable abuse, the aberration is even more nauseating and the emotional pain inflicted on the victim is just overwhelming and hard to endure,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. “Make no doubt, HSI will continue utilizing all its resources and, along with our federal, state and local partners, will continue identifying those who victimize the most vulnerable segment of our society – our children.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba Gorbea.
In response to the need for an island-wide approach to fighting the escalation of predatory crimes against children, HSI San Juan partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as local and state government officials and community leaders, to form PRCACTF in June 2011.
Through PRCACTF, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies work together with local and state government agencies to effectively pool their resources to jointly investigate all crimes against children in Puerto Rico. Through the task force, law enforcement officers are encouraged to share evidence, ideas, and investigative and forensic tools to ensure the most successful prosecutions possible. As such, PRCACTF allows law enforcement to speak with one unified voice in defense of the children of Puerto Rico.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.Former Manager of D.C. Medical Office Pleads Guilty to Embezzling More Than $3.6 Million-Defendant Used Money for Jewelry, Vacations, Parties, Other Personal Expenses-Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Pamela J. Beard, 51, of Bowie, Md., pled guilty today to a federal mail fraud charge stemming from the embezzlement of more than $3.6 million from her former employer, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Among other things, Beard used the stolen money for vacations, jewelry, a timeshare, and a 50th birthday party for herself.
Beard entered the plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2014. Under the plea agreement, Beard must pay $3,688,649 in criminal forfeiture and restitution. Under the voluntary federal sentencing guidelines, she faces between 41 and 51 months of incarceration.
According to the government=s evidence, from approximately March 1997 through February 2013, Beard was employed as a billing clerk and the office manager at the Office of Orthopaedic Medicine & Surgery, in Washington, DC. Her duties included paying vendors and creditors, as well as making payments on the business’s corporate credit card accounts. She had access to the office’s financial information and payment systems, and, as a result, could generate checks on the office’s corporate checking account. She also was authorized to use a corporate credit card to pay for business-related expenses. Beard was not authorized to use the office’s bank accounts or corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.
From May 1, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard embezzled $3,688,649 from the office. She used the proceeds to pay for, among other things: a home mortgage; vehicles; a timeshare with Disney Vacation Development, Inc.; expenses associated with her husband’s landscaping business; vacations, including a trip to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas; a personal trainer; jewelry, and parties, including Beard’s 50th birthday party at the Sunset Room at National Harbor, in or around February 2012, for which she spent about $18,703 on ice sculptures.
Beard embezzled the money in a variety of ways:
From May 1, 2006, through Jan. 22, 2013, Beard generated more than 100 corporate checks, totaling $1,289,736.55, on her employer’s checking account. Each check was made payable to Bank of America. Once the checks were generated by Beard through the office’s payment system, she provided them to a physician, who signed them on the office’s behalf. Because the checks were payable to Bank of America, the physician believed that they were intended to pay a corporate credit card account at Bank of America. Beard, however, deposited them at various Bank of America branches to make payments, without authorization, on Bank of America credit card accounts for Beard, her husband, and her husband’s landscaping business.
From Oct. 6, 2006, through June 26, 2013, Beard generated and mailed additional checks drawn on the office’s corporate checking account to pay personal credit card accounts for herself and her husband at American Express. She also made on-line payments from the corporate checking account to American Express. Beard conducted these financial transactions, without authorization, in the total amount of $2,207,882.02.
Finally, from April 21, 2006, through Dec. 30, 2012, Beard used the office’s corporate credit card without authorization, to purchase goods and services for her own personal use in the total amount of $191,030.56.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen and Assistant Director in Charge Parlave commended the investigative work of special agents and analysts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Senior Inspector Wayne Rollock of the U.S. Marshals Service. He also praised the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman, Rosalind Pressley, and Nicole Wattelet; Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine K. Connelly, who is handling forfeiture issues; and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Johnson, who is prosecuting the case.
14-018Former Loan Officer Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years in Prison for Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A former loan officer from Henderson, Nev., who convinced at least 16 victims to give him money for a high yield investment scheme involving the foreign currency exchange market, was sentenced today to 6½ years in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $830,000 in restitution for his guilty pleas to federal fraud and money laundering charges, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Kamalu Gonzales, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro, and was permitted to self-report to federal prison by April 17, 2014. Gonzales pleaded guilty in August 2013 to two counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering.
“Prosecuting persons who commit financial fraud crimes is a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Many of these persons target elderly and other vulnerable victims. If someone promises you an investment opportunity with unusually high rates of return, it is likely that the opportunity is fraudulent and that you will lose your money.”
During 2007, Gonzales worked as a loan officer for Meridias Capital in Henderson. Gonzales helped persons refinance their homes, and placed false information in the loan applications so the individuals could obtain refinancing and cash to which they would not have otherwise been entitled. Gonzales also told individuals that he was a successful investor and trader in the foreign currency exchange market. Gonzales recruited individuals to invest with him in the market, telling them that they could earn high rates of return on their investments in a short period of time. Some of the victims wired money to Gonzales, and others borrowed money from their retirement funds or lines of credit. Gonzales also convinced some of the persons who refinanced their houses to give him some of the cash they received from refinancing for his investment fraud scheme. None of the victims agreed to pay Gonzales any commissions or fees, or agreed that he could use their investments for personal or business expenses or to pay other investors.In order to continue the scheme and to keep victims from discovering the crime, Gonzales lied to the victims repeatedly and told them their investments were doing well. As a result of the lies, some victims gave Gonzales more money to invest. Gonzales also made payments to some of the victims using monies he received from other victims.
Gonzales received approximately $1 million total from at least 16 victims in 2007 and 2008. Gonzales did not invest the victims’ funds as promised and diverted approximately $410,000 for his own personal purposes.
The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Henderson Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn C. Newman and Kimberly M. Frayn.
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.Former District of Columbia Government Official Indicted on Charges Involving $110,000 Grant That Funded an Inaugural BallFormer Council Member Harry L. Thomas Jr. and Five Others Earlier Pled Guilty to ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Neil S. Rodgers, a former District of Columbia government official, was indicted today on federal charges stemming from his role in channeling $110,000 in youth and drug prevention grant funds used to pay for an inaugural ball.
The indictment, returned by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
Rodgers, 61, of Washington, D.C., served as the Committee Director of the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning. He was indicted on three felony charges, including one count each of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, wire fraud, and first-degree fraud. Rodgers faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of incarceration if convicted of all charges.
Six others have pled guilty to charges in the overall investigation into activities involving former Council Member Harry L. Thomas, Jr. Thomas pled guilty in January 2012 to charges stemming from a scheme in which he used more than $350,000 in taxpayers’ money that was earmarked for the arts, youth recreation, and summer programs for his own personal benefit, including paying for vehicles, clothing and trips. He resigned in January 2012 as a condition of his plea agreement and is now serving a 38-month prison sentence.
The others who have pled guilty include James Garvin and Marshall D. Banks, leaders of one of the non-profits used in the scheme. Both men, from the Langston in the 21st Century Foundation, pled guilty to misprision of a felony, a charge holding them accountable for failing to report and concealing the misappropriation of $392,000 in government grants. Additionally, Danita C. Doleman, the president of Youth Technology Institute, pled guilty to filing a false tax return in connection with her assistance in funneling public money to pay for the 51st State Inaugural Ball. Millicent D. West, the former director and chief executive officer of a non-profit organization that promotes youth opportunities, pled guilty to a criminal tax charge for her role in channeling the youth grant funds to pay for the ball. Finally, Ayawna Webster, an aide who also worked as a chief of staff for Thomas, pled guilty to attempting to interfere with the administration of the Internal Revenue Service laws.
Garvin and Banks were sentenced to three years of supervised probation, 80 hours of community service, and ordered to pay full restitution. Doleman, West, and Webster are awaiting sentencing.
“Today’s indictment charges Neil Rodgers with stealing tax dollars meant for children to throw a $100,000 black-tie party for adults,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “This prosecution is the final step in our investigation of the criminal activities of former D.C. Council member Harry Thomas, Jr., which has resulted in six guilty pleas. The results of this investigation are a reminder of the grave consequences for government employees and others who knowingly facilitate the illegal actions of corrupt elected officials.”
“Today’s indictment is an example of what happens when a public servant becomes complicit in corrupt behavior rather than standing up to it,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Knowingly submitting false and misleading documents to support a larger scheme at the direction of a public official is illegal. The FBI will investigate allegations of corruption at all levels and hold those who allow it accountable for their actions.”
Before becoming Committee Director, Rodgers worked for many years at the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, serving as Chief of Staff and Acting Director.
Thomas, who took office in January 2007 as the Ward 5 representative, served during his first term as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, which involved oversight responsibility for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. In that role, he worked with a non-profit public-private partnership that provided resources and developed programs to benefit children and youth in the District of Columbia.
The partnership was primarily funded by the District of Columbia government through funds designated by the Mayor and Council for particular youth-related purposes. The partnership provided grants to organizations for programs tailored for children and youth.
The charges against Rodgers deal with his role in securing funds for the 51st State Inaugural Ball, held on Jan. 20, 2009 in the Wilson Building. Thomas was closely involved in the planning the event. In addition to her work duties, Ayawna Webster was the president of a local chapter of a political organization. She and her political organization served as the host of the ball, and she then organized the event, at Thomas’s direction.
Ticket sales and other contributions failed to raise enough money to pay the expenses associated with the 51st State Inaugural Ball. Following the ball, Webster’s political organization owed vendors approximately $100,000. According to the indictment, Rodgers participated in a scheme to channel money through a grant from the public-private partnership, meant for youths, to Webster’s political organization so that these expenses would be paid.
The plan hit an obstacle, however, when questions were raised about the legality of granting money to a political organization. The grant recipient was changed to the Youth Technology Institute, another non-profit organization. Even though Rodgers knew that this organization had no involvement with the ball, according to the indictment, he requested $120,000 in grant funds on its behalf. On Feb. 5, 2009, based on the false grant paperwork submitted by Rodgers, the public-private partnership issued a check in the amount of $110,000 to the Youth Technology Institute, the indictment alleges.
In truth, after the grant was issued, the Youth Technology Institute immediately forwarded nearly the entire amount to Webster’s political organization, which paid expenses from the 51st State Inaugural Ball.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and IRS-CI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James E. Smith and David Johnson, of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
14-016Former Columbus Urban League Official Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Fred Alverson
Public Affairs Officer
COLUMBUS – Ovell K. Harrison, 55, of Columbus, Ohio was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay $85,181.25 in restitution for fraud and identity theft he committed while Director of Education Services at the Columbus Urban League between 2004 and 2010.
Carter M. Stewart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Barry McLaughlin, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD), and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.
According to a pre-sentencing memorandum filed by Financial Crimes Chief Brenda Shoemaker prior to today’s hearing, Harrison was employed by the Columbus Urban League as the Director of Education Services from November 12, 1997 to March 10, 2010. Between 2004 and 2010, Harrison created false invoices on his Urban League computer and submitted them for payment. He utilized his work computers and equipment to prepare and submit the fraudulent invoices. Each invoice listed a service that the contractor supposedly performed for the league. Harrison listed one of four people whose identity he had stolen as the contractor on each invoice.
The Urban League processed the invoices and generated 47 checks totaling $85,181.25, for payment of services. The Urban League left the checks for pick up by Harrison or mailed them to a mailbox rented by Harrison. The contractors were unwitting persons whom Harrison knew personally and/or had previously provided services for the Columbus Urban League. Harrison endorsed the checks and deposited them into one of three bank accounts under his control.
Harrison pleaded guilty on September 13, 2013 to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. His sentence consists of 18 months for the fraud followed by 24 months for the aggravated identity theft.
“The victims in this case are the Columbus Urban League and the individuals whose identities were stolen,” Ms. Shoemaker told the court. “In addition to sustaining a loss of $85,181.25, the Urban League’s reputation was tarnished as a result of Harrison’s activities. Also, some of the victims had to sort out matters with the IRS due to his actions.”
“We will prosecute those who violate a position of trust to serve people who need what social service agencies deliver using federal funds,” U.S. Attorney Stewart said.
“Today’s sentencing should be a warning to those who would defraud Department of Labor programs for personal gain and at the expense of those who should be served by these programs. The OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to investigate crimes of this nature,” said James Vanderberg, Special Agent –in-Charge of the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.
“Mr. Harrison’s actions categorically harmed the federal government and the American taxpayer; but his action also impaired the Columbus Urban League’s ability to provide needed community services,” SAC McLaughlin said.
Harrison’s sentence also calls for him to pay restitution to the Urban League and the agency’s insurance company. He will serve three years under court supervision after his prison term. He will surrender to begin serving his sentence at a date yet to be determined by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons.
U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the investigation by Department of Labor, HUD and the Columbus Police, as well as Financial Crimes Chief Brenda S. Shoemaker, who is representing the United States in this case.
# # #Fairfax Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Defendant victimized 13-year-old boy and another minor
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Adam Jacob Zottoli, 32, of Fairfax, Va., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for producing child pornography involving a 13-year-old boy and another minor.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Zottoli pleaded guiltyon Oct. 29, 2013. According to court documents, on March 19, 2013, a 13-year-old boy came to the attention of the Fairfax County Police Department based on concerns at school. The minor told law enforcement that he had been sexually assaulted by Zottoli over the past three years, and that Zottoli had photographed some of the incidents. Law enforcement then obtained search warrants for Zottoli’s house and computers, and the forensic review of Zottoli’s computers found images and videos of the minor, as well as videos and images of another minor. After Zottoli was arrested by the Fairfax County Police Department on April 4, 2013, he admitted to producing child pornography.
Zottoli previously was convicted of possession of child pornography on May 1, 2000 in the Eastern District of Virginia and was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison. As a result of that prior conviction, Zottoli was subject to an increased mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison during today’s sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Alicia J. Yass, a Trial Attorney with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.Fairbanks Man Sentenced to 77 Months in Federal Prison for Murder-For-Hire SchemeRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a Fairbanks man has been sentenced in federal court for two counts of using interstate commerce facilities in furtherance of a murder-for-hire scheme. Eric Donald Grabber, age 57, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline, to 77 months in prison for his involvement in efforts to have a man in Indiana murdered.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bottini, who prosecuted the case, Grabber was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2013 for causing another individual to travel in interstate commerce from Alaska to Indiana in furtherance of the scheme, and for making an interstate telephone call for the same purpose. The investigation in this case established that Grabber sought to hire a hit man in Fairbanks to murder Indiana resident George Cole. The individual recruited by Grabber went to the Federal Bureau of Investigation resident office in Fairbanks and reported the plot to agents. This individual thereafter cooperated in the investigation and recorded conversations with Grabber detailing the plot to murder Cole.
During the investigation, Grabber paid this individual a $20,000 deposit on the agreed murder price of $40,000, and had the individual travel from Fairbanks to Indiana in what Grabber believed was an effort to locate and murder Cole. When the individual advised Grabber that he had been unable to locate the intended victim, Grabber called Cole from Alaska in an effort to ascertain his whereabouts. The investigation revealed that the motive for the murder was Grabber’s belief that Cole had cheated him out of a financial investment. Grabber also held a life insurance policy on Cole for which Grabber was the beneficiary. Grabber pled guilty in August, 2013 to both counts of the indictment.
In sentencing Grabber, Chief Judge Beistline commented that this case presented a bizarre set of circumstances in that other than his involvement this case, Grabber had been a law abiding citizen and a successful businessman. Judge Beistline also noted that Cole, the intended murder victim, is a lifelong friend of Grabber, and that Cole had actually travelled to Fairbanks to speak at the sentencing hearing on Grabber’s behalf. While addressing the court at sentencing, Grabber turned to his intended victim and said “George, I did pay a confidential informant money to murder you”.
Ms. Loeffler commends the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Alaska State Troopers for the investigation of this case.
Enfield Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Distributing HeroinRead the Press Release
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Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NORMAN BARNABY, 34, of Enfield, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Smith in Hartford to 57 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from “Operation Solid Sweep,” a joint law enforcement investigation headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Squad into gang-related narcotics trafficking in Hartford’s South End. The investigation specifically targeted a drug trafficking organization headed by Angel Rosa, also known as “Little” and “Daddy, who is a member of the Los Solidos street gang. Rosa’s cousin, Angel Rosa, also known as “Mo Betta” and “Fab,” supervised the daily operations of the organization, which distributed heroin and other narcotics in the Zion Street area.
As a result of the investigation, 21 individuals were charged with various federal offenses, and law enforcement officers seized narcotics, one firearm, approximately $230,000 in cash, eight vehicles and jewelry.
The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical surveillance, revealed that BARNABY regularly purchased distribution quantities of heroin from other members of the conspiracy.
BARNABY has been detained since his arrest on April 11, 2013. On October 17, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute heroin.
BARNABY’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, including a previous federal conviction related to his role in a conspiracy to trade firearms in exchange for heroin. In August 2006, he was sentenced to 41 months of imprisonment for that offense.
Angel Rosa, aka “Little” and “Daddy,” and Angel Rosa, aka “Mo Betta” and “Fab,” have each pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the Connecticut State Police, Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut Department of Correction and Connecticut National Guard. The Connecticut State Police’s Emergency Services Unit, Hartford Police Department’s Emergency Response Team, Capital Region Emergency Response Team, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the New Britain, East Hartford, Wethersfield and Manchester Police Departments have provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Leaming and Patrick Caruso.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Eldora Man Sentenced to 14 Years on Attempted Enticement and Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who attempted to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and distributed child pornography was sentenced January 16, 2013, to fourteen years in federal prison.
Kevin Trittien, age 35, of Eldora, Iowa, received the sentence after an October 9, 2013, guilty plea to one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography. At the guilty plea, Trittien admitted that, in 2012, he attempted to entice an undercover officer who was posing as a minor to meet for the purpose of unlawful sex with a minor. He also admitted that, in 2012, he distributed child pornography.
Trittien was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Trittien was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and fined $8,000. A special assessment of $200 was imposed, and Trittien must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release. He must comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Garner Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 13-67.
Drug Trafficking Indictment Unsealed -- Members of Williamsport Heroin and Crack Distribution Network in Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office today announced the unsealing of an 11-count indictment by the federal grand jury in Harrisburg charging the following Williamsport and Philadelphia men with conspiracy to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine and other drug distribution charges:
Defendant Age Recent Address
MALIK S. HANNIBAL, 29 Williamsport aka “Snow”ARNELL A. MONROE, 32 Williamsport aka “Jigga” aka “Andre Duckett”
LAMONT CHYANNE BLOUNT, 21 Philadelphia aka “Mont”
JOEY LEHIGH ELMORE, 24 Philadelphia aka “Yolo”
DERRICK MALIK SAVAGE, 20 Philadelphia aka “Maybach”
ZURIEL AHKI LOVE, 18 Philadelphia aka “Poppy”
The indictment was returned in Harrisburg on November 20, 2013, but had been sealed pending the arrest of all the co-defendants. According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, the indictment alleges that from November 2012 through the date of the indictment the co-conspirators distributed heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine to drug users and sellers in Williamsport and Lycoming and Tioga Counties.
The indictment alleges that the co-defendants were known as the “Tat-Gang” and used mobile phones, social media, two addresses in Williamsport, and multiple motor vehicles to facilitate drug distribution activities. The indictment also alleges that the co-conspirators bought, sold, traded, and possessed firearms in exchange for cash and controlled substances and to facilitate the distribution of controlled substances.
Codefendants Savage and Blount were arrested this week: Philadelphia Police officers arrested Blount in Philadelphia during the evening of January 15, 2014. The Pennsylvania State Police arrested Savage in the early morning hours of January 16, 2014 on Interstate 80, near the Interstate 81 exit. Members of the FBI and Williamsport Bureau of Police arrested Hannibal, Monroe and Elmore shortly after the indictment on November 20, 2013, and they arrested Zuriel Love on December 20, 2014. All six codefendants have been detained pending trial or pending detention hearings.
If convicted of the conspiracy and drug distribution offenses charged in the indictment, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of $5 million, and a supervised release term of at least four years.
The case was investigated by the Williamsport Bureau of Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney George J. Rocktashel. Mr. Smith expressed thanks to the Philadelphia Police Department and United States Marshals Service for their assistance in apprehending the co-defendants.
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 40 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.
Dorchester Man Guilty of Passport FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dorchester man pleaded guilty yesterday to passport fraud.
Khanh Phan, 28, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro to making false statements in a passport application and aggravated identity theft. Sentencing is scheduled for March 27, 2014.
On July 25, 2011, Phan submitted a passport application at a Dorchester post office. In the application, Phan claimed to be a different individual, providing the name, date of birth, and social security number of this other person, as well as a birth certificate and Massachusetts driver’s license in the other person’s name. Because Phan had worked with this individual at a Boston-based business in 2007, Phan knew not only that he was making false statements regarding his identity in the passport application, but also that he was using the name and other identifying information of a real person.
Phan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for making false statements in the passport application; and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, which must run consecutively to any sentence imposed for the passport fraud.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and David W. Hall, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Boston Field Office, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Robert E. Richardson and Carlos A. López of Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.District Man Sentenced to 8 ½ Years in Prison for Scams That Cheated Victims Out of More Than $185,000- Posed as Car Dealer to Swindle Victims to Buy Cars He Did Not Own -Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON -- Benjamin Grey, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 8 ½ years on charges stemming from a scheme in which he posed as a car dealer to defraud individuals and banks of more than $185,000, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., Kathy A. Michalko,Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Grey was found guilty by a jury in September 2013 of a total of 21 charges, including five counts of bank fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. The verdicts followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Grey was sentenced by the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle. Upon completion of his prison term, Grey will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $189,065 in restitution to all of his victims and the same amount in an additional forfeiture money judgment.
In sentencing the defendant, Judge Huvelle made note of evidence introduced by the government that showed a series of other frauds perpetrated by Grey over the course of several years, causing losses to various individuals and banks
According to the evidence presented at trial, Grey claimed to run car dealerships named Planet Cars and GreyMaxx. He persuaded various individuals to apply for car loans to buy luxury cars, such as BMWs, from him and Planet Cars. After each bank or credit union granted the loan, and gave the applicant a loan check to buy the car, Grey took the money and spent it. Afterwards, however, Grey never produced the promised car, and avoided contact with the victim. In fact, Grey never owned the cars in question.
As the evidence showed, each auto loan was between $29,000 and $35,000. After the scheme, each victim was left without the car – but with the car loan coming due. Some victims tried to pay the loans, even though they had been swindled; another declared bankruptcy, devastating her credit. The lending institutions lost the amounts loaned. The individual victims included an Army veteran who had served in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Grey spent the loan checks at bars, nightclubs, and retail establishments in and around the D.C. area, running up bar tabs in the thousands of dollars.
In addition, the evidence at trial showed that Grey executed other, similar confidence schemes. In August and September 2010, Grey defrauded a would-be business partner out of $34,000 by pretending that the money would finance their purchase and re-sale of luxury cars. Similarly, in April 2010, Grey – holding himself out as the owner of Planet Cars – pretended to buy a car from a legitimate car dealership in Bethesda, Md., using a worthless check drawn on a Planet Cars bank account that had been closed for a year.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Special Agent in Charge Michalko and Chief Lanier expressed appreciation for the work done by those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and Secret Service. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Krishawn Graham, Lenisse Edloe, and Tasha Harris, and Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Friedman, who investigated the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hooks and Christopher Kavanaugh, who investigated and tried the case.
14-019Deadwood Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Deadwood, South Dakota, man convicted of Illegally Possessing a Firearm was sentenced on January 13, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Sean Jason Romanjenko, age 39, was sentenced to 2 years of probation, ordered to pay a $2,500 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Romanjenko pled guilty to the charge on October 18, 2013. The charge related to Romanjenko knowingly being in possession of a .45 caliber pistol at a shooting range near Deadwood on December 1, 2012. Romanjenko was previously convicted of a crime and was prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of this conviction.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
David Trine Sentenced for Operating Methamphetamine Lab in Great FallsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on January 17, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, David Edmond Trine, 37, of Great Falls, was sentenced to a term of 124 years imprisonment, four years supervised release, and a special assessment of $100. Trine was sentenced in connection with his October 16, 2013, guilty plea to Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley, the government stated it would have proved that on October 7, 2012, law enforcement became alerted that Trine and Robert Spargur were manufacturing methamphetamine in Great Falls, Montana. Police arrived at Spargur's house. They immediately saw a plastic bottle in the garbage can that had a crystalized substance in it, which appeared to be consistent with methamphetamine.
At that point, a female came out of the front of the house. She told police there was an active methamphetamine lab in the house and that the defendant was in the back room. Another female told police the defendant would not come out, because he was not ready to go to jail. She kept yelling back at the house, "honey, please come out." At that point, officers called in the High Risk Unit, narcotics detectives, and the Great Falls Fire and Rescue Hazardous materials response team, as law enforcement had information that there was an active methamphetamine lab inside the house and Trine was refusing to come outside.
Other witnesses said they saw torn tubing and torn apart batteries in the closet and office area, as well as empty pseudoephedrine boxes inside the house and more methamphetamine lab related items around the house. According to one witness, both Trine and Spargur took turns making the methamphetamine. The witness knew the defendant and Spargur were planning on making methamphetamine that night because they would not allow her in the house earlier in the evening. She went in the house later that night and saw all of the materials had been moved to the garage. There were also big zip lock bags with pseudoephedrine boxes inside of them.
Trine ultimately came out of the house at 5:55 a.m. When law enforcement entered the house using protective gear, they found numerous items associated with making methamphetamine. Officers located a clear bottle filled with blue liquid labeled "white rice" in the southeast bedroom. There were coffee filters on a chair in the southwest bedroom. Upstairs, officers found numerous bottles containing an unknown substance consistent with "one pot" methamphetamine manufacturing. There was also an air filter mask in the closet.
Trine ultimately told police there was a ton of methamphetamine being made at Spargur's house. He said he did not cook the methamphetamine, but assisted Spargur by buying the pills and chemicals necessary to manufacture methamphetamine. Trine bought fertilizer, lye, Coleman fuel, pills, and batteries for the methamphetamine production. He said the granular substance found in the bottles around the house was fertilizer.
Trine further explained that in the past two to three months he had been living with Spargur, and they had produced a batch of methamphetamine per day. Two to four boxes of pseudoephedrine produced approximately one-fourth of an ounce of methamphetamine. He received half of the methamphetamine produced from each batch. Trine also mentioned that both himself and Spargur received pseudoephedrine from numerous people.
Law enforcement collected the bottles and coffee filters from Spargur's home and sent the evidence to the Montana State Crime Lab. The crime lab concluded that the items contained methamphetamine. Ultimately, the defendant conspired to manufacture at least 50 or more grams of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. This investigation was a joint effort of the Great Falls Police Department and Russell Country Drug Task Force.
Davenport Man Sentenced on Federal Marijuana ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA – On January 16, 2014, Marqueis Letrell Lewis, age 34, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 113 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute at least 100 kilograms of marijuana, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Lewis was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release following the imprisonment and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund.
Beginning in approximately July 2008 and continuing until about July 31, 2012, Lewis conspired with other persons to distribute marijuana in the Davenport, Iowa area. Specifically, during the above-mentioned time period Lewis regularly purchased multiple pound quantities of marijuana directly from his co-defendant, Edwin James Goodwin, in Davenport and then further distributed the marijuana to various customers. Over the course of the conspiracy Lewis was responsible for distributing over 700 kilograms of marijuana. Goodwin pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 100 kilograms of marijuana and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department, the Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
(Download Press Release )
Custer Couple Indicted for Destruction of Government PropertyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Custer, South Dakota, couple have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Destruction of Government Property.
Jerry Nored, age 61, and Susan Nored, age 60, were indicted on December 17, 2013. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on January 13, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge relates to the Noreds leading and guiding clients on horseback rides over unauthorized trails within the Black Hills National Forest between March and December 2013. These rides caused damage in excess of $1,000 to the Black Hills National Forest.
The charge is merely an accusation and the Noreds are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman is prosecuting the case.
The Noreds were released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been set for March 18, 2014.
Catoosa Man Sentenced to 9 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. — A Catoosa man was sentenced in Federal court today for a crime involving a plot to burn down his rental house for profit, announced United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Christopher David Wiegers, 39, of Catoosa, Oklahoma, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell to serve 9 months in federal prison, to be followed by 9 months of home detention, 3 years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, and $100 Special Monetary Assessment.
“The defendant’s plot to burn down his rental house could have endangered the lives of neighbors and first responders,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “Today’s sentencing should be a warning and deterrent to others from committing acts of arson in the future. I commend the quick actions and dedicated work by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Fire Department for thwarting the arson plot and protecting lives and the neighborhood.”
According to court documents, in early August of 2013, a man renting the house from Wiegers informed investigators that Wiegers had offered to pay between $5,000 and $8,000 to burn down the house. On September 5, 2013, Wiegers was indicted on charges of attempted arson (Count 1) and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises (Count 2). On October 18, 2013, Wiegers pleaded guilty to Count 2.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Tulsa Fire Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Gallant prosecuted on behalf of the United States.
If you have knowledge of an arson plot, contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Arson Hotline at 1-888-ATF-BOMB or 1-888-283-2662.
Capital District Man Indicted on Three Felony Charges Related to Development of Lethal Radiation DeviceRead the Press Release
Scheme Included Creation of a Remotely Operated X-ray Radiation
Emitting Device Designed to Kill Humans SilentlyALBANY, NEW YORK – Glendon Scott Crawford, age 49, of Galway, New York has been indicted on three federal felony counts related to his development of and plans to use a remotely-operated radiation-emitting device to kill human targets. The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Albany, New York last evening, charges Crawford with: (Count 1) Attempting to produce and use a radiological dispersal device, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2332h(a) and (c)(1); (Count2) Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2332a(a)(2)(C); and (Count 3) Distributing information relating to weapons of mass destruction, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 842(p)(2)(A). The penalties for those offenses are, respectively: (Count 1) a maximum of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of not less than 25 years and a $2,000,000 fine; (Count2) a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine; (Count3) a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Crawford’s arraignment on the indictment has been scheduled in Albany for Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 10:30 am before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel.
The Indictment was announced by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Carlin, and Special Agent in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Albany Division. The charges filed today followed an investigation by the Albany FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force that began in April 2012 when authorities received information that Crawford had approached local Jewish organizations seeking out individuals who might offer assistance in helping him with a type of technology that could be used against people he perceived as enemies of Israel.
Crawford and co-defendant Eric J. Feight were arrested on June 18, 2013 and have been held in custody since then by order of U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel. Charges against Feight on a criminal complaint remain pending. The essence of the defendants’ scheme was the creation of a mobile, remotely operated, radiation emitting device, capable of killing targeted individuals silently with lethal doses of X-ray radiation. The defendants plotted to use this device against unwitting victims who would not immediately be aware that they had absorbed lethal doses of radiation, the harmful effects of which would only appear days after the exposure. This was an undercover investigation and, unbeknownst to the defendants, the device that the defendant modified and intended to use was rendered inoperable at all times and posed no danger to the public.
The Indictment announced today resulted from a long-term investigation conducted by the Albany FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Department of Homeland Security, New York State Police, Albany Police Department, Troy Police Department, and New York City Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office also acknowledged the assistance of the Criminal Division and National Security Division of the United States Department of Justice. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen C. Green and Richard Belliss, and Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Joseph Kaster.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Further questions or inquiries may be directed to Executive Assistant United States Attorney John G. Duncan at 315-448-0672.
Canadian Man Sentenced for Consumer FraudRead the Press Release
“Advance Fee” Scheme Stole From Thousands of U.S. Consumers
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Paul Price, 57, of Toronto, Canada, was sentenced on January 16, 2014, in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois, to ten years in federal prison for his role in an advanced fee credit card scam that defrauded tens of thousands of U.S. consumers of over $10 million. Mr. Price's ex-wife, Elissa Wells, 50, of Toronto, Canada, who was also involved in the scheme, received a 55 month sentence on October 21, 2013 for her role in the offense. The Prices were originally indicted on May 22, 2008, after the successful conclusion of litigation in Canadian Courts to obtain evidence seized in a search of their business done at the request of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The Prices were recently extradited to the United States from Canada after the conclusion of legal proceedings there.
Companies operated by the Prices made “cold” calls to U.S. residents with credit problems representing that their companies could provide Visa or MasterCards to consumers for an advanced fee of several hundred dollars. However, neither defendants nor any of the companies they operated had any business relationship with Visa or MasterCard and were not in any way authorized by either to issue or market credit cards. Consumers received nothing of value for the several hundred dollars that the scan companies took from their bank accounts through electronic debits. The scheme operated from August 1999 until November 2004 when their offices were raided by members of various Canadian law enforcement agencies.
The scam operated by the Prices was one of five major advanced fee credit card schemes prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois between 2003 and 2008. The five scams prosecuted by this office represented over 600,000 victims with total losses exceeding $120 million dollars. None of the 600,000 victims received a credit card as a result of the fees they paid these scam companies.
According to a study done at the behest of the Federal Trade Commission in 2004, during the operation of these scams, approximately 4 1/2 million U.S. consumers, about 2.1 percent of the U.S. adult population, had been the victim of an advanced fee credit card or advanced fee loan scam. Based upon complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission, Toronto was the number one source city. Evidence introduced at the trial of one Canadian telemarketer in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis established that a single related scam company in Toronto operated five boiler rooms with 250 telemarketers on the phone simultaneously collecting tens of millions of dollars of advanced fees from U.S. consumers seeking a credit card, yet failing to provide even a single consumer with a single credit card.
Of the five scams that were prosecuted, three were Toronto based, one was based in Utah but utilized boiler rooms in Canada, the Caribbean and India, and the fifth was based in Florida.
Eleven individuals were indicted for mail and wire fraud. Nine pleaded guilty and received federal prison sentences ranging from 4 1/2 years to twenty years. Two went to trial and after being convicted by a jury received sentences of 23 and 29 years respectively. Three defendants were extradited from Canada after a lengthy legal process, two were caught as they entered the U.S. from Canada, four waived extradition from Canada and two were U.S. Citizens arrested in the United States. As a result, the advanced fee credit card scheme appears to have been completely eradicated.
"I could not be happier that this sad and sordid chapter in the annals of consumer fraud has been brought to such a decisive conclusion." said United States Attorney Wigginton. "The lessons these prosecutions should teach is that those who think they can hide behind international borders and scam U.S. residents will ultimately feel the long arm of American justice." Wigginton had high praise for the work of the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "These agencies are the vanguard of consumer protection in the United States. The FTC is an aggressive consumer protection agency that does an outstanding job of identifying and targeting threats to the American consumer. U.S. Postal Inspectors are the nation's preeminent fraud investigators." Wigginton noted.
“Consumers should never pay money in advance to get a credit card or loan,” said C. Steven Baker, Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Midwest Region. “This scam ripped off over 40,000 people, who lost millions of dollars. The great work done by the Southern District of Illinois shows how enforcers in the United States and Canada can work together through the Toronto Strategic Partnership in fighting cross-border fraud."
This case arose out of the Toronto Strategic Partnership. The Partnership includes the FTC, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Competition Bureau Canada, the Toronto Police Service Fraud Squad – Mass Marketing Section, the Ontario Provincial Police Anti-Rackets Section, the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Cambria County Man Sentenced to Probation for Participating in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Elmora, Pa., has been sentenced in federal court to two years probation on his conviction of conspiracy to manufacture and possess marijuana plants, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson imposed the sentence on Gerald F. Knee, 62.
According to information presented to the court, in the spring of 2011, Knee conspired to manufacture and possess with the intent to distribute less than 100 marijuana plants. In addition, evidence presented to the Court at the time of Knee's guilty plea reflected that Knee conspired with George M. Lowmaster and others to grow marijuana plants with the intent to facilitate and promote Lowmaster's drug distribution organization.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Valkovci, Jr., prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the joint task force, headed by the Laurel Highlands Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Knee. Other agencies participating on the task force include the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, Cambria County District Attorney's Office, Carrolltown Police Department, Patton Police Department, Ebensburg Police Department, Portage Police Department and Paint Township Police Department.
California Man Sentenced for Possession of A Firearm with an Obliterated Serial NumberRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Tracy, California, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number was sentenced on January 13, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Troy Leroy James, age 48, was sentenced to time served, 2 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
James pled guilty to the charge on October 8, 2013. The conviction stems from an incident on December 20, 2012, in Rapid City, when James was in possession of a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, from which he knew the manufacturer’s serial number had been removed and obliterated
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Broward County Clerk Sentenced to Three Years for Stealing Identities in Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field office, and Jose A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announce the sentencing of Porscha Kyles, 25, of Fort Lauderdale, to three years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release and $57,328 in restitution. Kyles previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(b)(2), and aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1).
According to court documents, from October 2011 through February 2012, Kyles worked as a clerk of court in Broward County. Kyles had access to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) in this position. On multiple occasions in 2011 and 2012, Kyles searched DAVID, copied personal identity information (names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers) of individuals, and provided that information to a co-conspirator in exchange for a cash payment. Kyles provided over one hundred individuals’ personal identity information to the co-conspirator for the filing of fraudulent tax returns seeking refunds with the Internal Revenue Service.
Mr. Ferrer thanked the FBI and IRS-CI for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger.
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.
Box Elder Man Sentenced for Using Computer to Engage in Criminal Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Box Elder, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography was sentenced on January 10, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Craig Joshua Weires, age 23, was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment, 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
In April 2013, while executing a search warrant on Weires’s home, law enforcement authorities found child pornographic videos on Weires’s computer, which he had downloaded off the Internet.
The investigation was conducted by the Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff's Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Office of Special Investigations from Ellsworth Air Force Base, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins.
Weires was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Blytheville-area Drug Traffickers ArrestedRead the Press Release
Little Rock -Christopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas; William J. Bryant, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Scott Ellington, District Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District of Arkansas; announced the unsealing of a 62-count indictment charging multiple defendants in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, with multiple drug charges. An investigation into large-scale drug trafficking resulted in the arrests of 21 defendants on methamphetamine and marijuana charges Thursday. Those arrested are scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney at 1 p.m. today. Four defendants remain at large.
"The result of many hours of investigation by dedicated law enforcement agents and officers is clear – drug traffickers will be arrested and prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law,” stated Thyer. “We continue to target the networks supplying meth across the northeastern region of Arkansas to take the dealers, the drugs, and the weapons out of our communities.”
ASAC Bryant added, “Methamphetamine continues to be the number one drug threat to the citizens of Arkansas. As you can see in this case, it not only affects our urban areas but also our rural areas such as Manila, Arkansas. As a result of a great team effort of federal, state, and local law enforcement, this drug trafficking organization was dismantled.”
“The Arkansas State Police has made an unconditional commitment toward working with all law enforcement agencies and provide whatever resources we can to remove from our communities those individuals who provide a source of illegal drugs,” said Colonel Stan Witt.
District Attorney Ellington added, "I want to thank U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer, Bill Bryant and the DEA, Colonel Stan Witt and the Arkansas State Police, and the other federal agencies who assisted our local officers with the investigation and execution of this operation. It is good to know that when we run up against a significant distribution organization as we saw in this instance, we only have to ask for assistance and they are willing to step up and take the lead in the investigation and apprehension of those bringing methamphetamine into our community. I also want to thank our Drug Task Force for their tireless efforts in this case and every case they work."
Yesterday, federal, state and local law enforcement arrested 17 defendants during an early-morning operation focused in Blytheville. Roy Witherspoon, age 30, of Blytheville, was arrested Thursday night. One defendant, Renaldre Jackson, age 22, of Blytheville, was already in federal custody after pleading guilty to another drug charge. Two others, Quinton Wiencek, age 41, of Chaffee, Missouri and Timothy Sheard, age 35, of Jonesboro, Arkansas, were in state custody on unrelated charges. Cordero Lockhart, a/k/a “KO”, age 25; Antwon Bailey, a/k/a “Pee Wheezy”, age 27; Tamika Petty, age 26; and Jamal Shontal Piggie, a/k/a “Joker”, age 27; all of Blytheville are still at large. More than $50,000 in drug proceeds, multiple cars and motorcycles, drug paraphernalia, and several firearms were seized from multiple houses during the operation.
The DEA investigation began in late 2011 and early 2012. Multiple undercover operations and numerous law enforcement actions, including multiple seizures of methamphetamine were conducted by the DEA and 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force.
The Indictment handed down by a Federal Grand Jury January 7, 2014, charges 25 defendants in sixty-two separate counts stemming from a large-scale investigation into methamphetamine and narcotics trafficking in Northeast Arkansas. Four defendants live in Southeastern Missouri, one in Oklahoma, and one in Little Rock. The charges include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, aiding and abetting distribution of methamphetamine, misprision of a felony, and use of telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime. 24 of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Each defendant charged with conspiracy will face a possible sentence of not less than 10 years to life imprisonment. All 25 defendants also face from one to three telephone counts which carry a statutory sentence of not more than four years imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the ATF Cape Girardeau Field Office, with substantial assistance from the 2nd Judicial Drug Task Force, which includes officers from the Jonesboro Police Department, Blytheville Police Department, the Osceola Police Department, Craighead County Sherriff’s Office and the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office. Assistance was also provided by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, ATF Little Rock Field Office, FBI Jonesboro Field Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Marshal Service, the Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas National Guard, and Little Rock Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens.
An indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Arlen Mcwain of Barre Sentenced on Possession of Explosive Materials ChargeRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on January 15, 2014, Arlen McWain, 60, of Barre, Vermont was sentenced to time served after his guilty plea to a charge that he possessed explosive materials as a convicted felon in July 2012. At the time of sentencing, McWain had been in custody in this case for approximately 18 months. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered that McWain serve two years of supervised release. As part of the conditions of his supervised release, McWain is prohibited from possessing explosive materials.
According to court records, McWain was convicted in California in 1992 of felony possession of an explosive device. He served a two year sentence in connection with that case. In this case, the Barre City Police Department received complaints from concerned citizens in July 2012 that McWain was constructing improvised explosive devices (“IEDs”) in his apartment. The Barre City Police Department obtained a search warrant for McWain’s apartment, where they recovered several small IEDs consisting of spent ammunition casings and wicking material. Law enforcement also recovered smokeless powder, several empty ammunition casings, and a loaded. 22 caliber rifle. Due to his felony criminal record, McWain was prohibited by law from possessing both the firearm and the explosive powder.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Barre City Police Department, with assistance from the Vermont State Police Bomb Squad. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Doyle. McWain is represented by Federal Defender Michael L. Desautels.
Alleged Fraudster Apprehended in Puerto VallartaRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Martin Christopher Edwards of Napa, Calif., was apprehended on January 15, 2014, in Mexico and deported to the United States to face federal charges, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson, and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge José M. Martinez.
FBI agents in the United States and Guadalajara, Mexico, coordinated with Mexican Immigration Officials to locate Edwards in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Edwards was found near the Hacienda Escondida Private Villas.
Edwards, 48, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 30, 2013. The Indictment charged Edwards with twenty-three counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Edwards was scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco on June 17, 2013; however, he had failed to appear. Federal agents later learned that Edwards had absconded to Mexico.
According to the Indictment, Edwards allegedly created a fictitious entity, Dufrane Compliance Trust, that purported to provide tax compliance services to his former employer, The Wine Tasting Network, a 1-800 Flowers’ subsidiary. In his role as Vice President and General Manager, Edwards allegedly directed the Wine Tasting Network to make multiple payments to Dufrane Compliance Trust between May 2010 and approximately October 2012, totaling approximately $900,000. Edwards allegedly deposited these funds into an account he controlled and withdrew them for his own personal use, including the purchase of a BMW which has since been seized by law enforcement authorities.
Edwards is currently in custody and is scheduled to appear in district court on January 22, 2014, before the Honorable William H. Alsup, United States District Court Judge in San Francisco.
The maximum statutory penalty for each count of mail fraud and wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 1343, respectively, is 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, plus restitution. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, plus restitution. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Katherine B. Dowling and Arvon Perteet are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rawaty Yim. This prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of State, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Please note, an indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Martin Christopher Edwards must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
(Edwards Indictment)
16 January 2014
Yuba City Man Indicted for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today charging Chad Carl Jaycox, 23, of Yuba City, with receiving images of child pornography, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, Jaycox received the images between April 2011 and September 2013. Jaycox was convicted in 2010 of unlawful sex with a minor, and he was on probation for that offense when federal agents executed a search warrant at his residence in September 2013. Upon the discovery of child pornography, Jaycox was arrested by state law enforcement agents for a violation of his probation. According to court documents, Jaycox is being held without bail in the Sutter County Jail on three unrelated counts involving sex with underage girls in the Yuba City area in 2013.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew G. Morris is prosecuting the case.
Jaycox faces a possible sentence of 15 to 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety.