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30 September 2013
Former Employee of Florida Property Management Company Sentenced to Serve Time in Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
A former residential sales manager of a Florida property management company was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, in Orlando, for his participation in a wire fraud scheme involving housing repair contracts for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Justice announced.
Ryan J. Piana pleaded guilty on July 16, 2013, to two wire fraud counts of a 10-count indictment. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Roy B. Dalton Jr. also sentenced Piana to pay $147,285 in restitution to the VA.
The indictment, originally filed in January 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in Rockford, charged Piana, Ronald B. Hurst and Bryant A. Carbonell with conspiring to commit bribery and wire fraud from beginning at least as early as January 2006 continuing until as late as September 2007. Piana, Hurst and Carbonell were also charged with bribery and wire fraud. As part of the plea agreement, the United States agreed to dismiss the remaining counts against Piana at the time of his sentencing.“Steering contracts to a company in return for kickbacks distorts the competitive process and harms consumers,” said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will not tolerate anticompetitive activity that defrauds the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
Piana is a former residential sales manager at West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, and Hurst and Carbonell are former contractors for Ocwen. According to court documents, Ocwen managed foreclosed properties under contract with the VA, which guaranteed qualifying residential mortgages for veterans. Under the contract between the VA and Ocwen, if a veteran defaulted, Ocwen completed necessary repairs and re-sold the property. Proceeds from the re-sale of VA-acquired properties directly benefit the VA by reducing the cost of guaranteeing residential mortgages to veterans.
According to the charges, Hurst and Carbonell paid Piana to steer housing repair work to companies affiliated with Hurst and Carbonell. Piana recruited other Ocwen employees into the scheme and paid them on behalf of himself and the other conspirators. The department said in order to execute the scheme, the conspirators sent, or caused to be sent, various transmissions via wire communication.
Carbonell pleaded guilty to the wire fraud counts on Sept. 21, 2012. Hurst pleaded guilty to the same counts on Feb. 15, 2013. Both Hurst and Carbonell entered their guilty pleas in the U.S. District Court in Rockford. Their sentencing dates are scheduled for Dec. 5 and 6, 2013, respectively.
This is the third case involving properties managed by Ocwen under contract with the VA. On Dec. 3, 2010, Benjamin K. Graves, also a former Ocwen employee, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Orlando to wire fraud in connection with the VA contract. On Jan. 25, 2012, Joshua R. Nusbaum, another a former Ocwen employee, and Andrew J. Nusbaum, a former Ocwen contractor, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Orlando to wire fraud in connection with the same VA contract.
The sentence announced today resulted from an ongoing federal investigation of housing repair contracts performed under contract with the VA. The investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the Central Field Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, located in Hines, Ill. Anyone with information concerning suspicious activity relating to housing repairs performed under a contract with the VA should contact the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office at 312-353-7530 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.Former Concordia Man SentencedIn Cloud County Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A man who was armed with a shotgun when he robbed a bank in Cloud County, Kan., has been sentenced to federal prison, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Eric Lee Strait, 24, formerly of Concordia, Kan., was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. Strait was indicted in June 2012. The indictment alleged that on Nov. 14, 2008, he carried a shotgun when he robbed the Jamestown State Bank at 422 Walnut Street in Jamestown, Kan.
In May 2013, Ryan Michael Steinert, 24, Concordia,, Kan., was indicted on charges of conspiring with Strait to rob the bank. The indictment of Steinert alleged the two men worked together to plan the robbery. Strait was to do the robbery alone. Steinert agreed with Strait to steal a car to use in the robbery and to destroy the car after the robbery. On Nov. 13, 2008, Strait stole a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu in Clyde, Kan., to use in the robbery. Steinert helped prepare the car for the robbery. The two would later split the proceeds of the robbery.
In July 2013, Steinert pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery. He is set for sentencing Oct. 9.
Grissom commended the FBI, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Cloud County Sheriff’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.Former Bank of the Commonwealth Mortgage Lender Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Massive FraudRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Troy Brandon Woodard, 37, of Norfolk, Virginia, was sentenced today to 8 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of unlawful participation in a loan. The Court further ordered Woodard to pay approximately $2.4 million in restitution to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and to forfeit over $4 million in proceeds from the offense.
Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Royce E. Curtin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Washington, D.C., Field Office (IRS-CI); Christy L. Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP); Jon T. Rymer, Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC-OIG); and Mark Bialek, Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FRB-CFPB OIG) made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Woodardwas found guilty after a ten-week jury trial on May 24, 2013. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Troy Brandon Woodard conspired with this father, Edward J. Woodard, the CEO and former Chairman of the Board of the Bank of the Commonwealth, Stephen G. Fields, a former Executive Vice President and Senior Commercial Loan Officer and numerous troubled customers to defraud the Bank of the Commonwealth (“the Bank”). Evidence introduced during trial established that Brandon Woodard urged his father to request favors from two of the Bank’s largest borrowers, Eric H. Menden and George P. Hranowskyj, in exchange for favorable treatment at the Bank. Facilitated by Edward Woodard, Menden and Hranowskyj obtained fraudulent Bank loans and increases to existing Bank loans to bail out Brandon Woodard’s failed investment properties and to purchase Brandon Woodard’s personal condominium. In the spring of 2010, at the request of Edward Woodard, Menden gave a brown paper bag containing thousands of dollars in cash to Brandon Woodard. Months later, Menden wrote a check for thousands of dollars to Brandon Woodard.
The evidence further demonstrated that Edward J. Woodard provided preferential treatment to Troy Brandon Woodard to the detriment of the Bank. Brandon Woodard convinced his father to pay his personal legal fees related to a failed investment deal from the Bank’s accounts receivable. Edward Woodard lied to regulators and his Board to lease the Bank’s Suffolk branch to a company solely owned by his son, and then spent over $3 million to renovate and construct an extravagant branch on his son’s land. Finally, Brandon Woodard received thousands of dollars in illegal commissions for referring commercial loans to the Bank.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Norfolk Office, Field Office, IRS-CI, SIGTARP, FDIC-OIG, and FRB-CFPB OIG. Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Lee Martin, Uzo E. Asonye, and Melissa E. O’Boyle prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.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.
Five Sentenced, Two Convicted for Drug Trafficking in Marshall CountyRead the Press Release
1125 Chapline Street, Federal Building, Suite 3000 ● Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 234-7725 ● Contact: Chris Zumpetta-Parr, Public Affairs SpecialistFollow us on Twitter @NDWVnews
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - Five individuals were sentenced in federal court for their participation in the trafficking of prescription pain killers in Marshall County, according to United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II.WILBUR L. RICHARDSON, JR., age 47, and ANDREW J. RICHARDSON, age 22, of Bellaire, Ohio, were sentenced to 5 months in prison, 5 months of home detention and 6 years of supervised release for the “Distribution of Oxycodone within 1,000 feet of the Moundsville Middle School.” WILBUR RICHARDSON and ANDREW RICHARDSON were remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation to a Federal institution.
KRISTEN STURM, age 24; JENNIFER A. THOMPSON, age 25, and TYLER M. YOUNG, age 20, of Moundsville, West Virginia, were sentenced by Judge Stamp to 3 years of supervised probation for the felony offense of “Distribution of Oxycodone within 1,000 feet of the Moundsville Middle School.” The Richardsons, Sturm, Thompson, and Young were all sentenced by U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp Jr.
MONTRELL L. BLACK, also known as “SLIM”, age 20, of Wheeling, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine” and one count of “Felon in Possession of a Firearm” before U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert. BLACK, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces up to 20 years in prison on the drug charge and up to 10 years in prison on the firearm charge.DANIEL R. ROBERTSON, age 28, entered a plea of guilty before Judge Seibert to “Distribution of Oxymorphone.” ROBERTSON, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces up to 20 years in prison.
These cases were investigated by the Marshall County Drug Task Force, which includes officers and agents from the Moundsville Police Department, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In other matters occurring in federal court in Wheeling, four Ohio Valley residents were either convicted or sentenced on drug-related charges.
MATTHEW SCOTT HEDRICK, age 32, of New Martinsville, WV, was sentenced to 8 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release; and, KIMBERLY LYNN NELSON, age 30, also of New Martinsville, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation for “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.” This case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police - Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Judge Stamp imposed the sentences.
JAMES FERGUSON, age 37, of Valley Grove, WV, entered a plea of guilty before Judge Stamp to “Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone” in the Wheeling area from late 2011 to May 18, 2012. FERGUSON, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces up to 20 years in prison. This case was investigated by the Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, consisting of officers from the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
CHRISTIAN E. IVERSON, age 26, of New Martinsville, appeared before Judge Seibert and entered a plea of guilty to “Felon in Possession of a Firearm.” IVERSON, who is free on bond pending sentencing, faces up to 10 years in prison. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri and investigated by the New Martinsville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Federal Jury Convicts New Mexico Man for Leaking Information About Criminal InvestigationRead the Press Release
A retired educator and husband of a federal prosecutor in Albuquerque, New Mexico, faces potential federal prison time after a federal jury convicted him late Friday afternoon of leaking information regarding a criminal investigation to a target announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman.
The jury convicted Danny Burnett of one count of giving notice of certain electronic surveillance and one count of making a false statement to federal investigators. Evidence presented during trial revealed that on February 17, 2011, Burnett met at an Albuquerque restaurant with long-time friend Columbus Police Chief Angelo Vega and advised him that federal investigators had a wiretap on Vega’s phone. Burnett was also convicted of making a false statement to federal investigators on February 28, 2012, when he denied notifying Vega that he was the subject of a firearms trafficking investigation.
“Breaching the integrity of a criminal investigation not only compromises the ability of authorities to enforce the law but, more importantly, jeopardizes the safety of law enforcement officers. This prosecution demonstrates that we will pursue leaks and prosecute those responsible for unlawfully disclosing sensitive information,” stated United States Attorney Robert Pitman.
Burnett, who remains on bond pending sentencing, faces up to five years in federal prison per count. Sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2014.
This case was investigated by agents with the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Spitzer and Greg McDonald from the Western District of Texas are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Federal Firearm, Robbery, Drug Trafficking Charges Filed in Alleged Robbery and Shootout in Woonsocket ResidenceRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Federal criminal complaints have been filed in U.S. District Court in Providence charging Tyronne Seams, 27, of Woonsocket, R.I., and David Bunnell, 21, of Franklin, Mass., with conspiracy, use of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking and while committing a crime of violence, drug trafficking and Hobbs Act robbery in connection with an alleged robbery and shootout in a Woonsocket apartment on September 12, 2013, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas S. Carey.
In addition, Seams is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to an affidavit in support of criminal complaints filed with the court, in the early morning hours of September 12, 2013, Woonsocket Police responded to reports of gunfire at a multi-family residence. Upon arrival, Woonsocket officers encountered Seams and Bunnell allegedly leaving the building. According to the affidavit, the two men went back inside the building where they were located by the officers.
According to the affidavit, Bunnell was located in the basement where officers also seized a sawed-off shotgun and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Seams was located on the floor of a second floor landing suffering from an apparent gun shot. Police seized a packet containing approximately 200 grams of cocaine from Seams’ pocket and a .41 caliber revolver was located nearby.
According to the affidavit, inside a second floor apartment officers discovered a substantial amount of blood; numerous spent shell casings from at least two firearms; bullet holes in the kitchen counter, bathroom door and bathroom wall; an individual with a head wound from blunt force trauma; and materials allegedly associated with the preparation and sale of drugs.
According to the affidavit, another individual who allegedly suffered a gunshot wound while at the residence made his way out of the building before police arrived and drove himself to a nearby hospital.
According to the affidavit, the investigation revealed that Seams and Bunnell forcibly stole cocaine from inside the apartment and jointly inflicted physical violence on the apartment and persons inside the apartment in the course of the robbery.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.Woonsocket Police were assisted in the investigation of this matter by agents and officers from ATF, DEA Drug Task Force, Rhode Island State Police, North Smithfield Police Department and the Franklin and Blackstone, Mass., Police Departments.
Contact: 401-709-5357
[email protected]Fairview Heights Man Sentenced for Heroin Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Joseph L. Robinson, 30, of Fairview Heights, IL, was sentenced in United States District Court in East St. Louis on Monday, September 30, 2013, to 20 years (240 months) in federal prison.
On May 29, 2013, Robinson pled guilty to a federal indictment which charged him with Distribution of Heroin Resulting in Death. At his change of plea hearing in May, Robinson admitted that he had sold “two buttons of heroin” (2/10 of a gram) to Donnie T. Baumann for $30 on the night Baumann died. Baumann, 22, was found dead at his Fairview Heights residence on December 21, 2010.
Several members of Baumann’s family addressed the Court at Robinson’s sentence hearing. They described Baumann as a loving son and brother.
Robinson has been confined since his arrest on November 10, 2011.
United States Attorney Stephen Wigginton commented that, “This severe federal prison sentence should put drug dealers on notice that they peddle heroin at their own risk, and those risks are considerable. My office will continue its initiative to stop the heroin overdose epidemic among our young citizens. The prosecution and sentencing of Robinson is part of our ongoing anti-heroin initiative.”
The investigation which resulted in the successful prosecution of Robinson was conducted by the Fairview Heights Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Garrison.
Ex Enron Executive Indicted on Bankruptcy ChargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A federal grand jury has returned a 24-count indictment against Jeffrey Adam Shankman with bankruptcy fraud and concealment of assets, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
The indictment was returned today. Shankman is expected to turn himself in to federal authorities and make an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
According to the indictment, Shankman engaged in a scheme to conceal assets to defraud creditors and the trustee who was appointed to collect and dispose of all Shankman’s assets in his bankruptcy estate.
A debtor is required to complete several documents to carry out the bankruptcy process, which consist of a petition which contains summary information about the debtor’s financial condition, various bankruptcy schedules and a statement of financial affairs. That statement contains, among other things, detailed information about the debtor’s assets, liabilities, recent payments to creditors, past and current income and anticipated future income. The documents are required to be signed and certified under penalty of perjury that the information contained in them is true and correct. A debtor is required to disclose all creditors to the bankruptcy court so that the court can provide notice to the creditors of the filing of the bankruptcy petition. One purpose of this requirement is to allow the creditors the opportunity to participate in the bankruptcy proceeding and protect their interests.
Shankman, 46, filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2008. The indictment alleges he concealed, transferred and sold various pieces of fine art, decorative art as well as Jewelry and other assets without the knowledge, consent and approval of the trustee or the bankruptcy court. The approximate value of the assets was $952,125, according to allegations.
Shankman was head of the Global Markets Division of Enron in 2001 before its collapse and served on the Art Committee of Enron.
In order for the bankruptcy system to work for all parties, it is imperative for the debtor to be truthful and forthright in all aspects of the bankruptcy process. The bankruptcy system is based on an honor system; the debtor agrees to provide all of the necessary information requested by the trustee and to assist the trustee in collecting all assets of debtors and comply with the court’s orders to obtain the relief desired under the chapter the case was filed.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine of on each count.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Quincy L. Ollison.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Employee of East Windsor Gun Store Is SentencedRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KRYSTOPHER DiBELLA, 25, of West Suffield, was sentenced today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport to three years of probation for assisting in the transfer of firearms to individuals who failed to complete required forms at the gun store where he was employed. He also was ordered to pay a $250 fine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately 2008 to August 2012, DiBELLA was employed at Riverview Gun Sales, which used to be a federally-licensed firearms dealer in East Windsor. On several occasions during his employment at Riverview Gun Sales, DiBELLA transferred firearms to individuals who failed to respond to certain questions on the ATF Form 4473.
On June 24, 2013, DiBELLA pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the failure to make a proper entry on an ATF Form 4473, a form that must be completed by individuals who purchase firearms from federally-licensed firearms dealers. The charge against DiBELLA stems from a sale that occurred on March 15, 2010. On that date, DiBELLA failed to have a purchaser of a firearm, who was a non-immigrant alien, answer a question on the form regarding U.S. citizenship.
As a special condition of his probation, DiBELLA will not apply for a Federal Firearms License (FFL) or to be a responsible party for an FFL for the entire probationary term.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted an investigation of Riverview Gun Sales and discovered approximately 300 examples of false or missing information in Riverview’s acquisition and disposition (“A&D”) records. The investigation also revealed at least two instances in which individuals received firearms prior to receiving approval from the national instant criminal background check system (“NICS”). Riverview also failed to report the theft of a firearm within 48 hours, and failed to report multiple sales of handguns to the same individuals.
On August 22, 2013, David Laguercia, the owner and operator of Riverview Gun Sales, pleaded guilty to one count of transfer of a firearm before completion of background check, and one count of failure to maintain proper firearm records. Laguercia also entered a guilty plea on behalf of Riverview Sales, Inc. to one count of making false entries in dealer’s records.
Laguercia and his business await sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Spector.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722 [email protected]Dubuque Man to Federal Prison for 30 Years for Distributing Heroin Resulting in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
A man who sold heroin to a person who overdosed and died from using the heroin was sentenced today in federal court in Cedar Rapids to serve 30 years in prison.
Alvin Stanley Briggs, Jr., age 50, from Dubuque, Iowa, pled guilty to distribution of heroin resulting in death. At the plea hearing, Briggs admitted that on July 3, 2012, he sold $100 worth of heroin to an individual identified as S.R., and that S.R. died as a result of using that heroin.
Briggs was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Briggs was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham and was investigated by the Platteville, Wisconsin, Police Department, and the Dubuque, Iowa, Drug Task Force.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 2:13-CR-01004-LRR.
Department of Justice Awards 2013 Community Oriented Policing Hiring Grant to Roberta Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
MACON: United States Attorney Michael J. Moore announced today that the U.S Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded a $95,783 Hiring Grant to Roberta Police Department.
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. Roberta Police Department was the only agency in the Middle District to be awarded a grant and one of only two in the entire state.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
“When we put more police officers on the street, everybody wins. These grants help both rural communities with limited resources and metropolitan areas with high crime problems. Community oriented policing is one way we can be proactive when it comes to law enforcement,” said US Attorney Michael Moore.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney's Office at (478) 621-2602.
Departamento de Justicia Llega a Acuerdo Conciliatorio Sobre Otorgamiento Justo de Préstamos Con Chevy Chase Bank que Genera 2.85 Millones de Dólares en Remedio Judicial para los Propietarios de ViviendasRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – El Departamento de Justicia presentó un acuerdo conciliatorio y orden hoy que resolvieron alegatos de que Chevy Chase Bank F.S.B. exhibió un patrón o práctica de discriminación contra prestatarios calificados afroestadounidenses o hispanos en sus préstamos hipotecarios para la vivienda desde el 2006 hasta el 2009.
El acuerdo conciliatorio, que está sujeto a aprobación del tribunal, fue presentado junto con la demanda del Departamento de Justicia en el Tribunal Federal de Distrito del Distrito Este de Virginia. La demanda alega que Chevy Chase Bank cobró precios elevados en préstamos hipotecarios hechos a prestatarios afroestadounidenses e hispanos en violación con la Ley de Vivienda Justa [Fair Housing Act (FHA)] y la Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades de Crédito [Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)]. Chevy Chase Bank fue adquirido en 2009 por Capital One, N.A., y Capital One es su sucesor en interés. Las reclamaciones de los Estados Unidos se relacionan únicamente con préstamos originados por Chevy Chase Bank y no se relacionan con ninguna práctica de préstamos hipotecarios de Capital One.
"Este acuerdo conciliatorio asegura que los prestatarios afroestadounidenses e hispanos que pagaron más por sus hipotecas como resultado de las acciones de Chevy Chase Bank sean compensados correctamente", dijo Jocelyn Samuels, Secretaria de Justicia Auxiliar Interina de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento. "Felicitamos a Capital One por trabajar en cooperación con el Departamento de Justicia para llegar a este acuerdo".
La demanda se originó en una remisión del 2010 a la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia por parte de la Oficina del Controlador de la Moneda [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)].
"Todos los solicitantes de préstamos deben ser evaluados según factores objetivos, no según el color de su piel, por lo tanto, nos complace que se estén remediando estas prácticas ilegales de fijación de precios de préstamos", dijo el Controlador de la Moneda Thomas J. Curry. "La OCC está comprometida a seguir trabajando con el Departamento de Justicia y nuestros otros asociados federales a nivel interagencial para garantizar el tratamiento justo de todos los participantes en los mercados crediticios".
Bajo el acuerdo conciliatorio propuesto, Capital One pagará 2.85 millones de dólares a aproximadamente 3,100 víctimas de discriminación afroestadounidenses e hispanas. El acuerdo conciliatorio exige que se notifique a los prestatarios elegibles para recibir compensación y establece el monitoreo del proceso de compensación por parte del departamento.
"Nuestra oficina sigue comprometida a garantizar la justicia y la compensación a quienes son víctima de prácticas injustas en los préstamos", dijo Dana J. Boente, Fiscal Federal Interina para el Distrito Este de Virginia. "A través de nuestra asociación con la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia y nuestra participación como miembros en la Fuerza de Tarea de Coacción contra el Fraude Financiero, seguimos comprometidos firmemente a realizar esta labor tan importante".
La coacción asociada a las leyes de otorgamiento justo de préstamos por parte del Departamento de Justicia es llevada a cabo por la Unidad de Préstamos Justos de la Sección de Vivienda y Cumplimiento de la Ley Civil de la División de Derechos Civiles. Desde que se estableció la Unidad de Préstamos Justos en febrero del 2010, ésta ha entablado o resuelto 28 casos de préstamos bajo la Ley de Vivienda Justa, la ECOA y la Ley de Alivio Civil para los Miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas [Servicemembers Civil Relief Act]. Los acuerdos conciliatorios en estos casos proveen un mínimo de 660 millones de dólares en asistencia monetaria para comunidades impactadas y más de 300,000 prestatarios individuales. Los informes anuales del Secretario de Justicia de EE.UU. al Congreso abajo ECOA destacan los logros del Departamento en el otorgamiento de préstamos justos y están disponibles en www.justice.gov/crt/publications/.
La División de Derechos Civiles, la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Este de Virginia y la OCC son miembros de la Fuerza de Tarea de Coacción contra el Fraude Financiero. El Presidente Obama fundó la Fuerza de Tarea de Coacción contra el Fraude Financiero para generar una iniciativa enérgica, coordinada y proactiva para investigar y enjuiciar los delitos financieros. La fuerza de tarea incluye a representantes de una amplia gama de agencias federales, autoridades regulatorias, inspectores generales y fuerzas del orden público estatales y locales quienes, trabajando juntos, ponen en uso un conjunto poderoso de recursos de coacción penal y civil. La fuerza de tarea está trabajando para mejorar las iniciativas en todo el poder ejecutivo federal y, junto con asociados estatales y locales, investigar y enjuiciar delitos financieros importantes, garantizar un castigo justo y eficaz para quienes cometen delitos financieros, combatir la discriminación en los mercados de préstamos y financieros, y recuperar ganancias para las víctimas de delitos financieros. Para obtener más información sobre la fuerza de tarea, visite www.StopFraud.gov.
Para obtener una copia de la demanda, así como también información adicional sobre la labor del Departamento de Justicia para hacer valer las leyes de otorgamiento justo de préstamos, visite el portal del Departamento de Justicia en www.justice.gov/fairhousing.
Carl Chester Alden, Jr. Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal CourtRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney(s Office announced that during a federal court session in Helena, on September 30, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, CARL CHESTER ALDEN, JR., a 23-year-old resident of Hardin and an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Sentencing has been set for January 6, 2014. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On December 17, 2012, at approximately 9:00 a.m., ALDEN was recklessly driving a 1996 Ford pickup with two front seat passengers, one being the victim and one rear seat passenger. ALDEN crashed the vehicle at the Third Street exit off of Interstate 90 at Hardin, just within the exterior boundaries of the Crow Indian Reservation. The victim was killed in the crash.
The vehicle was registered to ALDEN's common-law wife. When interviewed following the crash, ALDEN couldn't remember driving, stating only, "it could have been me driving," or the crash itself.
The two surviving passengers were interviewed the day of the crash and recalled that ALDEN was driving during the crash. These accounts support evidence at the scene of the crash as officers reported that ALDEN had to be extricated from the vehicle, because he was pinned under the steering wheel during the course of the crash.
ALDEN admitted that he was drinking alcohol before the crash while he was driving the pickup. A sample of blood was collected from ALDEN approximately 3 hours post-crash and was sent to the FBI laboratory for analysis. Laboratory results indicated an ethanol concentration of .155 gram percent based on gas chromatography analysis.
ALDEN faces possible penalties of 8 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Cannonball Woman Sentenced to 19 Years for MurderRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Sept. 30, 2013, Alisha Crow Ghost, 23, Cannonball, N.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of second degree murder. Crow Ghost pleaded guilty to the charge on June 24, 2013.
Judge Hovland sentenced Crow Ghost to nineteen years and seven months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Crow Ghost was ordered to pay restitution of $5,000 and to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.
On Nov. 10, 2012, Crow Ghost stabbed a man at a residence in Cannonball, N.D. The man died as a result of the injuries he sustained.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Standing Rock Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme prosecuted the case.
Cannonball Man Sentenced for ArsonRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Sept. 30, 2013, Phoenix Martinez, 19, Cannonball, N.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of arson. Martinez pleaded guilty to the charge on June 7, 2013.
Judge Hovland sentenced Martinez to three years and four months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Martinez was ordered to pay restitution of $354,100 and to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.
On July 25, 2012, Martinez set fire to the St. James Episcopal Church in Cannonball. The church building was a total loss.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Standing Rock Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Delorme prosecuted the case.
Calif. Honey Broker Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Avoiding $39.2 Million in Tariffs on Chinese-Origin HoneyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A California woman was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for illegally transporting hundreds of container loads of Chinese-origin honey through the Chicago area after it entered the country illegally. The defendant, HUNG YI LIN, also known as “Katy Lin,” 42, of Temple City, Calif., pleaded guilty in May to three counts of violating U.S. importation laws by falsely declaring that the honey shipments contained sugars, syrups, and apple juice concentrate to avoid $39.2 million in anti-dumping duties.
Lin, who owns and operates KBB Express Inc., of South El Monte, Calif., and served as the U.S. agent for at least 12 importers that were controlled by Chinese honey producers and manufacturers, was sentenced to a year in prison on each of the three counts, to be served consecutively, by U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur. Lin was ordered to begin serving her sentence on Nov. 12. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $512,852 in unpaid tariffs.
“This sentence is the result of an extensive worldwide investigation that successfully dismantled the largest food fraud scheme in U.S. history,” said Gary Hartwig, Special Agent-in- Charge of HSI Chicago. “Lin’s illegal business practices cheated the U.S. government of nearly $40 million, while also inflicting damage on the domestic honey marketplace. We remain committed to protecting U.S. businesses from fraudulent trade practices, while fostering and facilitating the movement of legitimate trade across our borders that is critical to our economy.”
According to court documents, between 2009 and 2012, Lin schemed to falsify the importation documents for hundreds of containers of Chinese-origin honey by misrepresenting the contents as sugars and syrups. As a result, the honey, which had an aggregate declared value of nearly $11.5 million when it entered the country, avoided antidumping duties and honey assessments totaling $39.2 million.
The sentence was announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Mr. Hartwig, as well as officials with Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Chicago, and the Chicago Field Office of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations.
Lin was among a group of individuals and companies who were charged earlier this year in the second phase of an investigation led by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HIS). See: Two Companies and Five Individuals Charged With Roles in Illegal Honey Imports; Avoided $180 Million in AntiDumping Duties
In December 2001, the Commerce Department determined that Chinese-origin honey was being sold in the United States at less than fair market value, and imposed antidumping duties. The duties were as high as 221 percent of the declared value, and later were assessed against the entered net weight, currently at $2.63 per net kilogram, in addition to a “honey assessment fee” of one cent per pound of all honey. In October 2002, the Food and Drug Administration issued an import alert for honey containing the antibiotic Chloramphenicol, a broad spectrum antibiotic that is used to treat serious infections in humans, but which is not approved for use in honey. Honey containing certain antibiotics is deemed “adulterated” within the meaning of federal food and drug safety laws.
In 2008, federal authorities began investigating allegations involving circumventing antidumping duties through illegal imports, including transshipment and mislabeling, on the “supply side” of the honey industry. The second phase of the investigation involved the illegal buying, processing, and trading of honey that illegally entered the U.S. on the “demand side” of the industry.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros.
Bulgarian Citizen Extradited to U.S. to Face Indictment Charging Sale of Stolen Payment Card Data, Accounting Firm HacksRead the Press Release
Two Schemes Allegedly Caused More Than $56 Million in Losses
NEWARK, N.J. – Vanyo Minkov, 31, a citizen of the Republic of Bulgaria, is expected to appear in Newark federal court today following his extradition to face charges that he orchestrated two international conspiracies – to sell stolen payment card data and to file bogus tax returns using hacked information – that resulted in approximately $56 million in losses, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
As charged in the federal indictment, Minkov acquired stolen credit and debit card information and sold it online. He is also charged with hacking into the networks of multiple accounting firms to steal 2011 year tax filings from the firms’ clients, then using that information to file returns in their names the following year.
The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and the IRS led an investigation coordinated with the Sofia, Bulgaria Office of the USSS, the FBI and Bulgarian law enforcement to identify and arrest Minkov in Bulgaria. He has been in the custody of Bulgarian authorities since his arrest in late May 2013 and was extradited to the United States on Sept. 27, 2013.
According to documents filed in this case:
Between July 2011 and April 2013, Minkov participated in a scheme in which he sold stolen credit and debit card numbers and related personal identifying information online for profit. Minkov had multiple sources of the stolen data, including through the use of ATM skimming operations using specialized equipment to steal debit card information and PIN codes. Minkov obtained and sold stolen payment card data for more than 100,000 accounts during the course of the conspiracy. The losses caused by the scheme are currently estimated at approximately $50 million.
Some of the purchasers of the data paid using international money transfers sent from New Jersey.
Minkov also orchestrated a tax refund scheme, in which he and his co-conspirators hacked into the networks of multiple accounting firms and stole the firm’s clients’ tax filings for tax year 2011. Minkov and his conspirators then used the stolen information to file false and fraudulent tax returns for the 2012 tax year in the names of the accounting firms’ clients. Because Minkov used the previous returns, the fraudulent filings are more difficult to detect. To date, the IRS has identified approximately over $6 million in fraudulent claims made to the IRS in connection with the scheme.
The maximum potential penalties for each count are as follows:
Count
Violation
Maximum Potential Penalty
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
30 years; $1 million fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
2
Conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims
10 years; $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
3
Conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information
15 years; $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
4
Conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers
5 years; $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss from the offense
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the USSS, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James Mottola, and the IRS, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen, for the ongoing investigation leading to the charges. U.S. Attorney Fishman also thanked the FBI, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs in Washington and the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and its law enforcement partners for their extraordinary support.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Pak of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
13-397Minkov Indictment
Broward Resident Indicted in $4 Million Ponzi 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 Eric I. Bustillo, Regional Director, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), announce the filing of an indictment charging defendant Jenny Coplan, 54, of Lauderhill, with three counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. In a parallel action, the SEC announced civil charges against Coplan.
According to the indictment filed in this matter, Coplan was the president of Immigration General Services, LLC (IGS) and solicited investors for purported investments in federal bail and immigration bonds. Coplan promised investors interest rates exceeding sixty percent a year on their investments.
According to the indictment filed in this matter, to induce investors to invest money with IGS, Coplan made material oral misrepresentations, which included, among others, promises that the investments were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company, that the investments were secure and had little risk, and that Coplan had the experience and licenses to invest in these bonds. Further, to induce investors to invest money with IGS and to keep their investment with IGS, Coplan made material written misrepresentations to investors, including, among others, providing investors fraudulent and fictitious financial statements and fraudulent and fictitious e-mails from the bond corporation in which investors were purportedly investing.
Induced by Coplan’s misrepresentations, the indictment alleges, investors invested approximately $4 million with Coplan by wiring money, writing checks, or providing cash to Coplan. Rather than investing the money in the bonds as promised, Coplan used the monies from new investors to pay old investors and used the money for her personal use and benefit.
If convicted, the defendant faces a possible maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud.
Mr. Ferrer thanked the FBI and SEC for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger.
An indictment is only an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Brooklyn Man Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 18 Years in Prison for Providing Material Support to Al QaedaRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SABIRHAN HASANOFF was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 18 years in prison for providing and attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda associates in Yemen and elsewhere, and for conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda over the course of nearly three years. HASANOFF, who was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and transferred to United States custody, pled guilty in June 2012 to one count of providing and attempting to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, and one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda. He pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood, who also imposed today’s sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “Today’s sentence reflects the egregiousness of Sabirhan Hasanoff’s conduct. The defendant not only funneled equipment capable of being used for nefarious purposes and thousands of dollars to al Qaeda operatives abroad, he also travelled to U.S. soil to surveil a major New York landmark for a potential terrorist attack. We will not hesitate to continue, with our law enforcement partners, to pursue individuals engaged in similar behavior, and do what we can to ensure they are brought to justice.”
According to various public filings and sworn statements made by the defendant during proceedings in Manhattan federal court:
From 2007 through late 2009, HASANOFF, supported al Qaeda in a variety of ways. HASANOFF and his co-defendant, Wesam El-Hanafi, sent equipment, including remote-controlled devices capable of use in an explosives attack, to terrorist operatives abroad. In addition, HASANOFF and El-Hanafi together funneled approximately $67,000 to al Qaeda operatives overseas. HASANOFF and El-Hanafi collected some of this money from a third individual who resided in the United States. During this time, both defendants used aliases to disguise the source of their money when making cash donations to their terrorist contacts, and made extensive plans for travel to engage in jihad in Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
In August 2008, HASANOFF entered the United States from abroad, travelled to New York City, and performed surveillance on the New York Stock Exchange – all on instructions from overseas terrorists who were considering the location for a possible attack. The information that HASANOFF gathered on the Stock Exchange was then sent to the terror operatives.
In addition to his prison term, HASANOFF, 37, a dual citizen of the United States and Australia, who resided in Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment fee and forfeiture in the amount of $70,000.
El-Hanafi pled guilty in June 2012 to one count of providing and attempting to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda, and one count of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al Qaeda. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York-based Joint Terrorism Task Force – which principally consists of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives of the New York City Police Department. Mr. Bharara thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs, the Kansas City-based JTTF, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri for their extraordinary assistance in this matter.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Cronan, Aimee Hector, Glen Kopp, Michael Lockard, and Brendan R. McGuire are in charge of the prosecution.
Arkansas Man Sentenced for $257,000 Fraud Scheme, Barred from Entering Walmart StoresRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Smack Over, Ark., man was sentenced in federal court today for a $257,000 fraud scheme that involved switching bar codes on products at Wal-Mart stores then selling the products on eBay.
Carlton D. Newsome, 35, of Smack Over, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to 30 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Newsome to pay $257,195 in restitution to Wal-Mart, and barred him from entering any Wal-Mart stores for three years after he is released from prison, while on supervised release.
On March 13, 2013, Newsome pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Newsome purchased embroidery machines from Wal-Mart stores in a dozen states between Dec. 28, 2004, and July 13, 2008. Newsome switched the bar codes from less expensive embroidery machines; for example, putting a bar code from a $78 machine on a $397 machine so that he could purchase the machine at the lower price. Newsome then sold the machines through eBay for several hundred dollars apiece.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William L. Meiners and Jess Michaelsen. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department.
Arizona Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Arson ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Dennis Henry Bainbridge, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Teec Nos Pos, Ariz., was sentenced on Sept. 26, 2013 to a year and a day in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his arson conviction.
Bainbridge was arrested on April 25, 2013 based on a criminal complaint charging him with arson. He subsequently was indicted on that same charge.
Bainbridge pleaded guilty to the indictment on July 10, 2013, and admitted that on March 11, 2013, he maliciously set fire to a vehicle owned by a Navajo woman which was parked near a residence in Shiprock, N.M., which is located within the Navajo Indian Reservation. According to court filings, witnesses saw Bainbridge douse the victim’s vehicle with gasoline and set it on fire. When Bainbridge was arrested after he fled from the scene of the arson, officers found a jug of gasoline and a lighter in Bainbridge’s vehicle.
The case was investigated by the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the Farmington office of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback.
27 September 2013
York County Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Omar Sierre Folk, age 32, of York, Pennsylvania, was sentenced Thursday by Senior United States District Court Judge William W. Caldwell to serve 264 months in prison and five years of supervised release for the distribution of crack cocaine and firearms offenses. Folk was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, on September 1, 2011, local law enforcement arrested Folk after an attempted sale of crack cocaine. A subsequent search of his residence recovered approximately 144 grams of crack cocaine and a firearm.
Folk was indicted in October 2011 and convicted in August 2012 of distributing of over 280 grams of crack cocaine in and around York County from 2009 to September 2011, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked in conjunction with the York County Drug Task Force and the Pennsylvania State Police in this investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Consiglio.Westminster Developer Arrested, Charged with Bank FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Westminster man was charged today in U.S. District Court in Worcester with defrauding Colonial Cooperative Bank in Gardner, Mass.
Lance N. Korich, 53, was indicted with four counts of bank fraud.
The indictment alleges that, from 2008 to 2010, Korich applied for four construction loans at Colonial Cooperative Bank in Gardner. In support of those loans, Korich submitted false and fraudulent purchase and sale agreements. In particular, Korich fabricated the names of the purported home buyers and forged their signatures on the purchase and sale agreements.
If convicted, Korich faces up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karin M. Bell of Ortiz’s Worcester Branch Office.
The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Week in Review – South BendRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Mary Hatton
www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/ CELL: (219) 314-9993
South Bend, Indiana —The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in Federal Court:
PLEAS:
Alicia Green, 27, of South Bend, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher A. Nuechterlein to the felony offense of conspiracy to defraud the United States Department of the Treasury. Magistrate Nuechterlein is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea.Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has been set for 1/3/2014.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.
Javier Montoya, of Howe, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Christopher A. Nuechterlein to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Magistrate Nuechterlein is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea.Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has been set for 1/3/2014. This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by Drug Enforcement Administration.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Grimmer.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
DISPOSITIONS:
Jose Nambo, 32, of Anne, Illinois was sentenced by District Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. to 70 months imprisonment with 4 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of knowingly and intentionally conspiring to deliver a mixture or substance that contained over five hundred 500 grams of cocaine and/or over 100 kilograms of marijuana.According to documents filed in this case, between May 29, 2012, and July 16, 2012, Nambo was involved with delivering marijuana and cocaine in the Logansport, Indiana area. This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.
Andre Bradford, 35, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 41 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of heroin.This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Bend Police Department.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.
Week in Review – HammondRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Mary Hatton
www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/ CELL: (219) 314-9993
Hammond, Indiana - The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in Federal Court:
PLEAS:
Eugene Wilson, Sr., 57, of Merrillville, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of wire fraud.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.
Simmuel Mobley, 46, of Gary, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas McGrath.
Jose Montoya, 40, of Summit, Illinois, a defendant in the case US v Ramirez et al., pled guilty before Senior District Judge James Moody to the felony offense of kidnapping.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
DISPOSITIONS:
Wesley King, 42, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 70 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.King has a prior felony conviction for murder, narcotics offenses and reckless driving.According to documents filed in this case, King fired a weapon at an individual who was attempting to burglarize his home.This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Gary Police Department.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Kolar.
Nalon Edmonds, 22, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 18 months imprisonment and 1 year of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of possession of a firearm while being an unlawful user of marijuana.According to documents filed in this case, Edmonds approached individuals as they came to a gas station and attempted to sell marijuana to them. Edmonds, while attempting to sell the marijuana, was in possession of a Taurus .45 caliber firearm. The firearm was fully loaded, with 1 round of ammunition in the chamber. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Indiana University Northwest Police Department.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.
Jesus Vasquez was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 21 months imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of cocaine.This case was the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
Monta Oliver, 36, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by District Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to 27 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of crack cocaine.This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation GRIT Task Force.This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Armando Salinas.
Jon Erik Lilly, 28, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 144 months imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of receipt of child pornography.According to a Complaint filed in this case, a Hammond Police Department officer, while working off duty at Morton High School, was made aware of a situation involving a male teacher, later identified as Lilly, having a sexual relationship with a female student.During a subsequent investigation, law enforcement conducted a search of Lilly’s residence and found multiple hundreds of sexually explicit images of at least 10 different females, five or more of who were identified as former students. This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Hammond Police Department.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
Diontria Frazier, 23, of Indianapolis, Indiana, a defendant in the case US v Harris et al., was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 1 day credit for time served, 3 years supervised release and restitution jointly and severally with all defendants after pleading guilty to the felony offense of conspiracy to commit fraud with identification documents.According to documents filed in this case, the defendants obtained the account and personal information of individuals in over 21 states and fraudulently added their names to the victims’ accounts in an account takeover scheme. The defendants either utilized their own names or utilized aliases with the accounts which had been taken over. They purchased gift cards, Postal Money Orders, and made numerous retail purchases with the fraudulently obtained credit cards throughout Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Georgia. They also made cash withdrawals on the accounts and utilized the convenience checks associated with the accounts at various financial institutions located in Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Georgia. Throughout the criminal conduct, the defendants would also mail gift cards, Postal money orders, and U.S. currency from Indiana and Wisconsin to Georgia. This case was the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General.This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Toi Houston.
Week in Review – Fort WayneRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Mary Hatton
www.usdoj.gov/usao/inn/ CELL: (219) 314-9993
Fort Wayne, Indiana —The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following activity in Federal Court:
PLEA:
Kameron Kutzli, 22, of Dunkirk, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey to the felony offense of retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant. Magistrate Cosbey is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea.Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has not been set.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives .This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Geller.
Juan Corona, 33, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey to the felony offense of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Magistrate Cosbey is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea.Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has not been set.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation .This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Miller Lowery.
Tyson Allen, 26, of Bluffton, Indiana, pled guilty before Magistrate Judge Roger B. Cosbey to the felony offense of retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant. Magistrate Cosbey is recommending that the district court accept the tendered guilty plea.Parties have 14 days in which to object to the magistrate judge’s recommendation. Sentencing has not been set.This charge was filed as a result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives .This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Geller.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Wayne County Man Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Sons of Anarchy MerchandiseRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Ryan Breen, 33, of Savannah, N.Y., who was convicted of selling counterfeit items from the popular FX Network Television series "Sons of Anarchy," was sentenced to five months in prison and five months home confinement by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara. The defendant was also ordered to pay $5,394.15 in restitution to Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment Group, the producer and exclusive owner of the Sons of Anarchy TV series and its logos.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James C. Spero.
According to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Fauzia K Mattingly, who handled the case, Breen was identified as the owner and operator of various web sites which offered for sale over the Internet customized counterfeit t-shirts and goods using the Sons of Anarchy trademark without the permission of Fox. The defendant's web sites were seized by federal agents as part of a nationwide crackdown aimed at combating intellectual property theft.Wakpala Man Charged with Second Degree Murder and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Wakpala, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Second Degree Murder and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Stoney End of Horn, age 25, was indicted on September 17, 2013. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William A. Gerdes on September 24, 2013, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
End of Horn is alleged to have assaulted the victim in September of 2008 near Wakpala. The 2008 assault resulted in a closed head injury to the victim, who later died as a result of the injury.
The charges are merely an accusation and End of Horn is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikal Hanson is prosecuting the case.
End of Horn was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.United States Attorney Stephen R. Wigginton Announces Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement Positions
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the Southern District of Illinois.
The grantee in this area was the Village of Cahokia in the amount of $125,000.00, to allow for the hiring of an additional police officer.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,” said United States Attorney Wigginton.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.gov.
United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. Announces Tulsa Police Department Awarded $1.25 Million DOJ GrantRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr., in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced a funding award for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
In the Northern District of Oklahoma, the Tulsa Police Department was awarded $1,250,000 to fund 10 new law enforcement positions.
“Community policing emphasizes proactive measures intended to address the factors that give rise to crime and disorder. Our law enforcement officers are the first line of defense against crime and keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing this grant which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission. I have congratulated Tulsa Chief of Police Chuck Jordan on receiving this award to support his commitment to community policing in the City of Tulsa.”
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.s. Department of Justice Announces $1,712,344 in Grants to Maryland Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement Positions
Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the District of Maryland.
The grantees and amount awarded include:
Baltimore Police Department awarded $1,250,000 to hire 10 officers; Town of Bladensburg awarded $125,000 to hire one officer; Hagerstown Police Department awarded $250,000 to hire two officers; Seat Pleasant Police Department awarded $87,344 to hire one officer.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
“Keeping our children safe from violent crime, drugs and gangs is of critical importance,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “These grants will help provide communities with the resources to improve school safety.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Pinnacle BankRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office has intervened in a lawsuit against Pinnacle Bank (Pinnacle) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming according to U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts. The whistleblower lawsuit was originally filed in May 2012 by Hospitality Management, Inc., under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to sue on behalf of the United States when they believe that someone has submitted false claims for government funds. The complaint alleges that Pinnacle made false statements to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) regarding a loan under the SBA’s “504 Loan Program.”
Background of the 504 Loan Program
The 504 Loan Program is designed to provide small businesses with long-term financing to cover a portion of the cost to acquire major fixed assets. The loans are funded by the sale of debentures guaranteed by the United States. Financing of 504 Loan Program projects typically consists of (1) a contribution from the borrower covering approximately 10 percent of the project costs; (2) a loan obtained from a Certified Development Company and assigned to the SBA, covering approximately 40 percent of the project costs and certain administrative costs, collateralized by a second lien on the project property; and (3) a loan secured from a private sector lender covering the remainder of the project costs (approximately 50 percent) and collateralized by a first lien on the project property. If a borrower defaults on a 504 loan, the United States must expend taxpayer dollars to repurchase the debenture used to fund the loan pursuant to the guarantee, effectively buying the bad debt. Because of this risk, the 504 Loan Program requires that participating banks must make certain certifications to the SBA regarding the financial condition of the borrower before the government will approve the loan and guarantee the debenture.
Specifics of the Lawsuit
According to the complaint, Pinnacle Bank, which had provided the Columbine Group, LLC, (developer of the hotel) with an interim construction loan for the AmericInn Lodge and Suites located in Laramie, Wyoming, falsely certified to the SBA that at the time of closing on permanent financing for the project: (1) it had no knowledge of any un-remedied substantial adverse change in Columbine’s financial condition since the date of the application for the SBA loan, (2) Columbine was current on its payments to Pinnacle and not otherwise in default of the loan, and (3) Pinnacle had disclosed to the SBA all material information know to it. Columbine later defaulted on its loans and the United States was required to repurchase the debenture pursuant to its guarantee.
The False Claims Act permits the government to recover three times its damages plus civil penalties. The private plaintiffs who bring these claims are entitled to receive a share of any funds recovered through the lawsuit. The government has asked the court for 30 days to file its own complaint stating the United States’ allegations.
U.S. Department of Justice Awards GrantsFor Public Safety in Eastern District of MichiganRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., and U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade, announced funding awards for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The grantees and amounts awarded include:
CITY # OF OFFICERS ESTIMATED AWARD AMOUNT
City of Detroit 10 $1,884,390
City of Flint 6 $1,119,897
Harper Woods PD 1 $ 174,972
City of River Rouge 1 $ 125,000
Waterford Township 2 $ 250,000
Attorney General Eric Holder said, “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
In addition to the COPS grants, the Department of Justice, through its Office of Justice Programs, will award $1.5 million to Wayne County in the form of a Justice Assistance Grant – of which the City of Detroit will receive roughly $1 million. The majority of these funds will be used to purchase law enforcement technology and equipment to bolster the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement operations.
Additionally, through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Justice Department will award $100,000 to the Michigan Department of Corrections. This funding will support the Detroit Reentry Center Project – assisting with the release of parolees in Wayne County, and helping to contain future prison growth. These goals are in line with the “Smart on Crime” initiative Attorney General Holder announced last month, which is designed to improve public safety, reduce recidivism, redirect criminal justice spending, and ensure fair and appropriate sentences – along with other positive outcomes.
Further, through the Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the City of Detroit was awarded more than $170,000 which will allow the city to continue its work as part of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.Lastly, the Detroit Police Department’s Detroit AmeriCorps Urban Safety Bike Watch will receive $49,998 as part of the 2013 Community Policing Development Awards.
“We in the Eastern District of Michigan are grateful that the U.S. Department of Justice is providing funding to help address our public safety challenges,” said U.S. Attorney McQuade.U.S. Attorney’s Office Receives $500,000 Grant to Help Oakland Police Department Curb Gangs and Reduce Gun ViolenceRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND – The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $500,000 grant to the Northern District of California to support the Oakland Police Department under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.
The BJA, a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the Department of Justice, awarded $5.1 million in PSN grants to sixteen communities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California, applied for and received a $500,000 competitive grant award to assist the Oakland Police Department in curbing gangs and reducing gun violence. This was the only PSN award made in California and was one of only sixteen awards made from nearly seventy applications in a national competition. Grants ranged in size from $150,000 to $500,000. Only six awards of $500,000 were made in the country.PSN is a strategy for combating gun violence and gang crime that builds on the latest research, community partnerships, strategic planning, training, outreach and accountability. As part of the PSN program, the U.S. Attorney and federal partners work side-by-side with local and state law enforcement and others to tailor a PSN strategy to fit the unique gun and gang crime problems in a community. The program’s effectiveness is based on the cooperation of local, state and federal agencies engaged in a unified approach led by the U.S. Attorney.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to combating violent crime in the City of Oakland continues with vigor. Every day Federal law enforcement works hand-in-hand with the Oakland Police Department and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office to target perpetrators of gang, drug, and gun violence. The U.S. Marshal’s fugitive apprehension efforts, the ATF’s Operation Gideon, the DEA and the U.S. Secret Services’ takedown of the Burnout Family Mafia, the FBI’s Operation Red Dawn, which targeted members of the Nuestra Familia, and Project Safe Schools, which subjected peddlers of drugs near elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools to significant sentences, are but a handful of recent collaborative operations,” stated U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag. “PSN looks at the entire spectrum of violence in a community from prevention, intervention, suppression, enforcement, and re-entry. Today’s new grant of $500,000 is well-deserved and will substantially assist the City of Oakland in expanding upon a comprehensive violence reduction and prevention program,” added Ms. Haag.
This particular grant will assist the City of Oakland in coordinating the many entities that are needed in creating and maintaining an effective violence reduction strategy that focuses on the small group of serious offenders that drive the majority of the violence in Oakland. This grant provides funding for a full time senior level manager tasked with coordinating all of the necessary pieces for a proven violence reduction strategy that employs partnership among enforcement agencies, community leaders and the clergy to achieve near-term community-wide reductions in shootings.
The 16 awardees and districts are: California Emergency Management Agency (Northern District of California); Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (Northern District of Ohio); Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (Northern District of Illinois); Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (Western District of Washington); Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (District of Maryland); Safe City Commission (Northern District of Texas); City of Chattanooga Comprehensive Gang Task Force (Eastern District of Tennessee); New Mexico Department of Public Safety (District of New Mexico); Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance (Western District of Wisconsin); City of Omaha, Neb. (District of Nebraska); Justice Grants Administration (District of Columbia); Hoyleton Youth and Family Services (Southern District of Illinois); City of Memphis (Western District of Tennessee); state of Maine (District of Maine); Public Safety Grant Administration Office (District of Rhode Island) and City of Erie Police Department (Western District of Pennsylvania).
The Northern District of California received $500,000 from the PSN program in 2012. Those grant funds went to the City of Salinas to implement a Violence Interrupter Program operated through a local non-profit, Second Chance.
More information on President Obama’s plan to reduce gun violence is available at: www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at http://www.ojp.gov
U.S. Attorney, Doj Announce Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the District of Connecticut.
The grantees and amount awarded include:
City of Bridgeport $2,247,250
Farmington Police Department $125,000
City of Hartford $1,794,000
Norwich Police Department $500,000In addition to these COPS funding awards, earlier today the Justice Department announced that the Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) will provide $150,000 in Fiscal Year 2013 funding to the Town of Newtown to fund two positions to ensure school safety, such as school resource officers.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department’s latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“Protecting our children and maintaining our schools as a safe and enriching learning environment are critically important, and I am pleased to join the Attorney General, the COPS Office and BJA in announcing these grants,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daly. “This funding will help provide Bridgeport, Farmington, Hartford, Newtown and Norwich with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission.”
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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(203) 821-3722 [email protected]U.S. Attorney William C. Killian Announces Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement Positions
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Attorney William C. Killian, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
The grantees and amount awarded include: $112,282 to the City of Clinton; $1,000,000 to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department; and $439,077 to the Johnson City Bureau of Police.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,” said U.S. Attorney Killian.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer Announces Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement Positions
United States Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the Southern District of Florida.
The Southern District of Florida has been awarded grants totaling $8,118,029 to the following Police Departments and/or their respective municipalities for the hiring of police officers: Ft. Pierce Police Department, Hendry County Sheriff's Department, Key West Police Department, City of Lauderdale Lakes, Metropolitan Dade County, Miami Gardens Police Department, City of Miami, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Police Department, the City of Opa-Locka, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, and the City of West Palm Beach.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission.”
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
U.S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby Announces Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement PositionsSpokane – United Sates Attorney Michael C. Ormsby, in conjunction with the United States Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the Eastern District of Washington. The following grantees each received an award in the amount of $125,000: Asotin City Police Department; Garfield County Sherriff's Department; the City of Quincy; and the Spokane Police Department.
"In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children."
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
"Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission," said U.S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby.
"The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues," said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. "Funding from this year's program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety."
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis Announces Hiring Grant for Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss - U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), announced a funding award granted today to the Moss Point Police Department for the hiring of two additional officers. The estimated value of the award is $157,316.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.“Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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U.S. Attorney Durkan Announces Critical Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan announced today that five police departments in western Washington have been awarded Department of Justice grants to fund additional officers under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. The Seattle Police Department received the largest grant – $1.25 million – for ten officer positions. Auburn Police Department received $625,000 to fund five police positions. Pierce County, Port Angeles and Sequim each received $125,000 to fund the salary and benefits of one police officer. This year the grants are particularly focused on those departments developing school safety programs.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it’s clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department’s latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
“Every additional cop on the streets helps community safety. These grants focus on needs identified by communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “We know that 10 new officers in Seattle will help fight crime in troubled areas. And for some of our smaller communities, such as Sequim, the addition of one officer who can focus on school safety can improve the lives of hundreds of young people.”
In addition to the COPS grants to fund personnel, the Tacoma Police Department also received $43,344 to fund its at-risk youth project.
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom Announces Hiring GrantsFor Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the District of Kansas.
The grantees and amount awarded include:
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department: $105,631
Leavenworth Police Department: $125,000
Lenexa Police Department: $125,000
Ottawa Police Department: $125,000
City of Tonganoxie: $115,870
City of Valley Center: $95,011.“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. Attorney Announces Hiring Grants for School Safety Officers in BethlehemRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the Bethlehem Police Department. The Department is being allotted $625,000 for the hiring of five school resource officers.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions. Bethlehem will hire one resource officer for the high school and four officers for the middle school.
“Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,” said Zane David Memeger.“Bethlehem is a safe city because we make safely a priority,” said Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan. “The additional police officers in our schools will help ensure our dedication to public safety, as well as increase our interaction with the students in our schools in partnership with the Bethlehem Area School District.”
“We take the safety and security of our children very seriously,” said Bethlehem Police Chief Craig Finerty. “Being awarded this grant will help us improve our commitment to our community by giving us the ability to assign School Resource Officers to our schools.”
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525U.S. Attorney Announces Hiring Grants for Jacksonville and Jonesboro Police DepartmentsRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK – U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Thyer, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), announced today funding awards for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The amount awarded to grantees include: $118,975 to the Jacksonville Police Department and $500,000 to the Jonesboro Police Department.
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years. Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans.
“In these challenging economic times, it is vital to our communities to keep our police presence strong,” stated Thyer. “These DOJ grants provide much needed funding to the Jacksonville and Jonesboro Police Departments to do just that. Employing new officers and/or keeping them on the job helps these departments better serve their citizens. Additionally, my office depends on our partnership with local law enforcement agencies to help bring criminals to justice. It’s impossible to put a dollar value on the peace and safety provided to each of us every day by the commitment of these men and women. I commend Jacksonville and Jonesboro Police Departments for their dedication and congratulate them on their grant awards.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally
“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. Attorney Announces Hiring Grant to City of Reno for Law Enforcement and School Safety OfficersRead the Press Release
-Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement Positions-
RENO, Nev. – Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for Nevada, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), is pleased to announce that today the U.S. Department of Justice awarded a grant of $750,000 to the City of Reno for the hiring of six law enforcement officers.
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance and I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden.“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall Announces Hiring Grants for Law Enforcement and School Safety Officers Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement PositionsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. - U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), today announced funding awards for the District of Oregon. The grantees and amount awarded include:
$125,000 Junction City, Oregon 1 Officer
$375,000 City of Medford, Oregon 3 Officers
$125,000 Sutherlin Police Department 1 Officer
$157,320 City of Winston, Oregon 1 Officer
“In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children.”
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
“When I convened the "Call To Action Summit" on combatting gun violence, we identified school resource officers as a crucial piece of ensuring our children are safe when they go to school," said U.S. Attorney, Amanda Marshall. "I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this vital mission,”“The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues,” said Joshua Ederheimer, Acting Director of the COPS Office. “Funding from this year’s program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety.”
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded over $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
U.S. ATTORNEY ANNOUNCES $3.8 MILLION IN HIRING GRANTS FOR ALABAMA LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICERS Funds Will Hire School Resource Officers and Critical Law Enforcement PositionsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, today announced $3.8 million in law enforcement hiring grants statewide, including about $1 million in the Northern District of Alabama.
The police and sheriff's departments in North Alabama receiving $999,839 in COPS grants are the Etowah County Sheriff's Department, $261,734; Heflin Police Department, $107,300; Jasper Police Department, $218,420; Pell City Police Department, $223,626; and Talladega Police Department, $188,759. In addition, statewide, the Alabama Department of Public Safety is to receive $1,875,000 and the Mobile Police Department $926,993.
"In the wake of past tragedies, it's clear that we need to be willing to take all possible steps to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "These critical investments represent the Justice Department's latest effort to strengthen key law enforcement capabilities, and to provide communities with the resources they need to protect our young people. Especially in a time of increased challenges and limited budgets, our top priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children."
Overall the COPS Office funded awards to 263 cities and counties, aimed at creating 937 law enforcement positions. More than $125 million will be awarded nationally, including nearly $45 million to fund 356 new school resource officer positions.
"Keeping our children safe when they go to school is of critical importance," Vance said. "I am pleased to join the Attorney General and the COPS Office in announcing these grants, which will help provide our communities with the resources needed to accomplish this, and other vital law enforcement missions," Vance said."The COPS Office is pleased to assist local law enforcement agencies throughout the country address their most critical public safety issues," said Joshua Ederheimer, acting director of the COPS Office. "Funding from this year's program will allow many cities and counties to apply new sworn personnel to issues related to violent crime, property crime, and school safety."
The COPS Hiring Program offers grants to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire community-policing officers. The program provides the salary and benefits for officer and deputy hires for three years.
With this year's grants in North Alabama, the Etowah County Sheriff's Department is awarded the salaries of three officers, the Heflin Police Department receives one, and the Jasper, Pell City and Talladega police departments each receive salaries for two officers, Vance said.
Across Alabama, the Department of Public Safety has been awarded salaries for 15 officers, and the Mobile Police Department has received funding for 10 officers.
Grantees for the 2013 hiring program were selected based on their fiscal needs, local crime rates, and their community policing plans. There was an additional focus this year on agencies requesting assistance in developing school safety programs that would include the hiring of a school resource officer. School resource officer positions funded by the COPS Office are sworn law enforcement positions that work within a school district or facility, interacting directly with school administrators and students.
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 125,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.
For the entire list of grantees and additional information about the 2013 COPS Hiring Program, visit the COPS website at www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Two South Dakota Men Plead Guilty to Federal Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Two men who crossed state lines to commit sex acts with a minor pled guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Mensur Malik, age 22, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was convicted of one count of transporting a minor across a state line with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Salim Issa, age 22, from Sioux Falls, was convicted of one count of traveling across a state line for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.At a plea hearing on September 23, 2013, Malik admitted that, in July 2012, he transported a minor female from Iowa to South Dakota with the intent to engage in sexual activity with her. At a plea hearing on September 13, 2013, Issa admitted that, in July 2012, when he and Malik traveled from South Dakota to Iowa, he intended to have sex with the minor female.
Sentencings before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after presentence reports are prepared. Both Malik and Issa remain in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Malik faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and supervised release for 5 years to life following his imprisonment. Issa faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and supervised release for 5 years to life following his imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Clear Lake, Iowa, Police Department, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.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 13-3024.
Two Miami-area Residents Indicted for Alleged Roles <br /> in $190 Million Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Two Miami-area residents were indicted in connection with their alleged participation in a $190 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations Miami Office made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed.
Mayelin Santoyo, 28, and Jose Martin Olivares, 36, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive illegal health care kickbacks, and two counts of receiving health care kickbacks. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.
According to the indictment, the scheme that Santoyo and Olivares allegedly participated in lasted from approximately February 2006 to October 2010. The scheme was orchestrated by the owners and operators of American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC) and its management company, Medlink Professional Management Group Inc. (Medlink). ATC and Medlink were Florida corporations headquartered in Miami. ATC operated purported partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), a form of intensive treatment for severe mental illness, in seven different locations throughout South Florida and Orlando. Both corporations have been defunct since their owners were arrested in October 2010.
The indictment alleges that Santoyo and Olivares served as patient brokers who provided ineligible patients to ATC in exchange for kickbacks in the form of checks and cash. The amount of the kickback was based on the number of days each recruited patient spent at ATC. Throughout the course of the ATC conspiracy, millions of dollars in kickbacks were paid in exchange for Medicare beneficiaries who did not qualify for PHP services and who attended treatment programs that were not legitimate PHPs so that ATC could bill Medicare for the medically unnecessary services. According to court filings, to obtain the cash required to support the kickbacks, the co-conspirators laundered millions of dollars of payments from Medicare.
ATC, Medlink, and various owners, managers, doctors, therapists, patient brokers and marketers of ATC and Medlink have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial. In September 2011, ATC owner Lawrence Duran was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in orchestrating and executing the scheme to defraud Medicare.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Anne P. McNamara and Robert A. Zink of the Fraud Section.
Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine locations have charged more than 1,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.Two Miami-Area Residents Indicted for Alleged Roles in $190 Million Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Two Miami-area residents were indicted in connection with their alleged participation in a $190 million Medicare fraud scheme.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida; Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations Miami Office made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed.
Mayelin Santoyo, 28, and Jose Martin Olivares, 36, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive illegal health care kickbacks, and two counts of receiving health care kickbacks. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.
According to the indictment, the scheme that Santoyo and Olivares allegedly participated in lasted from approximately February 2006 to October 2010. The scheme was orchestrated by the owners and operators of American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC) and its management company, Medlink Professional Management Group Inc. (Medlink). ATC and Medlink were Florida corporations headquartered in Miami. ATC operated purported partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), a form of intensive treatment for severe mental illness, in seven different locations throughout South Florida and Orlando. Both corporations have been defunct since their owners were arrested in October 2010.
The indictment alleges that Santoyo and Olivares served as patient brokers who provided ineligible patients to ATC in exchange for kickbacks in the form of checks and cash. The amount of the kickback was based on the number of days each recruited patient spent at ATC. Throughout the course of the ATC conspiracy, millions of dollars in kickbacks were paid in exchange for Medicare beneficiaries who did not qualify for PHP services and who attended treatment programs that were not legitimate PHPs so that ATC could bill Medicare for the medically unnecessary services. According to court filings, to obtain the cash required to support the kickbacks, the co-conspirators laundered millions of dollars of payments from Medicare.
ATC, Medlink, and various owners, managers, doctors, therapists, patient brokers and marketers of ATC and Medlink have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial. In September 2011, ATC owner Lawrence Duran was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in orchestrating and executing the scheme to defraud Medicare.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Anne P. McNamara and Robert A. Zink of the Fraud Section.
Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine locations have charged more than 1,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Three Time Convicted Felon from Nicholasville Sentenced to 15 Years for Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, KY - Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Stuart L. Lowrey, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Barry Waldrop, Nicholasville Police Chief and Kevin Corman, Jessamine County Sheriff, jointly announced today that a man with several prior felony convictions was sentenced for a firearm offense.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced 35 year-old Troy Lee Mellott to 15 years in prison for possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense. Under federal law, convicted felons are prohibited from possessing firearms.
Judge Reeves enhanced Mellott’s sentence because Mellott’s criminal history classified him as an “armed career criminal.” Defendants become armed career criminals when they are convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm after having convictions for three or more violent felonies or serious drug offenses. Because Mellott is an armed career criminal, he was subject by law to the minimum statutory sentence of 15 years to up to life imprisonment.
Mellott admitted that on December 10, 2012, he unlawfully possessed a .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol that he pawned at a pawn shop in Nicholasville, KY.
Mellott pleaded guilty to the charges in June of 2013.
Under federal law, Mellott must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence and will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years following the completion of his prison term.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hydee R. Hawkins and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Hayne.