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Friday 9 August 2013
Lieutenant of Major Mexican Drug Cartel SentencedRead the Press Release
Mario Escamilla, a high-ranking lieutenant of the Fernando Sanchez-Arellano drug trafficking organization, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for his role as leader of the cartel’s U.S. operations, which included kidnappings and murders.
Escamilla is the 39th of 43 defendants charged in the case in July of 2010 to plead guilty. The original complaint charged that defendants participated in a federal racketeering (RICO) conspiracy involving murder, kidnaping, robbery, drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. As set forth in the complaint, the defendants are members and associates of the Fernando Sanchez Organization (FSO), an offshoot of the Arellano-Felix cartel.
Escamilla pleaded guilty in January of 2012 to the RICO conspiracy and narcotics distribution conspiracy charges. In his plea agreement, he admitted to involvement in three murder conspiracies – all of which were prevented by law enforcement.
In the sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Robinson wrote that Escamilla targeted people for assassination for frivolous reasons – like stealing a relatively small quantity of marijuana, or for “disrespecting” the cartel leadership.
“Escamilla confirmed through his conduct in this case that he has no qualms about committing murder, no matter how trivial the justification is for doing so,” prosecutors wrote. Because of court-authorized electronic surveillance in this case and the diligence of the law enforcement officers handling this investigation, defendant Escamilla failed in his attempts at killing the above-noted individuals.
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes noted that “the conduct of Mr. Escamilla can only be described as aggravated . . . he conspired to murder three people in cold blood and he participated in the trafficking of a significant amount of methamphetamine, one of the most addictive and destructive controlled substances our society must deal with.”
Of the remaining four defendants, two are fugitives, one is believed to be dead, and the lead defendant in the case, Armando Villareal-Heredia, was extradited to the United States on May 23, 2012; his trial is scheduled to begin on October 22, 2013.
Also charged in this case was Jesus Quiñones Marques, the Director of International Liaison for the Baja California Attorney General’s Office. According to court documents, Quinones was aware of the FSO’s illegal activities and used his position to obtain confidential law enforcement information for the use of the FSO. According to his plea agreement, he was involved in making arrangements to have various rivals of the FSO arrested and detained by Mexican law enforcement officials. He was sentenced to 97 months in prison in September of 2012.
This case was the result of a long-term investigation conducted by the multi-agency San Diego Cross Border Violence Task Force (CBVTF). The CBVTF was formulated to target those individuals involved in organized crime-related violent activities affecting both the United States and Mexico. Law enforcement personnel assigned to the CBVTF made extensive use of courtauthorized wiretaps and other sophisticated investigative techniques to develop the significant evidence which led to the charges in this case.
United States Attorney Duffy praised the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) for the coordinated team effort in the culmination of this investigation, “Operation Luz Verde.”
Agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, San Diego Sheriff’s Office, Chula Vista Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, San Diego District Attorney’s Office, and California Department of Justice participated in this OCDETF investigation. The OCDETF program was created to consolidate and utilize all law enforcement resources in this country’s battle against organized crime and major drug trafficking organizations.
DEFENDANT Case Number 10CR3044-WQH Mario Escamilla SUMMARY OF CHARGESTitle 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d) - Conspiracy to Conduct Enterprise Affairs
Through a Pattern of Racketeering Activity (RICO conspiracy)
Maximum penalties: Life in prison, $250,000 fineTitle 21, United States Code, Sections 846 and 841(a)(1) - Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Maximum penalties: Life in prison, $10,000,000 fineFederal Bureau of Investigation
Chula Vista Police Department
San Diego Police Department
Drug Enforcement Administration
San Diego Sheriff’s Office
U.S. Marshals Service
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
California Department of JusticeLaw Enforcement Officials Announce Results of Southern W.va. Sex Offender Registration Compliance BlitzRead the Press Release
Operation Coal Dust found 10 sex offenders out of compliance
LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. – A major two-day law enforcement blitz aimed at verifying compliance of more than 200 registered sex offenders currently residing in three southern West Virginia counties resulted in numerous arrests, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, U.S. Marshal John D. Foster, and West Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Jay Smithers announced today during a press conference in Chapmanville, W.Va.
The initiative, known as Operation Coal Dust, is a multi-agency law enforcement effort targeting registered sex offenders to determine individual compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, also known as SORNA. Led by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Cops United Felony Fugitive Enforcement Division (CUFFED), Operation Coal Dust targeted 209 registered sex offenders and found a total of 10 individuals out of compliance within the Southern District of West Virginia during compliance checks conducted by law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 6-7) of this week.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said, “Registering as a sex offender is not optional. It’s not something that offenders can simply put on the back burner or casually get around to completing whenever they feel like it. It’s mandatory.” Goodwin continued, “I’ve made prosecuting sex offenders who violate federal registration requirements one of my office’s top priorities. Today I want to reiterate that message: If you are out of compliance, we will track you down and we will bring you to justice.”
Operation Coal Dust was initiated by West Virginia State Police members based in Boone, Lincoln and Logan counties, along with the U.S. Marshals Service’s CUFFED Division. The two-day law enforcement sweep targeted Boone, Lincoln and Logan counties. Out of the 209 compliance checks performed in those specific counties, three arrests were made by police with more likely to come.
“One registered sex offender out of compliance is one too many,” U.S. Marshal John Foster said. “The U.S. Marshals Service is thoroughly committed to tracking down fugitives who attempt to sidestep the law.”
West Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Jay Smithers said, “Efforts like Operation Coal Dust are extremely important. This particular undertaking is another tool that law enforcement has used to reinforce our commitment to safe communities throughout southern West Virginia.”
In December, a similar law enforcement sweep known as Operation River Cities was initiated in Cabell, Mingo and Wayne counties. As a result of the 299 compliance checks conducted as part of Operation River Cities, 18 arrests were made by law enforcement.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-248). SORNA provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States.
Jamie Lynn Strosky and Homar Renova-Castillo Plead Guilty in U.S. Federal CourtRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on August 8, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, JAMIE LYNN STROSKY, a 33-year-old resident of Shepherd, and HOMAR RENOVA-CASTILLO, a 36-year-old resident of Tucson, Arizona, pled guilty.
STROSKY pled to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.
RENOVA-CASTILLO pled to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and illegal reentry of a deported alien.
Sentencings have been set for December 9, 2012. They are currently detained.
In Offers of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan P. McCarthy, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
RENOVA-CASTILLO, an alien and citizen of Mexico, was previously convicted in 2000 in Yellowstone County for felony criminal endangerment. RENOVA-CASTILLO was then deported from the United States on January 31, 2002, and left through El Paso, Texas. RENOVA-CASTILLO was subsequently found in the United States. Specifically, on November 19, 2012, RENOVA-CASTILLO was pulled over in a motor vehicle near Park City by law enforcement.
In August of 2012, agents with the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (EMHIDTA) began investigating the sale of methamphetamine in Billings by STROSKY and RENOVA-CASTILLO.
On August 22, 2012, agents spoke with an individual identified here as "D.N." "D.N." stated that he had made two trips to Idaho with RENOVA-CASTILLO to pick up methamphetamine. "D.N." estimated that they picked up two pounds of methamphetamine each time. "D.N." said that a woman named Jamie was RENOVA-CASTILLO's "right-hand girl."
On September 6, 2012, agents met with a confidential informant (CI) who provided information about STROSKY. The CI stated that STROSKY had been selling methamphetamine since 2000. The CI indicated that STROSKY went to Idaho to obtain methamphetamine. The CI stated that STROSKY got her methamphetamine from a Mexican male named Homar. The CI indicated that approximately two months prior, STROSKY met with RENOVA-CASTILLO and she was "fronted" one ounce of methamphetamine.
On November 6, 2012, the CI met STROSKY at a residence in Billings. STROSKY sold the CI a quarter (1/4) ounce of methamphetamine for $550. STROSKY told the CI that she was paying $21,000 for one pound of methamphetamine. The methamphetamine was later tested at the DEA lab and the actual weight was 7.0 grams.
On November 8, 2012, the CI and STROSKY met in a parking lot in Billings Heights, and the CI purchased methamphetamine from STROSKY for $550. The methamphetamine was later tested at the DEA lab and the actual weight was 6.7 grams.
On November 14, 2012, the CI met STROSKY at STROSKY's residence in Shepherd. The CI purchased meth from STROSKY for $550. The methamphetamine was later tested at the DEA lab and the actual weight was 6.6 grams. Additionally, STROSKY told the CI that she recently had one pound of methamphetamine stolen from a stash house.
On December 7, 2012, the CI made another purchase of methamphetamine from STROSKY at a location in Billings. The methamphetamine was later tested at the DEA lab and the actual weight was 6.8 grams.
On December 11, 2012, STROSKY told the CI that she planned to re-up with "her guy" in the next few days.
On December 21, 2012, agents spoke with "K.V." "K.V." admitted that she stole the pound of methamphetamine that STROSKY kept at her "stash house". "K.V." said that she was told by another individual that "K.S." was "babysitting" the methamphetamine at "K.S.'s" residence in the Billings Heights for STROSKY. "K.V." stated that around November 12, 2012, she and her boyfriend broke into "K.S.'s" residence and stole a safe from the closet in the bedroom. Inside the safe, "K.V." found two bags of methamphetamine, $100 in cash and two watches.
The CI made additional purchases of approximately 1/4 ounce of methamphetamine from STROSKY on January 8th, 22nd, and 29th of 2013 and April 3, 2013.
On February 3, 2013, RENOVA-CASTILLO and his wife were stopped in a motor vehicle near Wickenburg, Arizona and RENOVA-CASTILLO was subsequently arrested. In a statement provided to law enforcement, RENOVA-CASTILLO indicated that he has purchased drugs from his source in Las Vegas, Nevada. He admitted that on two occasions he transported cocaine and methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Billings.
STROSKY faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 5 years and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, and 4 years supervised release on each charge.
RENOVA-CASTILLO faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 5 years and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, and 4 years supervised release on the conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine charge; and possible penalties of 2 years, a $250,000 fine, and 1 year supervised release on the illegal reentry charge.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force.
Guilty Verdict Reached in Trial Against Drug DealerRead the Press Release
Michael J. Moore, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced the conviction of William Campbell, age 62, of Woodville, Georgia, after a three day jury trial before the Honorable C. Ashley Royal, Chief United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Georgia in Athens, Georgia on August 8, 2013.
Mr. Campbell was convicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and one count of actual distribution of crack cocaine, a Scheduled II controlled substance.
Testimony at trial revealed that Mr. Campbell was involved in a drug dealing enterprise from January 1995 through September 2012 in the Woodville, Greene County, Georgia area, where he dealt in crack cocaine. The evidence showed that Mr. Campbell would receive orders for crack cocaine from interested buyers and then direct them to where the purchases could be made.
Mr. Campbell faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five (5) years to a maximum forty (40) years imprisonment on the charge of distribution of crack cocaine and up to five (5) years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge.
Sentencing for Mr. Campbell will be set by the Court at a later date.
The case was investigated by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Tamara Jarrett and Julia Bowen prosecuted the case for the Government.Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney's Office at (478) 621-2602.
Gary Lee Plenty Buffalo Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal CourtRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on August 8, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, GARY LEE PLENTY BUFFALO, a 26-year-old resident of Hardin and an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for November 2, 2013. 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 January 26, 2013, PLENTY BUFFALO was picking up the victim from work. PLENTY BUFFALO yelled at the victim and began to speed away as she entered PLENTY BUFFALO's vehicle. The argument arose from PLENTY BUFFALO's suspicion that the victim was "acting cute" around other men. As PLENTY BUFFALO drove over a bridge, he continued to yell at her and jerked the steering wheel from side-to-side. The vehicle rolled and the victim was ejected from the passenger seat.
PLENTY BUFFALO waved down two males to help. The two males observed the victim in a ditch unable to move and called the police to report the accident. Police and medical personnel arrived and took the victim to the hospital.
The victim suffered several pelvic fractures. The injuries she suffered met the criteria for serious bodily injury.
PLENTY BUFFALO faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Four More Defendants Plead Guilty in Staged Automobile Accident SchemeRead the Press Release
92 defendants have been charged to date in Operation Sledgehammer I-VI
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, Michael J. DePalma, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Jeff Atwater, Florida Chief Financial Officer, and Dave Aronberg, State Attorney, Office of the State Attorney for Palm Beach County, announced that defendants Dr. Aaron Freedlander, 50, of Weston, a chiropractic doctor, Abner Llenderrozo, 30, of Hollywood, a licensed massage therapist, Daviel Castro Martinez, 26, of West Palm Beach, and Elias Munguia, 41, of Miami, pled guilty this week for their participation in a staged automobile accident scheme and fraudulent chiropractic clinic scheme that resulted in the theft of millions of dollars from Florida’s automobile insurance companies and Florida drivers.
The sentencings for all four defendants will occur at a later date to be set by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach.
Each of the defendants pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and a number of counts of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 2. Some of the defendants also pled guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1), all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h); and money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(A)(i), 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), 1956(a)(1)(B)(ii), and 2.
For each count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, substantive mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and substantive money laundering the defendants face a possible maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison. Restitution to the victims of the offenses is mandatory, and the four defendants have agreed that they must pay in excess of $2,000,000 of restitution, beginning with partial payments totaling $33,750 at the time of sentencing.
According to court documents, between approximately October 2006 and December 2012, members of the conspiracy staged automobile accidents and thereafter caused the submission of false insurance claims through chiropractic clinics they controlled. To execute the scheme, the true owners of the chiropractic clinics, including defendant Munguia, recruited individuals, who had the medical or chiropractic licenses required by the state to open a clinic, to act as “nominee owners” of the clinics. Members of the conspiracy, including defendant Castro Martinez, also served as recruiters, who found individuals, whom they referred to as “Perro” and “Perra,” to participate in the staged accidents. Members of the conspiracy, including defendant Castro Martinez, also were used to help the clinics launder the insurance proceeds. The defendants also hired complicit chiropractors and therapists, including defendants Freedlander and Llenderrozo, who prescribed and billed for unnecessary treatments and/or for services that had not been rendered. Thereafter, complicit clinic employees prepared and submitted claims to the automobile insurance companies for payment for these unnecessary or non-rendered services. Twenty-one clinics participated in this scheme.
Starting with Operation Sledgehammer I in June 2011 and including the defendants charged in Operation Sledgehammer VI, 92 defendants have been charged for their participation in this automobile insurance fraud scheme. Of those 92 defendants, 56 have been charged federally by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, resulting in court-ordered restitution of more than $5 million to the defrauded insurance companies. Thirty-six defendants have been arrested by the Florida Department of Insurance Fraud for prosecution by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Ferrer commended the efforts of the FBI, IRS-CI, the Florida Department of Insurance Fraud, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, and the Greater Palm Beach County Health Care Fraud Task Force for their outstanding work in this case. Mr. Ferrer also recognized the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) for its collaboration and assistance in this investigation. The federal cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Marie Villafaña and the state cases are being prosecuted by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Texas Health and Human Services Commission Investigator Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Department of Justice
Office of Public AffairsBEAUMONT, Texas – A former investigator for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission was sentenced to federal prison for theft violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Melva Darlene Blakemore, 62, of Diboll, Texas, pleaded guilty on March 26, 2013 to theft of federal funds and was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone. Blakemore was also ordered to pay $27,208 in restitution.
According to information presented in court, while employed as an investigator with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, part of Blakemore’s job duties entailed her contacting individuals to advise them they could be indicted and prosecuted for receiving overpayments of benefits from federally funded programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (also known as SNAP or the food stamp program). Blakemore advised numerous beneficiaries that no charges would be filed against them if they agreed to repay the overpaid benefits directly to Blakemore in cash. Blakemore utilized this scheme on multiple occasions to obtain funds from individuals who had received overpayments.This case was investigated by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Rangers, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission – Office of Inspector General and the FBI, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.
Former Postal Worker Arrested for Stealing Video Games from the MailRead the Press Release
BOSTON - Federal charges against a former postal worker from Dorchester were unsealed today in U.S. District Court.
On July 30, James L. White, 38, was indicted for theft of mail by a postal employee. It is alleged that from July through November 2012, White, while working as a mail handler at the Boston General Mail Facility, stole GameFly video games from the mail. White was arrested today and his initial appearance is at 2 p.m.
The offense with which White is charged has a maximum penalty of five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and Rafael Medina, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General for the Northeast Area Office, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Ortiz’s Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit.
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.
Former Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Charged with Conspiracy, Federal Programs Bribery, Attempted Extortion, and False StatementsRead the Press Release
A former sergeant in the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office (PSO) was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia for accepting bribes in exchange for favors and referrals, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia.
The indictment charges Melvin Hike, 65, of Portsmouth, Va., with one count each of conspiracy, federal programs bribery, attempted extortion under color of official right, and false statements. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the attempted extortion, 10 years in prison for the federal programs bribery, and five years in prison each for the conspiracy and false statements. Hike also faces a maximum fine of $250,000 for each count. The indictment was unsealed following Hike’s arrest this morning.
According to the indictment, from 2008 to 2012, Hike was a PSO sergeant assigned to the warrant squad or to provide security in the Portsmouth Circuit Court. Person A was a bail bondsman based in Portsmouth whose income depended on the number of arrestee clients he served. At various times between 2008 and 2012, Person A gave Hike cash payments, and in exchange Hike referred arrestees to Person A as prospective clients.
The indictment also alleges that in or about June 2010, Hike, acting under color of official right as a PSO sergeant, obtained a gift card valued at $250 to which he was not entitled, in exchange for his assistance in getting an arrestee released on bond and assigned a bondsman.
On or about January 27, 2012, Hike allegedly made false statements to FBI agents investigating his conduct. According to the indictment, Hike stated that he had never accepted money from any bondsman, that he had never referred any arrestees to a bondsman, and that he had never accepted anything of value from an arrestee, knowing that all three statements were false.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Trial Attorneys Peter Mason and Monique Abrishami of the Public Integrity Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.Former Heber City, Utah, Resident Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Claims for Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – April J. Rampton, 42, formerly of Heber City, Utah, was sentenced Thursday to 21 months in prison for filing false claims for income tax refunds. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson also ordered Rampton to pay $230,678.36 in restitution to the IRS and to serve three years of supervised release upon her release from prison.
Rampton was convicted at trial in December 2012 of nine counts of filing false claims for refund. According to the indictment and the proof at trial, in July 2011, Rampton filed a false individual income tax return, based on false Forms 1099-OID, which sought a refund of more than $225,000. On these false Forms 1099-OID, Rampton listed items of debt, such as her home mortgage and credit cards, as if the bank or loan holder had withheld the entire amount of her debt as a federal income tax payment. Rampton received a refund check from the IRS, photocopied the check, and showed it to friends and family members. Rampton then began preparing returns for friends, family members, acquaintances and strangers, all using false Forms 1099-OID that sought tax refunds corresponding to their debts.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Michael Romano and Stuart Wexler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
Former Georgia Tax Return Preparers Sentenced for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that former professional tax return preparers Greene Wylie Sheppard, Sabrina Johnson-Lavant and Chandra Henderson were sentenced this month to serve 56 months, 8 months, and 18 months in prison, respectively, for conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false tax returns in order to receive fraudulently-inflated refunds for their clients. In addition to conspiracy, Sheppard was also sentenced for aggravated identity theft. Sheppard was sentenced on July 11, 2013, and Johnson-Lavant and Henderson were sentenced yesterday.
According to court documents, Sheppard owned and operated Quick Tax, a tax preparation business in Cordele, Ga. He conspired with his employees Johnson-Lavant and Henderson to obtain higher refunds on clients’ returns by falsely inflating clients’ wages in order to exploit certain tax credits. The co-conspirators sold other people’s identifying information to their clients, and these other identities would then be claimed as dependents on their tax returns in order to manipulate the size of the refund. The three return preparers acquired dozens of identities by purchasing them. They maintained notebooks that kept track of the identities and how much clients owed them for the false dependents. Over the course of the conspiracy, which spanned four years, Quick Tax claimed over $400,000 in fraudulent refunds.
Assistant Attorney General Keneally commended the efforts of Special Agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation and Trial Attorneys Alexander Effendi and Charles Edgar Jr. of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
Note: A prior version of this release incorrectly stated the prison sentences for Sabrina Johnson-Lavant and Chandra Henderson were 18 months and 8 months, respectively. The release has been changed above to reflect the correct sentence of 8 months for Johnson-Lavant and 18 months for Henderson.
Former Georgia Tax Return Preparers Sentenced for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that former professional tax return preparers Greene Wylie Sheppard, Sabrina Johnson-Lavant and Chandra Henderson were sentenced this month to serve 56 months, 18 months, and 8 months in prison, respectively, for conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false tax returns in order to receive fraudulently-inflated refunds for their clients. In addition to conspiracy, Sheppard was also sentenced for aggravated identity theft. Sheppard was sentenced on July 11, 2013, and Johnson-Lavant and Henderson were sentenced yesterday.
According to court documents, Sheppard owned and operated Quick Tax, a tax preparation business in Cordele, Ga. He conspired with his employees Johnson-Lavant and Henderson to obtain higher refunds on clients’ returns by falsely inflating clients’ wages in order to exploit certain tax credits. The co-conspirators sold other people’s identifying information to their clients, and these other identities would then be claimed as dependents on their tax returns in order to manipulate the size of the refund. The three return preparers acquired dozens of identities by purchasing them. They maintained notebooks that kept track of the identities and how much clients owed them for the false dependents. Over the course of the conspiracy, which spanned four years, Quick Tax claimed over $400,000 in fraudulent refunds.
Assistant Attorney General Keneally commended the efforts of Special Agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation and Trial Attorneys Alexander Effendi and Charles Edgar Jr. of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT 202-514-2007 or direct your inquiries to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney's Office at (478) 621-2602.
Former Bay Area Resident Agrees to Repay $180,452 as Restitution for Conspiracy and Filing a False Claim for Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Cyrinthia Gary, aka Cyrinthia Adams, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to file false tax returns, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag and IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge José M. Martinez.
According to the plea agreement, beginning in June 2008, Gary, 41, of Sacramento, helped several people obtain tax refunds based on false tax returns that were filed with the IRS. As part of the scheme, Gary recruited others to provide their personal identifying information for use on the false tax returns. Gary knew the returns were false because the person whose name appeared on the tax returns did not supply the information used to support the refund. Furthermore, Gary used bank accounts of others whom she recruited for this purpose. When the fraudulent tax refunds were issued, the money would be withdrawn by the account holder and they would split the proceeds.
Gary also pleaded guilty to filing a false 2007 tax return in her own name on August 7, 2008. Gary admitted the tax return was false because it indicated that she received Social Security benefits in an amount that she knew was inflated. The return also stated that she had Form 1099 withholdings, which was not true.
As part of her plea agreement, Gary agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $180,452. The plea agreement further provides that Gary cannot prepare a tax return for anyone other than herself, and bars her from possessing other individuals’ identifying information without lawful authorization.
Gary, who was indicted on July 12, 2012, and was charged one count of conspiracy to file false claims and one count of filing a false claim, is scheduled for sentencing on November 20, 2013. She pleaded guilty to both counts in the indictment.
The maximum statutory penalty for each count of conspiracy to file false claim, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C § 286, is ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of filing a false claim, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C § 287, is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. sentencing guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Thomas Newman is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting this case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
Former Arlington Resident Receives 82 Months for Stalking and ThreatsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Arlington resident was sentenced late yesterday to 82 months in federal prison for stalking and threatening to kill.
Phillip Andrew Bauer, 33, a Canadian citizen previously residing in Arlington, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr., to 82 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He is subject to deportation upon release from prison. In April 2013, Bauer pleaded guilty to mailing threatening communications and two counts of stalking.
Following a domestic altercation in February 2011, Bauer began to send threatening, harassing and extortionate communications in various forms to the victim and members of her family. In some communications, he threatened to kill the victim and/or two of her siblings and demanded $50,000 cash. Bauer sent some of the letters while he was incarcerated and while a restraining order was in effect.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis; and Arlington Chief of Police Frederick Ryan made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus and David G. Tobin of Ortiz's Major Crimes Unit.Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Ramses Barron-TorresRead the Press Release
The Justice Department will not pursue federal criminal civil rights or other federal criminal charges against the United States Border Patrol (USBP) agent involved in the shooting incident that resulted in the death of Ramses Barron-Torres, the department announced today.
Officials from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) met today with representatives for Barron-Torres’ family to inform them of this determination. The department’s decision is based on the facts developed during an independent and comprehensive investigation into this matter.
The department devoted significant time and resources to investigating the events surrounding Barron-Torres’ death on Jan. 5, 2011, at approximately 3:00 a.m., at the international boundary fence separating the United States from Mexico in Nogales, Ariz. A team of experienced federal prosecutors reviewed hundreds of pages of evidence generated by DHS OIG investigators and the FBI. They conducted a detailed and lengthy analysis of numerous materials including videotapes of the incident, physical evidence reports, official law enforcement use of force training materials, law enforcement accounts and civilian witness accounts.
The evidence developed during the investigation indicated that USBP agents were responding to reports that individuals were moving apparent packages of narcotics across the U.S. – Mexico border. When the agents arrived at the location, Barron-Torres, a 17-year-old Mexican national, and three other individuals were on the Mexico side of the border fence and started throwing rocks at the two USBP agents who were on the U.S. side of the fence. A fifth individual, who was carrying a bundle of suspected narcotics, ran parallel to the fence on the U.S. side. The agents were forced to take protective cover due to the rocks that were being thrown by Barron-Torres and his associates. The agents issued commands, in Spanish, to stop throwing rocks. However, Barron-Torres continued to throw rocks, and one of the agents fired a round at Barron-Torres from his service weapon, fatally striking him. A videotape of the incident captured Barron-Torres making a throwing motion with his right arm, then falling to the ground.
The Department of Justice lacks jurisdiction to prosecute the agent who fired at Barron-Torres under the federal criminal civil rights statute pertaining to use of force under color of law, because the statute requires that the victim be in the United States when he was injured. Here, Barron-Torres was on the Mexico side of the border fence when he was shot. While the federal homicide statutes address murder and manslaughter committed within the Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States, federal courts have consistently held that self-defense and justification are both defenses to the federal homicide statutes. Although the agent was within the Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction when he fired upon Barron-Torres, there is insufficient evidence to disprove the agent’s claim that he shot Barron-Torres in self-defense; because Barron-Torres was throwing rocks over the border fence in the direction of the agents and ignored the agents’ commands to stop. Rather, the videotape of the incident, another witness agent and a civilian witness on the Mexico side of the fence all corroborate the account of the agent who fired at Barron-Torres.
While the loss of life is regrettable, the facts of this matter do not support a federal prosecution. Accordingly, the investigation into this incident has been closed.
Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Carlos LaMadridRead the Press Release
The Justice Department will not pursue federal criminal civil rights or other federal criminal charges against the United States Border Patrol (USBP) agent involved in the shooting incident that resulted in the death of Carlos LaMadrid, the Department announced today.
Officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) met today with LaMadrid’s family members and their representatives to inform them of this determination. The department’s decision is based on the facts developed during an independent and comprehensive investigation into the matter.
The department devoted significant time and resources to investigating the events surrounding LaMadrid’s death on March 21, 2011, around noon, at the international boundary fence separating the United States from Mexico in Douglas, Ariz. A team of experienced federal prosecutors reviewed thousands of pages of evidence generated by the DHS OIG investigators, the Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Internal Affairs Unit. They conducted a detailed and lengthy analysis of numerous materials including videotapes of the incident, the autopsy report, physical evidence reports, official law enforcement use of force training materials, law enforcement accounts and civilian witness accounts. Federal prosecutors also interviewed several key witnesses and physically examined the scene of the shooting to gather additional information.
The evidence developed during the investigation indicated that LaMadrid, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was observed by Douglas Police Department (DPD) officers loading suspected bundles of narcotics into a Chevrolet Avalanche. DPD officers pursued the vehicle, but LaMadrid failed to yield and drove toward the international boundary fence. The Avalanche ran into a USBP agent’s service vehicle near the fence. LaMadrid exited the driver’s door, ran toward the fence, and climbed up a ladder that was resting against the fence. On top of the fence, near LaMadrid, was another male throwing brick-sized rocks at the USBP agent. At the time the shots were fired by the agent, LaMadrid was in the line of fire between the rock-throwing male and the agent. LaMadrid was struck by four bullets, causing him to fall to the ground. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he died in surgery several hours later.
While a civilian witness who climbed up the ladder behind the victim stated that he did not see anyone throwing rocks at the time of the shooting, his account is contradicted by the physical, testimonial and video evidence. A law enforcement officer who witnessed the shooting stated that he saw a man on top of the fence throw three rocks at the agent, forcing the shooting agent to duck down behind his vehicle for cover. The videotapes of the incident, although poor in quality, show an individual on top of the border fence making an overhead throwing motion as the victim ascends the ladder. Crime scene investigators recovered several brick-sized rocks at the scene, including one that shattered the windshield of the USBP agent’s service vehicle, which the agent was standing or stooping next to when he fired five shots.
Under the applicable federal criminal civil rights law, prosecutors must establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that an official “willfully” deprived an individual of a constitutional right, meaning that the official acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids. This is the highest standard of intent imposed by the law. Neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a federal criminal civil rights violation. After a careful and thorough review, a team of experienced federal prosecutors determined that the evidence was insufficient to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges.
This matter is also not prosecutable under the federal homicide statutes, although it was committed within the Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States, because there is insufficient evidence for the government to disprove that the agent was acting in self-defense when he fired at the rock thrower and mistakenly struck the victim, who was in his line of fire.
While the loss of life is regrettable, the facts of this matter do not support a federal prosecution. Accordingly, the investigation into this incident has been closed.
Eastern Shore Drug Distributor Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison for Heroin and Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Was a Fugitive for Over a Year
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Austin Roberts III, age 37, formerly of Elkridge, Maryland, today to 19 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Wicomico County Sheriff Michael A. Lewis; Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan; Chief Michael Phillips of the Fruitland Police Department; U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes; and Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew Maciarello.
“Today's sentencing of Roberts closes the book on a drug dealer who was responsible for trafficking a lot of cocaine on the Eastern Shore,” stated Gary Tuggle, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office. “You can run and hide but the long arm of justice will eventually catch you. This case demonstrates the commitment of the DEA and our law enforcement partners to bring an investigation to a successful conclusion,” added Tuggle.
According to Roberts’ guilty plea, from 2007 until his arrest in December 2012, Roberts conspired to distribute heroin and cocaine. His co-conspirators included Andrew Jackson, Maurice Hardy and others. Roberts distributed multiple kilograms of cocaine to Hardy on several occasions. For example, after a telephone call in which Hardy indicated that Roberts would be supplying him with seven kilograms of cocaine for $31,500 per kilogram, on May 12, 2011, Jackson, under Roberts’ direction, provided several kilograms of cocaine to Hardy. Subsequent to this meeting, law enforcement stopped Jackson’s vehicle and seized over $160,000 from a hidden compartment. During the course of the conspiracy, Roberts distributed or directed the distribution of well over 50 kilograms of cocaine and a kilogram of heroin.
For over a year following his indictment on state and federal charges, Roberts eluded arrest. On July 19, 2011, an officer patrolling the New Jersey Turnpike stopped the vehicle Roberts was driving. Roberts provided a California license under the name John Nash. When the officer learned that the name was an alias for Roberts who was wanted, he requested back up. Roberts ran away as the officers continued to investigate his identity. In August 2012, a California Highway Patrol officer attempted to stop a vehicle Roberts was driving, but Roberts again escaped on foot. Officers seized over $29,000 from a hidden compartment in the vehicle. Roberts was arrested in San Diego, California on December 4, 2012.
Andrew Jackson, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, Maurice Kenneth Hardy, age 37, of Nanticoke, Maryland, and Tereek Nutter, age 30, of Salisbury, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the drug conspiracy. Judge Hollander sentenced Jackson to 10 years in prison, Nutter to 151 months, and Hardy to 16 years in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force, comprised of the Maryland State Police, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury Police Department, Fruitland Police Department, and the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Joshua L. Kaul, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
Eastern Shore Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to over 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
On Supervised Release For a Prior Drug Conviction At the Time of His Arrest
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Tyrone Wheatley, age 44, of Rhodesdale, Maryland, today to 135 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Colonel Michael Kundrat, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
According to Wheatley's guilty plea, in July of 2011, Wheatley met with Steven Jordan at a shopping center in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, and agreed to supply cocaine to Jordan in Delaware. Wheatley obtained the cocaine from a source of supply in California and arranged for the cocaine to be hidden in a vehicle, was then hauled from California to in Delaware by a commercial car transporter. Jordan delivered $220,000 in cash to Wheatley in Delaware. Wheatley transported the money through Maryland to Pennsylvania, where it was packaged in a vehicle and transported by commercial hauler to California.
On August 6, 2011, a commercial car hauler delivered a green Monte Carlo with approximately 13 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside, to a shopping center in Delaware. After receiving instructions from Wheatley regarding the arrival of the car hauler, Jordan was arrested the next day as he attempted to take delivery of the vehicle containing the cocaine.
Steven Jordan pleaded guilty to the same charge in U.S. District Court in Delaware and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the DEA, Baltimore County Police Department and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys James G. Warwick and Peter J. Martinez, who prosecuted the case.
Denver Man Who Promoted Credit Services Arraigned in Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Business Lines of CreditRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Denver man who billed himself as “The Credit Line Millionaire” has pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges that accuse him of conspiring to obtain lines of credit worth hundreds of thousands of dollars through a host of misrepresentations and falsified documents.
Christopher Robert Wise, 34, was arraigned late yesterday in United States District Court after being arrested by Secret Service agents Wednesday night. Wise, who was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport after arriving on a flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was arrested pursuant to a four-count indictment that alleges he conspired to fraudulently obtain lines of credit from Wells Fargo Bank, Union Bank and City National Bank. One of these loan applications was approved, which gave Wise a line of credit worth $175,000.
At Wise’s arraignment yesterday, a trial date was scheduled for October 1. A United States magistrate judge set Wise’s bond at $150,000, but he remains in custody at this time.
The indictment alleges that Wise maintained a significant online presence, which includes his websites www.creditlinemillionaire.com and http://chriswise.com/. Wise billed himself as a credit guru who could help clients obtain loans for their small- and medium-size businesses. Wise referred his clients to several co-conspirators who controlled Inland Empire companies and who promised to help acquire financing.
Wise also attempted to obtain business lines of credit for himself through loan applications submitted to the victim banks on behalf of one of his companies. Wise used a co-conspirator as a “credit partner” to pose as a “personal guarantor” for the loans – in essence, using a “straw borrower” to apply for loans in exchange for giving the credit partner a percentage of the loan proceeds.
According to the indictment, Wise spoke at a seminar where he told those in attendance that he was in the process of obtaining a $1 million line of credit – even though he had bad credit and his business did not qualify for a loan – by leveraging other people’s credit.
That indictment, which was unsealed after Wise’s arrest, charges him with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and three counts of making false statements to a financial institution. The four charges in the indictment naming Wise each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Previously in this investigation, five co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service.
Release No. 13-103
Defendant in Romanian Cybercrime Ring Convicted of Wire Fraud and Identification Document Fraud ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Following a four-day trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday returned a verdict convicting David Ojo of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and identification document fraud. The defendant was a member of an international organized crime conspiracy, operating in Romania, Bulgaria, and the United States, that defrauded victims of tens of thousands of dollars through an Internet scam.
The conviction was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office.
Trial testimony showed that the defendant and his co-conspirators advertised used cars for sale on websites like Craigslist and eBay. Some buyers who responded to the advertisements were told variations of a story that the seller of the car had been called to active duty in Afghanistan and needed to sell his car quickly. The victims were promised that their purchases would be handled by an eBay or Google Checkout agent, who would hold their payments in escrow until they had received the car. Once the victims agreed to buy the cars and wired payments through Western Union, they never received any cars or heard from the purported sellers again.
The defendant worked with individuals in Romania and the United States to make and use false Pennsylvania and Delaware driver’s licenses, which they used to claim the money that the victims had wired through Western Union. The defendant was personally responsible for making or directing more than 30 separate money pick-ups in which victims were defrauded out of more than $80,000.
“Ojo and his cohorts sought to hide in cyberspace as they concocted a scheme that crossed the ocean and invoked patriotic themes to fleece hard working Americans. Their scheme was a new low for used car dealers, but no match for law enforcement. This conviction shows that we are committed to rooting out Internet scams that prey on those that purchase goods online,” stated United States Attorney Lynch.
When sentenced by the Honorable Allyne R. Ross, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Douglas M. Pravda and Margaret E. Gandy.
The Defendant
DAVID OJO
Age: 32Curtis Keith Tichenor Sentenced in U.S. District CourtRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on August 9, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, CURTIS KEITH TICHENOR, a 52-year-old resident of Helena, was sentenced to a term of:
Prison: 246 months, consecutive to another sentence
Special Assessment: $300
Restitution: $4,775
Forfeiture: firearms and ammunition
Supervised Release: 5 years
TICHENOR was sentenced after a federal district court trial in which he was found guilty of robbery affecting commerce, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case for the United States.
At trial, the following evidence and testimony was presented to the jury.
On the morning of July 14, 2012, TICHENOR robbed the Silver Dollar Bar in Missoula. He entered the bar wearing a blue coat and a mask. He pointed a handgun at the bartender and demanded all of the money from the till. The bartender complied with TICHENOR's demand and gave him approximately $4,775.
TICHENOR left the bar and got into his blue Camaro, which was parked in an alley to the Southwest of the Silver Dollar. His girlfriend was a passenger in the car and TICHENOR told her he had just committed a robbery. He threw the gun, mask, and money into her lap. TICHENOR left Missoula by way of the Orange Street on-ramp and drove west toward Spokane on Interstate 90. Several miles outside of Missoula, he pulled over and hid the coat and mask under some bushes alongside the road.
After he hid the coat and mask, TICHENOR and his girlfriend traveled to Spokane, where they stayed for a few days. TICHENOR used money from the robbery to buy methamphetamine and heroin, which both he and his girlfriend used while they stayed at a hotel in Spokane. After spending a few days in Spokane, TICHENOR and his girlfriend returned to Helena, where both of them lived at that time.
When he got back to Helena, TICHENOR hid the remaining robbery proceeds at his brother's residence. After TICHENOR was arrested in Helena on July 23, 2012, he asked his brother to retrieve the money, give some to his girlfriend, and put some on his books at the Helena jail.
On July 23, 2012, TICHENOR and his girlfriend were arrested outside a hotel in Helena. TICHENOR was in possession of a firearm, which witnesses identified as the same gun used during the robbery of the Silver Dollar Bar nine days earlier.
In late October 2012, information on TICHENOR was provided to law enforcement officers about the robbery in Missoula. Based on that information, the officers were able to find the coat and mask that TICHENOR had hidden after the robbery along I-90 west of Missoula. The bartender from the Silver Dollar Bar identified the coat and mask as the items worn by the perpetrator of the robbery. The bartender also identified the gun seized from TICHENOR following his arrest in Helena on July 23, 2012, as the gun used during the robbery. The firearm was a entury Arms, model P-64, 9 mm handgun.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that TICHENOR will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, TICHENOR does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Missoula Police Department, the Helena Police Department, the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Montana Regional Violent Crime Task. Force investigation.
Crew Linked to Ten Armed Robberies Indicted on Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
Little Rock– Christopher R. Thyer, Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas; Grover Crossland, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Chief Mike Davis of the North Little Rock Police Department; announced the arrest and return of two federal indictments charging four (4) men with the armed robbery of seven local fast-food restaurants and one store, as well as the attempted armed robbery of one local fast-food restaurant and a bank. The robberies occurred between January 2013 and June 2013 in North Little Rock, Little Rock, Sherwood, and Cabot. The establishments targeted in the robberies include five (5) different Sonic Drive-Ins, two (2) Subway restaurants, a Dollar General store, Yogurt Mountain, and the Bank of England.
“The citizens of Arkansas deserve to enjoy a bite to eat without the fear of thugs with guns threatening their meal,” stated Thyer. “This is the second string of robberies we have indicted in two months. As in the case we indicted in June, it is through the partnership with law enforcement at the local level that these men are facing these charges. Arkansans are safer today and really, every day, due to the commitment of law enforcement to work together.”
SAC Crossland said, “This joint investigation between NLRPD and ATF illustrates the impact on reducing violent crime when agencies combine and coordinate their skills and resources. This investigation is an example of excellent investigative work, a job well done by the investigators.”
“With the arrest of these individuals robberies will go down,” stated Chief Davis. “The number may be small but at least one or two individuals who knew these subjects or heard about their arrest will decide it’s not worth it. The price is too high. Because of our relationship with the ATF through our Task Force Officer Michael Gibbons, we have been able to make several arrests -- arrests that result in convictions with federal sentences which don’t typically end with probation, quite the opposite, they end with substantial prison sentences with no chance of parole. These arrests are just a couple of the many that have occurred over this past year as a result of our relationship with the ATF. Individuals who have committed many of our violent and property crimes have received large prison sentences because of their decision to involve a firearm in their crime.”
The first indictment charges Darius Antonio Malvin, 22, of Little Rock; Marquis D. Robinson, 23, of Little Rock, and Justin Lamar Williams, 24, of England, Arkansas, in twenty-one-counts related to the crime spree. The counts include one (1) count of Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, eight (8) counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery, one (1) count of Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery, and nine (9) counts of Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence. Malvin and Robinson are charged in all of the armed robberies; Williams is charged along Malvin and Robinson in four of the armed robberies. Robinson is charged separately in two different counts with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and with being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition.
If convicted of Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery or Interference with Commerce by Robbery, each defendant will face a sentence of not more than 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of not more than $250,000, followed by not more than three years of supervised release. If convicted of Brandishing a Firearm during the robberies, federal law requires a sentence of not less than seven (7) years imprisonment to be served consecutive to any sentence imposed for the underlying robbery.
The second indictment charges Malvin, Robinson, and Desmond L. Jones, 27 of Scott, Arkansas, with the attempted robbery of the Bank of England, located at 11044 Highway 165, in North Little Rock, on May 24, 2013. Malvin is also charged with brandishing a firearm during that attempted robbery. Jones is also charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition on the same date.
If convicted of attempted bank robbery, the men will face a sentence of not more than 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of not more than $250,000, followed by not more than three years of supervised release.
A conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition carries a possible punishment of not more than ten years imprisonment and/or a fine of not more than $250,000, followed by not more than three years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the North Little Rock Police Department with assistance from the Little Rock, Sherwood, and Cabot Police Departments. The indictment is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gordon.
An indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
DEFENDANTS/CHARGES
Darius Antonio Malvin, 22, Little Rock: Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, Interference with Commerce by Robbery (8 counts), Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery (1 Count), Attempted Bank Robbery (1), Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence (10 Counts).
Marquis D. Robinson, 23, Little Rock: Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, Interference with Commerce by Robbery (8 counts), Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery (1 Count), Attempted Bank Robbery (1), Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence (9 Counts), Felon in Possession of a Firearm (1 Count), Felon in Possession of Ammunition (1 Count).
Justin Lamar Williams, 24, England: Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, Interference with Commerce by Robbery (3 counts), Attempted Interference with Commerce by Robbery (1 Count), Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence (4 Counts)
Desmond L. Jones, 27, Scott: Attempted Bank Robbery (1), Felon in Possession of Ammunition (1 Count).
STATUTORY SENTENCES
Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $250,000, and not more than 3 years supervised release.
Interference with Commerce by Robbery (or an Attempt) is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $250,000, and not more than 3 years supervised release.
Attempted Bank Robbery is punishable by not more than 20 years incarceration in the Bureau of
Prisons with a possible fine of up to $250,000, and not more than 3 years supervised release.
Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence is punishable by not less than 7 years, but not more than life, incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons (consecutive to any other sentence imposed) with a possible fine of up to $250,000, and not more than 5 years supervised release .Felon in Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition is punishable by not more than 10 years incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons with a possible fine of up to $250,000, and not more than 3 years supervised release.
Charlotte Man Receives 18-Month Prison Term for Vehicle Emissions FraudRead the Press Release
Defendant Continued To Conduct Illegal Emissions Inspections After Entering Guilty Plea
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced on Thursday, August 8, 2013, to serve 18 months in prison for conducting over 530 false vehicle emission inspections, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. also ordered Jassim Juburi, 40, of Charlotte, to stay under court supervision for three years following the prison term, and to a pay a $15,000 fine, which, if paid in full, can reduce Juburi’s term of supervised release to two years.
U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by Special Agent in Charge Maureen O’Mara of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID), Atlanta Area Office; Greg McLeod, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI); and Steven M. Watkins, Director of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau (NC DMV L&T).
According to court records and yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Juburi worked at Central Auto Inspection & Repair (Central Auto) in Charlotte, as a mechanic and a vehicle emissions inspector licensed by the state of North Carolina. As a state-licensed emissions inspector, Juburi conducted onboard diagnostic (OBD) inspections to test federally-mandated vehicle emissions. Court records show that from August 2010 to March 2012, and while employed at Central Auto, Juburi conducted 534 illegal vehicle emissions inspections, using surrogate vehicles to falsely pass those that would have failed emissions inspections. The illegal practice of utilizing substitute vehicles for emissions testing is referred to in the industry as “clean scanning.” Court records indicate that Juburi charged as much as $100 to clean scan a vehicle. According to yesterday’s sentencing hearing, law enforcement agents were able to obtain a fraudulent vehicle emissions certificate from Central Auto without ever producing a vehicle to be inspected. The fraudulent emissions test and certificate were generated by Juburi.
In March 2012, Juburi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act by conducting false vehicle emissions inspections. Court records indicate that Juburi continued to conduct false inspections, even after entering a guilty plea on the charge. According to filed documents, between March and April 2012, Juburi conducted an additional 11 clean scans at Central Auto. Court records show that Juburi was unable to continue clean scanning vehicles after NC DMV L&T suspended Central Auto’s license to conduct emissions inspections. Central Auto’s license has been suspended for a period of 10 years.
Juburi has been in local federal custody since October 2012, following a court-ordered bond revocation for continuing the fraudulent conduct after entering a guilty plea. Juburi will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The Clean Air Act requires vehicle emission inspections in geographic regions that exceed national ambient air quality standards. According to the EPA, the Charlotte metropolitan area exceeds the 8-hour standard set for Ozone, a potent irritant that can cause lung damage and other types of respiratory problems.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the EPA’s criminal investigation division, NC SBI’s Diversion and Environmental Crimes Unit, and NC DMV License and Theft Bureau, with assistance from the North Carolina Division of Air Quality, Mobile Sources Compliance Branch. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Steven R. Kaufman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Buffalo Men Indicted for Rash of Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Jason Berg, 22, of Buffalo, N.Y., Jeffery Turner, 23, of Buffalo, NY, and Donovan Devost, 20, of Buffalo, NY, were separately indicted by the Federal Grand Jury for bank robbery. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Marangola, who is handling the cases, stated that according to the indictments, Jason Berg robbed three banks on April 26, 2013, May 16, 2013, and June 12, 2013. Donovan Devost robbed three banks in Buffalo, New York, on April 30, 2013, June 19, 2013, and June 21, 2013. Jeffery Turner robbed two banks on June 13, 2013, and July 1, 2013.
Although the defendants are currently charged in separate indictments, the 8 bank robberies are similar. In each robbery, the suspect passed the tellers a handwritten note, threatening the use of a firearm and other similar language. The defendants will appear for arraignment before Magistrate Judge McCarthy on August 14, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.
The Indictments are the result of a joint investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David J. Zack, the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police, under the direction of Chief George Gast, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel.
The fact that a defendants have been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.Al-Qaeda Inspired Operative Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Attempting to Bomb Federal Reserve Bank in Lower ManhattanRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, who attempted to detonate a 1,000-pound bomb at the New York Federal Reserve Bank on Liberty Street in lower Manhattan’s financial district in October 2012, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Chief Judge Carol B. Amon of United States District Court in Brooklyn, New York.
The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security; George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office; and Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“Nafis came to the United States radicalized and bent on fighting jihad here in our homeland. He sought to commit mass murder in downtown Manhattan in the name of al-Qaeda. The prospect of widespread death and destruction could not dissuade him from his deadly plan. Nafis’s goals of martyrdom and carnage were thwarted by the vigilance of law enforcement. He will now spend the next 30 years where his own actions have landed him, in a federal prison cell,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “I would like to thank our partners at the FBI, NYPD, Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Secret Service, the other agencies who participate in the JTTF, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, for their hard work on this important investigation. I would also like to thank the security teams at the New York Federal Reserve Bank and the New York Stock Exchange for their assistance.”
“With the sentence handed down today, Rezwanul Nafis is being held accountable for his attempt to carry out a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. I applaud the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who ensured that his deadly plans never came to fruition and who are responsible for today’s successful outcome,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Carlin.
As set forth in the indictment and other case filings, defendant Nafis, a 22-year-old Bangladeshi national, traveled to the United States in January 2012 intending to fight violent jihad. Nafis possessed operable bomb-making instructions and attempted to recruit multiple individuals to form a terrorist cell inside the United States. Nafis also actively sought out al-Qaeda contacts within the United States to assist him in carrying out an attack. Unbeknownst to Nafis, one of the individuals he attempted to recruit into his jihadist cell was actually a source for the FBI. During the subsequent investigation, FBI agents, NYPD detectives and other law enforcement agents working with the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force were able to closely monitor Nafis as he attempted to implement his plan.
Nafis proposed several targets for his attack, including a high-ranking United States official and the New York Stock Exchange. Ultimately, Nafis decided to conduct a bombing operation against the New York Federal Reserve Bank. In a statement claiming responsibility for the terrorist bombing of the Federal Reserve Bank on behalf of al-Qaeda, Nafis wrote that he wanted to “destroy America” and that he believed the most efficient way to accomplish this goal was to target America’s economy. In this statement, Nafis also included quotations from “our beloved Sheikh Osama bin Laden” to justify the fact that Nafis expected that the attack would involve the killing of women and children.
During the investigation, Nafis came into contact with an FBI undercover agent who posed as an al-Qaeda facilitator. At Nafis’s request, the undercover agent supplied Nafis with 20 50-pound bags of purported explosives. Nafis then stored the material and assembled the explosive device for his attack. Nafis purchased components for the bomb’s detonator and conducted surveillance for his attack on multiple occasions in New York City’s financial district. Throughout his interactions with the undercover agent, which were captured on recordings, Nafis repeatedly asserted that the plan was his own and the reason he had come to the United States was to commit an attack.
On October 17, 2012, the day of the planned attack, Nafis met the undercover agent and traveled in a van to a warehouse located in the Eastern District of New York. While en route, Nafis explained to the undercover agent that he had a “Plan B” that involved conducting a suicide bombing operation in the event that the attack was about to be thwarted by the police. Upon arriving at the warehouse, Nafis assembled what he believed to be an operational 1,000-pound bomb inside the van. Nafis and the undercover agent then drove to the New York Federal Reserve Bank. During this drive, Nafis armed the purported bomb by assembling the detonator and attaching it to the explosives. Nafis and the undercover agent parked the van next to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, exited the van, and walked to a nearby hotel. There, Nafis recorded a video statement which he intended to release to the public in connection with the attack. During this video statement, Nafis stated: “We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom.” Nafis then repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, attempted to detonate the bomb, which had been assembled using inert explosives provided by the undercover agent. JTTF agents arrested Nafis immediately after he attempted to detonate the bomb.
On February 7, 2013, in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, Nafis pled guilty to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. During the guilty plea proceeding, Nafis admitted under oath that he had attempted to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank in Manhattan, that he had used a cellular phone as the detonator for the explosion, and that he had selected the Federal Reserve Bank as the target for his attack.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Loonam and Richard M. Tucker, with assistance from Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section.
The Defendant:
QUAZI MOHAMMAD REZWANUL AHSAN NAFIS
Age: 22
Jamaica, New York
Thursday 8 August 2013
Woman Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – Jamhila Hodge, 24, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal district court on St. Thomas to one count of production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Angel Melendez, and Virgin Islands Police Department Commissioner Rodney Querrard.
According to the plea agreement, Hodge used a cell phone to record a seven-minute video of an adult male engaging in sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old female. Hodge was arrested in April 2012 and charged in a five-count indictment with two counts of production of child pornography, two counts of possession of child pornography, and aiding and abetting second-degree aggravated rape. Co-defendant Calieb Webster, 30, was charged with one count of production of child pornography and second-degree aggravated rape. Webster’s trial is scheduled for August 12, 2013.
Hodge also pleaded guilty July 26, 2013 in federal district court on St. Croix to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Webster pleaded guilty on August 5, 2013 in federal district court on St. Croix to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Both Hodge and Webster, who were traveling together, were arrested on St. Croix in February 2012 when they presented themselves for preclearance inspection at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport prior to boarding an American Airlines flight to New York via Miami. According to the plea agreement, approximately 36.32 kilograms of cocaine was found in their luggage.
Hodge faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison on the production of child pornography charge, and 10 years mandatory minimum on the drug charge. Webster faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison on the drug charge. Sentencing for Hodge has been set for October 24 on the child pornography charge, and October 31 on the drug charge. Sentencing for Webster has been set for November 7 on the drug charge.
The arrest of Webster and Hodge for production of child pornography is part of Homeland Security Investigations’ Operation Predator, a nationwide initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who sexually exploit children. As part of Operation Predator, HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.
The child pornography case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter. The drug case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
Williamson County Man Sentenced on Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
On August 8, 2013, Jason S. Byrley, 35, of Pittsburg, IL, was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton on an indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Byrley, who had previously pled guilty to the methamphetamine charge, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, 5 years of supervised release, and fined $300. The conspiracy offense occurred between 2008, and January 30, 2012, in Williamson, Jackson, Saline, and Franklin Counties. At sentencing, the district judge found that Byrley was responsible for the manufacture of more than one kilogram of methamphetamine. Six co-defendants have previously been sentenced for their role in the methamphetamine conspiracy.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Murphysboro Police Department, Marion Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Saline County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, Carrier Mills Police Department, Harrisburg Police Department, and United States Marshals Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson.
U.S. Postal Letter Carrier Indicted for Allegedly Destroying, Stealing U.S. MailRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A federal grand jury in Providence on Wednesday returned a two-count indictment charging Matthew Golatto, 28, of Providence, a U.S. Postal letter carrier, with one count each of delaying delivery of mail and theft of mail, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Rafael Medina, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) - Northeast Area Field Office.
Golatto was charged by way of criminal complaint in this matter on July 17, 2013.
According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court, it is alleged that on July 8 and 9, 2013, after receiving information from an area resident a Postal employee recovered from two locations in Coventry a substantial number of pieces of mail allegedly discarded by Golatto. The mail was addressed to recipients in Coventry along routes assigned to Golatto.
In addition, according to court documents, on July 9, 2013, a substantial number of pieces of mail were allegedly recovered from Golatto’s personal vehicle, including 55 greeting card envelopes that had been opened. The contents of a number of the envelopes had been removed. USPS OIG agents recovered 36 retail gift cards from Golatto’s vehicle. Agents also recovered a package that had allegedly been opened which contained medicine mailed from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to a Coventry resident.
A criminal complaint and an indictment are merely allegations and are 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.
Golatto, who was released on unsecured bond following an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Judge Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond on July 30, 2013, is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on August 13, 2013.
If convicted of delay of mail and theft of mail, Golatto faces statutory penalties of up to 5 years in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release and up to a fine of $250,000 on each charge.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee.
Agents from the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General were assisted by Coventry Police in the investigation of this matter.
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To assist the media and the public, a glossary of federal judicial terms and procedures is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/justice101/
Contact: 401-709-5357
[email protected]Two Southeast Texans Sentenced for Child Pornography ViolationsRead the Press Release
Department of Justice
Office of Public AffairsBEAUMONT, Texas – Two Southeast Texas residents and a Louisiana man have been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Stacey Marie Barron, 25, of Nederland, Texas, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24, 2012 to conspiracy to produce child pornography and was sentenced to 276 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.
Johnny Ray Baldwin, II, 28, of Lumberton, Texas pleaded guilty on Aug. 24, 2012, to conspiracy to produce child pornography and was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison today by Judge Crone.Charles Edward Reese, 67, of Covington, LA, pleaded guilty on May 24, 2012, to conspiracy to produce child pornography and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison today by Judge Crone. Reese was also ordered to pay $2,819,887.00 in restitution to the victims. The minor victims in this case will receive restitution for their future medical needs, to be held in a special needs trust. The trust will be funded, in part, by assets frozen and seized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office prior to Reese’s sentencing.
According to information presented in court, on Feb. 1, 2012, federal officials conducted a search warrant at a home in Orange County, Texas after receiving information from an Internet-based image hosting website reporting that a customer had uploaded digital images from a cell phone that contained sexually explicit conduct of a young child and an adult. An investigation revealed that although the adult in the photos was deceased, another person identified as Reese had been paying money for several years in return for digital pictures of sexually explicit conduct involving minor children. On Mar. 12, 2012, a search warrant was executed at Reese’s home in Louisiana during which multiple child pornography images and videos were discovered. Financial records indicate Reese paid over $700,000 between 2004 and 2012 for the production of child pornography.
Reese was arrested on Mar. 5, 2012 and indicted by a federal grand jury on Mar. 21, 2012.
Further investigation led to additional child pornography which had been produced by Barron and Baldwin for Reece from July 2009 to August 2011 using two young children. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on June 6, 2012 charging Barron and Baldwin with child pornography violations.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.This case was investigated by the FBI, Jefferson County Child Protective Services, the Garth House, Orange County Child Protective Services, and Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and was prosecuted by Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice.
Two Percy Men Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
On August 8, 2013, Michael J. Jaimet, 31, and Joshua D. Stacy, 27, both of Percy, IL, were sentenced in United States District Court in Benton on an indictment charging conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Jaimet and Stacy had previously pled guilty to the methamphetamine offense, which occurred between January 2011, and January 2013, in Perry, Jackson, and Randolph Counties. Jaimet was sentenced to 151 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release and fined $300. Stacy was sentenced to 108 months in prison, 4 years of supervised release, and fined $200. Evidence at the plea hearings established that Jaimet and Stacy were involved with each other and others in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Jaimet and Stacy obtained pseudoephedrine to use to make methamphetamine and were involved in the methamphetamine cooks. In June 2012, Stacy was severely burned during a methamphetamine lab explosion. Three co-defendants have previously been sentenced for their role in the methamphetamine conspiracy. Seven co-defendants have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Percy Police Department, Murphysboro Police Department, Sparta Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson.
Two Individuals Charged with Material Support Offenses Involving Al-Qa’ida, Al-Qa’ida in Iraq/Al-Nusrah Front, and Al-ShabaabRead the Press Release
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John P. Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and the members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), announce that today two individuals, one a United States citizen, made their initial appearance in federal court in Miami on an indictment returned in the Southern District of Florida.
The fifteen-count indictment charges Gufran Ahmed Kauser Mohammed, 30, a naturalized United States citizen and resident of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and Mohamed Hussein Said, 25, a Kenyan national and resident of Nairobi and Mombasa, with conspiring to provide, and attempting to provide, material support to three separately designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, al-Qa’ida, al-Qa’ida in Iraq/al-Nusrah Front (“AQI/al-Nusrah Front”), and al-Shabaab. If convicted, each defendant faces a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison for each count of the Indictment.
The indictment alleges that Mohammed and Said conspired to provide money and recruits to al-Qa’ida, AQI/al-Nusrah Front in Syria and al-Shabaab in Somalia. The charges allege that Mohammed sent a series of wire transfers to Said for the purpose of supporting al-Shabaab, and to an individual whom he believed was a fundraiser, recruiter, and supplier for al-Qa’ida and AQI/al-Nusrah Front for the purpose of supporting al-Qa’ida and AQI/al-Nusrah Front. In addition, Mohammed and Said agreed to support al-Qa’ida and AQI/al-Nusrah Front by recruiting and moving experienced al-Shabaab fighters to the conflict in Syria.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Miami-Dade Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Frazier and Ricardo Del Toro and Trial Attorney Jolie Zimmerman from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless 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.
Two Clark County Women Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Make and Pass Counterfeit United States CurrencyRead the Press Release
Michelle L. Welcher, 40, and Mandy L. Tingley, 33, both of Marshall, Illinois, pled guilty today in United States District Court in Benton to an indictment charging them with conspiring to make and pass counterfeit United States currency and possession of counterfeit currency, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The indictment, returned by a Federal Grand Jury on December 4, 2012, alleged that the offenses occurred from August 29th to September 3, 2012, in and around Clark County.
Sentencing was set for December 6th at the United States District Courthouse in Benton. At that time, Welcher and Tingley each face up 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release to follow their incarceration on the conspiracy count. On the possession counts, each face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Illinois State Police, and the Clark County Sheriff's Department with the assistance of the Clark County State's Attorney's Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.
Three Members of Matusiewicz Family Indicted for Federal Stalking Crimes Resulting in Courthouse MurdersRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, Stephen Vogt, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Division, and Nathaniel McQueen, Jr., Colonel, Delaware State Police, announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Delaware returned a four-count indictment on August 6, 2013, charging David T. Matusiewicz, his mother, Lenore Matusiewicz, and his sister, Amy Gonzalez, with one count of conspiring to commit interstate stalking and cyberstalking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 2261A(1)-(2), two counts of interstate stalking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2261A(1), and one count of cyberstalking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2261A(2).
David T. Matusiewicz’s father, Thomas Matusiewicz, was named as a deceased co-conspirator in the indictment, which was unsealed this morning following the arrests of Lenore Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas. David T. Matusiewicz has been in federal custody on a supervised release violation since the February 11, 2013 murders of his ex-wife, Christine Belford, and her friend, Laura Mulford, in the lobby of the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware.
Pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2261, if convicted of the most serious charges and aggravating factors contained in the indictment, all three defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a 5-year term of supervised release. Additionally, because David T. Matusiewicz and Lenore Matusiewicz were subject to “no contact” orders in place during their alleged criminal conduct, they also face a mandatory minimum term of one year in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment and court documents filed in this case and in prior cases, David T. Matusiewicz and Christine Belford were engaged in divorce and child custody proceedings in the Family Court of Delaware in 2007. In August 2007, David T. Matusiewicz and his mother, Lenore Matusiewicz, kidnapped the three young children born of his marriage to Christine Belford and fled to South America. In March 2009, David and Lenore Matusiewicz and the young children were found living in a motor home in Nicaragua. David and Lenore Matusiewicz were arrested and prosecuted in Delaware, and the children were returned to the care of their mother, Christine Belford.
In September 2009, David and Lenore Matusiewicz both pled guilty to crimes relating to their kidnapping of the children. In December 2009, David T. Matusiewicz was sentenced to 48 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervision by the United States Probation Office.
In the days following his December 2009 sentencing, David T. Matusiewicz began to orchestrate, from a prison cell, a course of conduct designed to stalk, harass, and intimidate Christine Belford and her children. He enlisted his father, mother, sister and various other persons in this effort, which stretched from December 2009 to February 2013.
The Matusiewicz family began their stalking campaign by broadly disseminating -- by mail, email, websites, Internet postings, and other means -- false allegations that Christine Belford had, among other things, abused her children, suffered from mental illness and had attempted to harm Lenore Matusiewicz. They used a website, posted YouTube videos, and sent letters to Christine Belford’s church and her children’s schools repeating their false and defamatory allegations. Christine Belford and her children were well aware of the Matusiewicz family’s widespread, public dissemination of this false and defamatory information.
In August 2011, the Family Court of the State of Delaware terminated David T. Matusiewicz’s parental rights as to his children with Christine Belford. In doing so, the Family Court rejected David T. Matusiewicz’s assertion that Christine Belford was abusing the children, referring to those allegations as “baseless” and “made up.” Following the completion of the Family Court termination of parental rights proceeding, the Matusiewicz family recruited and used a variety of people to conduct physical and online surveillance of Christine Belford and her children.
After his release from federal custody, David T. Matusiewicz resided in southern Texas first with Amy Gonzalez and then with Lenore and Thomas Matusiewicz. Between September and November 2012, the United States Probation Office twice denied David T. Matusiewicz’s requests for permission to travel from Texas to “New Jersey.” On November 9, 2012, David T. Matusiewicz filed a petition to reduce the monthly child support arrearage payments he owed Christine Belford in the Family Court of the State of Delaware. That petition ultimately resulted in the scheduling of the February 11, 2013 court hearing. Christine Belford was ordered to attend that hearing in the New Castle County Courthouse.
On January 8, 2013, David T. Matusiewicz sought and received permission from the United States Probation Office in Texas to travel to Delaware to attend the child support arrearage hearing scheduled for February 11, 2013. David T. Matusiewicz never informed the probation officer that he intended to travel to Delaware with Thomas and Lenore Matusiewicz.
Between February 4 and 7, 2013, David, Lenore and Thomas Matusiewicz traveled from Texas to the Delaware Valley in two vehicles – a Honda Civic and Honda CRV – later found to contain numerous weapons, ammunition, restraints, an electric shock device, several gas cans, a shovel, and numerous pictures of Christine Belford’s children and residence.
On the morning of February 11, 2013, David and Thomas Matusiewicz drove to a hotel parking garage near the New Castle County Courthouse in the Honda CRV, which contained ammunition, a military style knife, three sets of restraints of progressively smaller sizes, a bullet proof vest, an electric shock device, binoculars, and photographs of Christine Belford’s children and residence. After entering the courthouse lobby at approximately 7:30 a.m., David T. Matusiewicz entered and stayed in the security screening line, while Thomas Matusiewicz moved around the lobby, occasionally approaching and talking to David T. Matusiewicz.
Shortly before 8:00 a.m., David T. Matusiewicz passed through courthouse security screening and walked to another floor of the building. Thomas Matusiewicz remained in the lobby, where he shot Christine Belford multiple times as she entered the courthouse lobby, killing her. He then shot Laura Mulford multiple times as she attempted to flee. After a shootout during which he shot and injured two Capitol Police officers, Thomas Matusiewicz died on the sidewalk of the courthouse of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On February 15, 2013, Amy Gonzalez filed a petition for custody of Christine Belford’s three children in the New Castle County Courthouse, which houses the Family Court of the State of Delaware. The enclosed check written to the Family Court was dated February 12, 2013 – the day after the Courthouse murders.
Acting United States Attorney Weiss stated the following: “From 1976 through 2005 over 64,000 people were killed as a result of domestic violence. These staggering numbers contributed to the enactment of the federal stalking statutes that are part of the Violence Against Women’s Act, passed initially in 1994 and reauthorized on multiple occasions, most recently in February of this year. This Office is staunchly committed to the enforcement of federal domestic violence laws. I want to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Delaware State Police and the Delaware Attorney General’s Office for their extraordinary work on this case.”
This case is being investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Delaware State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie M. McCall and Edward J. McAndrew
Matusiewicz Indictment Unsealed Redacted 8-8-13.pdf
Criminal indictments are only charges and are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three Area Men Sentenced to Lengthy Federal Prison Terms Under Project Safe Neighborhoods for Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Three Chicago area men were sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms after being convicted in three separate cases of federal firearms charges. Each case demonstrates the constant efforts of federal agencies – in these three instances, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – working together with the Chicago Police Department, to investigate and prosecute firearms-related crimes throughout the city.
NORVELL MOORE, 31, and MICHAEL BOBO, 32, both of Chicago, and ARCADIO HERNANDEZ, 42, of Northlake, were sentenced yesterday in three separate cases in U.S. District Court to 20, 15, and 10 years in federal prison, respectively. All three cases fall under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods, and were investigated by the Chicago Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. For more information about PSN Chicago, see www.psnchicago.org.
Details of three cases follow:
- U.S. District Judge John Grady sentenced Moore to 20 years in prison for using a firearm during a crime of violence and for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Moore was convicted by a jury in July 2012 of illegal possession and use of a firearm on July 14, 2010. Evidence showed that Moore approached a woman who was sitting in her car in the 7200 block of West Foster Avenue in Chicago, placed a firearm to her head, and told her to get out of the car or he would shoot her. When the victim fled from her car, Moore got in and drove away. Chicago police officers, who responded to the carjacking call, quickly found Moore driving on the Kennedy Expressway. Moore sped away, crashed the victim’s car on the Ohio Street ramp, and then ran up the embankment and down a street where he was caught by the police, who later found Moore’s loaded 9mm pistol in the victim’s car. Moore has several prior felony convictions, including robbery, aggravated robbery and gun related offenses. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas.
- U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo sentenced Bobo as an armed career criminal to 15 years in prison for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Bobo pleaded guilty in October 2012 to illegally possessing a firearm on Nov. 16, 2010. Evidence showed that Bobo kept a loaded .32 caliber revolver in the pocket of his jacket, which was hanging in his closet in his residence in the 500 block of North St. Louis Avenue in Chicago. Chicago police officers executed a court-authorized search warrant at Bobo’s residence and recovered the firearm. Bobo has several prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and other narcotics-related offenses. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tzur.
- U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan sentenced Hernandez to 10 years in prison for being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Hernandez was convicted by a jury in December 2012 for illegally possessing a firearm on Nov. 23, 2010. Evidence showed that Hernandez was walking in an alley near the 1100 block of North Ridgeway Avenue in Chicago, and when he noticed that Chicago police officers were looking at him, he dropped the red plastic bag that he was carrying. The officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver among the items inside the bag. Hernandez later admitted to the officers that he had just stolen the gun from drug dealers who had previously beat him up. Hernandez has several prior felony convictions, including residential burglary, criminal sex abuse, and drug trafficking offenses. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Owens.
The sentences were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Larry Ford, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of ATF; and Garry McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
Ten Overtown Defendants Indicted on Drug Conspiracy and Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
Indictment Stems from USAO’s Overtown Violence Reduction Partnership
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Administration Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division, Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Hugo J. Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, Manuel Orosa, Chief, City of Miami Police Department, John E. Brooks, Chief, City of Sunrise Police Department, and announce the indictment of ten individuals for their alleged participation in various heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana distribution conspiracies. Some of the defendants are expected to make their initial appearances today at 1:30 p.m. in front of U.S. Magistrate Andrea M. Simonton.
This indictment is, in large part, the result of the Overtown Violence Reduction Partnership, launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in October 2011. Through this Partnership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its federal and local law enforcement allies have sought to dismantle the most violent criminal networks in the Overtown neighborhood, while simultaneously working with community leaders and concerned citizens to mentor at-risk youths, provide jobs and job training to young families, and help probationers and parolees successfully re-enter society.
The 21-count indictment, returned on August 6, 2013, and unsealed today, charges the defendants with conspiracy to possess controlled substances with the intent to distribute, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846 (Counts 1, 17, 18, and 19); and possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) (Counts 2-16, 20, and 21). The indictment charges the following ten individuals:
Mark Brown, 29, of Overtown;
Anthony Donnell Mcclain, 29, of Overtown;
Omar Abdul Lewis, 39, of Overtown;
Oliver Salguero, 24, of Overtown;
Gregory Timothy Robinson, 27, of Overtown;
Eldridge Raynard White, Jr., 23, of Overtown;
Edward Keith Mcclain, 23, of Overtown;
Javon Jones, 29, of Overtown;
John Jones, Jr., 22, of Overtown;
Marcus Marcell Brown, 23, of Overtown.U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Today, for the second time in the last eight months, we announce the results of the Overtown Violence Reduction Partnership, which has yet again brought together federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat violent crime in the historic Overtown neighborhood. This indictment effectively removed from Overtown’s streets violent and notorious drug traffickers that had been entrenched in that area. Federal law provides stiff penalties for narcotics traffickers and career offenders. Through the Overtown Violence Reduction Partnership, we stand committed to reducing street violence and narcotics trafficking, with the goal of helping to make our communities safer.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville stated, “Whether you live in the suburbs or the inner city, residents should be able to walk the streets and go about their lives without fear or exposure to drugs and violence. These indictments stand as a warning to those individuals whose greed drives them to pollute our streets with poison and bully the community. This collaborative effort between law enforcement and community leaders is a step in the right direction for a neighborhood that is considered one the most dangerous in Miami.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Hugo Barrera stated, “The citizens of the Overtown can breathe a little easier tonight. Violence should never become the order of the day. The message is clear that if you choose to use a firearm to inflict violence on the innocent people of this or any other community in South Florida, you will be dealt with swiftly. Together with this seamless integration of federal, state and local law enforcement we can ensure solid investigations, successful prosecutions and long stays in prison for these predators.”
“This indictment is part of our continuing efforts to help the Overtown Community, by ridding the streets of violent crime, illegal drugs and the ill effects that they have,” said Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa. “We will continue to partner with members of the community and our partners in law enforcement at all levels to work for the betterment of Overtown and all of Miami.”
Chief John Brook of the Sunrise Police Department stated, “Acknowledging that crime in the 21st century knows no boundaries, the Sunrise Police Department is always willing to assist our partners in the Federal Government in combating violent crime and drug trafficking across South Florida. We take pride in our role in the indictments obtained by this partnership.”
This year-long, multi-agency investigation into Mark Brown’s alleged drug trafficking network was the result of the unparalleled, cooperative, investigative efforts of five different law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, the FBI, ATF, the City of Miami Police Department, and the City of Sunrise Police Department. These separate investigations were merged into a single operation under the auspices of the USAO’s Overtown Violence Reduction Partnership, resulting in today’s charges.
If convicted of the charges, the defendants face a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to forty years in prison.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the DEA, FBI, ATF, City of Miami Police Department, and the City of Sunrise Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roy Altman.
An indictment is only an accusation and a 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.
Ten Charged in Area Identity Theft RingRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Ten individuals have been charged in Alexandria for their alleged involvement in a large-scale identity theft ring operating in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since at least January 2012. The seven individuals arrested were:
Janero Blalock, 31, of Fort Washington, Maryland;
Christopher Bush, 39, of District Heights, Maryland;
Adrienne Pritchett, 42, of District Heights, Maryland;
Segale Battle, 30, of Washington, D.C.;
Jamille Ferguson, 31, of New York, New York, and Virginia;
Tekia Thomas, 20, of Alexandria, Virginia; and
Elizabeth Monika Hunter, 19, of Fredericksburg, Virginia.Two additional defendants were already in state custody when federal charges were filed: Jennifer Scruggs, 44, of Hyattsville, Maryland; and Rungnatee Pearson, 45. An arrest warrant was issued for the remaining defendant, Kevin Middleton, 32, of Charleston, South Carolina.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge for the United States Secret Service’s Washington Field Office; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after a number of the defendants made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson in Alexandria, Va.
According to the 16-count indictment and a related criminal complaint, Blalock and Bush allegedly recruited women to steal personal information, such as social security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth, from their employers, which included a local dental practice, insurer, and rental car company. To date, over 600 potential victims have been identified, including many overseas employees of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Members of the ring are alleged to have used the stolen identity information to manufacture fraudulent identification documents bearing their photographs and victims’ personal information, and would then use those fraudulent identification documents and victims’ social security numbers to open credit lines under victims’ names. Through this scheme, members of the ring were allegedly able to obtain merchandise from various retailers, including Macy’s, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, and Kay Jewelers. To date, law enforcement has recovered 284 suspected fraudulent identification documents bearing victim information and ring members’ photographs.
The indictment charges the following offenses: Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud, and identity theft, which is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; bank fraud, which is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty years; access device fraud, which is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years; identity theft, which is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen years; and aggravated identity theft, which is punishable by a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years in addition to any other sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service and the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the City of Fairfax Police Department, Prince George’s County W.A.V.E. (Washington Area Vehicle Enforcement), Prince George’s County Financial Crimes Section, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, Delaware State Police, Maryland State Police, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State.
Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay A. Kelly and Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter V. Roman are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be 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 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.Tampa Area Business Executive Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington today sentenced John D. Stanton, III (64, Tampa) to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to interfere with the Internal Revenue laws and failing to file income tax returns. The court also ordered Stanton to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $37,816,875.00. Stanton was found guilty on December 17, 2012 by a federal jury.
According to evidence presented at trial, Stanton was the former president of Florida Engineered Construction Products Corporation ("FECP"), more commonly known as Cast Crete Corporation. FECP/Cast Crete manufactured and sold concrete construction products. As president of the company, Stanton interfered with the administration of the tax laws by impeding an Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") audit of the company, creating and backdating two fraudulent demand promissory notes totaling $500,000,000, causing false Forms 1099 to be filed with the IRS, failing to file corporate tax returns on behalf of the company, and other acts of obstruction and concealment. During approximately 2004 through 2008, the company made well over $100 million and failed to file a single corporate income tax return.
Additional trial evidence showed that Stanton failed to file corporate tax returns on behalf of Denouement Strategies, Inc., for 2006 and 2007. Stanton controlled Denouement Strategies and transferred over $43 million worth of FECP/Cast Crete profits into the Denouement Strategies bank accounts in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Stanton also failed to file personal income tax returns for 2005 and 2007.
“Today the Internal Revenue Service continued its core mission to protect the integrity of the tax system as John D. Stanton III’s was sentenced to 10 years in prison following a trial and guilty verdict earlier this year,” stated James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. “Stanton used his education and skills as a MBA and CPA to purposefully impede the Internal Revenue Service, depriving the U.S. government and its citizens of in excess of $60 million in tax revenue and now he, and those close to him, are paying a high price for this breach of trust. Violations of Internal Revenue laws are not victimless crimes and this sentence should serve as a reminder to all Americans of the consequences of purposefully flouting their civic responsibilities and the Internal Revenue laws.”
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Monk and Matthew Mueller.
Statement on the February 2, 2012, Shooting of 18-Year-Old Ramarley GrahamRead the Press Release
“Consistent with our Office’s practice in cases of this kind, we will review all of the available evidence with respect to the shooting of 18-year-old Ramarley Graham on February 2, 2012, in the Bronx, New York, including the evidence collected during the state’s investigation, to determine whether there were any violations of the federal criminal civil rights laws,” said Jerika Richardson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
Slidell Woman, Keishandra Houston, Sentenced for Wire Fraud in Aftermath of Bp Oil SpillRead the Press Release
KEISHANDRA HOUSTON, age 36, of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U. S. District Court Judge Carl J. Barbier, to one year of probation for committing wire fraud relating to an application for financial assistance in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, announced U. S. Attorney Dana Boente. HOUSTON was also ordered to pay BP America restitution in the amount of $5,900.
The Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) made disaster assistance money available to individuals affected by the oil spill resulting from the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The GCCF required individuals to verify loss of income. According to court documents, in September 2010, HOUSTON falsely represented to the GCCF that she worked as a cook at a seafood restaurant and suffered financially due to lost employment as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident. To support this fraudulent claim, HOUSTON wired to the GCCF false earnings statements which incorrectly indicated that she was employed by a seafood restaurant. In response to the claim, the GCCF paid HOUSTON $5,900.
This case was brought as part of this District’s partnership with the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), a nationwide initiative to protect available funds and assistance for those victims of both natural and man-made disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and the recent Gulf oil spill. If you have knowledge of fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, you can contact the NCDF by either calling the hotline at (866) 720-5721, faxing (225) 334-4707, emailing at [email protected] or in writing to National Center for Disaster Fraud, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chandra Menon.
Shipping Corporation and Two Engineers Convicted in ‘Magic Pipe’ Case in Norfolk, Va.Read the Press Release
Diana Shipping Services S.A., a Panamanian corporation headquartered in Greece, Ioannis Prokakis and Antonios Boumpoutelos, both citizens of Greece, were convicted today after an 12-day bench trial on charges related to the illegal discharge of waste oil and oil-contaminated waste water from the M/V Thetis, a cargo vessel operated by Diana Shipping Services, announced Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Otis E. Harris, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Chesapeake Region, and David G. McLeod, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program for the Middle Atlantic States.
All the defendants were convicted of conspiracy, knowing failure to fully maintain an oil record book, falsification of records and concealing tangible objects in a federal investigation. In addition, Prokakis was also convicted of obstruction of justice for ordering crewmembers to lie to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors on board the ship. The guilty verdicts were handed down by U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis of the Eastern District of Virginia.
“The pollution of our oceans, the falsification of environmental records, and lying to the U.S. Coast Guard are serious crimes,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Dreher. “Companies and individuals that intentionally attempt to cover up these crimes and obstruct U.S. Coast Guard investigations, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“These defendants not only violated the law when they illegally discharged contaminated waste into our waters, but then conspired to cover up their nefarious conduct,” said United States Attorney Neil H. MacBride. “Those who choose to continue to violate the law, even after being confronted, will find themselves in the same, serious trouble as these defendants.”
“The Coast Guard protects not only the environment of our nation, but the world’s,” said Capt. John Little, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads. “Our Port State Control Teams board thousands of vessels annually to ensure compliance with U.S. law, regulations, and international treaties on pollution prevention. This case affirms the strength of our partnerships with the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our Coast Guard Investigative Service in holding accountable those vessel operators who deliberately discharge oil and falsify ship records.”
“The oceans must be protected from shipping companies that cut corners and dump waste improperly,” said David G. McLeod, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program for the Middle Atlantic States. “The defendants conspired to discharge oily waste from the M/V Thetis into the open water, falsified the ship’s record books and attempted to thwart the investigation. Today's guilty verdict should send a clear message that our collaborative efforts will lead to the vigorous prosecution of those who despoil our oceans and violate our nation’s environmental laws.”
Diana Shipping Services, S.A. faces a maximum fine of $5.5 million and five years of probation. Prokakis and Boumpoutelos face a maximum sentence of five years for the conspiracy conviction, six years per failure to maintain an oil record book conviction, and 20 years per falsification of record conviction. Prokakis faces an additional five year sentence for obstruction of justice. All three defendants will be sentenced on Nov. 8, 2013.
Diana Shipping Services S.A., Prokakis, and Boumpoutelos, were indicted on May 22, 2013, in an 11-count superseding indictment alleging the illegal discharging of waste oil and oil-contaminated waste water in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. In September 2012, crewmembers of the M/V Thetis, a cargo vessel operated by Diana Shipping Services, reported that the vessel was discharging its bilge waste and sludge illegally by various means, including a “magic pipe” that bypassed the oily water separator. Coast Guard inspectors boarded the vessel when it entered port in Norfolk and discovered the “magic pipe” and that the oily water separator was non-functioning. The inspectors were also presented with an oil record book that contained false entries made by the ship’s Chief Engineer, Ioannis Prokakis and the Second Engineer Antonios Boumpoutelos. During the inspection, Prokakis lied to inspectors about the “magic pipe” and told other members of the engineering crew to not disclose its existence to the Coast Guard inspectors.
This case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the EPA’s Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kenneth E. Nelson of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Sex Offender Convicted of Failing to RegisterRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Joseph P. DeMarco, 48, was convicted today of failing to register as a sex offender. DeMarco was convicted by a jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama following a one-day trial. According to the evidence at trial, DeMarco was required to register as a sex offender following a 2003 conviction for Sex Abuse 1st Degree involving an eight-year old victim. Testimony at trial showed that DeMarco was employed in Louisiana and moved from his registered address in Mobile County, but failed to register as required in Louisiana or update his registration in Alabama.
DeMarco is scheduled to be sentenced December 6, 2013 by United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose. He faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following his release from prison.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Murphy handled the prosecution on behalf of the United States.
Sentences for August 6 – 8, 2013 Northern Arapaho Men Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on August 8, 2013, 20-year old Shawn Antelope, Jr., an enrolled Northern Arapaho Tribal member, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson to 36 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 special assessment. Mr. Antelope, Jr. previously pled guilty to the offense of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on August 6, 2013, 40-year old Leo Lone Bear III, an enrolled Northern Arapaho Tribal member, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl to 168 months imprisonment, a life time period of supervised release, a $400.00 fine, and a $100.00 special assessment. Mr. Lone Bear previously pled guilty to the offense of sexual abuse of a minor. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on August 6, 2013, 23-year-old Bryson Brown, and enrolled Northern Arapaho Tribal member, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl to 96 months imprisonment, five years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $440.87 and a $200.00 special assessment. The charges stemmed from an incident which occurred on February 15, 2013, on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and members of the Fremont County Sheriff's Office and the Riverton Police Department.
Second Member of Hacking Group Sentenced to over Year in Prison for Stealing Customer Information from Sony Pictures ComputersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A member of the LulzSec hacking group was sentenced this morning to one year and one day in federal prison for participating in an extensive computer attack that compromised the computer systems of Sony Pictures Entertainment and resulted in personal information of more than 138,000 people being posted on the Internet.
Raynaldo Rivera, known by the online moniker “neuron,” of Chandler, Arizona, 21, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Kronstadt ordered Rivera to serve 13 months of home detention, to perform 1,000 hours of community service and to pay $605, 663 in restitution.
Rivera pleaded guilty last October to conspiring to cause damage to a protected computer after participating in the attack on Sony Pictures in 2011.
Lulzsec’s goal in the attacks on Sony Pictures and other corporate and government entities, according to a court document, was to see the “raw, uninterrupted, chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy” and to provide stolen personal information “so that equally evil people can entertain us with what they do with it.”
Another member of LulzSec, Cody Andrew Kretsinger, who used the online moniker “recursion,” was sentenced in April to one year and one day in federal prison. In addition to the prison term, Judge Kronstadt ordered Kretsinger to serve one year of home detention following the completion of his prison sentence, to perform 1,000 hours of community service, and to pay $605,663 in restitution.
Rivera and Kretsinger studied together at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona. Kretsinger first joined LulzSec, and then he recruited Rivera to join the group, prosecutors said.
Rivera, Kretsinger and others involved in the intrusion obtained confidential information from Sony Pictures’ computer systems by using an “SQL injection” attack against Sony Pictures’ website. The attackers distributed the stolen data on the Internet, information that included names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for tens of thousands of Sony customers.
LulzSec is known for its affiliation with “Anonymous,” which is a loose collective of computer hackers and others around the world who conduct cyber attacks and disseminate confidential information stolen from victims’ computers. In 2011, LulzSec engaged in “a two-month rampage of cyber attacks against various corporate and government entities in the United States and the United Kingdom,” according to a sentence memorandum filed by prosecutors.
This investigation into the attack on Sony Pictures’ computer systems was conducted by the Electronic Crimes Task Force (ECTF) in Los Angeles. The ECTF is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI, the United States Secret Service, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the California Highway Patrol.
Release No. 13-102
Scam Alert: Caller Using Ruse Involving Federal Jury Duty in Attempt to Victimize UtahnsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – You answer your phone this week to hear a caller tell you that you failed to appear on a summons for jury duty in federal court in Salt Lake City. The caller, who identifies himself using a variation of the name of the clerk of the court, tells you that a warrant will be issued for your arrest.
The caller, who is talking to you late in the afternoon, says you have until 5 p.m. to put more than $400 on a MoneyPak card (a reloadable debit card available at many retail stores) and call him back with the MoneyPak serial number to avoid being arrested.
Frightened at the thought of officers putting handcuffs on you at work, you get the MoneyPak and call the person back to give him the serial number. Before you realize what has happened, your money and the scammer are gone into a world of untraceable deception.
Utahns are being targeted by this scheme this week .Law enforcement agencies and other consumer protection groups say there has been a significant increase in schemes where fraudsters try to collect payments using a MoneyPak. When the serial number of the card is given to someone or falls into the hands of a scammer, they have instant access to your money and can drain the money from your card. Unlike a credit card, the transaction is untraceable and cannot be reversed or challenged. The best advice, consumer advocates say, is to never give a MoneyPak serial number to anyone you don’t know.
U.S. District Court officials say none of the individuals who reported receiving these calls were actually called for jury duty, something these individuals could have discovered had they called the court when they received the initial call, as some individuals have done.
Individuals who are called for jury duty receive a summons to appear in the mail or by e-mail. If they fail to appear for jury duty, a court official will contact them to determine why they failed to appear. Individuals are never fined for non-appearance without receiving an order from the court directing them to appear before the judge, the opportunity to explain their non-appearance to the judge, and a written order from the court setting the amount of the fine. Most importantly, payment of a fine is never demanded by a telephone call.
U.S. Attorney David Barlow encourages Utahns to be on guard for fraud schemes involving the use of MoneyPaks. “Don’t give the serial number to someone you don’t know and to anyone calling you. Our best advice is to hang up and call the agency or business yourself. As we are seeing with the individuals who were solicited as a part of the jury-duty scheme, those who called the court were able to quickly discover that the call was fraudulent. While there are legitimate uses for these cards, if you are not cautious you end up giving your money to fraudsters.”
"Scammers are constantly dreaming up new ways to take your money,” warned Francine A. Giani, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Commerce, "Always be very cautious if someone demands you pay a fine or a fee by wire transfer or by placing funds on a MoneyPak debit card. If you are unsure, check with the brick and mortar location of the government agency by phone or in person before responding to any financial demands made over the phone."
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Defendant Attempted to Produce Sexually Explicit Videos of a Twelve-Year-Old Girl
ALBANY, NEW YORK — JASON FRANK, age 27, of Rochester, New York, pled guilty today in Albany before Chief United States District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe to one count of attempted production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Joseph D’Amico, Superintendent of the New York State Police. FRANK faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least fifteen years of imprisonment and up to a maximum sentence of thirty years of imprisonment. FRANK was detained pending his sentencing.
Pursuant to a written plea agreement, FRANK admitted that in February 2013 he began chatting online with what he believed was a twelve-year-old girl located in Albany, New York. The girl was actually an undercover investigator with the New York State Police. The online chat sessions quickly became sexual and over a span of approximately two months FRANK sent the girl still images and videos of child pornography in an effort to convince her to meet with him at a Syracuse hotel in order to film a sexual encounter with FRANK. On April 9, 2013, FRANK arrived at a hotel in Syracuse expecting to meet the twelve-year-old girl and engage in sexual acts with the girl. Instead, FRANK was arrested by the New York State Police. At the time of FRANK’s arrest, he was in possession of a digital camera with video recording capabilities and a thumb drive that contained still images and video of child pornography.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 27, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. in Albany, New York. This case was investigated by the New York State Police.
Rapid City Woman Charged with Child AbuseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Child Abuse.
Crystal Reeder, a/k/a Crystal Taylor, age 29, was indicted on June 12, 2013. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 5, 2013, and pled not guilty to the indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to10 years in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both; 3 years of supervised release; and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge relates to incidents that allegedly occurred in May of 2012 in Isabel, South Dakota, when Reeder allegedly committed child abuse upon the victim.
The charge is merely an accusation and Reeder is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikal Hanson is prosecuting the case.
Reeder was released on conditions pending trial. A trial date has been set for September 24, 2013.Port St. Lucie Securities Broker Charged in Wire Fraud Embezzlement 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 Addy Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), announce the indictment of Paul Elvidge, Jr., 53, of Port St. Lucie, for embezzling more than $1,000,000 from client investment accounts while acting as a securities broker for Cape Securities, Inc. and Seacoast Investor Services, Inc.
The indictment charges Elvidge Jr. with thirty-six counts of wire fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft. Elvidge Jr. had a first appearance in federal court in Fort Pierce on August 8, 2013 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Lynch, Jr. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to twenty years in prison on each of the wire fraud counts, and a consecutive penalty of two years on the aggravated identity theft counts.
According to the indictment, Elvidge Jr. managed and operated Seacoast Investor Services, Inc., which later became Cape Securities, Inc., as a brokerage and investment firm in Port St. Lucie. As a registered representative and investment advisor, Elvidge, Jr. had access to clients’ brokerage accounts and was able to direct wire transfers from these brokerage accounts. From July 2010 to October 2012, Elvidge Jr. embezzled approximately $1,113,594 from client accounts by preparing fraudulent forms and forging account holders’ signatures. Elvidge Jr. used the fraudulently obtained monies to pay for personal and business expenses, and to fund his personal day-trading activities.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and FDLE. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaniek Maynard.
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.
Pontchatoula Man, Anthony Smith, Sentenced for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ANTHONY SMITH, age 50, a resident of Pontchatoula, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U. S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to 183 months (15.25 years) imprisonment for his role in a conspiracy involving the trafficking of more than five kilograms of cocaine from the Houston, Texas area, to Bogalusa, Louisiana, announced U. S Attorney Dana J. Boente. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Milazzo imposed 10 years of supervised release following the term of imprisonment. During the 10-year term the defendant will be under federal supervision and risks an additional term of imprisonment should he violate any terms of his supervised release.
On December 12, 2011, SMITH previously entered a guilty plea admitting to the actions he took during the conspiracy. SMITH drove to Texas on several occasions with and on behalf of co-defendant DEREK MOSS for the purposes of obtaining cocaine from LUIS COLON, a source in that area. Agents observed SMITH meet with COLON on one occasion. On a later occasion, agents followed SMITH, MOSS, and TODD MARK back from Texas to the Laplace area. SMITH was stopped as he traveled toward Pontchatoula on Interstate 55. MARK and MOSS were arrested later that day following a car chase through Metairie, which ended on the Mississippi River levee, where MARK and MOSS attempted to discard nearly four kilograms of cocaine.
After sentencing, SMITH was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service to begin his term of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisiana State Police, and Bogalusa Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin G. Boitmann.
Ponchatoula Home Elevation Company and Owner, Christopher Benson, Sentenced for Structuring Financial TransactionsRead the Press Release
LOUISIANA HOME ELEVATIONS, L.L.C., a Ponchatoula-based home elevation and shoring company, and its owner, CHRISTOPHER BENSON, age 32, a resident of Ponchatoula, was sentenced today in federal court by U. S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, announced U.S. Attorney Dana Boente. BENSON was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Barbier ordered that BENSON be placed on one year of supervised release following the term of imprisonment, during which time the defendant will be under federal supervision and risks an additional term of imprisonment should he violate any terms of supervised release. LOUISIANA HOME ELEVATIONS was sentenced to five years probation.
According to court documents, on December 20, 2012, LOUISIANA HOME ELEVATIONS and BENSON pled guilty to their roles in a scheme that occurred in March 2010 whereby they issued two checks each in amounts below $10,000, but together totaling in excess of $10,000, from the company’s bank account to an individual named Adolfo Hernandez, who then cashed the checks on separate days at a Central Progressive Bank branch. LOUISIANA HOME ELEVATIONS and BENSON assisted Hernandez to engage in these structured currency transactions knowing of the bank’s obligation to report transactions in excess of $10,000, and the defendants intended to avoid those reporting requirements. Hernandez pled guilty in May 2012 to conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, a scheme wherein he used the funds paid to him by LOUISIANA HOME ELEVATIONS and BENSON to pay illegal aliens who worked at LOUISIANA HOME ELEVATIONS worksites.
The case was investigated by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Robert Weir and Assistant U. S. Attorney Michael McMahon.
Polk County Man Convicted of Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury yesterday found Alexis Antoine Davis, a/k/a "Big Mike," (32, Polk County) guilty of three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. Davis faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Davis was indicted on January 8, 2013.
According to evidence presented at trial, on August 30, 2012, September 4, 2012, and September 5, 2012, Davis possessed and sold five firearms to undercover agents, as part of an ongoing undercover operation in Polk County. At the time the transactions took place, Davis was a convicted felon. As a convicted felon, Davis is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph W. Swanson, Stacie B. Harris, and Adam M. Saltzman.
It is another case prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” program - a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy. Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Julie Leon, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, is coordinating the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort here in the Middle District of Florida in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.